Having been placed on the back burner for the last wee while, the Lila Stangard conspiracy reared its head once more in last night's penultimate episode of ABC's How To Get Away With Murder.
The thirteenth episode of the season was titled "Mama’s Here Now", and featured a fascinating array of events in conjunction with the procedural element. The episode was written by Erika Green Swafford and Doug Stockstill and directed by Michael Listo.
The title originated from the appearance of Annalise Keating's mother, with Cicely Tyson guest starring. Tyson stole the show with ease, delivering a performance eclipsing that of any other cast member - regular or guest - that has starred in the series to date. It was a true pleasure to watch one of the profession's veterans show everyone how it's done.
Despite the performance, I can't say I was overly impressed with what was actually accomplished with the introduction of "Mama". That's not to say we didn't learn anything at all - we learned in graphic detail that both Annalise and her mother had been raped in earlier years, that a house fire caused by one of those rapists - Uncle Clyde - killed him and destroyed their possessions, and that Annalise had changed her name from Anna-May.
Learning that stuff is all well and good, but the rest of the time all we saw was arguing that did feel rather dragged out. Portraying Annalise as vulnerable and broken by cooping her up in her bedroom for the majority of the episode didn't ring true to the character at all.
Fortunately, the episode made up for this mark down in more ways than one. The cases don't stop coming, and it was the turn of Bonnie to garner the spotlight as she led her firm to the successful defense of a hospital nurse accused of raping her patient. After a slip of the tongue in the early stages, we saw a master apprentice at work, as she put on a powerful display in the courtroom, tore the prosecution to shreds, and flipped the case on its head to pin it on the hospital's own lawyer.
It was powerful stuff from the character which has been a somewhat deposed background player. It's not that long ago where Bonnie was fired by Annalise, so this is a notable turnaround for her. Bonnie took complete charge from the get-go, ordering the five students around like a drill sergeant. Frank didn't escape either, though he enjoyed some time in the back seat for the most part.
But it was the Keating five that interested me the most throughout the hour, and left us with a sizable cliffhanger leading into next week's 2 hour season finale. Asher was lucky enough to score Bonnie for the second time after she was on a high from her win in court. Michaela played the sex card to garner evidence from the case prosecutor. Connor and Oliver bonded some more, with Connor introducing his boyfriend to Michaela, Wes and Laurel in a bar, having warned them only seconds prior that Oliver is under the impression Connor is a drug addict stemming from the night of the murder.
The best was yet to come, though, as Laurel and Wes formed an unlikely partnership as they looked further into the guy named Rudy Walters. The duo played a married couple worried about the wellbeing of one of their relatives and gained access to Rudy's mental hospital, where Rudy seemed to indicate he knew Rebecca from the night Lila Stangard was murdered. According to a police report Rudy was incarcerated for being heavily drugged that night, which brought on the spiral that landed him where he is now. A notable find was scratch marks above the bed, just like the ones in Wes's apartment.
This leaves Rebecca herself - the dark horse who Wes pressed Annalise to defend in court when she was arrested for the murder of Lila earlier in the season. She sensed something was up in last week's installment, and kept her guard up in this hour as she was interviewed by the police regarding Nate Lahey's arrest for Sam Keating's murder. The final scene showed Rebecca tracking her boyfriend's phone, which told her Wes knows she has been untruthful, and is investigating further. This looks to be the catalyst for next week's season finale, which I'm nothing short of thrilled about. Rebecca has long been my favorite character in the series, and with her role in the conspiracy surely set to deepen and become part of the cliffhanger, what the creative team come up with will be fascinating to watch unfold.Last but not least is the impending fate of the man in jail for Sam Keating's murder - the arrest of whom we saw unfold in the dying moments of last week's episode. Nate Lahey's arrest has Michaela the most concerned. She has always had a moral compass somewhat more resolute than her student friends, so this is weighing heavily on her mind. Once Annalise finally got out of bed, the first time we saw her properly dressed was in the courtroom where Nate was later denied bail. Annalise kicked her student out of the courtroom, and slipped into Nate's interrogation cell, handing him a note telling him to fire his lawyer and call a number. While it's clear Annalise shares Michaela's view that wrongful imprisonment - especially of an African American - is something that should not be tolerated, how she intends to save the day is still unclear.
What is clear, however, is that Nate's fate and Rebecca's next move will be crucial to the happenings of next week's 2 hour season finale. Though I didn't care much for Annalise's mother's introduction, Cicely Tyson was sublime to watch, and the character development we saw combined to make this yet another fine hour of How To Get Away With Murder. It's safe to say that next week's 2 hour season finale cannot come soon enough. The stage is well and truly set.
