How to Get Away with Murder season 4: Episode 3 review
How to Get Away with Murder’s “It’s For the Greater Good” is the strongest episode of the season yet, and it achieves that through a few reveals.
After How to Get Away with Murder‘s episode this week, it’s totally understandable to sit back and try and process everything. Frankly, this week’s three takeaways could totally just be about Connor’s dads, Michaela’s victory, and the latest bit of the flash forward. We’ll get to those first two in just a few moments, but our top takeaway of the week is actually about Bonnie.
Bonnie is the new Annalise
More accurately, “Bonnie is Annalise 2.0,” since Annalise is still around and still generally being Annalise. But throughout this episode, it seems as though Bonnie has absorbed a lot more from her old boss. That includes some more underhanded techniques, a penchant for the bottle (seriously, how much has Bonnie been seen with a drink in hand when at home with Frank?), and a soft spot for a (former) student (in this case, Laurel).
But the most Annalise-like moment for Bonnie comes in her interaction with Oliver, where she flat-out manipulates him into doing exactly what she wants by preying on his feelings. It nearly takes Annalise down, but when you try and take down someone as well-versed in courtroom tricks as Annalise, you’d best have more than one card to play, because Annalise’s luck is completely bonkers.
(An aside: How much of Annalise’s new crusade for her? Isaac is definitely on the mark when he says that she’s not just doing this out of some sense of altruism. How long will it last?)
Michaela Pratt: Study, care, win, repeat
First up, How to Get Away with Murder‘s bringing back Simon Drake basically just so Michaela can crush him at every turn is delightful. We fully look forward to his attempting to snipe at her again only for her to either point to the giant medal or dismiss him because she has work to do. Or maybe she’ll do something else!
Second, is anyone getting some Annalise-esque vibes from Michaela’s handpicked mentor? Is it the toughness mixed with the added confession that she bet $2,000 on Michaela to win the intern tournament to help spur her on? This is likely all intentional, and we’ll see how it goes when Annalise is thrown into the C&G mix, as we can see will happen in the preview of next week’s episode.
Third, Michaela actually does similar in the Connor-vention scene, pointing out that she could be off doing work, but instead she’s there to help. Is the Connor line about the group being nowhere near family accurate? Probably, yes, and Jack Falahee is great again this season (but so is Aja Naomi King). Still, Michaela’s making an effort even as she says she doesn’t have to be making that effort.
It’s always bad when the parents show up
Throughout the four seasons of How to Get Away with Murder, we’ve met at least one parent for each of the Keating 5, counting Wes here. Connor’s dads are just the last to show up, but we’ve seen that parents usually don’t bode well for the kids’ storylines. Whether it’s Asher’s dad being corrupt, or Michaela’s mom being manipulative, or Laurel’s dad ordering Wes’ death, or Wes’ dad just being Wes’ dad, parents are bad news.
Now, whether or not Connor’s dads are actually bad news for Connor beyond just ruining his attempts to live a wastrel’s life is still up in the air. We’re reserving judgment, but that pattern looks mighty strong so far. Can the show go five-for-five?
Next: Mr. Robot season 3 premiere review
Who are we kidding? The answer’s probably yes. How to Get Away with Murder airs Thursdays on ABC.