House of Cards

A brilliant verbal shootout in a presidential debate. A battle of three great personalities with an ultra-realistic feel. An episode that gobbles up the highlights of the current political system for its own benefit and at full speed. (02.01.2019)

I would have expected more tension given that this is the penultimate episode of the third season. However, some of the secondary characters manage to come back into play in an absolutely grandiose way, showing us that they are a force to be reckoned with and should be taken completely seriously at all times. (02.01.2019)

An interesting conclusion to the third season, which has a completely different progression than one would expect given the way the whole thing has developed. It's played on a very personal note and it's quite a pleasant surprise. (02.01.2019)

More imaginative and, thanks to cleverly implemented side characters, juicier and more emotionally intense than the previous season. The Season 4 did a lot and in an incredible way fluffed up this whole giant screenwriting colossus into a fifth series that can be downright pompous. (03.01.2019)

After the dramatic ending of the last episode of the third season, there is again, and probably deliberately, a significant slowdown. But some figures are returning from oblivion and others are consolidating their positions. Hopefully everything will work out. (03.01.2019)

Mrs. Underwood in full regalia. She’s probably even more evil than her husband, who is at least straightforward and easier to read. And also, a brilliant Ellen Burstyn. (03.01.2019)

The Underwood crisis continues to deepen and the anger is completely understandable. A very emotional and steamy episode and understandably so. (03.01.2019)

A massacre out of the blue that will turn everything that has been built up for so long upside down. The creators managed to shock quickly, effectively and completely unexpectedly. An unpredictable episode until the last moment. (03.01.2019)

The battle for the Oval Office. Once again, the return of some important characters only benefits the plot, it makes the whole thing even juicier. Frank is a fighter, no one doubts that he will pull it off and this time no one is talking about his work. (03.01.2019)

A very quick shift in the sequence of all events, especially the main one. A surprising gesture at the end that is definitely worth seeing and thinking about the further progression of the story's intricacies. (03.01.2019)

A new player enters the game. At first impression, he doesn't seem that interesting and or potential, but the writers certainly brush him up to make sure there will be plenty of drama. Plus, young blood never hurts and we'll see what happens. Meanwhile Frank is gaining strength, and the right phase before the end of the next series. (03.01.2019)

A tug-of-war of two strong players volume 2. (03.01.2019)

A tug-of-war of two strong players volume 2. (03.01.2019)

Spacey is on a real roll, his performance will rank very high in the annals. An impressive episode packed with emotions, this time both those from personal lives and from the political scene. (03.01.2019)

A hell of a slowdown and stalling that I would have loved to skip. Apparently creating the necessary breeding ground for an attack by journalists. (03.01.2019)

The penultimate episode seems to show what the fifth season will be about, or at least a substantial part of it, i.e. a fight on several fronts. Exactly what we as viewers enjoy the most. (03.01.2019)

Underlining the importance of the penultimate episode of this season. The fifth season will have at least three big points around which the story lines will weave. It's gonna be a killing spree. (03.01.2019)

The fifth season is already quite experimental, both with the writing ballast that had to come after so many seasons, and with the audience patience and what they can handle and what is just too much. Reality is an example, House of Cards prides itself on copying current figures on the world political scene, dealing with conflicts from recent years. Therefore, it is an unpleasant surprise to see that one of the highlights is total bullshit. It's an uncomfortable sobering of the fact that it's actually just a good show, chillingly realistic in places, cinematically random and contrived in others. Season 5 is not bad, but the previous ones were considerably better. (26.01.2019)

Frank returns in fine form, but lacks the sheer punch and intensity of the previous seasons. It's one of those episodes that doesn't offend, but you want to quickly watch one more, hoping that something important will happen there. (07.01.2019)

There’s no speeding up. Admittedly, Spacey does steal some scenes outright for himself, as usual, but his antagonist, perhaps too blatantly and simply, errs at the expense of the story concept. It’s alright, but lacking energy. (07.01.2019)