Last weekend I binged my way through House of Cards all the way to the third season. This was my first Netflix binge, and I can understand why it's termed "binge" along with the associated medical disorders. I did get a tad of an overdose. Or more than a tad, if the ear-worm of the show's opening sequence is any indication. But it is a great opening, isn't it? The music and the images are amazingly synced and reflect the show's spirit very well.
And what is the spirit of the show? I think that it has shifted as the seasons progressed. In the first and second seasons, especially the first, there was a very tangible dark presence around the Underwoods. One would almost expect to see them wearing a cape or a black robe while performing dark rites. And yet, the viewers empathizes with the corrupt, murdering, power hungry couple over the freedom fighting journalists. Perhaps it is them, the journalists, who are the foreign element in D. C.
Things change in the third season as, spoilers, Frank becomes president. Somehow the ultimate power does not corrupt him ultimately, but both Underwoods seem to develop some kind of "morality", or certain feelings. It feels like an unnatural development, and this season seems weaker somehow. Perhaps the hunt is more exciting than the dissection of the prey. And the inevitable fall is still to come.
Uh... are we watching the same series? There's certainly a shift towards internal feelings, but I don't see any sort of blossoms of morality anywhere. The emphasis on the strained relations between the two, plus what seems to me to be a decline in Frank's ability as a puppet-master seems unfortunate and unnecessary, and I agree it makes the series weaker. Unless season four is the last season, things should not get so out of control for him, given the level of manipulation he was able to display in the first two seasons. And season four is _certainly_ not the last season. I hope they're able to pick things up in the next season, it'd be a pity if things continue to deteriorate (in the quality of the series, that is).
ReplyDeleteAs for the binging - I binged through the first season, after which I felt this incredible void that lasted a year long. Want! More! So in seasons two and three, I deliberately paced myself, because I didn't want to be left hanging for so long. I think that binging is better for series that have ended, so you're not left standing there, waiting. Fortunately, there are plenty of these types of seasons in Netflix.
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