In Season 5, Things Get (Overly) Complicated on 'House of Cards'

Now, more than ever, "House of Cards" feels like it should be one of the most vital shows going. Its fifth season enters the world during a time when American politics are at their most divisive. Though "HoC" doesn't always hold a (black) mirror up to our reality, the show often picks some of the biggest headlines and heightens the drama by taking things to the extreme.

The new season, which hits Netflix May 30, sees "HoC" returning to its devious roots, with President Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey), and running mate/first lady Claire Underwood (Robin Wright), doing whatever needs to be done to win re-election. It's no easy task for the power duo - they bump up against their lurid past and if they make the wrong move, the White House could slip through their fingers.

The Underwoods are up against GOP presidential candidate Will Conway (Joel Kinnaman) - the governor of New York who is young, handsome, a military vet and social media savvy. He's got the whole package: Someone who can push the party's ideals and appeal to younger voters. But the Underwoods cannot be underestimated and Conway will soon realize beating the couple in this tiresome election won't be a slam-dunk. Though a tough competitor, Conway and his campaign team will have to be on their A game time to avoid the Underwood's psychological trappings.

It's impossible for "HoC" to ignore the true reality of President Donald Trump. Season 5 was in the works when Trump was elected president in November and the show doesn't ignore this - though it doesn't lean enough into it. In "HoC," Trump is not reflected in Conway. It's Frank, a Democrat, who is the most Trumpian, which may not come as a surprise to "HoC" fans. Frank has always echoed some of Trump's worse traits since the show's beginnings; long before Trump was ever considered a formable presidential candidate.

During the fraught presidential election in "HoC," the Underwood administration's relationship with the media has crumbled. (Sound familiar?) Tom Hammerschmidt (Boris McGiver), the editor-in-chief of The Washington Herald, is on a crusade to bring down the White House and expose Frank and his chief of staff, Doug Stamper. Doing so won't be easy, of course, but this "Spotlight"-esque plot is one of the most interesting parts of the new season.

References to our President Trump reality are peppered throughout Season 5: At one point, protesters are seen outside the White House, chanting "Not my president!" Of course, Frank takes a perverse pleasure in this. There are even nods to the zeitgeist-y phrase "fake news." And the Underwoods continue to use fear mongering as their main tactic to stay in power.

For its stellar performances (Spacey and Wright are still fantastic five seasons in Netflix's flagship series) and its eerie reflections of our political reality, "HoC" Season 5 is bogged down by its silly and overly complicated plots. At times, "HoC" is like political fan-fiction, becoming an over-the-top, dumb soap that's emulates "Empire" but trades the music industry for Washington, D.C. The campiness would work on "HoC" if it didn't take itself so seriously. With its cool and clinical color pallet (courtesy of David Fincher, who set the tone by directing the series' first two episodes and continues to serve as an executive producer), and prestige TV tone, "HoC" tries to have its cake and eat it too. It's hard to be "The West Wing" and "Scandal" at the same time.

For all of its winks at the Trump administration, the shock factor on "HoC" is no parallel to our own reality. Frank Underwood has pissed on his father's grave and spit on a crucifix of Jesus but his antics in Season 5 somehow fall short to President Donald "Grab Her by the Pussy" Trump.

"HoC" Season 5 does find some success when it examines Frank and Claire's personal relationship, however. The Underwood's personal life is still the series' biggest draw. Their icy cold marriage sees fewer and fewer pockets of love or affection. Those cigarette-sharing moments from the early seasons are totally gone and Claire continues to have her open affair with the handsome Tom Yates (Paul Sparks). Meanwhile, Frank becomes seemingly more asexual.

By now, viewers are either on the "HoC" train or not. Season 5 doesn't try to bring in a new audience, not that it should, but fans of the long-running series who have stuck with it this long should be pleased. There are plenty of twists in turns in Season 5 and it's still exciting, at times, to watch the unstoppable Underwoods get out of seemingly impossible political predicaments. "HoC" may not be the cutting edge, radically intelligent show it thinks it is, but it is entertaining, proving to be the best case for Netflix's binge model. Throw in a wonder performance from Patricia Clarkson, and Season 5, though not perfect, ends up being the best season of "HoC" since its debut.