‘House Of Cards’ Season 4 Buzz: Frank Underwood Is Back In Fine (And Machiavellian) Form
The results are in.House of Cardsseason 4 hit Netflix at exactly 12:01 AM Pacific time this morning, and the critics have now weighed in with their thoughts on the latest batch of episodes. Overall, the consensus is thatHouse of Cardshas re-embraced its soap opera roots, and is all the better for it.Robin Wrightis getting particular praise for her turn as Claire, who finds herself at odds with husband Frank, and some of the new additions to the cast (includingEllen BurstynandCicely Tyson) have drawn positive notice as well.
On the flip side, it sounds likeHouse of Cardshasn’t suddenly gotten more real-world political just because 2016 is an election year. Those hoping showrunnerBeau Willimonwill use his final season with the series to comment on the craziness of the current race for the White House will probably be disappointed, although those who just want to escape into drama and scandal and intrigue may find plenty to enjoy. Read a round-up ofHouse of Cardsseason 4 reviews below.
Katy Waldman at Slate:
Jeff Jensen at Entertainment Weekly:
Todd VanDer Werff at Vox:
Danger Guerrero at Uproxx:
Alison Herman at Flavorwire:
What it is good at is being a slow-burn soap opera. And by reorienting itself to become the Frank-vs.-Claire show, House of Cards has embraced just that. Crisp cinematography and businesslike dialogue aside, this show has never been realistic. […] It’s finally stopped pretending to be, too.
Yohana Desta at Mashable:
The show also makes a leap this year into more surreal territory, going for experimental moments that straddle the line between obvious symbolism and brilliant creativity. Rememberthis terrifying nightmare scenefromMad Men? You’ll get a taste of that dark, surrealist vibe over and over.
