House of Cards, Guvner.

Warning: mild plot spoilers for the American and British versions of House of Cards.

We all know that Netflix recently debuted its first original series, House of Cards, and made all 13 episodes available for streaming. But you may not know that the American series (starring Kevin Spacey) is actually adapted from a British miniseries (also called House of Cards and starring Ian Richardson). And in my opinion, the British version is far superior.

My fellow TV Slut Clovis recently wrote about the American version of House of Cards, and I agree with his assessment. The show is certainly engaging (some might even say addicting) and the relationship between Congressman Francis Underwood and his wife, Claire, is fascinating. And I also think that Clovis got it right when he pointed out that the Washington depicted in the show does not really exist and the writing is not always up to par.

But do you want to watch a version of the show that fixes these problems? Watch the British miniseries from the 1980s. It's also available on Netflix streaming (at least usually--when I tried to watch it last night I got a "content unavailable" message. Coincidence? I think not. I bet Netflix wants you to only watch their version of the story).

The British series follows a similar plot as the American version and is based on the novel House of Cards by Michael Dobbs. From wiki:

"The antihero of House of Cards is Francis Urquhart, a fictional Chief Whip of the Conservative Party, played by Ian Richardson. The plot follows his amoral and manipulative scheme to become leader of the governing party and, thus, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom."

See what I mean about the similarities? Francis Urquhart is also the whip of the controlling party and is also denied a senior cabinet position in the new government, much like Francis Underwood is denied the position of Secretary of State.  There are also other plot similarities: both men begin a relationship with a young reporter in an effort to control the media's message and both resort to murder to get what they want. Oh, and both have STONE COLD wives who are supportive of their various machinations.

But that's basically where the similarities end. Because where Underwood is sneaky and manipulative...Urquhart is full on maniacal and sociopathic. You think the things Underwood does are under-handed? Bitch, please. Urquhart brings down the government and delights in it. He revels. When he turns to the camera and delivers his monologues there is such an air of menace and malice that it will freeze your blood.

Ian Richardson has already come up with 10 ways to kill you. THROUGH THE COMPUTER.

In the American version, you get the feeling Underwood does these things because it's really the option left to him. He tried playing the game as a good guy and now it's time to change the rules. But that feeling of revenge fizzles out after the first few episodes and we are left with a man's naked ambition. But for Urquhart, it's all about full on Shakespeare "dish best served cold" style. He is going to make those bitches PAY. Also, while the characters both perform similar roles in their quest for power (lover to a reporter, murderer), please believe me when I say that Urquhart's are FAR MORE fucked up.

He makes her call him "Daddy."

Have you ever seen Othello? You know those parts where Iago is delivering his monologues and really lets his crazy shine through, but then he turns to the other characters and seamlessly plays the "just one of the boys best friend" part? Ian Richardson has that shit down cold.  The other characters continually underestimate Urquhart because he just seems like an old stodger. But then you get a glimpse at the man's mind and his plans...and damn. You really believe he could contrive to rule the world.

Andrew Davies (the acclaimed British screenwriter whom you might know from Pride and Prejudice and Bleak House) wrote the original House of Cards and the quality of the writing and acting is astounding. Not that Kevin Spacey is a slouch, but Ian Richardson brings the full force of his Shakespearean training to the part. There's a gleam in his eye and a song in his heart as he takes down the government, and you'll find yourself riveted. He often spoke about he used Richard III as a model for the character...and it shows.

The original House of Cards was recommended to me by a college government professor. I first watched it in...say 1999...and it has stayed with me ever since. While watching the American version, I couldn't help but think*, "this could never actually happen." First of all, no American politician is that smart. Second, the situations and manipulations just never seem real. But something about the British version...y'all it feels REAL. And that's the most terrifying part.

The British House of Cards (called The House of Cards Trilogy (BBC)) is available from Netflix streaming and on DVD. It consists of three miniseries, House of Cards, To Play the King, and The Final Cut.

*Watching the American version also made me think, "I wish I was watching the British version."

My Kind of Love Story

In honor of Valentine's Day this week, I'd like to introduce you all to my favorite new television power couple. Before you go too hearts-and-flowers over them though, know this: these two routinely cheat on each other, scheme, plot to overthrow the government and take cold-hearted revenge on anyone and everyone. So why is this a love story, then? Because irrespective of all the rest of it, the one thing they never do is lie to each other. Ladies and Gentlemen, meet Frank and Claire Underwood, the main characters of House of Cards.

