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Fat Spanish Waiter

By Fat Spanish Waiter
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Tabe

Tabe

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Posted

Finished season 2.  Overall pretty "meh" but does pick up toward the end, for sure.  Obviously you have to kinda ignore the ridiculous (like nobody looking at Zoe's phone records or the lack of security in the subway tunnel) but the show is fun even with all that.  The problem is that the storylines either took forever to get going or they're just not interesting (the nonsense with Stamper and the hooker).  Still, a nice conclusion to season 2 and I look forward to season 3.  But I'm sure now "OMG, I need more episodes NOOOOOOWWWWWWWW" like I was after season one.

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CSC

CSC

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Posted

I enjoyed the episodes, but it felt like more of a transitional season get all the pieces in place for a really awesome Season 3.

 

Frank as president and the subsequent election has so much potential.

 

But I guess that's what you end up with when you kill off the two characters (other than the Underwoods) that the first season revolved around by the end of the first episode of season two.

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Tabe

Tabe

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I enjoyed the episodes, but it felt like more of a transitional season get all the pieces in place for a really awesome Season 3.

 

Frank as president and the subsequent election has so much potential.

 

But I guess that's what you end up with when you kill off the two characters (other than the Underwoods) that the first season revolved around by the end of the first episode of season two.

I agree with this completely.  First 8 episodes felt like filler, then a ramp-up for season 3 in the last 5 episodes, rather than an actual standalone season.

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Raziel

Raziel

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If that's what they were going for, I don't think it played in the scene. Does that come up at some point post-2.7?

Although now that I think about it, "tattoo as form of self-punishment" does seem like the sort of reductive idea that Willimon would go for.

Actually comes up 2.10.  Sharpe actually tells Denton that the tattoo is a form of self-flagellation started during her tour in Afghanistan.  

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EVA

EVA

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Yeah, I just watched that one last night. Ugh. Terrible. And she had to give it up while getting fingered. Poor Molly Parker.

I think that was the episode when THE MAN FROM DEEP WEB turned back up, much to my dismay. I hadn't missed him or Lucas or any of that shit.

Reg Cathey was predictably great in his big episode, but man, what terrible writing. It was just one inane contrivance after another to make that all go down.

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Phantom Lord

Phantom Lord

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I finally started the second season tonight. I can see how people can go through the entire run in a weekend...but I prefer to stretch it out.

 

Hipster Frank Underwood in the back of the train station had me cracking up with him trying to look all inconspicuous. But man, even though I should have I did not see him pushing Zoe in front of the train. It's her own fault though. Going to the back of the station where it's all covered with construction. She should have played ball with Frank...but those pesky ethics of hers. Having to ask so many questions.

The writing does seem like its fallen from last season. I see logic is right out the window with the text messages that apparently only someone on the "deep web" can get a hold of.

I did feel a bit sorry for Frank when he was at home in the second episode. Poor guy just wants to smoke and play some HALO and unwind and he can't even do that.

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offspring515

offspring515

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Well season two meanders and dicks around before.getting awesome.  Storyline remains absurd and people fall for Frank's bullshit (even after seemingly seeing through it) way too easily.

 

All that said season 3 will be awesome so long as we get less of the lame shit (THE DEEEEP WEB, Lucas, It's Always Sunny in Hackerdelphia, Rachel wearing clothes) and more of the sweet stuff (Frank gnawing on scenery, Meacham gettin' all up in that shit, and Claire having JUST enough of a conscience to make us wonder when she turns heel on Frank.

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EVA

EVA

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Finished it off last night. They definitely got the lead out of their pants over the last 3 or 4 episodes, but ultimately, I didn't find it that satisfying of a conclusion. Pretty much everything played out exactly how I expected it to starting around the middle of the season.

This show has a number of problems, but I think the #1 thing that keeps it from being something I could embrace as a fun, quasi-guilty pleasure is that it really never feels like Frank is actually accomplishing anything. Yes, he gets a lot done, but is it really an accomplishment to outmaneuver President Doofus? Or a billionaire who's about as competent at politics as Dan Snyder is at running a football team? There's no thrill to any of Frank's victories for me, because I could never buy that any of those simpletons pose a real threat to him. There's never any doubt to the proceedings.

I didn't care all that much for Zoe as a character, I think the show badly missed her in the long run. It needed a strong protagonist outside the political realm that Frank couldn't just run over (rimshot). Lucas definitely wasn't that, and the Sayad girl who became more of a player late in the game was just a plot device, not a character.

I guess maybe they're setting up The Man From THE DEEP WEB to be that next season, but all of that shit is terrible. It's like Willimon did a bunch of coke and watched SKYFALL and decided this show really needed a superhacker. Except, instead of embracing the absurdity (which, as you know, I've been advocating for a while now), he half-assed it and it ended up being just out-of-place enough to stand out as tonally incongruent with the rest of the show but not over-the-top enough to be any fun. I get the sense that Jimmi Simpson realizes he's on a different show within the show, but there's just nothing he can do with it.

