Do all of you know what I love most in this world? Good television and…….Fried chicken, it’s pretty great, and not at all the point of the article. But I was eating some while I was writing this and I felt the need to share. But fried chicken is not the point of this article, it is just the greasy glue that holds this together and while I would love to talk more about how awesome fried chicken is, I am fairly certain that is not why you are here.
That isn’t fried chicken! Better though…much better.
The point of this article and the reason for oodles of excitement recently was the release of House of Cards on the first of this month. For those of you who don’t know, House of Cards is an American adaptation of a British mini-series, now I know what you are thinking but hold your judgement for a moment while I blow your minds, or at least open your minds a little bit about this piece of amazing television. House of Cards is Netflix’s foray into original programming…Wait…what is that you say? Original programming? Netflix? Oh say it ain’t so! (Ain’t, ain’t a word and you shouldn’t use it unless you are making a poor grammatical joke.)
This man looks powerful as hell
The people who want to make good TV are slowly abandoning the networks for cable and the internet. Shows, like Game of Thrones, Battleground, and House of Cards are great examples of genre television that has slowly been going out of style on major networks. But content providers like Netflix are more than happy to make things that people want to see.
House of Cards is, at it’s most base value a story of ambition, greed, vengeance, and the lust for power. All of those traits can be found in it’s main character Frank Underwood, House Majority Whip portrayed in the most vicious and staggering fashion by Kevin Spacey. Driven by ambition and undone by the incompetence of others, the Underwoods begin the series awash in the intoxicating celebration of a presidential campaign unaware of the events that will transpire in the beginning parts of the act.
Lady McB?!
It is hard to say what this show would be without Kevin Spacey, but the same can be said for Robin Wright, who portrays his wife Claire, She is the Lady to his Macbeth. A woman of ambition and cunning, who understands the game as well as her spouse. Robin Wright portrays Claire, with a softness that disguises steel. Powerful and provocative she is one of the main reasons I was drawn to House of Cards.
I think the part I love most about this show is while it borrows from the British version, it makes the concept it’s own and it runs with it. Spacey is Macbeth, Richard III, and any other Shakespearean character that longs after power. He will do anything to acquire it and the path he takes to get there is one I am willing to follow. This show is something everyone should be watching and by the time we make it back around to Emmy season, I wouldn’t be surprised if Spacey and Wright are looking and a brand shiny new pair of statues.
Have you caught an episode yet? What did you think? Let me know in the comments below or on twitter!
Samuel Smith
Staff Writer
@insomniawalking
