How to Get Away with Murder review: Please stop with the references

In a less-engaging and more eye-roll-inducing episode of How to Get Away with Murder, there are some reveals and some cringeworthy lines.

How to Get Away with Murder can’t always come away with a win. That’s both the lesson of this episode and a summation of its quality, frankly. Let’s get into it.

In the realm of the flash-forward, Bonnie tells a clearly freaking out Michaela that the blood comes from her accidentally cutting herself with shaving. At the end of the episode, we see a very beat-up Connor looking for his husband … and Oliver not coming to the dance floor while Bonnie coolly drinks.

We’re now only two months away from that happening, by the way. Over Annalise’s opening monologue about what a psychopath is (which we learn is later her opening statement), we see all of our main characters doing some interesting behaviors. Of note is this: Gabriel hides some stuff in his fireplace. We find out later that there are some fake IDs, cash, a hard drive, and more in the bag, thanks to Frank doing some light breaking and entering. He gets a logger installed on it and puts it back, though.

As for the actual trial, things don’t go so well, when the defense’s key witness switches sides … and then starts saying things that are quite damaging, beyond the fact that the defendant, Niles Harrington, is accused of murdering his partner and also once wrote a book called The Psychopath CEO. After barely using Timothy Hutton for the first two episodes, there’s finally time for him to actually get some work in. His Emmett has a lot of conciliatory moments, but there’s a reason for it: “misconduct,” according to Tegan.

It turns out, of course, that the CEO’s wife actually committed the murder, because she was having an affair with the dead guy!

Asher throws wrinkles into not one, but two plots, by telling the DA how to counter Annalise and also about his relationship with Bonnie. It leads to a spat, and the DA is left leaving sad messages. Eventually, we get another Annalise and Bonnie scene, which is almost a therapy session for Bonnie. It’s delivered in a very Annalise way, of course, but it hits home all the same.

In the realm of the clinic, everyone has to study up on ethics, because the governor has ordered that law students have to pass an ethics exam to assist in counsel. It does tie back to the case at hand, though, with the deal from the DA being this: get a plea deal, and then her students will pass. This seems mildly out of character for the generally inoffensive and boring DA, and having Annalise comment on it only makes it more obvious.

Finally, though, the ethics exam comes into play while Emmett and Annalise debate how to help their client and the trial resuming. It turns out that the answer is the belt murder weapon — which fits the secretary without fitting Harrington. Unfortunately, he immediately makes the shout-out to the OJ Simpson trial and is found guilty. Basically, the dialogue undermines quite a bit of the good work being done here by all the involved actors. Fortunately, it results in in-world consequences.

Unfortunately, Nate’s search for the kidnapped baby goes particularly slowly, focusing on the nurse who was on duty when the kidnapping occurred. He’s come to the conclusion that Bonnie kidnapped her baby, but Annalise says that it’s Bonnie’s sister instead.

This episode feels a lot more uneven in quality than the previous two episodes, frankly. The writing in particular took a nosedive, with characters acting oddly as well as dialogue taking a nosedive. It’s a shame, but the episode did pull this reviewer back in by threatening to kill Oliver off.

Assorted thoughts:

• The Michaela and Tegan storyline, after two episodes, finally gets to go somewhere, with Tegan explaining just why she’s been so upset. The thing is, it sounds more like a lover’s fight rather than an old mentor and student.
• “It’s Asher. Why does he do anything?”
• Frank does get to have one positive character moment by advising a drunken Michaela not to go heckle Asher.