How To Get Away With Murder Review: Episode 1×06 – “Freakin’ Whack-a-Mole”

Asher Learns The Source Of His Privilege: Blood

On this week’s How To Get Away With Murder, Annalise brings the Keating Five along to help on the case of David Allen, an inmate on death row. With only 2 weeks till execution, they have to act fast and seize this opportunity for an appeal. But the case hits close to home for Asher, whose father was the judge residing over the original case. In addition to all the secrets threatening to come out pertaining to this case, Annalise must placate Wes’ demand to get Rebecca back, no matter what it takes. Does Wes get more than he bargained for in his demands? What lengths must Annalise go to to get Rebecca back and what motivations does she has? How are Asher’s dancing skills? Let’s discuss!

Lack Of Sleep Makes Heroes Of Us All

This case of the week might be the best one yet. David Allen, (wrongfully) convicted of having murdered his girlfriend Tricia Stanwell is on death row and just two weeks away from execution. Annalise gets the news that the petition she filed to develop new facts and appeal David’s conviction has gone through but she only has 72 hours till the hearing and must now utilise the Keating Five to save a man’s life. But what gives this story such weight is how closely it hits to social injustice happening now in the real world. This case touches on things that most people won’t go anywhere near even in discussion, let alone adapting it for television.

“Now this was the first case that opened my eyes to the fact that the justice system doesn’t always reward those who tell the truth, but those who have the power to create their own, and it’s a fact that’s pissed me off ever since I heard about this case.” ~ Annalise Keating

The real mastermind of this murder is a state senator, Art Trucco, who had raised the rent in building complexes that the predominantly black lower-income residents wouldn’t be able to afford but higher-income white people could. Trucco had David’s girlfriend Tricia Stanwell murdered because she had written up an injection that pointed out all the lower-income folks that would be displaced by his housing project. The speech Annalise gives in the court in which she boldly and relentlessly pursues senator Trucco for being the murderer is immensely powerful. This isn’t just about the concept of justice, this is highly personal for Annalise. It’s very much about race. Though not yet explored, we can deduce that Annalise would have had (and probably still has) professional struggles that stem from her being a WOC. She would have to work ferociously hard to assert her place and prove her worth to her white male counterparts. Then here we have her fearlessly standing up against a white male senator’s racist corruption, while a white male judge is ordering her to be silent. The entire scene was moving but when Viola Davis uttered the line, “but the thousands who were displaced by your project who were poor, powerless, and didn’t bear the colour of skin desirable to your business interests,” we became downright emotional and teary-eyed. Contemporary media about race very often uses time as a buffer, and so chooses to tell stories about issues from decades (or centuries) past. But How To Get Away With Murder dares to go there and present a story that is entirely plausible in the political and social scene of today. This is the type of story-telling that resonates with POC viewers on a deeper level rarely reached by entertainment media. Have we mentioned how much we love this show?

Asher Goes Deep

The episode opens with future-Asher dancing up a storm in his room, celebrating the fact that he is now in possession of the trophy. It’s a hilarious sequence that nicely sums up what’s so fantastic about Matt McGorry’s portrayal, he goes for it. Make no mistake, this dance number wasn’t some half-baked attempt at playing a frat-boy-charicature. If you don’t believe us, just take a look at Matt’s notes detailing his plans and brainstorming for that dance number: (x). This transitions to some of what we’ve already seen, where Asher goes to the Keating home in order to try to get it back from Michaela but the Murder Crew doesn’t open the door. Upon learning that this episode would be exploring Asher’s back story, we weren’t sure what to expect. Asher has been largely a source of comedic relief but unlike the other characters, we simply weren’t that curious about him. But wow, we are thrilled at the journey Asher went on; it exceeded all expectations and predictions we had.

