This show never struck me as a show that’s grounded in reality. There are brutal murders happening left and right, cases won illegally and easily, and a lot of people seem to get away with a lot of stuff. That’s why I loved Skanks Get Shanked (both the episode and the title, by the way). Connor finally had the guts to ask what everyone’s been thinking: why they were all still on Annalise’s side.
Seeing Connor suddenly become a man with a conscience is a bit random I guess, but it doesn’t matter because the fact that he wouldn’t let Annalise manipulate her ways into winning a case was brilliant. It’s not that he wanted her to fail out of spite for all the horrible things she (and Wes by proximity) has put him through in the past year, but it was a matter of doing the right thing for once and putting a dangerous woman behind bars. This is what character development looks like, and I’m so excited how How To Get Away With Murder is turning into must-see television this season.
Even the stuff Asher is doing on the sidelines makes some sense, I guess, if you forget the fact that this is Asher and his childish jokes make it harder to take him seriously. But his plans to take down Annalise is intriguing and plausible from a character perspective, especially now that it looks like Connor is having a moral crisis. Perhaps all of the Keating Five will turn on their mentor by the end of the season?
This still feels like an overstuffed show sometimes. With all the drama happening in the courtroom, I needed to take a breath before we headed back into Annalise and Nia’s hospital scenes. It was actually really tough to watch Nate’s wife beg Annalise to get her the pills she needed to kill herself. It was a very distressing subplot that even managed to distract our fierce lawyer during work. And while the reveal that Annalise contemplated suicide herself was a bit unexpected, it doesn’t seem all that far-fetched considering her history with her husband. I loved seeing these two women together in the same scene and I hope this isn’t the last we see of Nia. But with her illness getting worse, it really doesn’t look like she’ll be with us for long.
Wes and Nate are still a bit shady and uninteresting when compared to everything else that happens on this show. Their plans to find out what happened to Rebecca are a bit annoying since we already know where that’s leading, but at least the flash-forwards continue to deliver the right amount of answers while also opening up a whole new set of questions. The final sequence is a pulse-pounding one as everyone waits for Michaela who makes her way into an apartment building and meets up with Caleb! On one hand, it’s so comforting to see that the show is connecting those kids’ storyline into the main arc. But on the other hand, what the hell is going on?
Sneaky Courtroom Bits
– Annalise looked kind of creepy in that bathtub scene in the opening teaser.
– Michaela screaming “spank me daddy” on the phone is so hilarious and awkward. Go Michaela!
– Hidden gem: Annalise in court defending her client by calling her a fragile, susceptible teenager and pointing at Bonnie in the process.
– Connor mentioning the Keating Five is a fun nod to the fans.
– It looks like the show wants us to believe that Levi ends up being Annalise’s shooter, especially after his talk with Wes on the stairs. Hmm.
– Did we know that Michaela was adopted? Or was she just messing with Caleb and Catherine?
– Bonnie’s name on Asher’s phone is BonBon because of course it is. Hilarious.
– Annalise bringing up Connor’s bloody car again is chilling and fantastic. Props for continuity, by the way.
– Glad to see Annalise become suspicious of Wes and Nate. Things should get heated pretty soon.
– So, who is Caleb referring to when he asks Michaela “who is she” in the end? Annalise? Catherine?
Amusing Keating One-Liners
Connor: Annalise strikes again. Nothing like burning babies when you want to sway the jury.
Connor: Can we stop “Mean Girling” and talk about how Annalise’s opening was literally a step-by-step of what she did to us? She uses bullying and public humiliation in class, one. Two, she keeps us trapped in her world so the only thing that we care about are her needs. Three, we work for her day and night so we never get to sleep. Four, she creates this…this cult of superiority, the…the K5, which makes us feel special just to be around her, which pits us against each other. It’s brainwashing 101.
Annalise: Make me out to be the villain if it helps you sleep at night, but don’t you ever screw with my cases.
Annalise: I think about it a lot, killing myself. I have ever since I was a child. A lot of times I think the world would be a much better place without me in it. But I don’t do it. You’re a better woman than me, and if I don’t deserve to die, then you definitely don’t.
Conclusion
Another solid episode from a season that seems to become more exciting with every passing hour. Let’s hope this momentum continues till the end.
Chris Rating
B+