How To Get Away With Murder – S1E1 – Pilot
Now this is what I would call a strong start to what looks like a fun season of television.
The episode dives in right away, with our first exposure to the interns being an argument about whether or not to move a body. Then we’re taken back in time 3 months to actually get more formally introduced. Our main intern to follow, at least initially is Wes. He’s new to Middleton and quick on his feet, a quality which earns him the attention of professor/bad ass defense attorney Annaliese Keating, as well as a place on the intern team.
Aside from Wes, there are four other interns. The first is Connor, who will literally do whatever it takes to get information he wants, but he doesn’t kiss and tell. There’s also Asher, so far my favorite intern, and clearly the comic relief of the show. He’s a preppy, obnoxious, trust fund baby, but he seems to know his stuff. He is also suspiciously missing from the present day group. Could he be the killer? Our fourth intern is Michaela, the most strong willed and fiery member of the group. She and Connor also have a budding rivalry going on. Last but not least is the quiet, shy, but socially conscious, Laurel. This is definitely an interesting mix of people to have working together.
Other characters to note on Professor Keating’s team include sidekicks, so to speak, right hand girl, Bonnie and Frank-the-ladies-man/misogynistic-jerk. Side note, Bonnie, aside from being played by the same actress, bears some striking similarities in character to one Paris Gellar from Gilmore Girls. My favorite show of all time, for the record. We also meet Sam, Annaliese’s husband, and Detective Nick Leahy, her boyfriend. It is implied that Sam may have had a thing with murdered student, Lila. Lila’s boyfriend, aka star quarterback, Griffin, along with Wes’ slightly icy neighbor, Rebecca, both seem to have some knowledge of the circumstances surrounding Lila’s death. With that, I think everyone has received their mention now. Wow. That’s a lot of people to keep track of.
Taking character notes one step further, holy relationship web, Batman! Everyone is connected to everyone, and it’s a crazy twisted tangled web. Here’s a list all of the potential/probable/possible/implied couplings I noticed. Annaliese and Nick, Annaliese and Sam, Sam and Bonnie, Sam and Lila, Lila and Griffin, Griffin and Rebecca, Rebecca and Wes (this one being something I see happening in the future rather than as a current relationship), Frank and Laurel, Connor and the IT guy. I think I got them all. Maybe. I can’t tell anymore. Regardless, it’s going to be fun just watching how all of these relationships unfold. Speaking of which, what’s up with Wes and Annaliese? I didn’t list them as a romantic relationship, just because I’m not sure that that is what I would call what what they shared. I love both characters, but I question exactly what to make of their interactions by the time the episode ends. After Wes discovers Annaliese’s affair with Detective Leahy, she and Wes share this really bizarre moment where it looks like she basically tries to get him make a move on her. I couldn’t tell if this was some sort of real attraction, or if she was trying to create a moment with which to blackmail him, should he reveal her secret. It was very strange, and clearly he thought so too, as he questions her motivations for his being selected as a fifth intern.
I realize that much of what I wrote was descriptive rather than analytical, but given that this is a pilot, there’s really only so much analysis that can be done. Especially since, as you probably noticed, I’m still trying to wrap my brain around all of the smaller stories going on within the greater murder mystery. However, as the show continues, I anticipate some fantastic discussion points, simply because of how twisted and interconnected the show is presenting itself as being. All of this is to say that, I enjoyed the pilot. It’s not my favorite pilot that I have ever watched, simply because so much was crammed into one episode, that I didn’t feel like I really had enough information to truly connect to any one story or character in particular. However, I think the show is a fantastic addition to ABC’s line up, and I do look forward to continuing to watch it.
New Theories:
Normally I do best quotes, or favorite moments, but since what makes this show really interesting is the whodunit element, I’ve decided to embrace that and try to come up with my own theories as to who the real killers for our two murder mysteries are, and list those instead.
-Nick killed Sam. Annaliese makes fairly direct use of the word boyfriend when discussing Nick, and then at the episode’s conclusion, when talking about Lila, she states that the boyfriend did it. Coincidence? Maybe, but maybe not.
-Asher killed Sam. It seems very odd that he is not assisting his fellow interns in their attempts to hide the body. Why else would he be missing from the group?
-Annaliese did it and the kids are covering up for her. Isn’t that what she’s training them to do?
