ROB’S REVIEW:
One caveat; my wife and I are only halfway through the 6th and final season of House of Cards, so for all I know the ending ruins it all, which is what almost every single review I have read claims (and we all know that critics ALWAYS get it right). In fact, being 6 episodes in and wishing there was more time in the day, I’m excited to finish the series out of spite in hopes that I’ll be able to report back that everyone is a moron and no one gets it. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Let’s start at the beginning:
They did it…they didn’t miss a beat with the departure of Kevin Spacey and picked up right where the entire series left off.
As a guy who was not at all excited about the season of Claire (Robin Wright), I have to admit that yet again, this show is still exactly what made it great in the first place, which was never Kevin Spacey. Don’t get me wrong, prior to the allegations against Spacey, I not only revered him as an actor, I wanted to have dinner with him! His portrayal of Frank Underwood was spectacular, and had anyone suggested killing off his character two years ago and continuing the series, such a person would have been fitted for a straightjacket. But as season 6 reminds us, this was never “The Kevin Spacey Show.”
The appeal of House of Cards has always been, for almost everyone (although received in different ways), the deep, dark, seedy side of politics in America. Many, if not most, self soothe themselves and bathe in the folly that “it’s just TV,” and what HOC portrays isn’t reality. The thought that our nation is run not by our elected officials, but rather by multi-billionaires as portrayed by Greg Kinnear in the final season, is too much to bear for many. The idea that this country is carved up by a by a very few people who will stop at nothing, including murder, is far too much for most. But for the rest of us, we already know, in many cases first hand, that HOC is still a window into exactly how America functions on a daily basis. And as when Spacey was there, the show is actually made by the extraordinary supporting cast that HOC attracts. If there’s a bad actor in this series, email me so I can finally identify the invisible man. Season 6 is simply an extension of what HOC has always been; an inside look into how America runs. The most powerful amongst us, the wealthy, call their bought-and-paid-for politicians and tell them what to do, and they do it. The politicians, meanwhile, do anything and everything they have to in order to stay in power. Period.
If you’ve been a fan of HOC, this season is worth watching to, if nothing else, bring it to a close (pending the series finale that I haven’t seen). If you’ve never been a fan, start at the beginning and go all the way. Starting with season 6 will make no sense at all to you. Christ, even if you’ve watched all 5 seasons twice like my wife and me, you’ll be pausing multiple times to remind yourself who and what you’re watching. There is no need for any more House of Cards beyond this, but for those (like me) who said there was no need for this season, we all need to suck it.
DAWN’S REVIEW:
I am loving Season 6 of House of Cards and I’m ony 4 episodes in. Weirdly I don’t miss Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey), he seemed like such a huge part of House Of Cards but actually he’s not even missed!!
Claire Underwood who now is President (played by Robin Wright) is as awesome as ever!! For me she is one of my favorite characters on this show, but really everyone on this show is pretty damn amazing.
The suspense, intrigue, backstabbing, lies, murder, plotting, evilness, disgusting human behavior, all the grossness that is Politics and Washington DC all of it that we love about this show is in full swing this Season! Side note I forgot how much I love the Intro, yep I don’t skip it there is something about the music and sights of the City that they show, I love to watch that part too lol!! Ugh I don’t want it to end but I know it has to!
