Watch House of Cards with Mumsnet and you could win an iPad mini

[RachelMumsnet]

We’re back again this month with Watch with Mumsnet, where we watch and discuss some great TV series together. Last month we watched Orange is the New Black and this month we’ll be watching another Netflix exclusive, House of Cards.

Some of you may already have watched the original BBC miniseries of the same name, which ran in 1990, or read the book by Michael Dobbs, which this new series is based on.

House of Cards is an uncompromising exploration of power and ambition with the series orbiting Francis Underwood (Kevin Spacey). Underwood is the politician’s politician - masterful, beguiling, charismatic and ruthless. He and his equally ambitious wife Claire (Robin Wright) stop at nothing to ensure their ascendancy.

Netflix have already announced that Series 2 is coming on 14th Feb so this is a great chance to catch up on the first series and share your thoughts with other Mumsnetters.

Here’s what Mumsnetters have been saying about the show already:

“I am gripped by this. (US version) Kevin Spacey is fantastic, the woman playing his wife is amazing... in fact all the actors are great.” Calypso2008

“I'm watching the US version with Kevin Spacey. It is very compelling.” Smearedinfood

“The American one is good too, different, as you would expect, but good. KS's wife is played by Robin Wight (once married to Sean Penn): she gives very good icy.” aoife24

You can watch the whole series instantly on Netflix here, and if you subscribe to Netflix now you get the first month free.

Netflix are offering you a chance to win an iPad mini. All you have to do is watch and discuss the series with other Mumsnetters on this thread to be entered into the prize draw. All contributions are welcome, whether or not you've watched the whole series - but if you’re not sure where to start, here are a couple of the questions that we think the series prompts:

What do you think of Francis Underwood? Do you think you could ever be as ruthlessly power hungry?

And what about his wife Claire played by Robin Wright? Which characters do you like and want to find out more about?

Happy watching!
MNHQ

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i have watched the series on netflix and it is GRIPPING!

just when you think he can't get more evil and underhanded - there is a spark of humanity - brilliant spacey at his best

I think Claire would make him cut his naff hair.

I cant decide what I think about Russo ( am on episode 11)
is he really just a stereotypical drunk manual labourer who hits his wife or a victim of his upbringing?

Just finished watching Season 1 with DH. We loved it. We were speaking to some family members about it and DH described it as 'an evil, anti-West Wing' which I found quite amusing. We loved WW as well and the political setting is what drew us to watch it in the first place. How far will one man go? Well, he went pretty far in this first season, goodness knows what could happen in the next one!

Potential spoilers if you're not very far through...

I felt Kate Mara was great in this but found it really hard to buy the evolving relationship between Zoe and Frank. It kind of seemed like he would probably have been above getting into the physical side of things, or maybe that was the whole point - to show that when there was a hot young thing offering, he would just take it while he could.

The portrayal of Peter was compelling as well, definitely went from thinking he was a total idiot to feeling some sympathy with him. Just some, though.

I loved the original series; Ian Richardson as Urquhart was sublime.

So far I'm only half way through the US version but I'm really enjoying it. Kevin Spacey is great and no, I could never be that power hungry.

I can't figure out Claire at all. There seem to be flashes of humanity.

I didn't like west wing. Too trite

The paper theme throughout is interesting. See origami and speech at library thing. Rather Buddhist.

I love this show! DH is making me eek out each episode otherwise I'd have watched the whole lot in a couple of sittings. The writing is brilliant, the acting is brilliant, it even looks good - all cool, crisp lines and immaculate suits.

The political content is not too heavy and the relationship dynamics just get darker and darker.

Much better than West Wing, where they just seem to talk really, really fast to make themselves seem more clever than they possibly are (like that Facebook film).

We enjoyed it, having loved the original, but I can't get totally into it as I found that I didn't like, or want to root for, ANY of the characters. They are all despicable in one way or another, and none of them are even anti-heroes who get redeemed in any way. So I have slightly lost the will to go on with it really.

i got so used to his asides to camera that I kept expecting everyone to do it

next season starting in feb - do they release an episode a week or how?

Francis is the sort of person you love to hate, I can't imagine being that evil or loving and supporting someone like that.

I'm not too fond of the series just because I can't find anyone to like and I've never been a huge fan of politics in TV shows.

Enjoyed the first series very much and looking forward to the second. I'm finding the way they work in the Clean Water Initiative in with the power games fascinating, although from my own experiences in that field it is rather bleak & depressing... the people I've met and worked with are nothing like Claire thankfully, although I am sure there are plenty of cold careerists out there

We watched the whole season in about a week - it's brilliant.

I admire/fear Underwood. I think he's brilliant and I'd hope I wouldn't be that power hungry.

For Claire, I don't know what to make of her. She seems too under the thrall of Francis, as in she'll sacrifice her best interests to serve his. She seems a bit lap-doggy. I don't know if I admire their marriage for being so open and honest, and surviving Washington, or a bit weirded out by it.

I keep meaning to watch this one. It looks good but a bit worthy/boring. True or not?

It's next on my list but it keeps getting bumped down in favour of other things. A new series on Feb 14th might kickstart us into watching, though.

I'm done. What's next? Damages?

I went to look at some Claire underwood glasses today

I kind of want Claire Underwood hair.

I meant to say about the breaking the fourth wall/direct-to-camera thing, I had heard about it before and thought it would take me 'out' of the action and I would find it distracting but I thought it was well done. Like a direct line into his mind.

Did you start expecting everyone to do it?

I loved the original HoC and the new US one. I've watched the whole thing and am gagging for more. Do the bods from netflix know if there is another one in the pipeline?

I wondered how it would be executed but found the two versions similar but incomparable both were excellent in different ways and I particularly liked the characterisation in the US version as it seemed more believable.

oops missed the bit about new HOC on 14th Feb - can't wait, will there be a third series?

It is brilliant!

I took a photo of Claire Underwood to the hairdressers last time I went for a cut . Kevin Spacey is fabulous....but not at all sexy!

We're watching this at the moment and v gripped, have watched the first 9 episodes. Francis Underwood is amazingly portrayed I think - not a Spacey fan really but in this he is very real, he scares me! I couldn't be that power hungry, not even close. He is hideous but there is something very compelling as well.

Zoe is interesting to watch, and Russo I feel a bit sorry for, especially that episode where he left the kids alone and his girlfriend went and stayed with them.

Overall we're finding it really good, none of the characters are really 'likeable' as such which is one way it differs from West wing but it's sharply done and well produced. Looking forward to season 2!

I thought the series was really good. I enjoyed, in particular, the differences with the UK version as I had lost patience with the UK one and found the US one more compelling, perhaps because it felt more ficitonal (cynical view of our politicians). I thought the wife was good but I loved Kevin Spacey (have I had a bit of a crush on him since he was in "The Usual Suspects" - probably). We will resubscribe to NetFlix in time to get the 2nd series!