“Your whole life, you have prided yourself on the fact that you don’t lie, and now I’m sitting here accusing you of grave judicial misconduct, and your only response is to ask me where I got the idea? Tell me I’m wrong, dad. Please tell me that you didn’t get where you are on the back of a man who’s gonna die. Please dad, tell me wrong.” ~ Asher Millstone

It’s already been established that Asher is a rich boy swimming in privilege. But while the Keating Five are investigating the David Allen case, they find that Asher’s father was the judge residing over David’s original case. They also find that there was pressure to convict, possibly even motivated by race, and that Judge Millston may have covered up perjury allegations in the case so he could become a federal judge. Matt McGorry made us feel for Asher as he flexed his dramatic acting skills, something we had never seen before in his portrayal of Asher. The scene in which he confronts his father about his wrongdoings is a low point in Asher’s life but it appeared as if it could be just the catalyst needed for Asher to find his own way. He never seemed to object to his privilege before but in knowing that a man’s life was potentially the price for it and seeing him be so vehemently against it makes us believe that this is the start of Asher growing up (at least somewhat). Up till now, he’s been the spoiled child but this was a sobering experience in which he saw that his father was not the hero he had once thought. If this makes Asher work hard to prove himself on his own merits, the competition amongst the Keating Five is bound to get a whole lot more interesting. Happily, we see that his comedy isn’t going anywhere, as evidenced by that dancing pea cocking display in the flash forward, but having him undergo this character development will be better in the long run. Finally, that final revelation in Asher’s flash forward story that he has hooked up with Bonnie was quite the surprise! Now we’ll all have to sit and impatiently wait to see just how “Bosher” became a thing. (Nice touch from episode writer Mike Foley to give us the ship name for a pairing we didn’t even know was coming!)

Secrets, Scheming, and Sneaking

Annalise was shaken up after Wes’ sneaking in to get a look at that incriminating wallpaper. He tells her she “disgusts” him and leaves. We’re not really sure what to make of Wes’ journey on the show thus far. He seems all wide-eyed and hopeful at the show’s start but with everything that’s happened, we can’t help but see that as a red herring from the writers. It’s either that or there’s a whole mess of back story that is taking too long to be revealed. Without that perspective on his motives, he’s coming across like an irrational mess. When Wes blackmails Annalise into getting Rebecca back, she rightfully points out that he is putting blind faith in someone he barely knows. This is the problem with the whole Wes/Rebecca interaction thus far. He appears to be going way overboard trying to save this girl that he barely knows. With the strong writing and back stories for other characters, we can presume that there’s some reason(s) for Wes’ actions but the longer we are made to wait for it, the worse it makes him look.

“What about your husband?” ~ Wes Gibbins
“That’s my concern, not yours. Go tell Rebecca it’s safe to come home. Frank has the address where she’s staying. ‘Whatever it takes,’ isn’t that what you said?” ~ Annalise Keating

Annalise has Frank plant the phone in Griffin O’Reilly’s car but only after a contact of his wipes any way of finding where the photos came from. This will make Griffin appear to have a motive for killing Rebecca, who broke the vow in their relationship to hook up with someone else. This created quite a bit of intrigue as to how Annalise and Frank came to know one another, as well as Frank’s origin story. With all the talk of him coming from a lower societal standing, we can infer he’s a fellow from the streets but we don’t have an idea of much more than that, though we’re itching to know. Annalise has risked a great deal in engaging in these criminal activities and it’s difficult to understand until she has a moment alone with Sam in which she tells him that even after everything he has done, she still needs him. She repeats the sentiment over and over, breaking down with each repetition and once again, we’re left blown away by Viola Davis’ masterful performance. The music in the scene, The Acid’s “Tumbling Lights,” with its use of eerie harmonies enhances the dissonance we feel in reaction to Annalise’s words. Though we believe that Annalise should simply kick Sam to the curb, feelings are not that simple or logical. This ties directly in to Annalise’s emotional reaction at the episode’s close to realizing that Sam is gone and something is terribly wrong. We love the way the show writers connect everything together like this. Every shot, line, and plot development is there for a reason, no matter how small or insignificant it may seem when you first watch it.