"What say we blow this charity event and bathe in the blood of our enemies tonight?"

House of Cards is a political thriller set in Washington, DC (yay local locations!) and directed by David Fincher, who brings the same murky, moody color palate he gave to the films The Social Network and Fight Club. The story centers on Frank Underwood (played by Kevin Spacey), the Democratic House Majority Whip from South Carolina. Frank has been promised by the newly-elected President that he will be made Secretary of State, however when the President reneges on his promise at the last minute, Frank bitterly begins to plan an elaborate plot to get even with the other Washington players who have stolen his chance for glory. Swept up in the intrigue is a Congressman from Pennsylvania with a secret substance abuse problem, a young political reporter eager for a Deep Throat to call her own and more high end prostitutes than you can shake a stick at.

While the intrigue is definitely the driving factor behind the show, the emotional core is Frank’s relationship with his wife, played ice-cool by Robin Wright. Wright’s Claire is the head of an environmental non-profit that stands to gain significantly if Frank gains more power and Claire is more than willing to stand with him in his machinations to get the job done.

I love how Spacey and Wright play their relationship. They’re vicious and ambitious and brilliantly power hungry. They manipulate everyone around them, from their own staff to a man dying of cancer (really) to the security guards hired to protect them. The only people they don’t manipulate is each other, because they understand each other and genuinely love each other so much. Franks says of Claire that he loves her “more than sharks love blood” and we understand exactly the nature of their relationship. Even when Frank begins an “illicit” affair with a reporter, the first thing he does is rush home to tell Claire what he’s done, not out of contrition or guilt but for what it could do for their plans. Claire, for her part, instantly recognizes the potential and encourages it. Ozzie and Harriet, they aren't.

There's also a drunk, naked Congressman. But who doesn't have one of those in their bathtub, really?

The fact that they are so much in each other’s camp makes the few times when their relationship is truly tested all the more fascinating to watch. In the first episode, as Frank is blindsided by the news that he’s been betrayed and won’t be nominated for the Secretary of State, he sullenly checks out for a day and doesn't talk to Claire until later that night. Claire, no intellectual slouch, has already figured out what has happened and demands to know why he didn't call her. When Frank says he’s sorry, she walks out of the room, calmly disgusted at him. “My husband doesn't apologize,” she says. “Not even to me.”

It’s tempting then to see Claire as the instigator for what happens next, but she’s no Lady MacBeth spurring her husband on to murder. They’re absolutely equal partners in their machinations. If anything, they’re far more like a more successful and angrier version of Les Miserables’ Thenardiers, paying false deference to people who have more power than them (for the moment), but knowing that it will all soon change.That said, the influence of Shakespeare is all over the show. Reductively, it’s a modern retelling of MacBeth with a bit of Richard III thrown in. Even Spacey’s many asides where he speaks directly through the camera to the audience to illustrate his internal monologue or bring the viewer into his confidence about how other characters will act echo Shakespearean characters’ long soliloquies. Fans of Shakespeare will also recognize the epic plotting and gigantic emotions that are also hallmarks of his work.

False piety, for example.

Given the pedigree, it's surprising that one of the only shortcomings is in the writing. The series is written by Beau Willimon who most recently wrote the play Farragut North which was turned into the movie Ides of March. Willimon really believes that his “Washington insider” status lends a kind of verisimilitude to his work, which frankly is not large and his only real successes have focused on behind the scenes Washingtonia. The problem? He’s not that accurate. Willimon writes a Washington that behaves the way Hollywood imagines it is, not like the way it actually does. He knows just enough to be inaccurate. He understands some of the more technical aspects of American politics correctly but misses by a mile when it comes to writing the way politicos, reporters, staffers and informants actually speak and act. For a series that is trying so hard to seem gritty and accurate to life, to have characters say things that actual insiders would never say feels particularly jarring. Still, the pacing of the show is excellent and when Willimon can tear himself away from congratulating himself in writing for his four month long internship on the Hill that he did five years ago, he can put together a bunch of really compelling characters and really solid drama.

The entire first season of House of Cards is available only on Netflix instant. Well worth losing your weekend over this one, folks.