"House of Cards," the critically-acclaimed political drama (with a slight touch of satire) made its anticipated return this past weekend in the form of a fourth 13-episode season.

The Netflix original show centers on Frank and Claire Underwood (Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright, respectively), who manipulate and abuse their way through the ranks in modern day Washington D.C. in order to attain more power. And it is largely because of Spacey and Wright, and the fantastic dynamic they give their characters through their performances, who push this season into being arguably the best one yet.

An amazing and dynamic cast has always been one of the stronger arguments for the praise the show has received each year (not to mention the stellar writing), and they are in top form here. New characters come into the mix in many forms, and they hold their own as a slew of familiar faces get involved again.

Speaking of those faces, with their (re)addition to this ever-escalating storyline, we finally get some full circle moments that were desperately needed to move the end of the presidential campaign forward.

For those who enjoy the ever popular binge-watching of shows such as "House of Cards," you're in luck. 13 episodes, that are all about an hour each, are tough to watch in one sitting. However, the way season four is structured, it feels as though the first half is a separate season of its own. Those six-ish episodes focus more on the rift between Frank and Claire, with one very intense and surprising twist involved. The last half of the season is more about the 2016 campaign, with some more surprises on the way.

"House of Cards" is a dark show, there is no denying it. The main characters are despicable people, who have literally killed to get where they are at. Season four is by far the darkest the show has gotten, and it is fantastic. The last two episodes, in particular, deliver powerful monologues and overall horrifying storytelling, that is sadly not too fictional.

The only thing that seems able to upstage the events in this fiction is what is now happening in real life. Although the script for season four was written over a year ago, many of the story lines have become very true in this election year.

With the parallels to reality never being stronger, and the acting/writing in fine form, "House of Cards" shows why it was renewed for a fifth season before this new one even premiered. It is the must-watch television show that isn't on television.

Long live President Underwood.