House of Cards Season 3
Just watched Season 3 of House of Cards. While it was still good viewing, I have to say I found it far less satisfying than the first two seasons, which were brilliant.
Why did I find it not as good as previously? A few reasons.
- Very few stunning manoeuvres by Frank. How he settled the teacher’s strike, or turned a protest around by giving them food were highlights of Season 1. Season 3 had few moments of Frank being Frank.
- They overdid the Frank demanding total loyalty from everyone routine – he did it with Remy, Jackie and then Claire. All with the same result. Same plot device done three times.
- Just as Frank had few victories, Claire had almost none. The show is meant to be about how they are amoral but effective. Being amoral and ineffective is not that great a show.
- The ending was a bit lame
Now it was still good viewing, and there were many good moments. But while the first two seasons were captivating, this one was not. I have watched the first two seasons several times over. I don’t feel the need to do so with Season 3. I just hope that Season 4 regains the greatness of the first two seasons.
The moral dilemma that Doug had in the final episode was one of the highlights, and I didn’t expect it to resolve itself the way it did. I also liked the introduction of the novelist as a way to explore the dynamics between Frank and Claire more.