House of Cards season 5

I just finished watching season 5 and it just seemed to be that it wasn't good. I couldn't really put my finger on it until I read this vox review

Characters on*House of Cards*don’t attain power to enact policy. They attain power to get even more power. Nobody has an ethos or something they want to do — not even something as venal as, “Attain power to make myself incredibly rich.” People are addicted to the idea of control, but control they can enact through weird constitutional loopholes.

The biggest difference between Frank Underwood and Donald Trump isn’t that Frank is more competent — it’s that on some level, Trump seems to want to use the presidency to do stuff and help people. Frank just wants to be president to be president

Click to expand...

House of Cards season 5 review: Netflix?s drama plays differently in 2017 ? but the reason has little to do with Trump - Vox

There is the problem with house of cards Frank spent all this time to become president and now what? And they don't really seem to have an answer.

I watched the first three seasons. It was entertaining, but as the third season came to a close, it seemed that some momentum had been lost. I found the same with "Orange is the New Black." The first two seasons were tightly written and acted/directed. The story was intelligently woven together and the end of the second season was satisfying. Then it just ran out of steam. I have found some books/authors to have the same problem, good story, but as the narrative runs on it seems that the writer runs out of ideas and looks to find the exit ramp quickly.

Rexedgar said:

I watched the first three seasons. It was entertaining, but as the third season came to a close, it seemed that some momentum had been lost. I found the same with "Orange is the New Black." The first two seasons were tightly written and acted/directed. The story was intelligently woven together and the end of the second season was satisfying. Then it just ran out of steam. I have found some books/authors to have the same problem, good story, but as the narrative runs on it seems that the writer runs out of ideas and looks to find the exit ramp quickly.

Click to expand...

That is a problem with all media today, the writing is done with the sole purpose of making money. So no narrative is designed to end it just rolls along until it can't make money anymore and then just has a thrown together ending.

Crovax said:

I just finished watching season 5 and it just seemed to be that it wasn't good. I couldn't really put my finger on it until I read this vox review



House of Cards season 5 review: Netflix?s drama plays differently in 2017 ? but the reason has little to do with Trump - Vox

There is the problem with house of cards Frank spent all this time to become president and now what? And they don't really seem to have an answer.

Click to expand...

I'm most of the way through season 5 but not finished it yet. It a good series. Don't really get the vox review as that's not how I see it. Sure its power they want. But Underwood says in season 5 he wants a legacy. so its more than just power for power. He wants to be known as a great leader who had big accomplishments.

SocialD said:

I'm most of the way through season 5 but not finished it yet. It a good series. Don't really get the vox review as that's not how I see it. Sure its power they want. But Underwood says in season 5 he wants a legacy. so its more than just power for power. He wants to be known as a great leader who had big accomplishments.

Click to expand...

Ok what big accomplishments? 5 seasons and have you seen him take up any cause?

Crovax said:

Ok what big accomplishments? 5 seasons and have you seen him take up any cause?

Click to expand...

I agree with you as far as by season 5 it looks like they're just trying to hold on to power for the sake of it, but in Season 3 it seemed like he really did care about AmWorks.

Right about AmWorks, Anagram. I can't remember anything other "causes."

I'm only 2 or 3 episodes into season 5.

Question: (this was in the second...maybe third...episode this season) What was the problem with Tom talking to his friend the reporter? Underwoods didn't like it, he agreed he was careless (?). I didn't hear anything worrisome. Maybe I wasn't paying close attention.

eta...And the whole affair between Tom and Claire. What's the point? Just something for them to get caught at later. (I know Frank is aware. "Caught" by the press and/or public.)

Anagram said:

I agree with you as far as by season 5 it looks like they're just trying to hold on to power for the sake of it, but in Season 3 it seemed like he really did care about AmWorks.

Click to expand...

Maybe, to me it just seemed like a quick fix to have something to campaign on in the primaries. It seemed to go away once he wasn't allowed to fund it through FEMA anymore.

Spoilers

esme said:

Right about AmWorks, Anagram. I can't remember anything other "causes."

I'm only 2 or 3 episodes into season 5.

Question: (this was in the second...maybe third...episode this season) What was the problem with Tom talking to his friend the reporter? Underwoods didn't like it, he agreed he was careless (?). I didn't hear anything worrisome. Maybe I wasn't paying close attention.

eta...And the whole affair between Tom and Claire. What's the point? Just something for them to get caught at later. (I know Frank is aware. "Caught" by the press and/or public.)

Click to expand...

My theory is that Frank's sexual preference leans more towards dudes. Frank doesn't discourage Clair and Tom from sleeping together because due to Frank's sexual preference and recent health issues, he feels Tom can keep Clair centered and happy so that Clair's frame of mind will better enable the Underwoods to hold on to power.

Clair was jealous of Tom socializing with any female, reporter or not.

Those are my theories, anyway.

Crovax said:

Ok what big accomplishments? 5 seasons and have you seen him take up any cause?

Click to expand...

Well of course he manufacturers the causes most of the time like taking out the terrorist etc.. but to the public he takes up the cause

Crovax said:

I just finished watching season 5 and it just seemed to be that it wasn't good. I couldn't really put my finger on it until I read this vox review



House of Cards season 5 review: Netflix?s drama plays differently in 2017 ? but the reason has little to do with Trump - Vox

There is the problem with house of cards Frank spent all this time to become president and now what? And they don't really seem to have an answer.

Click to expand...

Im at episode 6 now and will finish by this weekend.

My take on why I am losing interest on this show is because real life politics seems more interesting when Trump got elected- there's no need to watch a fictional drama when actual, current events is far more entertaining.

Crovax said:

Maybe, to me it just seemed like a quick fix to have something to campaign on in the primaries. It seemed to go away once he wasn't allowed to fund it through FEMA anymore.

Click to expand...

It could be. I don't remember season 3 super well. I was thinking he was actually pretty committed to it, and I thought I remembered him pushing it even when it wouldn't benefit him politically.

Crovax said:

I just finished watching season 5 and it just seemed to be that it wasn't good. I couldn't really put my finger on it until I read this vox review



House of Cards season 5 review: Netflix?s drama plays differently in 2017 ? but the reason has little to do with Trump - Vox

There is the problem with house of cards Frank spent all this time to become president and now what? And they don't really seem to have an answer.

Click to expand...

I tend to agree with that analysis. While it seems like the first episode had too much showboating by Underwood which could have thrown people off. Like, what are they trying to do make him be more like Trump with the bleached hair??? But as the season moved on away from the unhinginess factor, more or less the conniving and backstabbing continued.

Nothing can top the drama happening in the real White House, not when the Comey testimony, and likely a Sessions testimony gets HUGE ratings since we have a reality TV star in the White House. Although with Claire vying for power, it does come close. The show was shaken up and not in a good way. I liked the Republican running against Frank, he was a really good character, but that election went on way too long! The funny thing was they were filming it when there was talk like something like that could happen in real life before the results of the election came in. I also liked the media trying to take down Underwood and Doug running around like someone was about to backstab him.

Season 5 wasn't as good as some of the others, but if you watched it as just another regular political drama, it holds up well enough.