I still see Christina factoring heavily into the show's endgame. But yeah, her departure was weirdly abrupt as well.

I'd be interested in knowing what the deal was with Connor (Sam Page's character). He seemed rather abruptly written out of the show.

To be fair, the way the Zoe character died in the British version was even more ridiculous.

I definitely get this argument, but I think Season 2 at least deserves credit for undermining - if only partially - the Underwoods' invulnerability.

Other than the slightly different score for the credits sequence, I noticed they changed some of the video footage. Specifically, I noticed the video of the Capitol shown during the title card is different; you can tell because the rippling of the water in the reflection pool is a bit more turbulent than it was during…

Like the American version, I think it's more focused on the machinations of politics than on the subtext, but it definitely doesn't paint Thatcher-style bootstrap politics in a fond light. (Especially To Play The King.)

Of all the show's ridiculous elements, I'd say the number of people using Windows Phones is probably the most outlandish.

House of Cards is all about expectations. If you go in expecting a prestige drama, it falls flat. If you go in expecting a guilty pleasure, it's a lot of fun.

Personally, I think the creative team is very focused on nailing the cosmetic, superficial details of Washington and Beltway politics, but relatively uninterested in maintaining realism in most other areas.

I think Frank would probably be okay with being a partial-term president as long as he managed to enact some sort of massive reform while in office.

Everyone I know who has worked in the Beltway has told me that Veep is a far more realistic portrayal of D.C. politics than House of Cards. And I believe them.

Frank is a doer, pure and simple. He couldn't give a rat's ass about the content of the legislation he's pushing or its effects on the country; he just wants desperately to get something passed.

(mild spoilers for the UK version)

Season 2 is far superior to Season 1, if only because the show fully embraced its own outlandishness. Too often Season 1 felt like it had aspirations of being a legitimate political drama, but now, it's fully and delightfully absurd. And while the Underwoods are still unbelievably adept at manipulating everyone around…

The book is phenomenal, for what it's worth. Mark Helprin's prose is jaw-droppingly beautiful and his fantastical depiction of New York (downstate and upstate) is consistently fun and clever.

I've always had issues with Tom's judging. He seems to have far too much influence over the rest of the judging panel; they often seem powerless to override him when he's dead set on ousting or keeping someone.

That trailer was attached to almost every single Oscar-caliber film I've seen in the past six months - at least in my area. It was inescapable. If Sony pulled the trailer, as you claim they did, AMC Theatres clearly didn't get the memo.

Fuck you, George Clooney, for forcing me to watch the trailer for this shitty movie no less than a dozen times over the past year. Every goddamn time I go to the movies, I have to watch the Monuments Men trailer. Every. Goddamn. Time.

The Delphine/Marie flashbacks were without a doubt my favorite parts of the season. Keep the entire season contained within the 19th century and I think it potentially works.

If I could go back in time and fix this season, I'd ditch the witch bullshit entirely. Make the entire season about Delphine LaLaurie and Marie Laveau, and their conflict.