The fourth season of House of Cards was a rollercoaster of previously unexplored ideas that completely altered the series’ universe.

The lousy dynamic of season three was ditched, and the new season attempted to mimic the theme of “rising in power” that was successfully pulled off in seasons one and two.

However, the setting in this new season was different because Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey) resided in the White House as the President instead of as a Congressman.

This meant that he had more power and capabilities, but less secrecy since he is the most public figure in America, which was a captivating spin on the show’s previous theme.

In season four Frank had to act devious, but remain in the realm of legality because he was held accountable for his actions and decisions.

The show had to make do with less violence, so it created more stressful work- related situations throughout the series.

This was a good way to manage without the violence because it generated excitement for every new episode.

Claire Underwood (Robin Wright) has a much more independent role in the new season even though her character is closer with her husband than ever before.

The Underwoods are planning something big, which means that Claire is often on her own, managing their political opponents.

This larger role for Claire gives her more time to shine in the spotlight, which is good because her acting is incredible.

Older characters like Peter Russo and Zoey Barnes make returns in this season to play crucial roles that decide the future of the Underwood legacy.

The Underwoods tread on very thin ice throughout this season: dealing with Russia, stopping terrorist threats, battling Republicans, running for the primary election and evading journalists who possess incriminating information.

Spacey and Wright, have won multiple awards for their work in the series due to their extraordinary acting.

Spacey won a Golden Globe for Best Actor and Wright won a primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress.

Their acting performances have only gotten better in this season since every other scene was a nailbiter.

The first two seasons were magnificent with dramatic reveals and devious plans in every episode.

They portrayed the Underwoods as cold, calculating politicians who would deceive anyone to achieve political power.

Season four builds on this idea because Frank uses his new executive power to bully other parties into conceding with his plans.

Part of the fun of those first two seasons was that Frank outsmarted everyone in his quest to ascend the ranks from congressman to president.

Season three, on the other hand, was rather boring and seemed more like a soap opera than a political thriller.

Frank and Claire had already reached the top so they had nothing else to do except get backstabbed and taken advantage of, which was not exciting to watch.

Season three ends with a small cliffhanger that piqued the audience’s interest, but did not quite leave us at the edge of our seats.

However, the ending of season four blew me right out of my seat through the window of a four story building.

Every episode presented a new problem that the Underwoods needed to solve and they sometimes had to take massive leaps of faith to do so.

My one main criticism of this season is that it was not the show’s final season.

It should have ended in a nice bow-tie at 52 episodes like a deck of cards since the show is called “House of Cards.”

Aside from that small problem, which does not have to do with the content of the show, this season was outstanding.

“House of Cards” season four is currently available only on Netflix, for your viewing pleasure.