Uneven but compelling House of Cards

The much-touted Netflix series House of Cards, based on first 4 (of 13) episodes is, let's say, uneven and rarely as good as the 1990s British original. Still, it's appealing to see the series in a contemporary (and American) setting, where many of the elements make a lot of sense and transplant well to DC and to 2013: use of text messages to convey info and flirtation between the Senator (Kevin Spacey) and the eager young reporter, Zoe Barnes (Mara), working for what's obviously meant to be the Post; the issue of the changing newsroom in the world of social media, and the machinations of the U.S Congress. The strengths of the series so far are Spacey's excellent performance as a Southern House leader, perfectly coniving and smarmy and manipulative, and his asides are delicious moments, almost Shakespearean (as in the original). One great addition is the much more important role of Spacey's wife, Robin Wright (?), who is awesome even scary as a Washington power-elite spouse running a foundation that's really all about her and her ego and that clearly thrives thanks to questionable donations from those seeking favor with her husband. She's ice cold and brutal. Mara, with her huge eyes and childish mannerisms, which mask a ruthless even reckless ambition, is really good, too. The weaknesses are some of the mechanics of the plotting and the script, which vary by episode. For all its purported knowledge of insider Washington, some of the mechanics seem just totally wrong - e.g., the president's chief of staff telling Spacey that he won't get a Cabinet post, the gathering of forces to write an education bill, the Byzantine plan to oust the speaker - all these are maybe slightly plausible but feel less sure-footed than the newspaper, the nonprofit, and the domestic scenes. Spacey's trip back to S.C. to deal with district issues in episode 3, however, is entirely ridiculous start to finish: surely they could have come up with a much more credible district issue than a threatened lawsuit from parents of a girl who died in a car crash while texting, with only the most dubious of claims against Rep. Spacey. Quibbles aside, like theBritish original, the Netflix Cards keeps drawing me back, curious about how these people will ruin one another.