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Rating: From a company born in the internet underground almost 20 years ago, to a new voice in the role of a "television series" producer. However, there's a fundamental point that needs to be explained, especially for those who are not familiar with Netflix: this company, unlike other giants such as HBO and Fox, operates directly on the internet. Born to rent DVDs, video games, and other film materials (all strictly online), today it uses the more convenient streaming, which has allowed an exponential increase in visibility, marketing, revenues: data from July 2014 indicate doubled profits and the threshold of 50 million subscribers worldwide now surpassed.
An innovative brand, that has adapted to a frenetic contemporaneity in search of these new solutions. It's worth mentioning that the idea of creating "House of Cards" evidently gave new life to the Californian company, especially considering the increase in subscriptions it recorded and the enthusiastic reviews from critics and the public. Also noteworthy is the collaboration of David Fincher, the director of the first two episodes.
The idea of adapting Michael Dobbs' novel into a film work had already occurred to the BBC, which in 1990 created the original "House of Cards" that later inspired this "new version".
Frank Underwood (an always magnificent Kevin Spacey) is the leader of the Democrats in the United States Congress. His wife Claire (a captivating Robin Wright) runs a company that seeks to find funds to finance projects both domestically and globally. They are two famous, economically well-off, resolute individuals willing to do anything to achieve their goals.
Although Claire is a fundamental figure in the series, it's evident that everything or almost everything revolves around Underwood: the story begins with the unexpected rejection by President Walker for the role of Secretary of State. The plot will then focus on educational reform and the election campaign supporting the addict and alcoholic Peter Russo. Meanwhile, between one law and another, one session and another, small favors and grand maneuvers, our Underwood also finds time to have sex with journalist Zoe (Kate Mara), who also exploits her congressman friend’s information to climb positions in the Washington journalism world.
The first season of this political thriller-drama has been positively received by critics across the board: without delving too deeply into a plot filled with elements episode after episode, it must be said that the strength of "House of Cards" lies in its ability to showcase the cynicism of what seems almost like a "world apart". The achievement of the goal transcends every ethical and moral law, the satisfaction of one's professional needs surpasses even the importance of personal relations. The producers have chosen to also involve the viewer in these environments: Spacey often addresses the viewer directly, making us part of decisions that won't always find us agreeing.
Opportunism and cynicism are the rulers of this world of computers and iPhones, where everything is geometrically defined. Artificiality in its construction for an existence that wants to be full in all its aspects, but actually is expressed in the house of the new millennium: the dark and cold one at night, returning from work. Sitting alone on the couch...
"House of Cards" hits the mark and does so by intertwining events with the right construction, interconnecting to create a rhythm that is never excessive but at the same time never lets the tension down. Some episodes seem out of place (such as the one about the library dedication), some choices of giving screentime to certain characters are questionable (the photographer Adam, the choice of giving much space to Peter Russo in the last episodes). But these are the classic "distribution" problems of series with various overlapping situations.
A successful first season, intriguing and thought-provoking. Not a little in these times...
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