House of Cards

[Lief 🗽]

Yes, America Works makes absolutely zero sense from either a policy or politics perspective. One of the many reasons I believe that season 3 was literally written by children.

[Bacon King]

Spoilerish discussion below:

So, how the heck does America Works... work, anyway?  Annihilate Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, and plunge their funding into a massive government works program to wipe out unemployment?  I get the appeal of the latter, but what the hell kind of appeal does the former have, if there's apparently nothing to replace them?

AmWorks is said to cost $500 billion, so that'd be about one-third of current annual spending on Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. I think those programs' trust funds would actually have the money to spare, because in the previous season Frank masterminded his "compromise" on entitlement spending with the Republicans, which raised the retirement age and basically gutted those programs without reducing the payroll tax.

[Likely Voter]

I wrapped up S3 and I must say I was kind of disappointing. I loved the original show and the first 2 seasons but this season the characters changed in strange ways that made them less interesting. I agree with this article regarding my main objection about the direction of the characters:
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/03/07/that-s-it-house-of-cards-you-lost-me.html


And they really seem to get political reality wrong. This WP article sums up the political weirdness
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/monkey-cage/wp/2015/03/08/house-of-cards-is-the-worst-show-about-american-politics-ever/

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

As silly as House of Cards is, this season was objectively a lot better and more coherent than the utterly nonsensical and disjointed Season 2.

And like its British predecessor (which includes Urquhart forcing the abdication of the king), it was never meant to be an accurate depiction of politics.

[Citizen (The) Doctor]

It just occurred to me that from a personal perspective, Frank is probably obsessed with America Works and gutting entitlements because of his hatred for his father, and his feeling that he just laid around and never amounted to anything.

[Simfan34]

As silly as House of Cards is, this season was objectively a lot better and more coherent than the utterly nonsensical and disjointed Season 2.

And like its British predecessor (which includes Urquhart forcing the abdication of the king), it was never meant to be an accurate depiction of politics.

Well that was because Charles was meddling in politics. Which they've made a play about, actually.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

Spoilerish discussion below:

So, how the heck does America Works... work, anyway?  Annihilate Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, and plunge their funding into a massive government works program to wipe out unemployment?  I get the appeal of the latter, but what the hell kind of appeal does the former have, if there's apparently nothing to replace them?

Yeah, I don't understand it either. I mean, what the hell? Are the people suppoused to fund their own retirement and medical care at the same level as before solely from their pensions, with no program like Social Security or Medicare to make it actually work? Lol.

[Joe Republic]

Also, can somebody please shoot the random opera singer that keeps butting into my consciousness during the SUPER SERIOUS SCENES.

[Mister Mets]

Spoilerish discussion below:

So, how the heck does America Works... work, anyway?  Annihilate Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, and plunge their funding into a massive government works program to wipe out unemployment?  I get the appeal of the latter, but what the hell kind of appeal does the former have, if there's apparently nothing to replace them?

I think, at least this is how he'd justify it, is the annihilating of those programs are to pay for American Works. It's pretty convoluted and makes little sense.

Annihilation wasn't exactly what was being proposed though. Gutting, yes, but not complete wipeout. Underwood's whole calculus is that those who receive a pension should receive less and investment in a younger generation is far more worth government money than paying it to out to pensions. His whole "You are entitled to nothing" crap is probably has its logical conclusions in "The money you're getting now is the money you would have gotten when you were retired, and when you do retire, you better have invested that money wisely." >_>

It exemplifies one aspect of the Democrats: They do see themselves as the party of the young, so it could make sense for an amoral Democrat to gut spending that benefits older voters, a traditionally Republican group (and also one with a higher percentage of white people).

[Mister Mets]

Mendoza was written out because the actor had other commitments (American Crime).

'

It was still very abrupt. Couldn't he have at least finished the season? Or if they were going to write him out midseason, couldn't they at least have given him a proper departure rather than just a few throwaway lines?

So, how absurd is the 2016 map gonna be? We talking 2006 West Wing absurd, if you ask me.

Hey at least South Carolina going Dem would be somewhat plausible this time!

Only slightly more...Underwood's never won a statewide election.

There is one way to have fun with Mendoza's departure. It could be used to seed a big bad for Season 4: a Republican candidate just as vicious as Frank Underwood. Leaking dirt on the party's favorite for the presidential nomination is the kind of thing Frank would do.

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

Netflix should really stop trying to make original content, they're terrible at it.

[Lief 🗽]

Netflix should really stop trying to make original content, they're terrible at it.

No. If Netflix were a TV network, it would definitely be one of the better ones.

[Phony Moderate]

Is it fair to say that Underwood is Bill Clinton on steroids?

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

Netflix should really stop trying to make original content, they're terrible at it.

No. If Netflix were a TV network, it would definitely be one of the better ones.

Nah, FX, HBO, Comedy Central, and AMC are the good ones.

[Joe Republic]

Netflix should really stop trying to make original content, they're terrible at it.

You've clearly never watched OITNB.

[badgate]

Is it fair to say that Underwood is Bill Clinton on steroids?

No

[Bacon King]

Netflix should really stop trying to make original content, they're terrible at it.

just no

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

Netflix should really stop trying to make original content, they're terrible at it.

You've clearly never watched OITNB.

Can't say that I have

[Citizen (The) Doctor]

Petrov is a great character though. I loved his slapping Frank around like a little child.

[Joe Republic]

Petrov is a great character though. I loved his slapping Frank around like a little child.

Yeah but they really should have just straight up named him Vladimir Putin.  They're not fooling anybody.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

Petrov is a great character though. I loved his slapping Frank around like a little child.

Yeah but they really should have just straight up named him Vladimir Putin.  They're not fooling anybody.

But Putin doesn't drink. Muh original character.

[Türkisblau]

Netflix should really stop trying to make original content, they're terrible at it.

You tried too hard to jump onto the anti-HoC bandwagon that is forming here.

Personally, I wholeheartedly enjoyed it...

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Just watched the episode where Frank kills Peter Russo last night. Good stuff so far!

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

Netflix should really stop trying to make original content, they're terrible at it.

You tried too hard to jump onto the anti-HoC bandwagon that is forming here.

Personally, I wholeheartedly enjoyed it...

Lol, I stopped watching after Season 1 because of how bad the first season was and the only interesting character (that alcoholic Congressman Corey Stoll played) got killed off.  There may or may not be a bandwagon, but I've thought it was an awful show for a while.  I've also seen the British series, so I know how much better this material could've been done. 

I mean, I'm glad you like it and all, but I still haven't seen evidence Netflix can produce anything decent as far as original content goes.  I haven't seen OITNB, so I can't comment on that, but House of Cards was a disappointment (cringe-inducingly bad writing with a couple of good performances), Lillyhammer looked boring, the Netflix season of Arrested Development wasn't funny, and Hemlock Grove was one of the dumbest pieces of crap I've ever come across.  Maybe it's too early to render final judgement, but if House of Cards is the best they can do...

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

The Netflix-made season of Trailer Park Boys was pretty good.