Thanks as always for reading! Share your own thoughts and theories on this episode in the comments below, and check out How To Get Away With Murder on my TV ratings website, www.seriesmonitor.com/howtogetawaywithmurder.
Hour To Get Away With Murder's 2 Hour Season Finale airs Thursday, February 26, 9|8c, on ABC.
ok what I got out of it was that her mother set that fire.. that burned down their house.. and killed the uncle that raped Annalise.... and I was more than impressed with everything that had to do with her mother...but I guess everyone's take on it will be different... lol
ReplyDeleteCicely, was indeed the best highlight of this episode she was great to watch love her scenes with Viola.
ReplyDeleteThis was a great episode one of my favorites this season.
I'm still trying to decide if I liked this episode or not. On the one hand, it really didn't have a lot of Annalise--and How to Get Away With Murder is ALL about Annalise. So, that was a letdown. On the other hand, there were several really good moments.
ReplyDeleteTop of my list is Bonnie-with-Balls! After forcing an involuntary scream from me when she asked the Jury to find her client GUILTY, rather than not guilty; Bonnie not only went on to win the case in Grand Annalise Style, but then Bonnie "claimed her prize" and jumped Asher's bones! Loved it! Loved it! Loved it!
The other main narrative was the continuing unraveling of the Wes/Rebecca relationship--and more reveals about the mysterious Rudy, who we see in a mental hospital. Rudy's connection with Rebecca--and the promise of solving "who killed Lilla" in the season finale next week, have me salivating with what twist they will pull off. I'm almost certain that Rebecca didn't kill Lilla--because the show is pointing the viewers so directly at her. My current theory is that Rudy killed Lilla, and Rebecca was there. The point being: Sam was innocent of murdering Lilla; which makes Sam's subsequent killing by Wes even more morally compromised.
Aside from moving forward the story, this episode (as it's title implies) is an excuse to showcase the talents of the iconic actress, Cicely Tyson. And she hit it out of the park! Crazy Old Woman has never been played better. And the capper, that she contributed to the death of Annalise's uncle--who molested Annalise as a child--was a great surprise, by HTGAWM standards, but it still carried a wallop! Apparently, one of the themes of this show is that EVERYBODY is a murdered, or capable of murder.
Last tidbit: I wonder if I'm the only viewer who is beginning to ship Wes and Laurel? They looked awfully good together when they visited the hospital--with Laurel introducing Wes to the nurse as her husband. IMO Laurel, besides being the smartest of the students, is also (in spy terms) a "honey trap"--a woman who uses her sexuality to gain control over men. So, it's not beyond logic that Laurel, who is hell bent on being a Full Partner in "managing" the group getting away with murder, to hook-up with Wes in order to monitor him/keep him in line. Especially if Rebecca, who may still be a sociopath (if SHE killed Lilla) dies in the season finale. "LaWes" anyone?
Totally agree that Analisa's mother set the fire that killed Uncle Clyde. She got the kids out of the house and talked about what you could do with a long match and flammable hooch.
ReplyDeleteGreat thoughts. The murder of Lila is a lot different to that of Sam's because the finger wasn't pointed at anyone directly in Sam's case, whereas now it's the opposite with Lila. That being said, it's by no means definitive - it was a guy in a mental hospital after all. It's Rebecca's actions by tracking Wes's phone that are more telling.
ReplyDeleteAnd on Wes and Laurel, I can't recall when (if ever) they were abrasive with each other or vehemently disagreed with anything. Put the others with someone else and there's been at least one big spat. If it turns out Rebecca killed Lila or goes to prison for something else then Wes would head to Laurel after Annalise for a shoulder to cry on.
The great thing about HTGAWM is that the writing and plot-lines are so good, I'm going to be happy no matter which narrative decisions they make.
ReplyDeleteIs it next week, yet?
Does Rebecca know where Rudy is? She tracked his phone but I forget if she definitely knows Rudy is in that hosp? Doesn't she claim to know nothing?
ReplyDeleteIf she's tracking his phone though, seems like she has something to hide. It's weird......why would she do it?
After all the who killed Sam commercials....it's clever really that who killed Lila is the real big question since the first week!
Rebecca isn't stupid - she would have known for a while where Rudy is - hence she wasn't surprised to see exactly where Wes was. That's my take on it anyway
ReplyDeleteI was just going to comment on that too, Pookie Poo. It was definitely the mother that set the fire and made it look like an accident. I actually chuckled when she made that comment about the long match. I loved the fact that Annalise finally realized that her mother was willing to do anything to defend her.
ReplyDeleteI loved Cicely. What an amazing actress. I hope we get to see more of her.