I am, it would be fair to say, a massive fan of the US series “House of Cards”.  I have been waiting for the second season to come out since the first season ended and we are now, in Australia, less than a week away from that happening.

As I have boring most of my friends with talk of this excellent series and figured I might as well set out my argument for you all as to why you should watch this series:

1. Kevin Spacey: Need I say more? Spacey, to me, is the standard bearer of all actors of his generation.  In the first series of HOC he brought all of his formidable skill to the table and was just outstanding as the dastardly and deceptively evil Congressman Frank Underwood.  There has been no more intense a character in a television series in my memory and the next chapter in the career of Frank Underwood as vice president will be fascinating.

2. It is just possible that it is all true: Am I alone in being utterly convinced that the shenanigans of Frank Underwood and his cohorts might be closer to the truth of what goes on in the halls of power, both in Washington and further afield, that any of us dare to believe? The machinations surrounding recent bills, including a federal shut down, through the US federal parliament have been fascinating to watch and this is a show that gives one the feeling that one is looking the prism of what is going on over there.

3. The sites and sounds of Washington: I concede that a lot of the filming of this show takes place in Maryland and surrounds but one of the first scenes in the first episode of the show: Frank Underwood sitting on a concrete slab in the middle of the Mall in Washington after being told he was not going to be Secretary of State was the starting point of a panorama of one the most beautiful districts in the world.

4. Media and politics: an examination of politics in a digital age A principal character in the drama that is HOC is the young journalist, Zoe Barnes, who strains against the shackles of her job at a traditional newspaper only to quite (after posting a tweet of a name she was called by her editor) and joined a website devoted to news of the style of the “Drudge Report”.  The instant publishing of news is put into sharp focus as Zoe posts a story from a public bus, via her iPhone direct to the website.  The swiftness of news and news reporting is in sharp focus in this series.

5. The trailer: Jump onto youtube right now and find a trailer for the second season of this series.  If you are genuinely not hooked after watching it then I will respectfully suggest you have not watched it closely enough.  Watch it again and you will be suitably hooked.  I have never seen a more enthralling trailer for an upcoming show.

So there it is: my 5 reasons for watching season 2 of House of Cards.  I am sure I could posit another five or even another ten.  It is just a great series and on 15 February I know that I will be glued to my television watching it. I hope you enjoy it as much as I know I will.