Netflix's House of Cards and Streaming TV

I never watched "30 Rock" during it's normal weekly time slot. I discovered "30 Rock" after watching Tina Fey's impersonation of Sarah Palin, both (Fey and Palin) of which I think are totally hot. Netflix  had the show streaming, and it allowed me the opportunity to start watching "30 Rock" from the beginning.

Then someone at work was talking about "Spartacus," which was first shown on Starz. It sounded interesting, and was also streaming on Netflix. "Spartacus" was visually stunning, softcore porn with lots of violence, (and Lucy Lawless), and it appealed to me on many different levels. The amount of nudity, sex and violence was such that I could only watch after my children went to bed, and I'd sit through two or three episodes, usually on a worknight, and
end up dragging the next day. Still, I'd be waiting the next
night for the kids to go to bed so I could finish the series. Unfortunately, Netflix doesn't stream Starz anymore, so if you want to see "Spartacus," you either need to get Starz or use Netflix to rent the discs.

I tried watching a few episodes of "Weeds" this way, but I couldn't get into it. Then, I noticed that my absolute favorite show, "Mad Men," was on Netflix, and I took the opportunity to watch every episode over again. Somewhere down deep, I very much want to look like Jon Hamm and dress like Don Draper. I don't smoke, and don't drink anywhere near the level that everyone seems to in "Mad Men," but really want to. It's too bad that smoking and drinking that way would either kill me or make me fat. And on a side note, I think Tina Fey and Jon Hamm are the two best looking people on television, so when Jon Hamm did his guest staring bit on "30 Rock," I was stoked.

When I was a kid, I loved watching "Dragnet." Joe Friday's droll introduction, "This is the city, Los Angeles, California. A city hopes and dreams. Sometimes those dream turn into nightmares. When they do, that's where I come in. I carry a badge," or some such comment, then the horns. "Da da dum dum. Da da dum dum dum," and then, "The story your about to see is true. Only the names have been changed to protect the innocent." I don't know if it was because I lived in Los Angeles or what, but I always enjoyed that show, and felt it talked about someplace that I knew. It's on Netflix, too, and watching the 60's version with Harry Morgan, I never realized how anti-hippy and amazingly conservative the show was. Though the program takes great pains to show that it isn't racist, it does seem very against the counter-culture of the 60's. My 11 year old and I watch now, knocking back a few episodes every couple of nights, and the same actors show up again and again in different roles, but playing the same type. 

Another side note, as I grow older. When I watched "Dragnet" back in the 70's, I thought Jack Webb was an old man. And even the most recent time I watched on broadcast TV, probably sometime in the 90's, I still thought Jack Webb was old. Watching now, he still looks old to me though in the series he is actually my current age. I asked my daughter if I looked as old as Friday, and she said only when I smile. Kids.

The original 50's version of "Dragnet," is on Netflix also, and that is much more like the radio show, very dark and Joe Friday roughs people up when they deserve it. It very much has a film noir style that isn't in the 60's version. Also, the Miranda Rights didn't exist, so were never read. I'd never seen the B & W version before I watched some episodes on Netflix. I like it, too, but it is very different and without the accidental comedy of the 60's version.

"House of Cards" was released on Netflix only, and it is far and away the most interesting thing I've watched this year. I've enjoyed Kevin Spacey's work since "LA Confidential," and when Netflix announced the show with Spacey as the lead, I thought it looked interesting. I wasn't familiar with the source material at all, but I thought the picture was intriguing.  The first episode was enough to draw me in. Spacey's technique of breaking the fourth wall and addressing the camera directly allows the viewer to know exactly what Congressman Underwood is thinking, and though that matches his actions, in later episodes it shows how much control he really doesn't have. His power isn't as absolute or as far reaching as he thinks.

I majored in history, and I've read enough books and watched enough television to the point where almost every story is predictable. "House of Cards," however, was able to throw a few curves when I didn't expect them. All through the 13 episodes, which I watched over the space of 4 days, I was constantly wondering what would happen. The characters of Underwood and his wife, Claire are both strong and ambitious. Both of them realize that they work best together, but both know that they can be successful alone, and sometimes being connected has a negative aspect. It really is good drama. It helps too, that Robin Wright and Kate Mara are both very easy on the eyes. Wright looks almost handsome, a very fit and put together 40 something, while Mara is all college girl sexy because she's still young and messy, and they make a good contrast on the screen.

Now I'm curious about the British show that this is based on. Actually, I think I'll go watch now. It's on Netflix streaming, too.