House of Cards - Season 03 [DVD]

This the third season of this engrossing political drama....The manipulative 'Francis Underwood' (Kevin Spacey) has engineered himself and his equally ambitious wife'Clare' (Robin Wright) into the 'White House'Of course the position hadn't been acquired at the polls, 'Francis' had stood on many toes to get there, he hadruthlessly wheeled and dealt leaving many floundering in the storm, many those loyal to the 'Underwood's' hadbeen discarded.In office he finds he has little in the way of support within his party, he will try and bypass them to get his ownway, he'll even pretend that he'll not seek election in 18 months time, he's fooling no-one in truth.Quietly he's hoping his 'America Works' program will turn the tide in his favour prior to party-selection ahead ofthe 2016 election, despite the fact he's jeopardised funds for both emergency-relief and indeed welfare.'Clare's ambitions stretch beyond the work , she had done for many years, she seeks an ambassador role and willexert pressure upon 'Francis' to ensure she gets it.The knives are being sharpened to bring him down he's made many enemies along the way, it is unlikely they willnot seek to even the score.'Doug Stamper' (Michael Kelly) who had helped 'Francis' get to where he has, now recovering his injuries seeks torenew his association with his long time boss, discarding 'Doug's approaches could prove costly, he surely knowsfar too much about the Underwoods.However, if he is ever to return to the fold he'll need to kick his drink-habit and also put closure on that which hastaken over his thinking.'Francis's' dealings with international leaders such as Russia's President 'Viktor Petrov' (Lars Mikkelsen) becomesomewhat shambolic, 'Clare' certainly scuppers any chance of agreement by speaking her mind when silence wouldhave been more appropriate, which will add to the strain upon their marriage, the price of putting the talks back onthe table will come at a price.Kevin Spacey is wickedly convincing as the ruthless and largely self-serving U.S President.Sadly there are so many superb must-see series being shown on the T.V Channels it is almost impossible to keep up,i myself didn't see the British-Version of this and am told i missed a brilliant series, glad to pick up on this....for methis remains a must-see drama.I understood whilst watching series two that the third would be the last, however i'm pleased to find the viewingpublic in the U.S are currently watching the fourth....will look forward to that for sure.

Six months on. President by default, Francis Underwood is highly unpopular. With 2016 election in mind, he determines to boost his image with a highly ambitious policy of a job guaranteed for every American. A good idea surely - except it needs to be paid for by withdrawing benefits. He will face fierce opposition all the way, some of his own staff with serious reservations.Here is another powerful season full of plotting, backstabbing, jostling for power both at home and away. (Russian President Viktor Petrov probably even more ruthless than Underwood). First Lady Claire is outwardly supportive, but their marriage is increasingly under strain. Added to the mix is the plight of former senior member of staff, Douglas Stamper, he slowly recovering from a near fatal attack. What hope for him now, as he painfully strives to regain self-confidence?At its best, the show totally grips - as in Episode 6 when on a Russian state visit to America it almost seems as though the two Presidents may become allies.Sadly, though, Season 3 proves a little uneven - certain aspects rather dragged out.As Underwood, Kevin Spacey is superb. No punches are pulled in emphasizing how nasty he can be - whether urinating on his father's grave, spitting on a church's crucifix or, in one of his many asides to camera, snarling, "What are you looking at!" As Claire, Robin Wright more than holds her own. Acting generally is of a very high order, cast rising to the challenge of such literate scripts.13 episodes. One bonus feature. It interestingly looks back on how the series has evolved. In some ways it has done so unexpectedly - certain actors so good, they are given specially introduced storylines.Even though disappointing in places, "House of Cards" remains compulsive viewing.

My copy jumped a bit and I couldn't play some episodes. However what I did see was as compelling as before. The timing is good although it can still be a bit slow at times but the characters are very strong. I have recently watched the 1990 British version and see the similarities and value of pacing. It resembles the Trump administration closely.

After the first two cracking seasons, House of Cards Season 3 is a more hit and miss affair, best watched spaced out over time rather than binging on many episodes in one go.That's because in Season 3 there is rather less political machinations than previously and rather more emphasis on the characters, especially the disintegrating Underwood marriage. However the character development is done rather unevenly, with some abrupt changes in course which you really notice if watching too many episodes too close to each other.One of Underwood's rivals, for example, changes into a character with a strong dose of megalomania - a plausible shift in abstract but rather than done over several episodes in an engrossing development, instead concentrated into one brief part of one scene as if it was a tick box exercise of 'remember throw in a few lines before the ad break to show the character has changed'.It's also as if too much emphasis is given to the smattering of would-be epic scenes, with great acting, lighting and direction to go with them, but with rather sparse pickings in between them. It's like watching someone living their life switching from one pose for the cameras to another - each pose may be done well but there's something rather missing from them if that's all they do without anything much in-between.So my advice: watch Season 3 of House of Cards the old-fashioned way - one episode a week and let your memory fade a little between the shows to cover up the lack of proper filling between the set piece moments. That way you'll really get to enjoy the continuing class acting and very stylish mix of camerawork and lighting, along with a fair degree of fun and, at its best, moments of high tension and uncertainty.