Review: House of Cards

Netflix's First Original Series is Great
NJ

Kevin Spacey

House of Cards (Netflix) - The production values are lush, the pacing tight, the dialogue razor-sharp ("I love that woman," Underwood says of his wife at one point. "I love her more than sharks love blood"), the tone dark and delightfully nasty.

But what immediately sets the show apart from more generic political thrillers is the decision to have Underwood break the fourth wall, sharing his private views on the players he's interacting with directly with the audience.

It's a bold move, but it's done so smoothly — and [Kevin] Spacey is such a charismatic devil — that it creates an immediate intimacy with the viewer. And believe me, you want to stay in Underwood's good graces.