House Of Cards Review: 10 Spoiler-Free Reactions To Season 5

One nation, Underwood.

House Of Cards Season 5
Netflix

House of Cards has a hell of a challenge on its hands in Season 5.

The series has to combat the sort of fatigue that can often plague long-running dramas as they start to enter their later years, which is enough of a task in the current TV industry, and for a show that is arguably past its peak, without the real world pressures and difficulties the show faces.

While Season 4 aired to a backdrop of a Trump Presidential bid, Season 5 comes with him actually sitting in the White House. Given this is a show about a dangerous POTUS who does terrible things, how does it successfully begin to feel dramatic or even relevant enough given what's going on outside of it?

Add in the fact that Season 5 is the first without series creator and long-time showrunner Beau Willimon, and the deck is firmly stacked against it. But then again, that's when Frank and Claire Underwood are at their most dangerous - and their most captivating.

So how does the show play its latest hand? Netflix made all 13 episodes available to watch ahead of its debut, and the show goes all-in, with (mostly) successful results.

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Contributor
Contributor

NCTJ-qualified journalist. Most definitely not a racing driver. Drink too much tea; eat too much peanut butter; watch too much TV. Sadly only the latter paying off so far. A mix of wise-old man in a young man's body with a child-like wonder about him and a great otherworldly sensibility.