House of Cards, Season Two

I just finished binge watching House of Cards, Season Two. Thirteen episodes in five nights! It was worth every minute. It's great to be able to watch an entire season in a short period of time, especially a series that is as well made and entertaining as this. Everything about it is superb. The plot is complex, but not confusing – though there are more twists and turns in Season Two, than the first season. The characters are believable, intelligent, ambitious, realistically flawed and conflicted. The dialogue is exceptional, fast-paced and at times almost beautiful in the language that is used. There were a couple of times when I wanted to rewind and listen to the dialogue again, not out of confusion, but because it was so deep and revealing. The acting is fabulous. Kevin Spacey, as Francis Underwood, the main character, is just amazing. I love how he speaks directly to the camera, bringing the audience in closer. The rest of the actors are also excellent and very well cast. Netflix deserves a huge "Bravo!" for this production.

The story moved seamlessly from season one to Season Two. Everything seemed to be going along as expected – good political drama – when suddenly, "Wham" at the end of the first episode, Francis does something totally unexpected and completely dark and evil. OMG! was my honest reaction. I rarely have this strong of a reaction to any television show or movie. I'm not going to give it away, you got to watch it to believe it. From the very first episode, I was hooked.

The next twelve episodes were not as shocking, but they were just as intense. In fact, if I have any criticism at all, it's that this second season seems to have almost too much going on. There is political intrigue, corruption, scandal, bribery, adultery, blind ambition, manipulation and backstabbing, as well as numerous subplots pulled from current headlines – China trade, money laundering, political action committees, lobbyists run amok, terrorism, sexual assault in the military, abortion and the driving need for our politicians to be re-elected above everything else.

It's all great stuff! Don't blink or you'll miss something. Definitely rent it, or join Netflix – at eight dollars a month it's one of the best deals around.