MovieChat Forums > House of Cards (2013) Discussion > What the *beep* happened to the writing?...

What the *beep* happened to the writing?!


I am watching this on NetFlix and up to S4. The writing in this show has never been great, okay but not great. However S3 and ESPECIALLY S4 have gone completely off the rails to the point where the goddamn show is unwatchable despite Spacey being fantastic.

What happened, did the writing staff get replaced or a producer go balls deep on some random crazy ass idea?

Its insane the quality drop, damn near palpable.

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Can you elaborate where you think they went wrong? I think the show is still going great, i just dont know how they are gonna get out of this mess though

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Can you elaborate where you think they went wrong? I think the show is still going great, i just dont know how they are gonna get out of this mess though


If you cant see the problems no real point elaborating on them. Was just wondering if there had been some staff change at the higher levels or something. Or else some event which would cause them to go off the rails.


Completely disagree.
Writing has been fantastic, the whole way through. Much more then just "okay".

You appear to be in the minority thinking the show's writing isn't outstanding.
Which is fine. Totally your opinion.


The writing really isnt fantastic, at all, never mind in s4. There are so many huge problems, but lets just look at Claire Underwood's character and actions because they are one of the most blatant problems.

She has failed, dramatically, at everything we have ever seen her attempt. The one thing that didnt completely blow up in her face only defused itself because she threatened to kill her opponents child and had the means to do it.

She somehow thinks this makes her qualified to be a diplomat, which in and of itself is insane (I'm no diplomat, but I am pretty sure threatening the other deligate's children is the sort of thing which doesnt work), but then the writers bring up many of the flaws in this idea and they get handwaived off. Her stint as a dimplomat fails like everything else we have seen her do and then instead of realizing how she failed and maybe trying to change herself to fit she decides she should instead be the vice presidential candidate for her husbands election campaign. Which itself is *beep* mental, but made worse by the fact that nearly all of her problems come directly from her, and she is intelligent enough to understand that, but she never acts on it.

And to force him into it she destroys his campaign, irrevocably damaging it but because it is a show you know that some magical nonsense will be pulled out of someones arse and the day will be saved. Like it always is in this show (shot child to end the teacher strike anyone?).


Thats the thing, as insane as her character and actions are, she is only one part of the way the writing has broken its own spine to shove its head up its arse in the most recent 2 series. And the writing was never all that great, (especially towards the end of the Tusk storyline) which makes the massive drop in quality even more glaring.


You cant just ignore it with "bla bla bla opinion." Are any of these very real issues entirely subjective? Of course not.

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Completely disagree.
Writing has been fantastic, the whole way through. Much more then just "okay".

You appear to be in the minority thinking the show's writing isn't outstanding.
Which is fine. Totally your opinion.

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Its always been unrealistic. But season 3 and 4 has been flat out absurd

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I totally agree. I will never get over this plot line of First Lady running for VP alongside her husband. Who the f-cl thought that up??? Claire is such an idiot sometimes.

A rose is just a rose.

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While I actually enjoyed the writing early on, I do agree that it has started to take a step backwards. I think this was inevitable though. The original was three parts, roughly the rise to power, the problems of power, and the fall. The books/original mini-series worked because they held to this premise. When the showrunners and Netflix decided to go beyond the original arc, they had to start mapping out and finding new territory that was not already "in the cards".

The groundwork just wasn't there for a season 4. In order to pave the way for season 4, season 3 needed to be poorly handled, as the logical culmination of the full story arc no longer applied. Now there is work being done on a season 5. Not all stories are meant ot be so open-ended. Some shows just need to come to an end, even if they are still engaging.

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Now that the US version cant stop milking a once great story, I am aching to watch the UK version which, as far as I get from the hints I seen on this board, delivers a satisfying closure in time before ruining the story.

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Seasons 1 and 2 were fantastic. Season 3 was ok and 4 was brutal. Robin Wright had a huge impact on that. It just came off as a huge campaign for Hilary Clinton.

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Mostly agree with OP.

The entire Claire-as-VP thing was ludicrous. Robin Wright directed all of the episodes that focused on her character and they were the tedious ones of the season. She obviously wanted Claire to have some romance novel style arc and it played out like a glue dream in a magical kingdom. I loved Claire in Seasons 1 & 2 but she started to rust in the writing department in S3. Now they have her doing things that no first lady would ever be able to do and it is a bit of a fairy princess wish fulfillment project. The First Lady VP candidacy story could easily be erased from this season with little impact.

Also getting tired of everyone buckling to Underwood pressure. I was happy that Cathy was standing up to Frank but even that ended. The grit they established with her should have kept her strong. But no. No one at all. Everyone caves in to them.

Not excited about season5. It will probably take me long after its release to watch it if I watch it at all.

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I concur with the OP. Series 4 has completely jumped the shark, the VP first lady storyline, especially, is complete bollocks.

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I'm hardly the first person to point this out, but as far as "shark jumping" is concerned, recent political events dictate that we move the goal posts.

If anything, for me, it took a wee bit of the fun out of season 4. I mean, villainous sociopath Underwood is, he's no what's-his-name. For the first three seasons, I watched the show as the guilty pleasure that it is. But it suddenly seems downright muted and restrained.

Americans, if you can hear me, please don't do it.

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But it suddenly seems downright muted and restrained.
The charge some people make against House of Cards that its a little too farfetched no longer holds. Right now, real life is neck and neck with House of Cards when it comes to realism strangely enough. At one point there was even a rumour that Trump's daughter may get appointed as VP if he wins.


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Just throwing in here.

I thought Season 3 sucked.

I really liked Season 4. To me, a great rebound.

Just my $0.02.



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Yes, real life is neck and neck. What with Hillary jeopardizing security and somehow wiggling out of being prosecuted (wonder what threat was made to have that happen), and some people on here might be too young to remember all the suspicious deaths connected to the Clintons. Just recently, there was an insider saying Hillary drove Vince Foster (found dead in Fort Marcy Park) to suicide by Hillary's humiliating treatment of him. Just Google "Arkancide," and get the hair raising stories about deaths of those with associations with Bill and Hill Clinton.

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Yeah this show is getting boring, i'm personally done with it along with a few others.

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Okay.

What is missing?

As in S1, I think the drama requires an opposing dramatic pressure that comes from the OUTSIDE! Outside the Wh House, and Washington DC.

These Outsiders are after the truth. They know there's something bad about Claire and Frank. They know it's serious.

Forces from the outside: (Ex Editor Hammerschmidt, the Hacker, Ex Jounralist Skorsky?) that the Underwoods can't control or buy, as they control everyone inside.

The only one who wasn't a threat to anyone, poor Rachael, was preyed upon and hunted down and killed like a dog, by Doug.

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I thought the writing was clever in the first season, and I really liked the use of the fourth wall breaking. There were some minor problems - it seems to me the House majority whip would be spending more time in the Capitol Building than the White House, for instance, but overall it was well-written.

I started having my "oh, come on now" moments about when the UN Ambassador was involved in negotiations with the Russian president. They did manage to somewhat explain away why the Secy of State's toes were being stepped on, but apparently the viewers are to believe there doesn't exist a US embassy in Russia. Or maybe the writers don't understand the difference between UN ambassadors and host country ambassadors? There's no way the UN Ambassador would be involved. Either way, sloppy, and that was just one example.

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