^Response to Spoiler****
























Frank offered Major Dad a way out, but Major Dad turned it down thinking he already had Garrett's offer on the table and it sounded better. When Frank convinced Garrett to pull the offer and Major Dad was told about it, he realized Frank had gotten to him and now he had to side with Frank if he wanted even an opportunity at a pardon. After what we saw Frank do the Asian guy, wouldn't surprise me if he didn't hold up on his agreement with Major Dad either. They could revisit that next season, but I imagine they'll focus on other elements like the computer terrorist informant guy and Doug's death more. Frank definitely has a LOT of loose ends hanging around out there.









*End spoiler response

2/19/2014 8:18:35 AM

really weird seeing mcpoyle in this season

2/19/2014 8:24:46 PM

if you can read this spoiler alert, you are probably reading the actual spoiler anyways. so just stay out of this thread. spoiler tags are worthless and dumb.

Quote :

" That made no sense to me..him and Claire i thought were going to bang anyways...but banging Frank too, weirded me out."

Claire was seducing him for Frank, Frank swings both ways.

Quote :

"I don't see how Frank can pardon Raymond without implying that he himself was involved somehow"

this is probably the most realistic part of it, this happens in real life. just look at the pardons after the Iran Contra.

[Edited on February 19, 2014 at 8:44 PM. Reason : .]

2/19/2014 8:43:05 PM

I just wonder if Frank has controlled the entire situation from being shunned from the SoS position to where he is now.

I mean the show doesn't tell us everything - it didn't tell us Claire's motive for the sexual assault bill, but it ended up helping Frank in a big way. I wonder if behind the scenes they cooked it up to get players they needed in place.

Or if some of this is just luck and Frank is taking advantage of it.

2/20/2014 7:07:21 AM

I think it was pretty clear early on that Claire getting the First Lady involved was intentional to build that relationship for later.

This season seemed more about Frank being reactive then planning things out 20 steps in advance like the first season, but at the same time there was groundwork laid for the relationships.

2/20/2014 8:42:16 AM

I thought they set it up from the beginning...starting with scheduling that interview.

Then she befriended the first lady and get her on Claire's side...recommended the therapist who gave the xanax.

It all seemed like a plan to me from the get go.

2/20/2014 4:24:41 PM

Anyone else put off by the awful green screen effects for the Camden Yards scene?

The show went so long with minimal special effects (the subway death scene being the only major point I can think of) and then they felt the need to pull that crap.

Didn't hurt the story, but I was incredibly disappointed with the production value for those 3 minutes.

Carry on.

2/21/2014 3:51:35 AM

I don't remember any green screen effects for that scene, but I do know they actually shot it at Camden Yards.

2/21/2014 8:01:55 AM

^^yes. that was awful. it may not have been green screen, but the lighting or something was off bigtime. It's even worse if they filmed it at Camden Yard, because the whole scene looked fake as hell.

2/21/2014 9:47:22 AM

yall talking about the neighborhood going dark from the blackout?

I'm not sure what it would actually look like, but I doubt they'd actually black out a grid like that just to film this thing, I wasn't bothered by it...I guess I didn't care too much since the show isn't about graphics

2/21/2014 4:51:12 PM

i thought the events towards the end of season 2 were ridiculous and implausible. but i guess this show is going for entertainment over realism. i thought season 2 was kinda meh.

2/21/2014 6:27:57 PM

It looked like the filmed 3 things:

1 was the players on the field at Camden yards (and from what I could tell, only Orioles and no sight or mention of who the other team was)

2 was the cast of the show, mostly hanging out inside the tunnel but the VP and the girl singing Star Spangled Banner on the field. He shakes hands with 2 of them so I'm thinking they were the only 2 really there.

3 was a group of maybe 20 extras playing fans in the stands behind home plate. All the other fans were really just colored dots, or a still image of a block of fans repeated and placed in the backdrop

All 3 may have been filmed at Camden, but no way were they all happening at the same time. Also, the national anthem singer never introduces the first pitch thrower, so where was the announcer?





[Edited on February 21, 2014 at 7:23 PM. Reason : -]

2/21/2014 7:21:14 PM

Just finished season 2 so I can finally read this thread.

Quote :

"That made no sense to me..him and Claire i thought were going to bang anyways...but banging Frank too, weirded me out."