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jaedmc

jaedmc

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EPISODE 1: 

Zoe's character sucks in this episode. And so does this shitty relationship she has with Homeless Jesse Eisenberg. JUST FINISH. I'M DONE. I like this new project Frank has. As he moves forward he looks back and creates something else he can control as protection. I'm assuming his end game is running for President with her as his Vice. Or he's going to destroy her like he did what's his name last season. Either way it'll be fun. The dialogue in this episode was a little over the top, or generally shitty. I WILL WATCH YOUR BABY WHITHER AND DIE INSIDE YOU NOW TAKE MY JOB. Get outta town, man. And all the stuff between Homeless Jesse Eisenberg and what's her name at the end sounded horrible. When the shocking ending happened I could hear Michael Cole say, "THANKS FOR COMING."

 

EPISODE 2

This was the worst episode of all time. Rachel Maddow. China Cyber Attacks. TOR BROWSER HAXORZ. And a horrific amount of super obvious product placement. Framing a shot so Dunkin Donuts overpowers the actors. Frank shilling for vaporizers. God of War And the saddest Stella Artois commercial ever. They actually said the beer's name, clinked bottles and took a nice satisfying glug. Just fucking terrible. So between the product placement, and all the government propaganda markers, I'm scared for the future. I really like the new lady Frank is grooming for Whip, and the stuff with Claire was really good. Can't tell if the show is legit compromised by the government, propagating their bullshit, OR if it's just commenting on the bullshit the government propagates.

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EVA

EVA

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If you hated the first two episodes, I eagerly anticipate watching your meltdown over the next 6 episodes or so.

Which reminds me: How implausible is it that a reporter working at a major DC newspaper has virtually no knowledge of THE DEEP WEB or Tor? All that stuff was only a critical part of one of the biggest stories of the last 10 years.

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jaedmc

jaedmc

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I didn't hate the first one plot wise. The dialogue just dipped into turd city every once in a while. And Zoe and her not boyfriend were a terrible diversion. The second was the drizzling shits though. The best part of the second episode was probably Kevin Spacey popping a boner when Raymond referred to him as Mr. Vice President.

 

EDIT: Looking over the writers and it looks like there's only one person that returned from last season. This may be a problem.

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jaedmc

jaedmc

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Posted

EPISODE THREE

These side stories suck. Frank wheelin' and dealin' was the goods, but half the episode was split with the Sad Saps With Stories No One Wants to Watch. Rachel has been shipped around and hidden that I don't know why Stamper hasn't just gone ahead and melted her body with acid and be done with it. It's as if they're keeping her around to serve a possible plot point in the future in which she becomes a problem....... And Homeless Jesse Eisenberg is the drizzling shits, and the fact that people refer to Zoe as his girlfriend, when they were really just the least satisfying pity fuck buddies of all time makes it even worse. DEEP WEB. Oh, and how fucking terrible of a speaker is the President? What's he doing with his hands. Needs more tumb jabs and less weird Chinese Opera hand gestures. Also PERFORMATIVES. 

 

 

EPISODE FOUR

Much better episode despite the somewhat ludicrous anthrax scare. Frank get's to have some kick ass scenes Blythe. That dude came to play, and I'm glad he always knew Frank was full of shit. It makes Jackie Sharp so much better as a character when she starts coming in with the hardcore idealism. "DO IT BECAUSE IT'S RIGHT ASSHOLES OR I'LL SCORCHED EARTH THIS BITCH." A bit of a coming out party for her. Holy shit Claire's interview was ludicrous. I have no idea what happens now, or if I even like it - but it was the first moment that the show had a strong long term substantial issue to deal with. And oh god this HaX0Rz business is terrible. But I'm glad to see a classy show like House of Cards can illustrate computer hacking just like the underrated classic Hackers. I'M IN THE GIBSON.

 

What the hell happened to pregnant staffer's lawsuit? Did she totally just take that deal? Hope that comes back soon, or else that was the stupidest way to write that off.

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EVA

EVA

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Rachel has been shipped around and hidden that I don't know why Stamper hasn't just gone ahead and melted her body with acid and be done with it

I KNOW, RIGHT? It's absurd. You kill the hooker. Nobody cares about another dead hooker. She won't be missed. Problem: Dealt with.

Episode 4 is the high point of the season. It never gets better than that.

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  • 11 months later...
Joe Lucia

Joe Lucia

Posted
Posted

I'll keep this as vague as possible...I'm four episodes in, and nothing has really "popped" for me yet. It's fine viewing, but not appointment watching like the prior two seasons. I don't feel the need to watch the entire season in 24 hours last I did last year.

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Petey

Petey

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I'm currently watching episode 10. I like it but I prefer Whip Frank Underwood as opposed to President Underwood, if only because the former focused a lot more on Congress and I found that stuff more fascinating.

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