3.13 - "ANATOMY OF A MURDER"
Directed by Tara Nicole Weyr
Written by Brian Tanen
Reviewed by Gavin Hetherington
To catch up on my past reviews of
Devious Maids, be sure to read them by following the links below. Please note I was not the official reviewer until episode 11 which is why I didn't write reviews for episodes 1-10, and episodes 1-2 were advance previews before the episodes aired.
3.01 - "
Awakenings" (Advance Preview)
3.02 - "
From Here to Eternity" (Advance Preview)
3.11 - "
Terms of Endearment"
3.12 - "
Suspicion"
3.13 - "
Anatomy of a Murder"
'ANATOMY OF A MURDER' REVIEW
Oh boy, this was quite the finale - definitely the best one yet. While season two ended with that very intense wedding shootout, which had me in shock, I think this season's ending quite literally blew me away. Okay, so the reveal that Sebastian was the killer was something we knew by the comments on my last reviews and the promotional photos that came out. It wasn't a shock. However, I liked that the killer was someone we knew and that it made sense, and the reveal was actually very exciting to me despite knowing who the killer was anyway. From Taylor telling Marisol her story of being lonely through flashbacks, and revealing it to be Sebastian, then moving to Carmen finding her dress (hallelujah she finally found it) with Sebastian walking in - well, it was intense no matter who knew what. There was some predictability in some of the things that happened, but the finale still managed to shock me at times.
I was pretty sad that both Rosie and Zoila were missing out on the big action of the episode, but both women ended up having very good storylines themselves. It took a while for both of them to get going, so I'll discuss Zoila and Genevieve first. I loved their couples therapy session and I'm glad they went through with it. It was so bizarre to watch but funny at the same time. I was gutted thinking this was all Zoila would do in the episode but then she got stuck in the lift with Genevieve and her water broke - her timing rivals Lori Grimes in
The Walking Dead, for sure. Absolute best moment of Genevieve in the entire series happens when she pries open the elevator doors with her heels. "The thought of seeing your unwaxed lady parts gave me superhuman strength". It was so unrealistic but it was that hilarious I didn't care - it was Genevieve-Gold. But still, even being trapped in an elevator didn't compare to the hectic atmosphere of the episode until the final moments. Zoila goes cold and crashes, and I thought 'oh they're just going to make it look like she'll die but she won't'. But then the doctor asks Genevieve who to give priority to - Zoila or the baby - and I was like LORD she has her moment. Zoila hasn't had the best this season but this storyline will certainly open doors for her in season 4 - Genevieve will definitely not let Zoila die, and I can imagine the baby not making it. It will cause this huge rift between the two just as they were getting back on track.
That is reason number 1 why we need season four.
So Rosie was also in the same sort of dilemma as Zoila by not being included in the main meat of the episode. I was glad to know that Spence was alive, and for a second I thought he might have been dead the way his neighbour was going on, but turns out it's much worse - Spence has memory loss. I always have conflicting feelings with this kind of storyline when it happens, and it's still early days here so I can't make a judgment call on it. It makes it all the more romantic though when Spence's memory does finally come back and remembers his love for Rosie - I smile thinking about it. But there's one huge problem - Peri. Boy am I happy she's back, just to stir up trouble. I kind of missed Peri and her ways and it took me by total surprise to see her in this episode. It was a very good little twist and I see she's taking a leaf out of Edie Britt's book from
Desperate Housewives by trying to brainwash a man with memory loss. She mustn't have caught up with the rest of the show because that trick never works in the end, but it will be interesting to see how this plays out and how she keeps up the charade.
That is reason number 2 why we need season four. Before I go onto the main part of the episode, just want to say I'm very happy the Ernesto storyline is wrapped up! I wasn't the biggest fan of him for taking Rosie away from Spence and I liked that he was pushing Rosie back to him in the end. His goodbye with Miguel was very sad with Miguel shouting "papa" as he left. Still, I'm glad.
Now then, the creme-de-la-creme of the finale. We got basically all the answers we wanted with the mystery being wrapped in a neat little bow. So Sebastian is revealed as the killer and he lures Marisol to the Powells with Carmen and holds them all hostage. It seems like no matter what kind of storyline you have, it should always end in some kind of hostage. It was very exciting though and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Binding them in Adrian's kinky cuffs was funny yet serious, so I had a little giggle before things kicked off. He was really demented, wasn't he? Threatening to torture Evelyn! Nobody lays a hand on my Evelyn unless it's in the throws of passion. I like how Adrian quickly caved in order to protect his wife - their relationship was complicated but I always relied on it for my weekly entertainment. Evelyn seemed dead set on divorcing him though, but there's that cliffhanger question of whether Adrian is actually dead.