I didn't really see that coming, but my inner 12 year old saw gay symbolism in the scene where frank is practicing his first pitch with Meechum being the catcher with Frank, Frank telling Meechum it'll be his ass if the ball doesn't make it to the home plate when he's the pitcher. In retrospect, maybe that was intentional.

Quote :

"So next season should be him repairing everything HE broke"

Reminds me of right after frank wrecked the table with his civil war figurines:

"It's not broken. I can fix it."

2/22/2014 12:32:58 AM

I thought the bisexual stuff was put out there during the school reunion episode in season 1. It was pretty clear he and the white water rafter guy had a "closer" relationship.

2/22/2014 3:11:07 AM

Yes, but they never showed it to that extent.

and especially not with Claire present.

2/22/2014 1:39:04 PM

Quote :

"Anyone else put off by the awful green screen effects for the Camden Yards scene?"

the cheesy effects were way less distracting than Kevin Spacey's god awful throwing motion

holy shit, someone hook him up with Tom Emanski stat

2/23/2014 12:27:56 PM

in his backyard or at the stadium? because he was talking about how the body armor was affecting his arm's motion

I can't remember what his throwing looked like at his home

2/23/2014 12:41:56 PM

He looked like a little leaguer throwing in his backyard. No way he would have made it to home plate in an MLB stadium.

2/23/2014 1:46:32 PM

little leaguer?

maybe that slightly effeminate kid that gets stuck in right field

Spacey throws like he didn't have much of a relationship with his father

2/23/2014 4:22:20 PM

haha.. i noticed that too. Definitely no little leaguer I know of. He looked like Smalls in the sandlot before Benny taught him how to throw.

2/23/2014 6:20:04 PM

West Wing did it better.

2/24/2014 2:32:18 AM

Quote :

"I didn't really see that coming, but my inner 12 year old saw gay symbolism in the scene where frank is practicing his first pitch with Meechum being the catcher with Frank, Frank telling Meechum it'll be his ass if the ball doesn't make it to the home plate when he's the pitcher. In retrospect, maybe that was intentional."

A lot of the second season leads up to this scene. As Frank gives Meechum more responsibility within his role, he becomes more a part of the family. Because of Frank's new position, everything about his real life becomes more secretive, and therefore much more intimate for those on the inside. Once Meechum began work as Clair's guard, it was only a matter of time before something happened.

However, if they want to keep Meechum in the cast for a third season, they are going to have to develop his character more.

2/24/2014 1:58:17 PM

I'm half way through episode 8 (had to stop to watch Walking Dead), Maybe I missed something but why is the bridge so important to Frank and why does the bridge work against Tusk? I thought Tusk and Fang were the original proponents of the bridge.

Honestly beyond the fact that Tusk and Fang are business partners and Tusk was using Fang to siphon money through casinos to fund GOP campaigns, i'm kinda confused. Also, why is Fang switching sides against Tusk

2/24/2014 2:04:35 PM

I was wondering where the hell "Cathedral Heights" was at the end of Chap 14

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/dr-gridlock/wp/2014/02/24/whats-up-with-hollywoods-fake-metro-stations/

2/24/2014 10:06:51 PM

Quote :

"they are going to have to develop his character more. "

I dont think they will or need too...Meechum pretty much is as high as he can go when it comes to his office at the moment.

If they do develop him, its only as a replacement to Doug who I assume is dead.

I think Rachel has a HUGE role in season 3.


Also, the bridge wasn't all that important but more of a metaphor..as the bridge between Tusk, Fang, China, The pres and FU.

2/25/2014 12:25:16 AM

Quote :

"I dont think they will or need too...Meechum pretty much is as high as he can go when it comes to his office at the moment."

I mean more like develop his character into a person. If he's just a body guard in the show, then he doesn't need it. But if he's going to pop in and out of their relationship like that, then I want to know more about him. What kind of "love life" can a guard like this have anyway? He's with them almost 24/7. What would a day in the life of Meechum look like?

2/25/2014 8:42:47 AM

Quote :

"A lot of the second season leads up to this scene. As Frank gives Meechum more responsibility within his role, he becomes more a part of the family. Because of Frank's new position, everything about his real life becomes more secretive, and therefore much more intimate for those on the inside. Once Meechum began work as Clair's guard, it was only a matter of time before something happened."

ehhh.. i could see that with Meechum hooking up with Claire as the end result, there wasn't really an *obvious* clue that there would be a Threechum, other than the symbolism I mentioned that 99% of viewers would never pick up on.

