US TV dramas are known for their seemingly endless seasons. In many cases, the longer a show is, the less creative and more tedious it gets. Viewers usually seek something new to binge on. But Netflix’s latest release, House of Cards season four, aims to avoid this fate.

众所周知，美剧似乎总有拍不完的下一季。大多数情况下，一部剧持续时间越长，就会变得越没创意，越乏味。观众常常会转向新剧。不过网飞公司最新发布的《纸牌屋》第四季力图摆脱这种命运。

After its release this March, millions of subscribers from 190 countries and regions got hooked to this new season of political intrigue. Even the writer of the original BBC version of House of Cards, Andrew Davies, admits that he was engrossed by the new episodes. “I’m hooked on it,” Davies told The Guardian. “I’ll probably binge-watch the new season.”

自三月上线以来，共有来自190个国家和地区的数百万名用户被新一季《纸牌屋》中的政治阴谋深深吸引。就连英国广播公司原版《纸牌屋》的编剧安德鲁•戴维斯都坦言，自己被新剧集圈粉了。戴维斯告诉英国《卫报》：“我完全看入迷了。我可能会一口气刷完第四季。”

For many longtime viewers, the previous season was a letdown. Its plot lines were almost too pedestrian to be interesting. Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey) was adrift in his new role as US president. He had beaten all of his rivals to reach the top political office, and there was almost no one worth fighting anymore. But season four aims to offer viewers the juicy twists they missed last season.

对很多常年追此剧的观众而言，上一季《纸牌屋》太令人失望。情节老套，毫无趣味可言。当上总统的弗兰克•安德伍德（凯文•史派西饰）变得百无聊赖。他打败了所有竞争者登上最高政治宝座，几乎再无对手。不过第四季致力于为观众提供上一季缺失的生动、曲折的剧情。

Underwood confronts his most potent enemy ever, his wife Claire (Robin Wright). Claire aims to amass power by becoming vice president. When Underwood thwarts her attempts, Claire moves back to Texas, her home state, to compete for a seat in the US Congress. This move injects the storyline with spice and sexual tension. As a plot twist, it is “more effective than any previous murder or immoral ploy ever [was],” Indiewire’s Nikola Grozdanovic wrote.

安德伍德遭遇了有史以来最强劲的对手——他的妻子克莱尔（罗宾•怀特饰）。克莱尔试图竞选副总统来发展自己的力量。当安德伍德挫败了她的计谋，她转战家乡德克萨斯州，争夺国会议席。克莱尔的举动为情节增添了不少情趣和香艳的张力。随着剧情的发展，这一招“比之前任何谋杀和道德阴谋更奏效”，影评人网的尼古拉•格罗兹戴诺维克写道。

Season four also dazzles viewers with an array of new faces. Through Claire’s mother (Ellen Burstyn), viewers get an idea of how little kinship means among the power-hungry. And Claire’s political consultant (Neve Campbell) reveals the relationship between power and wealth. Meanwhile, Underwood himself has to tackle another rival: aspiring president and New York governor Conway (Joel Kinnaman). Conway’s character showcases how duplicitous one needs to be in order to get to the top. These characters’ storylines are woven together with hot-button political topics, such as gun control and terrorism.

第四季中出现的一批新面孔也让观众眼前一亮。通过克莱尔的母亲（艾伦•伯斯汀饰），观众知道了在权力和欲望面前亲情一文不值。克莱尔的政治顾问（内芙•坎贝尔饰）则赤裸裸地揭开了权力和财富的关系。同时，安德伍德自己还要应对另一个对手：有当总统抱负的纽约州州长康威（乔尔•金纳曼饰）。康威这个角色展现了一个人需要如何两面三刀才能登上权力巅峰。热门政治话题，比如枪支管控和恐怖主义等将这些角色的故事交织在一起。

On top of that, key characters from previous seasons return in the new season. The murdered journalist Zoe Barnes (Kate Mara) surfaces in Frank’s constant hallucinations. And the bamboozled writer Tom (Boris McGiver) determines to expose the Underwoods’ misdeeds no matter the cost. The reappearance of these characters makes the whole series “connected and encapsulated,” IGN’s Matt Fowler commented.

此外，前几集的主要人物也陆续回归。被谋杀的记者佐伊•巴尔内斯（凯特•玛拉饰）出现在弗兰克的幻觉中。被欺骗的作家汤姆（鲍里斯•迈克基弗饰）决定不惜一切代价揭露安德伍德的罪行。评论网站IGN的马特•富勒评论说，再现这些人物能让整部剧“更紧密、更精炼”。

With fresh surprises and horrors, House of Cards season four has received a wave of praise from critics for its entertainment value. “House of Cards has always longed to be an opera, right down to the soprano who occasionally wails on the soundtrack,” Vox culture editor Todd VanDerWerff wrote. “Season four comes the closest the show ever has to realizing that ambition.”

全新的惊喜和恐惧元素为《纸牌屋》第四季赢得了评论家的阵阵好评，盛赞它的娱乐价值。娱乐新闻网Vox的文化版编辑托德•万德维夫写道：“《纸牌屋》一直渴望像歌剧那样，有一位女高音随时可能会在音轨上留下最强音。第四季是这部剧最接近实现这一野心的时候。”