I just binge-watched House of Cards and I am depressed.

[kentuck]

With politics so real it is surreal, my heart tells me that it is only a TV show but it too close to reality to ignore.

Francis (Frank) Underwood receives initialed cuff links as a gift... On one link is a big "F" and on the other link is a big "U"...

And his wife calls him a "ruthless pragmatist"...

Very entertaining but disturbing.

[Tx4obama]

1. I'm depressed due to having to wait one year for Season 3 to be released :(

I love 'House of Cards' and 'Orange is the New Black' - and love the fact that they can be binge watched

Btw, IMDB.com has some great discussion threads regarding House of Cards, here: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1856010/board/threads/

[Whisp]

10. Here's a link to some Best Quotes from House of Cards

http://houseofcards2013.com/

I love that woman. I love her more than sharks love blood.

Do you know what I like about people? They stack so well.

Of all the things I place in high regard, rules are not one of them.

Can't wait for new Orange eps!

[hlthe2b]

3. Yeah, kentuck... I just finished binge-watching it too...

Even Kevin Spacey has said it isn't all that far from reality--and most DUers recognize that.

I always thought Jimmy Carter was too fine a man (at heart) to be President and that is what cost him. That said, he clearly must have undertaken some of the "nasty" to get there in the first place...

I'm sort of sad to see it end as it did as it seems to diminish the whole struggle for power/ambition aspect for next season, though I can imagine his manipulative nature won't change and it will be entertaining.

PS
I really did love the cuff links, though!

[Skip Intro]

4. I hate to think the reality is far more disturbing than the tv show.

But I'm thinking it....

[kelliekat44]

13. Me too. Just imagine what forces are in operation in opposition to this President. nt

[Whisp]

5. Great show. Too bad Underwood is a Democrat

and the Pugs seem like normal people, almost.

but yeh, there is a Koch Bro there and the whole schmear.

I love the opening theme song. yum.

I also really like the Damages opening:

[Squinch]

6. I am sad for that reason, and because it's over for me till next season.

But, have you seen the British version? Seriously, it was amazing. There is quite a lot different, so you could use it to help you get over the withdrawal.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

7. "History has tried to teach us that we can't have good government under politicians.

"History has tried to teach us that we can't have good government under politicians. Now, to go and stick one at the very head of government couldn't be wise." Mark Twain

[kentuck]

8. There are still some loose ends...

and it has been re-newed.

[TDale313]

9. Enjoying the show, but yes, it's hard to watch.

The political stuff is often what I find myself screaming at the tv over. A Democratic administration/politician busting teacher's unions and pushing standardized testing and vouchers, raising the retirement age/slashing "entitlements", constantly hippie punching for political gain. The antihero is a Dem, but a centrist more than willing to throw anyone under the bus. The actual liberals are often the good guys, usually right- and generally lose- which can often feel painfully true to rl.

Spacey and Robin Wright are amazing.

It's a fascinating show. Almost done with the second season. Have also checked out the original UK version, which is also very good.

[El_Johns]

12. wow, i wonder where they get their ideas? democrats busting teachers' unions and pushing testing?

brilliant!

[TDale313]

14. I know, right?

[Men Without Waves]

18. narcissists. flipping on individual health-care mandate, on Bush tax policy, etc., etc

Last edited Fri Feb 21, 2014, 05:32 PM - Edit history (7)

Hats off to writers & directors who can portray powerful southern political types who nevertheless live in private Idahos. It's a scary mix. These dudes would never tell anyone their secrets, not all of'em. Nor the type represented in the British "House of Cards" either I'd imagine. But it's a great device. It's how they think, as far as I can gather, within a personality disorder (at least according to DSM-IV). Perhaps I've seen Tommy Lee Jones play more than one of these types; but for some reason I'm remembering only his Clay Shaw character in "JFK"...the character's gayness not having been integral to his deeper weirdness the way I perceived it (segments of Jones doing that character--imagining there had been such a player even if the real "Shaw" {Clay Bertrand} was innocent--in the film are hard for me to find so far on Youtube). Started this article below, and it looks like it might fill in a few gaps in my DC-knowledge I was aware of last night while viewing the thing. Melber's not too correct, though, IMO about a "ridiculous intensity" with which Spacey plays Underwood. Compared to real life, if that's what you expect...maybe; but we get the mechanism/device. In actual DC, the motivations of the power moguls have to be just as bizare. Like I say, it's a rarely depicted, but sometimes powerfully depicted, persona. The total isolation of frames that substitute for ethics in such individuals [as they exist in reality] thankfully does seem ridiculous to some of us out here...anyway, if the director can let us in on the inner thinking/assumptions, it's probably fitting they strike us way more ridiculous than their owners' superficial rationalizations choreographed for mass consumption (often a bit weird in and of themselves). Thus, a whackiness or ridiculous aspect might aptly (for the sake of story telling) exteriorize distorted inner attitudes, say, if they're harmful enough amongst majority whips having no real concern for the common welfare.

"The Terrible, True Insight of 'House of Cards': Bad People Run D.C." Ari Melber 2/12/13
http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2013/02/the-terrible-true-insight-of-house-of-cards-bad-people-run-dc/273063/

[FLyellowdog]

11. Binge watched also...I wouldn't be shocked if there is more thruth than fiction in some cases.

But I love it.

[progressoid]

15. Apparently the President is a fan too.

President Barack Obama, who seems to be quite the TV junkie, tweeted a word of warning to his followers on Thursday: "Tomorrow: @HouseOfCards. No spoilers, please."

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/showtracker/la-et-st-dont-spoil-house-of-cards-for-barack-obama-please-20140214,0,3985440.story

[Oscarmonster13]

16. I'm an addict, thanks for asking

I hate waiting, but I have watched a few episodes over too, just to get all the nuances. THAT is why I dig this show so much...so many things to absorb and speculate!

[pnwest]

17. Well, thank you very much. Now I'm an addict too!

Cause of this thread, my boyfriend and I both decided to watch this show...just watched the first 4 episodes, and we argued about watching the 5th! LOL, it's 130am, and I wanna watch another! But I lost the argument.

Ain't nothing gonna get done in this house now til we've binged our way through the rest of the series!

Love the music and opening montage, love the mysterious loose ends, love that every single character is both likable and despicable. Awesome all the way around!