2/25/2014 9:44:37 AM

I tan accross the original UK version of House of Cards tv series nade in the early '90s. That shit is REALLY dark. The main guy is a real sociopath.

http://www.tvrage.com/shows/id-17544

3/2/2014 3:16:25 PM

^Netflix recommended it to me as soon as I started watching season 2 of the American version. I very much like it but for different reasons.

[Edited on March 2, 2014 at 7:11 PM. Reason : British tv]

3/2/2014 7:11:13 PM

^^^ I was having this discussion with someone else the other night so I admit to googling because I was curious why I wasn't as shocked or surprised by that as some of the other viewers.

That night that Frank got shithoused with his frat or bandmates or whatever it was in S1 there was some obvious signals that he played both sides of the field in college.

Nevermind I think you were referring to something else.

[Edited on March 2, 2014 at 7:54 PM. Reason : . ]

3/2/2014 7:53:42 PM

Sad that Stamper had to die, although his storyline with the hooker was getting really old and annoying. Just wish she could have died with him...but I guess they always have to keep that loose end out there as a threat.

Will be interesting to see what happens with the hacker dude now that Stamper is out of the equation. I don't think Stamper's replacement will be as lenient with him...and he also doesn't know all the details about the prostitute.

3/25/2014 7:35:40 AM

I've started to realize just how many crossovers this show has with West Wing...both plot points AND casting.

4/2/2014 7:37:34 PM

I just binge watched season 2 because it just arrived on the Benin hard drive. Holy shit.

Does anyone have any thoughts on the subtext of this show vs. West Wing, given the different political climates?

West Wing is mostly under Dubya's administration, and it's all very hopeful and optimistic. House of Cards is possibly the most pessimistic show about national politics I've ever heard of, and it comes out when Obama is in charge. Both shows prominently feature liberal actors. we can safely assume that the writing staff on each show is left-leaning. Is there anything here or am I just reaching for another paper to write?

4/6/2014 6:35:14 PM

probably reaching a little...

It seems a very true parallel to the 1990 British version (book and mini-series)...just with modern American versions of the characters...

Since it's modeled after Macbeth and Richard III, it's just about power, corruption, ambition, conspiracy, scheming, etc. in politics...

I think it's just using the liberal slant for relativity and relatability since the British version used post-Thatcher conservative characters....it's just what people are familiar with...but the stories are VERY similar...

4/7/2014 4:51:56 AM

West Wing had liberal writers for sure, but I feel that House of Cards doesn't have a one-sided political agenda. Just an opposing view to the glory of politics that West Wings portrayed.

4/8/2014 7:43:32 PM

finally finished... really did not like it at all. not a good idea to base your show around two incredibly unlikeable characters.

the season started with promise but the back half was just excruciating.

5/9/2014 2:10:22 PM

Quote :

"Is there anything here or am I just reaching for another paper to write?"

congress

[Edited on May 9, 2014 at 2:43 PM. Reason : and the economy]

5/9/2014 2:24:34 PM

Season 3 delayed til mid 2015?

Wtf?

5/21/2014 9:50:04 PM

probably because they had to relocate all their filming locations

5/22/2014 6:52:46 AM

Just finished season one of the British version. It is so freaking' good. Same basic storyline with a different set of details. It's just as good as the American one but for different reasons.

8/28/2014 3:36:26 AM

So I didn't get a chance to watch Season 2 until recently... sorry to be late to the party.

Quote :

"I was wondering where the hell "Cathedral Heights" was at the end of Chap 14"

I imagine WMATA wouldn't approve of scenes that involve murder in their stations, especially murders that involved shoving people in front of moving trains.

Quote :

"Threechum"

Talking with my buddy who watched the season with me, thought it was more symbolic a cynical seduction and corruption of what is naively good and honorable (like an idealized version of our government) with the dark reality of politics that the Underwoods represent.

I loved both seasons, but I think the first season resonated more. It was more believable in the "ER" sense: where most of the crazy stories or scenarios we saw may happen, but usually spaced out over an entire career and not in a single year. The second season started going further from reality - made sense and was entertaining but it starts becoming more fantastical.

In general, love the show though: the guys I watched with, another political junkie and a former Congressional page, were admiring the craftsmanship, how they captured correctly so many of those little details that made the whole show actually feel like the Capitol and DC (esp. first season). Not as jarring as other political shows recently.

8/28/2014 11:06:40 AM