After two trial episodes of Neflix' House of Cards, Chez Buce has sent it to the shower, declared it the weakest link, held it chopped and said "you're fired." There might be good stuff later on--there were some moments even in these two--but so far, it sounds like the auteur is an Englishman who feels the need to explain American politics to the yokels even though he doesn't understand it very well himself. One of the saving graces of the original was that Francis Urquhart always you that little twinkle as if to say hey, it's only an entertainment. The American cast doesn't seem to find anything funny in anything. Perhaps they have read the rest of the script.
2 comments:
I've not seen the show, but I have a guess as to the source of its weaknesses.
Netflix has tons of data about what shows, actors, genres, etc. people enjoy. This show (I've heard) was formulated to hit the sweet spot for all those metrics. They must have done it correctly it since I see that it's up for nine Emmys.
This means that we can blame the low tastes of the American viewing public both for the show's existence and for its popularity.
Worthwhile thought, Ken, and I am also reminded of Roger Ebert's suggestion that if you have two or more stars, you can't afford a script.
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