This is reason number 3 why we need a season four. He was in the house when it blew up, so he has to be dead, right? At least we know both Michael and Sebastian are definitely dead though.
So Olivia seems to have unintentionally started this whole mess and the love of her life has been killed because of her. She set Taylor up to have an affair with Sebastian - paying him to seduce her. Michael, being the suspicious type, hired Louis Becker to catch her in the act, and he does! But why did he keep himself in plain sight and broadcasted that he had photos of them together? He was in Taylor's home with a camera ready to expose her - did he think they'd just let him walk out all hunky-dory? He probably didn't expect death but he was stupid enough to let his targets know what he was doing. So Sebastian decided to cut the body up and throw it all over town - why, exactly? Did he explain that part, because couldn't he have just buried the body where no one would find it and be done with it? I understand that Blanca jeopardised everything by finding the blood, but she was harmless. All of that could have been totally avoided had Sebastian actually thought his plan through. Regardless, the finale delivered a very entertaining conclusion to the Louis Becker/Blanca murder saga, and I bet they could entertain us with another season of mystery and scandal.
This is reason number 4 why we need a season four.
I also need to talk a little about Michael, who acted very stupidly himself. He yells at a man with a gun saying he's going to kill him - what did he expect? Do some of these characters not actually think before they do something? That was a bit of a gripe for me and I thought Michael was far smarter than that. But with Taylor and Katy now leaving, I wonder if they'll find out about his death. Are they going for good? Taylor just came back to the show this season, is she really leaving again? I did love how Katy said her name was Rosie. She started the season as a little creepy child but she developed quite nicely and I like how she bonded with both the maids that looked after her. As another side note, I loved Taylor's acting when Michael prevented her from seeing Katy. I love that she really does care for her despite troubles in the past and she's really taken her as her own. She may have done some silly things, but she proves she's a very loving mother in that regard, so kudos to Taylor. Hopefully she'll be back for season 4, and she isn't doing the hokey-pokey with us.
EPISODE VERDICT
Loved the finale. It entertained me from beginning to end and I expected nothing less from this show. It delivered splendidly despite us already knowing Sebastian was the killer, and it once again left me with my mouth on the floor. That final scene with Adrian in the house and then it blows up, with Marisol, Carmen and Evelyn outside the mansion was nicely done. It was very dramatic and impactful and I could feel myself blow back in slow motion. I ended up enjoying Zoila's and Rosie's stories despite initial hesitation. Regardless of some gripes with some of the things that happened in this episode, I can honestly say I loved this finale and the entire season. Without fail,
Devious Maids manages to make me laugh, cry and sit in awe all at the same time. This cannot be it from our lovely maids so I hope that Lifetime will renew this show for a fourth season. The season finale got a season high 0.7 in adults 18-49 so I'm sure they will be happy about that result and it makes me feel better that we will get another season.
I still have chills from this episode. I probably won't shake them off until the season four premiere. Awesome job!
EPISODE AWARDS
Best Maid: Marisol for saving the day and knocking Sebastian over the head with the fire poker - he had it coming. He only had himself to blame!
Best Man: Not really a clear winner again to be honest, as Spence wasn't himself. Michael was stupid enough to get himself killed. I'm going to go with Adrian for protecting his wife despite her still wanting to divorce him.
Best Rich Bitch: Tie between Evelyn and Genevieve. Both were amazing in this episode.
Funniest Line: "The thought of seeing your unwaxed lady parts gave me superhuman strength" - Genevieve. Every time I think of this episode, that line will always be with me.
Best Moments: The hostage scenes.
Craziest Moments: The flashbacks showing the deaths of Louis and Blanca.
Funniest Moment: Genevieve prying that elevator door open with her heels - everything about it was awesome.
Best Storyline: The hostage for finally getting answers and making sense of the season.
Best Storyline Introduced: Genevieve's decision to save either Zoila or the baby - and the repercussions that will come from it when she obviously saves Zoila.
Biggest Reveal: Adrian is still in the house... and it BLOWS UP!
Biggest Disappointment: There wasn't a big fight with Sebastian before he was defeated.
Biggest Question: Did Adrian make it out?
Did you guys enjoy the season finale of 'Devious Maids'? How are your feelings towards season 3 as a whole? Let me know your thoughts of the episode and the season in the comments below!
About the Author - Gavin Hetherington
Award-winning author of 'Abyssal Sanctuary: Remnants of the Damned'. Gavin joined SpoilerTV in August 2014 and reviews 2 Broke Girls, Devious Maids, The Flash, Mistresses, Pretty Little Liars, Salem, Scream Queens and Sleepy Hollow. Gavin will write previews for Devious Maids and Shadowhunters, and backs-up Empire, iZombie, Once Upon a Time, Reign, Scandal and Supergirl. You can contact him at gavin@spoilertv.com.
