It's been a ridiculous number of weeks since the incredible midseason finale of ABC's How To Get Away With Murder, but in last night's midseason premiere and tenth episode of the season, I was left in no doubt that the wait was well and truly worth it.
J.C. Lee wrote "What Happened to You, Annalise?", which was directed by Laura Innes. It was a wild ride, but despite the horrendously long break, the pieces slotted in perfectly, as if the series was on air last week. That trait alone made this episode a pleasure to watch.
Viola Davis stepped up incredibly well with her portrayal of a deranged, high Annalise Keating. The roller coaster ride Annalise went on in this episode demanded acting techniques and skills not previously seen in this series, but Davis didn't miss a beat.
I wasn't sure going into this hour that inserting a time jump was the right move by the showrunners. I wanted to see the immediate, bloody, high octane aftermath from the night in the Hapstall mansion, but instead we saw a few nice flashbacks which filled us in on surprisingly few details. Annalise had returned to her home following her stay in hospital. She was far from healed but the elaborate cover-up required her to be back on her feet as quickly as possible.
The strong medication Annalise was on caused her to hallucinate multiple times throughout. The hallucination was of a baby that had been abandoned on her doorstep, and Annalise, who is clearly way out of her depth here, basically freaked out. Some PTSD could be at play here, which is interesting.
I didn't expect to see so many court scenes in this episode. While testifying, Annalise struggled to keep her story straight, but that was largely deliberate, though partially accidental as well. Nevertheless, it completely altered the context of the case, and lined things up more with Annalise's own values. She was attempting to pin a murder on Catherine Hapstall, but after trying the same tricks with Nate not long ago, this was never going to last. However, Catherine later implicated herself because she believed she was drugged - a whole new ball game for the defense and prosecution.
I thought the Keating 5 were truly outstanding tonight. All five actors did a superb job. The flashbacks came in handy with them as we saw a couple of loose ends tied up. In an excellent piece of writing, it turns out Asher's statement to the police that was surely destined to reveal the truth about the death of Emily Sinclair was in fact about the suicide of his father, which he was convinced was a homicide instead.
You all belong in hell
While Michaela was now despised by Caleb (the line above is what was dealt by him to her), Connor and Oliver were trying to move on but were being hampered by Asher, who is living with them for what seems to be the short term at present. But things get more interesting with Laurel, who had become Annalise's number one. She was tasked with looking after Wes, but the resulting chemistry was incredible. Laurel visited Wes's apartment twice, once unannounced and the other to get him out of bed.
Lastly, Bonnie and Frank had some interesting tasks. Bonnie was Annalise's caregiver, and was being remarkably empathetic to someone who had stood over her in such a fashion only a fortnight prior. Though it's safe to say she cares for Annalise, I think there's a long game at play here. Frank, meanwhile, didn't do a whole lot aside from helping the Keating 5 remain friends and comforting Laurel.
She just needed to make it all stop. So do I.
Although there don't appear to be any further flash forwards this season, it's the polar opposite technique which was used to spectacular effect in the episode's final minutes. Any theories that Annalise was Wes' father were dealt a hefty blow when we see a pregnant Annalise sit beside Rose, the mother of a young boy playing in a park. Christoph was his name, and somehow he ended up in an interview room with Annalise and Eve Rothlow a short time later, and a grown Wes, as seen in those final minutes, had no recollection of his past. The next five weeks will surely see Wes's rediscovery of himself and his mother play out in spectacular fashion.
My top four questions from this episode going forward are: Where is Annalise's child? Where is Philip? What does Wes plan to do with the gun he kept from the mansion? And finally, will Caleb be the next person on a slab at the morgue?
Thanks as always for reading! It was a busy but very well thought out midseason premiere. Jump in the comments below to share your thoughts on the episode - I'm particularly interested in the most pressing questions you have. Check out the press release for next week's episode here, and the promo here.
