House of Cards

I'm a bit late to this. I've added the show to my list since Netflix released it. But, I've realized that lately I've only watched half-hour comedies, with Don't Trust the B– and That '70s Show; thought it's time to go back to hour-long dramas. And, this one is always advertised on my Netflix front page.

Even with all the fuss around the show, all I knew about it, prior to watching, is that it's about the American government. The only other source of knowledge I have on American politics/government is The West Wing, so I'm setting quite a high standard for the quality of the show. Not that I'm doubting it; I haven't heard one bad word about the show.

I guess, the problem is, I'm expecting a TWW feel; fast paced walk and talk with Sorkin dialogue. I'm only four episodes in so far, and I'm still trying to get the feel of it. This does feel a lot like when I watched TWW the first time; a lot of the conversation goes over my head, but I'm captivated by the sense of power and intelligence that the characters exude. And, just like TWW, with this show, I feel like I'm not smart enough to comment on it. Well, I don't even know what's going on most of the time; I would probably just comment on the characters themselves, and not on the things that are going on. Definitely not on the politics of the show.

This is still very early for me. I'm still learning their names and what they do. Since TWW was mostly about the president's senior staff, all the things that are going on on House of Cards seem pretty new. Well, not the trying to make conceited deals part. It's like we're watching from the other side. Francis is trying to one-up the president's office, at least for the first few episodes.

Kevin Spacey is amazing and very fascinating. However, I'm still unsure of how I feel about him breaking the fourth wall. I guess it's interesting, and it makes it easier to tell the viewers his thoughts and points of view; but it can also be seen as lazy storytelling. Plus, it kinda freaks me out a bit whenever he looks straight into the camera...