The second season finale of ABC's How To Get Away With Murder was true roller coaster ride unlike anything the series has attempted before. A surprisingly slow start featuring Annalise's previously unknown family gave way to a fantastic series of events which culminated in a spectacular ending, and launching an entirely new storyline on which Season 3 will be based. Showrunner Peter Nowalk wrote the episode, titled "Anna Mae" which was directed by the rock solid Bill D'Elia.
This series regularly pushes the boundaries of what's possible with great storytelling, and this finale did exactly that. Late in Season 1 we were introduced to Annalise's mother for the first time. Last night Annalise's family grew much further than ever before, with the introduction of Annalise's two siblings - a brother and a sister, and Annalise's father - a man she despises for not being present during her childhood. The guest casting here was spot on, but the excellent Cicely Tyson shone above everyone else.
Annalise took her unannounced trip to Memphis to see her mother presumably to escape her chaotic work at home, but her mother wasted no time organising a family reunion. This appeared to be the last thing Annalise wanted but it went right ahead. I got the impression Annalise had tried to alienate herself from her family but was never able to let go completely, especially from her mother.
The two major character development points touched on were Annalise's tumultuous relationship with her father, who was clearly remorseful for his mistakes during his family's early years, Annalise's mother jokingly pointed out a lack of grandchildren among her children which hit a very raw nerve with Annalise, and she later recounted her son's death in hospital - the circumstances of which we saw play out in flashbacks last week. Combined with the symbolic burial of a letter to her lost son, these scenes, while somewhat slow, were deeply revealing and the sheer talent of the cast was on display for all to see. While I don't expect to see Annalise's family return on a regular basis, it's clear how her upbringing shaped the woman she is today.
You dad has nothing to do with who you are.
Occupying the majority of the finale's second half was the progression of the season's long-running story arcs. The primary concern for the Keating 5 along with Bonnie and Frank was an arrest warrant that was issued to Annalise during her stay in Memphis. Sensing something fishy the group went searching and eventually found out that it was Caleb, whose recent absence was explained by him spending time with the police, and narking on Annalise. Annalise is usually confident when stating she knows how to handle an impending storm, but the way she announced this to Michaela over the phone showed a confidence we haven't seen from Annalise before.
It soon became evident why Annalise was so confident. In a meeting with ADA Denver she tore his evidence to shreds, and countered with his own which implicated Caleb as the killer of his parents and Helena Hapstall, which is where the season began. In a flashback to Episode 13 where Annalise was attacked by Philip in Wes's apartment, a previously unseen few seconds showed Philip giving Annalise a flash drive containing evidence of Caleb's whereabouts via a fitness tracker, and testimony by the imprisoned Catherine Hapstall.
This was a massive, yet beautifully executed twist. It was all so clean and easy, and shows how good Annalise is at playing the long game:
What's a reach is you prosecuting me, a respected, powerful, law-abiding attorney who just shot on the job, but instead you can nail a sociopath who fooled the entire Philadelphia justice system.
But Caleb won't be seeing the inside of a prison cell anytime soon. Instead he was seen dead in a bathtub. My bet here is that it was a suicide given there were no signs of a struggle or smudging of the blood, of which there was a substantial amount in the bathtub and on the floor. But could the suicide have been staged? That can't be discounted at all.
The finale still found the time to conclude the back story concerning Frank and Annalise from a decade prior. In a stunning revelation, it turns out that Frank was bribed into planting a bug in Annalise's hotel room during the Mahoney case by a woman connected to Wallace Mahoney. The captured discussions allowed Wallace to keep tabs on Annalise's defense strategy but it also sealed the fate of her baby when Wallace ordered the car crash Annalise was involved in.
You tell her, I'll ruin you.
In the hospital, Tom Verica returned as Sam Keating, to whom Frank confessed his wrongdoing in the most impressive scene of the episode. We now know why Frank killed Lila on Sam's behalf - he had this secret held above his head the whole time because Sam had ordered it be kept from Annalise. After Sam's death he must have felt a lot better with the secret of Lila's death having gone with Sam to his grave - that is until Laurel got the better of his emotions a couple of weeks ago. Both Verica and Charlie Weber were incredible in their hospital showdown. Their performances were awesome to watch.
He needs to go.
What came next was truly amazing. Having sent everyone out of the house prior to Annalise's return, Bonnie told Annalise what Sam had done that resulted in her baby's death. Annalise then virtually condemned Frank, implying that he should be the next to die.
This caught me completely by surprise, and it reveals yet another dimension to Annalise's personality and character. I get the feeling that one of the reasons Frank has stuck by Annalise for so long is it is his penance for the actions which resulted in the death of her baby. In that time he has carried out some unspeakable acts on Annalise's behalf as well as Sam's. It's an ominous sign that loyalty means nothing in the end to Annalise, and it puts every one of her students in jeopardy. The final moments saw Laurel walk into a completely empty apartment with Frank's belongings cleared out, and his whereabout unknown.
I think I'm your son.
With Asher and Michaela sealing their mutual attraction, and Oliver and Connor getting it on as well, Wes and Laurel were yet again on their own, though this time it was Wes's turn to take matters into his own hands surrounding his father. He took a trip to meet Wallace Mahoney, and before he could even properly introduce himself, a sniper shot rang out, and Wallace Mahoney was dead on the sidewalk, a gunshot to his head, which left Wes showered in blood.
Again, this assassination caught me completely off guard. So many questions containing the usual who, what and whys of Wallace's death immediately sprang to mind, but that was where the episode and the season concluded, leaving Wallace's death a mystery to be solved during the next television season.
In all, the Season 2 finale was pretty darn good. Compared to the Season 1 two part finale, the hour long Season 2 finale lacked the intensity and action of its predecessor, but deployed its plot twists much more effectively. The Ohio flashback storyline was concluded nicely, as was the Hapstall murders, but new questions including the whereabouts of Frank, the murder or suicide of Caleb, and the assassination of Wallace Mahoney will provide ample storytelling material for later this year. The time spent introducing Annalise's family was also very enlightening, and great to watch.
Season 2 as a whole has been a universal improvement on Season 1. A better, longer lasting case combined with more solid writing, storytelling and character development has made Season 2 more interesting and easier to follow. The reduction and standardization of flash forwards is one of the most significant improvements, and it was great to see flashbacks used just as effectively in the season's later stages. The show's cast and crew have delivered each and every week, with pretty much every regular actor improving markedly compared to Season 1. To top it off, Viola Davis picked up a thoroughly deserved Emmy award for her work. Season 2 can be classed as a massive success in my book, and Season 3 cannot land soon enough.
Thanks as always for reading, and thanks again to the regular readers who have followed my reviews of How To Get Away With Murder this season. It's been a pleasure, and I've loved reading and interacting with your comments each week. I'll be returning to cover Season 3, but I'll also be covering ABC's new Thursday 10|9c series, The Catch. You can check out a series premiere advance preview here. As always, for the last time this season, don't forget to jump in the comments below to spin your thoughts and theories on the season finale and what you think will happen in Season 3. I'm sure there's a few interesting theories floating around!
See you next fall!
