ABC's How To Get Away With Murder has set new benchmark has been set for ABC's midseason finales.
In a stunning, beautifully compiled hour of television, the new season's number one drama ended its 9 episode run with a bombshell. One that I don't think anyone saw coming.
But before that, the sequence of events we've watched being built up over the prior 8 weeks was confirmed. In a hugely popular post last week I put forward a sequence of events I thought stood a chance of achieving a reasonable degree of accuracy. Frankly, I'm amazed at how accurate it turned out to be.
It isn't really worth me repeating the sequence of events here - you should read the original post and watch the accompanying video for yourself. But I was, unsurprisingly, wrong about who killed Sam.
In the end, it turned out to be Wes. The sudden stop after falling from the top of the stairs did some damage, but Sam was finished off with a single blow to the head by Wes while he was in the process of strangling Rebecca. This was perfectly executed by the creative team. I must admit I was bracing myself for something a bit outrageous or random, but I was very satisfied with how it all went down. It had a good of realism about it, and accounted for everything we've seen in the last few weeks.
What's strange, and somewhat difficult to comprehend about last night's episode, is that the majority of it actually wasn't anything we had already seen. Many of the more important events in the flash forwards we had seen over the past weeks were again replayed last night as the sequence came together.
But the thing is, it worked. As a viewer, I felt somewhat in control of what was happening. I knew enough to know where the holes were, therefore I was able to anticipate them being filled. This happened on numerous occasions throughout the hour. Instead of having bizarre plot twists thrown at me, all the new stuff just slotted into place. It made the viewing experience that was unparalleled and much more enjoyable.
On the subject of the plot twists, some of the questions I asked last week were answered last night. We know where Bonnie went, where Annalise went for some of the night, where Nate was, what Asher was doing, and how Laurel, Connor and Wes ended up seemingly content to go along with the disposal of Sam's body. However you can't answer a myriad of questions without serving up a few fresh ones. Chief among which is what is Annalise's endgame? That question will probably be answered in the season finale. Further, where did the scales from the statue, and Michaela's ring really end up? And another good one to ask will be who will crack first, and let's not forget about whether Bonnie and Frank were made aware of the preceding night's activities by Annalise.
What's clear though, is Annalise is in control. By placing herself at Nate's house, leaving heartfelt messages on Sam's phone and wasting no time in contacting the police, she has secured her freedom for now, and has also driven suspicion away from her employees. Assuming Bonnie and Frank know about what happened, the oddball remaining is Asher. He is the linchpin, and its his actions in the new year that will determine what happens next to all involved.
Theory-spinning and speculation aside, How To Get Away With Murder has been nothing short of spectacular this season. The writing and directing have been magnificent, and the cast have performed superbly alongside the flagship member Viola Davis. Last night's midseason finale was the icing on the cake, and I'm eagerly awaiting the series' return for the first of its final six episode on January 29. Will we find out who killed Lila?
Thanks for reading! I'll be back in the new year reviewing the remainder of the season. Share your thoughts and theories in the comments below. Check out How To Get Away With Murder's record-breaking ratings on my website, www.seriesmonitor.com/howtogetawaywithmurder.
Jimmy.
