A different deck of cards

After happily watching the first thirteen episodes of the American remake of “House of Cards”, I have turned my attention to the BBC original.

The contrast serves up a delightful lesson in the difference between the two cultures. Whereas Kevin Spacey’s antihero politician is all about swagger and a thinly disguised display of raw sexual charisma, Ian Richardson’s original is a glorious lesson in understated subterfuge, in the menace that can lurk beneath the smoothest of surfaces.

The original house of cards is not about who slays the most enemies, but rather about how elegantly the kill is done. I confess I am greatly enjoying this highly refined bit of mischief from across the Pond.

While I certainly enjoy a good overcooked drama of political evil, it seems I prefer my Macbeth slightly on the rare side.

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