Four clubs in the House.
Jul. 7th, 2013 09:46 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
captainsblogIt took way more than the 13 weeks it likely would have if Netflix had just rolled out this online series in a standard format, but the House of Cards mini-marathon is now, finally, done. I took time out of a mostly-useless semi-offday on Friday to catch up on where I left off halfway through the arc. I then used cardio sessions that day and yesterday to get within two of the end, and knocked those off this afternoon and tonight.
I had the same issue at the end that I did at the beginning: US television was stretching the original UK-series arc wayyy beyond what the original show's more limited-time run achieved. Despite impeccable production values and an amazing overall cast, it was really, only, the top-four billed stars- Francis, Claire, Zoe and Doug- who carried the entire production with their incredible mixes of conflict, determination and, yes, evil.
One tier below that, you got Peter (who likely would've turned that quartet into a quintet had he lived), Linda, Remy and Meechum- who all added true value to the arc with their stories and machinations.
All the rest of them, from the POTUS on down, were well written and well acted for what they were, but they quickly became Central Casting icons of what you expected them to be. Gerald McRaney as the would-be veep, playing an eccentric Warren Buffett to the hilt; Dan Ziskie as the actual veep, longing to return to his old state and status instead of being stereotypically cast as a powerless figurehead; the stock teacher union head, the hooker with the heart of gold (and the balls of steel), and the stripper with slightly less of each. Few beyond The Four would've been more than extras in the original FU saga, but they had to stretch it to 13 eps, and so we needed their stories and (often) their sex to fulfill the network order.
As for where it cut off? I expected the Peter betrayal turn, the VP turn, and the Peter redux turn by the time each arrived; I didn't get the expected payoff on the Zoe turn, which would have been straight out of the Dobbs/Davies original BBC version, but it didn't happen. Yet. Instead, she is left in the seeming position of the cat to FU's mouse, all of us knowing full well that Keyser Soze can turn that around in a DC minute.
Unlike the original triology, this one doesn't have a monarchical angle to work into the second series, so Netflix promises us just a continuation of the House of Cards arc sometime next year. It has been revealed that Tusk will be back - to compete, or possibly conspire, with FU as the story goes on.
So far, IMDB says there are only five episodes committed. Something closer to that number may work better than 13, although don't expect me to give you a precise count until the voting's concluded.
I had the same issue at the end that I did at the beginning: US television was stretching the original UK-series arc wayyy beyond what the original show's more limited-time run achieved. Despite impeccable production values and an amazing overall cast, it was really, only, the top-four billed stars- Francis, Claire, Zoe and Doug- who carried the entire production with their incredible mixes of conflict, determination and, yes, evil.
One tier below that, you got Peter (who likely would've turned that quartet into a quintet had he lived), Linda, Remy and Meechum- who all added true value to the arc with their stories and machinations.
All the rest of them, from the POTUS on down, were well written and well acted for what they were, but they quickly became Central Casting icons of what you expected them to be. Gerald McRaney as the would-be veep, playing an eccentric Warren Buffett to the hilt; Dan Ziskie as the actual veep, longing to return to his old state and status instead of being stereotypically cast as a powerless figurehead; the stock teacher union head, the hooker with the heart of gold (and the balls of steel), and the stripper with slightly less of each. Few beyond The Four would've been more than extras in the original FU saga, but they had to stretch it to 13 eps, and so we needed their stories and (often) their sex to fulfill the network order.
As for where it cut off? I expected the Peter betrayal turn, the VP turn, and the Peter redux turn by the time each arrived; I didn't get the expected payoff on the Zoe turn, which would have been straight out of the Dobbs/Davies original BBC version, but it didn't happen. Yet. Instead, she is left in the seeming position of the cat to FU's mouse, all of us knowing full well that Keyser Soze can turn that around in a DC minute.
Unlike the original triology, this one doesn't have a monarchical angle to work into the second series, so Netflix promises us just a continuation of the House of Cards arc sometime next year. It has been revealed that Tusk will be back - to compete, or possibly conspire, with FU as the story goes on.
So far, IMDB says there are only five episodes committed. Something closer to that number may work better than 13, although don't expect me to give you a precise count until the voting's concluded.