Now this is what I would call a strong start to what looks like a fun season of television.
The episode dives in right away, with our first exposure to the interns being an argument about whether or not to move a body. Then we’re taken back in time 3 months to actually get more formally introduced. Our main intern to follow, at least initially is Wes. He’s new to Middleton and quick on his feet, a quality which earns him the attention of professor/bad ass defense attorney Annaliese Keating, as well as a place on the intern team.
Aside from Wes, there are four other interns. The first is Connor, who will literally do whatever it takes to get information he wants, but he doesn’t kiss and tell. There’s also Asher, so far my favorite intern, and clearly the comic relief of the show. He’s a preppy, obnoxious, trust fund baby, but he seems to know his stuff. He is also suspiciously missing from the present day group. Could he be the killer? Our fourth intern is Michaela, the most strong willed and fiery member of the group. She and Connor also have a budding rivalry going on. Last but not least is the quiet, shy, but socially conscious, Laurel. This is definitely an interesting mix of people to have working together.
Other characters to note on Professor Keating’s team include sidekicks, so to speak, right hand girl, Bonnie and Frank-the-ladies-man/misogynistic-jerk. Side note, Bonnie, aside from being played by the same actress, bears some striking similarities in character to one Paris Gellar from Gilmore Girls. My favorite show of all time, for the record. We also meet Sam, Annaliese’s husband, and Detective Nick Leahy, her boyfriend. It is implied that Sam may have had a thing with murdered student, Lila. Lila’s boyfriend, aka star quarterback, Griffin, along with Wes’ slightly icy neighbor, Rebecca, both seem to have some knowledge of the circumstances surrounding Lila’s death. With that, I think everyone has received their mention now. Wow. That’s a lot of people to keep track of.
Taking character notes one step further, holy relationship web, Batman! Everyone is connected to everyone, and it’s a crazy twisted tangled web. Here’s a list all of the potential/probable/possible/implied couplings I noticed. Annaliese and Nick, Annaliese and Sam, Sam and Bonnie, Sam and Lila, Lila and Griffin, Griffin and Rebecca, Rebecca and Wes (this one being something I see happening in the future rather than as a current relationship), Frank and Laurel, Connor and the IT guy. I think I got them all. Maybe. I can’t tell anymore. Regardless, it’s going to be fun just watching how all of these relationships unfold. Speaking of which, what’s up with Wes and Annaliese? I didn’t list them as a romantic relationship, just because I’m not sure that that is what I would call what what they shared. I love both characters, but I question exactly what to make of their interactions by the time the episode ends. After Wes discovers Annaliese’s affair with Detective Leahy, she and Wes share this really bizarre moment where it looks like she basically tries to get him make a move on her. I couldn’t tell if this was some sort of real attraction, or if she was trying to create a moment with which to blackmail him, should he reveal her secret. It was very strange, and clearly he thought so too, as he questions her motivations for his being selected as a fifth intern.
I realize that much of what I wrote was descriptive rather than analytical, but given that this is a pilot, there’s really only so much analysis that can be done. Especially since, as you probably noticed, I’m still trying to wrap my brain around all of the smaller stories going on within the greater murder mystery. However, as the show continues, I anticipate some fantastic discussion points, simply because of how twisted and interconnected the show is presenting itself as being. All of this is to say that, I enjoyed the pilot. It’s not my favorite pilot that I have ever watched, simply because so much was crammed into one episode, that I didn’t feel like I really had enough information to truly connect to any one story or character in particular. However, I think the show is a fantastic addition to ABC’s line up, and I do look forward to continuing to watch it.
New Theories:
Normally I do best quotes, or favorite moments, but since what makes this show really interesting is the whodunit element, I’ve decided to embrace that and try to come up with my own theories as to who the real killers for our two murder mysteries are, and list those instead.
-Nick killed Sam. Annaliese makes fairly direct use of the word boyfriend when discussing Nick, and then at the episode’s conclusion, when talking about Lila, she states that the boyfriend did it. Coincidence? Maybe, but maybe not.
-Asher killed Sam. It seems very odd that he is not assisting his fellow interns in their attempts to hide the body. Why else would he be missing from the group?
-Annaliese did it and the kids are covering up for her. Isn’t that what she’s training them to do?