bob the moo Following his appointment as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Francis Urquhart is rather plagued by guilt over the actions that got him there, while at the same time lacking a challenge to stimulate him in the way his political rivalries once did. This changes as the new King of England decides to throw his social conscience into the political ring, and as FU takes on a new 'slave' to inspire him and to tutor. The King's simplistic sentimentalizing of the plight of the poor leads FU to perhaps underestimate him, while he also remains unaware of the presence of a tape of his rooftop meeting that ended the previous series.There is a certain meanness and cynicism in this BBC film that is perhaps lacking in the US version, and this second part of the House of Cards trilogy continues with that. The viewer remains drawn into FU's world and decisions in a way where we are confronted by his cold maneuvering, and this continues throughout the episodes. This time the opponent is the new King – a very thinly veiled version of Prince Charles; the reality of this power struggle is perhaps not totally convincing, but to be fair the previous episodes were fine to play up the cynicism in return for giving up a bit of realism. The plot plays out quite nicely, although it must be said that the show does benefit from only having 4 episodes and not the longer run that the US version has.Outside of this, the series does rather repeat the model of the previous serial in that it places a young woman in FU's circle, sees an influential Afro-Caribbean woman playing a key role and also has a vulnerable male press role. It does have a certain familiarity to it, although mostly it does work on its own rights. The various plot twists and turns do not always convince; in particular the frequent bombings and the fate of some characters and devices go a little further than fits even the internal logic, but these are held together by the consistent spirit of meanness it has. A big part of that is Richardson's performance, which is attractive while also being repellant – much like his to-camera discussions which challenge the viewer to judge him. Equally good are Kitchen, Aldridge, King, and Farrrell – albeit that they have shadows of the previous series in their characters. Jeavons plays it well so that he builds from his position gradually and in a way that makes sense.Generally the series works well because of how nicely scripted it is with a cynicism that applies across the political spectrum of all those involved. This is delivered with a certain drollness and a narrative that engages even if aspects of it feel repeated from the previous series.

gizmomogwai To Play the King is the follow-up to the British House of Cards miniseries, the basis for the current American Netflix show House of Cards. The last time we saw Francis Urquhart, he was on his way to becoming prime minister. That poses questions of where to go from there- he no longer has a prime minister to topple. There's only one spot above the prime minister in the British system, and that's the monarchy.A new king is crowned (in real life, we haven't seen a coronation since 1952), and the new monarch intends to get involved in political matters. A liberal with sympathy for minorities and the marginalized, he is soon construed as critical of the policies of Urquhart's Conservative government and wins the public's affections. Soon, Urquhart and the king are engaged in a Machiavellian struggle for power, the king seeking Urquhart's defeat at the polls, Urquhart seeking the king's abdication.In political philosophy, I'm actually closer to the king than Urquhart. However, this is complicated, as in an age of democracy I do think a person with an inherited ceremonial title shouldn't interfere in government. I'm Canadian, and we share Britain's monarch and system. It made me angry to see a king thinking he has a right to dictate what's done in his name, dining with Opposition leaders and speaking out against government. This goes against constitutional convention- yet the concerning thing is, there isn't really much, constitutionally speaking, stopping a monarch from doing such things. While in this matter, Urquhart may have more right, of course he is no saint.House of Cards (both versions) are grim, almost ridiculously so, in having a high-stature political official not just ordering killings, but doing them with his own hands. To Play the King hasn't forgotten Mattie Storin- on the contrary, she's still very much there in spirit. Urquhart is haunted by her death and the guilt, showing he's not totally inhuman. She also becomes an obsession of Urquhart's new lover, Sarah Harding. As with the original miniseries, To Play the King is a study of realpolitik, a dark and pessimistic view of power and human nature. It's an intriguing and engaging watch, just as with its predecessor.

Spondonman This was the follow up series to House Of Cards, continuing the rise and rise up the Greasy Pole of Francis Urquhart, good old FU to us viewer-confidantes. Or as in all of his friends opinions, a right old swine because he stops at nothing to cling on to power.FU is a UK Prime Minister with plenty of dark secrets in his murky past – just for a change – when from his wife he gets the idea of hiring a bright young woman as his "slave" to do his (political) bidding. While engaged in a running battle of wits with the earnest and wimpish ruling monarch he finds that he needs her ideas, input and eventually her sexual support too. And only natural too, for what are Men but mere slaves to the Urge? Unfortunately along with his other aide she gets too many ideas, such as what really happened to his former lover? It's all as well done as the first series, and just as predictable – but refreshing cynicism on its own isn't quite enough this time round. When it came the climax was totally foreseeable – which only made me wonder why they couldn't foresee it! Introducing people per episode, nurturing them and then killing them off was something I used to laugh at in Star Trek over 40 years ago. However, ignoring the shallow ending the plot itself was engrossing enough to keep me hooked for another four hours, and Ian Richardson's wonderfully nasty and slimy performance certainly was a masterclass.It's an entertaining time passer which also informs and educates if you need it – never ever trust any politician, or aristocrat for that matter, period.

eil-2 Although weaker than House of Cards, To Play the King is consistently entertaining, perhaps more so than the other parts of the trilogy, which ended with The Final Cut.Francis Urquhart has been PM (played by the wonderful Ian Richardson) for some time now, and he now faces a challenge in the new King (a compelling impersonation of Princes Charles by Michael Kitchen), who's views on Britain conflict wildly with Urquhart's. Added to this, Urquhart is engaging in an affair with Sarah Harding (Kitty Aldridge), a pollster, and seriously getting on the wrong side of his oldest friend and Chief Whip/Party Chairman Tim Stamper (played by Colin Jeavons, who almost steals the show from Richardson), who has incriminating evidence concerning Urquhart's involvement in the death of journalist Mattie Storin.To Play the King carries on the Urquhart trilogy with great confidence. Despite the fact that it came three years after House of Cards, all of the recurring cast slip back into their roles with ease. The location work and music are also outstanding. However, the real weakness with this production is that Andrew Davies' script goes over old ground. The dialogue is naturally superb, but Urquhart's relationship with Harding is thin compared to the one between him and Mattie, and the ending strangely lacks the emotional edges of the other two in the series.That said, To Play the King is highly enjoyable, and worth checking out if you were a fan (and who wasn't) of House of Cards.