Man in Full-A festival of Americanisms

I have so much respect for scripture writers as well as those who are in charge of selecting the cast. This is the first time I have watched a series twice and I can tell you i have no regrets. 

The aging and stubborn protagonist shrewd in business and devoid of any sought if emotion. Bent on letting the whole world know that it depends on him…but sensitive enough not to spare any resources in rescuing one of his subordinates. In his orbit are a few African Americans…yes the story does not stop short of letting you know that you are in the southern states. There is the lawyer who is at the top of the so called food chain. He is relatively set in life but dying to stretch his wings and fly. Then there is the professional driver. He does his job well and knows his boss. He is respectful and knows the ins and outs of the business. His job is simple get him to and fro and fill in the blanks where necessary. Then there is his secretary’s husband faithful, loyal and hardworking but also stuck in that dreary nine to five. As fate will have it he will meet the law in the south in quite a confrontational way and the same forces he does not trust will clash. Then there is peepgrass…what a name (Tom Pelphrey) ! He comes complete with large spectacles, Wig-like hairdo and a frustrated face that just wants a break. While the boss seems to like him and has even adopted an affectionate name for him, he is discontent and keen to rise from his position of eternal servitude.

Then there is the wife…used to be bride (played by Diane Lane who looks so much like Jennifer Lopez) who has parted ways with the protagonist but who may end up being his salvation. Lucy Lui plays the role of faithful friend (Joyce) whose life seems to have taken her to the heights of the fashion and modeling world face plastered across a few posters in the city urging the masses to buy buy buy. Her role is simple to keep encouraging the former wife to keep her head high and to realize that her former beau is nothing without her. All this while she negotiates the rough journey of aging and keeping up with the young ones slim and trim and ready to please. She is introduced to us in a gym taking instructions from a typical instructor attitude rich barking commands to a host of young ladies Mrs. former somebody in tow. 

Peepgrass the disgruntled employee will prove invaluable in this tale as he interacts with the enemy feeding them morsels of truth about their foe. Then there is the accountant who comes with an agenda. Pants held high by struggling suspenders yet needing nothing to support his ambition and determination to bring the protagonist down. 

The rich cast of lawyers, board members and side kicks (one of whom in an act of desperation forgets his place in the totem pole) make for a rich tapestry of characters that will keep you longing for more. The dialogue between peepgrass and his Finnish lady is rich in rolling on the ground humor and the choice of actress is beyond amazing. 

House of Cards

The U.S. flag code states: “The flag should never be displayed with the union down, except as a signal of dire distress in instances of extreme danger to life or property.” But Americans have long had their own interpretation of “dire distress.” An inverted flag was used to protest slavery at a July 4, 1854, rally held ...6 Jun 2024

Of names and history 

In my world names mean everything. I am told that the majority of historians have a basis upon which their relationship to the past interpretation of it falls. Mine is names. Not civilizations, not cycles, not religions, not instruments of warfare just names. 

Reinveting ourselves

In this you might come to appreciate the quick transition that many make from acting to getting into producer roles a thing that came to my attention through the 24 Series as well as Prison Break. I mean you can only be an actor for a few episodes before you tire from being told what to do and maybe even chosing to play the role of director.

Give credit where credit is due

With this in mind therefore watch House of Cards not so much the content as much as the credits and see if you can identify some of the names that make up the line up and that feature in the show. 

I find it hard to idenify an episode that stands out, but i think i really like Episode 4. 

On Transitions

This is a transitory episode and one amplified with quite a lot of decision making. A wife having to chose between a former lover and a boring but calculating husband. A father having to select between more manipulation and the loss of a constituency he loves. A story juxtaposing one NGO building wells and marking them out in colors verses a two man team of strategists making choices for democratic votes and republican votes as it seeks to change the top four positions in the country, a son and daughter chosing between mother and girl friend in light of the need for pop tarts or better looking breakfast meals cooked by dad, an office romance who must chose between her seemingly negligent husband and his family in a decision she might end up regreting for being to harsh or a young lady drawn to the mystery of an older man who has made her career and an old firm whose toxic office politics threatens to ruin her.

Can this type of dialogue be matched by A.I? 

It is difficult to see this type of masterly work with dialoge and narration being replicated by a non human. Large Language Models (LLM) build off of systems that already exist. The generative AI tool writes based on a library that you and i have created of our works whose knowldege it then utioizes to create something similar in style to your work. So no. If i can rent some of powerful resources that are available with these supercomputers and use those services to store my works and maybe fish out ideas for future projects then i might succeed but at this point, most of the works thst writers have published exist in some form or another in digitized form. 

Tragedy Strikes 

The style utilized by the show of narrative and direct conversations with the soon to be VP makes it almost feel like a documentary or a journey into the life of a heroic man who is keen to teach us his trade. But this quickly changes when we watch him pounce on his enemies in later episodes with utmost ruthlessness. He is calculating, funny, witty but also quite cruel. After costing up to him as your guide into the complex world of American politics, you are drawn away in disgust that your leader and mentor is after all a man whose ambitions will drive him to a path where no obstacle will survive his rage. But it’s too late you have already taken notes and laughed at his jokes and taken a front row seat in his life and are now an accessory to his acts. While his more laid back wife shows more restraint, she too will stop at nothing to make a point to an appointee who decides to go back on a promise and sue her. Her calculating moves to corner her foe are legendary. But she is quick to calm down unlike her husband. That they make a great team is a fact we are left appreciating and the tolerance for each other’s infidelity is noteworthy.