Each week, I look forward to Thursday night with more anticipation and excitement than the week prior.
That's what ABC's How To Get Away With Murder does to you. It just keeps on delivering an incredible hour of television. It's hard to think straight for days afterwards, and last night's episode was no exception.
The episode, titled "He Deserved To Die" was written by Warren Hsu Leonard and directed by Eric Stoltz. It's my favorite episode of this fantastic opening season thus far because it was oozing with my favorite character, Rebecca Sutter.
In an interesting shift, last night's episode was strictly serialized, with a case of the week absent from proceedings, which naturally allowed for Rebecca's screen time. The episode accomplished the task of deepening the main story arc with the court battles focusing on whether Lila Stangard's body should be exhumed for a second autopsy, while providing fans with the juiciest set of flash forwards we've seen to date.
Said flash forwards, portrayed the moments after Sam Keating was killed. We saw Rebecca covered in blood, standing like a statue, akin to what she used to defend herself. Wes was the man of the hour, arriving on the scene shortly after, and masterminding the plan to clean up the crime scene.
In present tense, the courtroom was front and center as Annalise Keating went toe to toe with the prosecution and co-defendants, with neither of the trio emerging overly victorious. The judge was, however, swayed enough to order Lila Stangard's body be re-examined, with the findings exonerating Rebecca to a certain degree, while forcing the direction of Annalise's focus to swing back toward her husband when it was revealed that Stangard was six weeks pregnant.
Rebecca and Wes also sealed the deal in one of this year's most fascinating and daring scenes, on par in my book with the acclaimed final moments of the series' fourth episode. I couldn't describe in words how much I loved Rebecca and Wes's bed scene being crossed with the second autopsy. This was masterful directing that brought two completely different, polar opposites in the form of new life and post death into perfect harmony. The macro photography used was outstanding, and the backing track, titled Vagaries of Fashion by Fujiya and Miyagi fit the moment in an eerily beautiful way.
Yet among Rebecca's appearances, the flash forwards and court scenes, the creative team still managed to find time to bring Laurel and Frank closer together, and find another fling or two for the openly gay Connor. We saw a boys night out, a girls night in, Michaela get a pre-nup dumped on her desk, and Nate provide further information to Annalise before confronting Rebecca in a convenience store with an offer that seems too good to be true.
Wes gave away a few more of his secrets, revealing he was born in Haiti and that his mother killed herself when he was 12. A passing joke by Annalise to her husband Sam told us the couple are childless but not without trying, with the word 'miscarriages' (note the plural) mentioned. Interestingly, it was also Sam who gave Annalise one of her big ideas, but the closeness they grew towards looks to have been decimated with the Stangard autopsy results.
But despite all this, it's the character development we saw in Rebecca that really made this episode for me. Rebecca really opened up, shedding her shy, vulnerable persona while making use of her keen eye and ear, and succeeding in getting under the skin of everyone with her articulate and decisive comments, bar Wes. Katie Findlay far outshone her fellow cast last night too.
Thanks for reading! What were your thoughts on last night's episode? Did you enjoy Rebecca as much as I did? Share your thoughts and theories in the comments below! Don't forget to follow How To Get Away With Murder's record-breaking ratings on my TV ratings website, www.seriesmonitor.com/howtogetawaywithmurder.
Jimmy.
Yes, this was a truly enjoyable episode, and I've been waiting for the "Puppy Love" hook-up since the first episode. Katie Findlay without her Goth make-up and piercings is so adorable, it's totally believable that Wes falls so hard under her spell. But, my personal theory is that Rebecca is the show's Femme Fatale: in this episode it's revealed that she killed Sam, hinted as self-defense, and I'm sensing that she may have really killed Lila, too. Possibly in the way she recited to Annalise & the Keating Five in her "false" confession. (BTW, that's twice she's confessed to murdering Lila.) Can you say "sociopath"?
ReplyDeleteOther good touches--that may develop later:
1. The talk about nail scratches on Lila's dead body, made me think about the nail scratches on Wes' apartment wall above the bed. And Rebecca's comments in the first episode about the previous law student engaging in wild sex--and having a mental break-down. Did Rebecca have an affair with him,too, and caused his breakdown.
2. Good seeing Greg Germann as the lawyer representing Griffin...just as crazy as his character on Alley McBeal.
3. Two of the students may be getting their come-uppance: first, Connor's latest hook-up may be someone who's playing him--maybe connected to his previous sex romps. Second, Michaela being blind-sided with a pre-nup is a punch to the gut of the snobbish member of the cast.
OK, I agree: this was the Best episode of the season so far.
Great comments. I'm of the opinion that those scratches in Wes' apartment could have had something to do with that apartment being the location where Stangard was either murdered, or held captive, or both.
ReplyDeleteI'm not convinced Rebecca killed both Sam and Stangard but she probably instigated both. Her killing Stangard seems a bit off - it just doesn't sit right. Applying logic to how TV works, it doesn't make sense either - by having only one killer for both does shut down some potential story arcs. I'm leaning towards Sam killing Lila, then Rebecca killing Sam for revenge
I kinda agree that having only one murderer is a bit of a letdown...but there are so many hints that Rebecca is the Wacko-in-Plain-Sight. Wes is the character the show wants the audience to identify with and root for. So having her fool us over and over again is wickedly bad.
ReplyDeleteGreat episode last night. The multiple twists at the end will make next week's episode even more interesting.
ReplyDeleteBonnie would do anything for Annaliese! Don't you think she lurks in their house enough to know about the miscarriages....and how bad that prob makes ann feel. Now she finds out Lila was pg? Imagine how that would make Ann feel......she already said she would do anything for her!
ReplyDeleteShe has easy access to the trophy. We saw her allibi. Rebecca hates Sam. Lila was her friend. I'm thinking she happened on the body after Bonnie was gone with Asher and that's how Rebecca got bloody. Rebecca prob thinks she killed him. But surely he was already dead maybe Rebecca just roughed up his body some. Wes prob thinks he was saving Rebecca because when he got there it looked bad. And Rebecca thinks he deserved to die and basically confesses to her boyfriend. He loves her. He has to be her hero. Seems like the one who knows htgawm is Bonnie....
Haha, well said!
ReplyDeletethe episode was great but i don't really get the thing that annalise and sam both cheated on each other. they were not happy with each other and why annalise is making such an issue out of it like she never cheated on him.she loves nate. she screwed with him. and why the hell she is supporting her husband.
ReplyDelete