Final Verdict

Although this show had great dramatic weight with the social issues addressed in the case and the continued spiraling of both Annalise and Wes, episode writer Mike Foley put in some great comedic moments. From Annalise’s assumption that the claws in Wes’ wall were from sex, Frank forgetting his coffee due to being preoccupied with his flirtations with Laurel, Annalise shutting the door in Asher’s face when he asked if his father’s being the judge on David Allen’s case was the reason he was selected to work for her, Connor and Michaela’s trading insults, and Connor’s reaction to Asher’s tripping and falling, “That’s the best thing I’ve seen in days,” we laughed a great deal (in between the crying over Viola Davis’ magnificence). Speaking of that fall, we have to commend Matt McGorry on his phenomenal comedic physicality in tonight’s episode. From that dance, to the fall, even to the attempted high-five, these touches further enhance the impact of the character.

Director Bill D’Elia did excellent work, with two sequences in particular standing out. First, when the Keating Five are staying up through the night to research David Allen’s case, there was a strong use of short-clips edited together with the shots of the clock at various time, and all that coffee being consumed to communicate the hurriedness of their work. The Faint’s “Evil Voices” with its quick tempo also aided the fast pace of the scene. Second, earlier in the episode when Annalise learns that a key witness is now dead, she goes into her office and tries to figure out what to do next. As the shots of Annalise’s emotional face are pieced together with shots of her hands scrambling across files and the reverberating score further establishes the sombre tone, it effectively communicated just how important this case is to Annalise and transitioned well into her decision about what to do regarding Rebecca’s case instead.

There were also some nice teases as to things that may be next on the list of what will be developed and explored. Bonnie mentions to Sam that she would do anything for Annalise, making us more curious about the complexities of this relationship. She’s even the first one Annalise calls to inquire about Sam’s whereabouts in the flash forward, caring more about Sam’s well-being than the idea that he may be hooking up with Bonnie at that moment in time. There must be one hell of a history between these two to have led them to this sort of relationship. Connor also mentions in passing something about not knowing his father, adding to the mystery of Connor’s dysfunctional home-life. Bonnie’s telling Laurel to not toy with Frank’s feelings further demonstrate that Frank must have more goodness underneath the snark, and her chiding Laurel about how “a rich girl like you doesn’t end up with someone like Frank” left us surprised. With the defensiveness Laurel had previously expressed on Frank’s behalf in reaction to Michaela’s classist remarks against him, we had assumed that Laurel had been from a non-upper-class background. So now we’re wondering if this was just because it was Frank or if there is some far more complicated story left to be told. We’re betting it’s the latter. With all these ponderings, we’re as keen as ever to see the next installment but with all the quality we had in tonight’s episode, we’re still enormously satisfied with what we saw.

Questions, Comments, Concerns…

• Asher reminds me of every other frat boy I’ve avoided in my life. -_-
• Ohhhh WES is dropping that shade.
• Asher’s wearing the hell out of the colour red. *buys up all the red lipstick*
• Annalise, the word you were looking for is “whores,” as in MORE THAN ONE. #HeySam #ImpulseControlMuch
• Dean Thomas is not on my screen right now glistening like the most expensive gift I’ve ever wanted. *_*
• Annalise assuming those scratch marks on the wall were from sex WELL CLEARLY WE KNOW WHAT YOU GET UP TO FOR FUN #NotJudging #ButDefinitelyLaughing xD
• “putting some blind faith in someone you don’t even know” Where is the lie though???
• Frank doesn’t want coffee, he wants to give Laurel his hoagie. #HoagieIsCode
• “wasn’t part of a racist scheme” …says the white boy #PrivilegeBlinders
• Asher is clearly on the phone with a booty-call #BootyDistracts
• Michaela and Asher trading insults >>>
• Love these quiet moments with Annalise. Viola Davis can tell a full story without saying anything.
• Daddy’s mad you won’t be pacified by your blood money/privilege. Stay strong, Asher!
• Annalise trying not to laugh because all Asher wants is the trophy xD
• Why all this coffee? Anyone ever heard of tea?
• Oooooh Laurel, look at you trying to squeeze in some time for flirting! Get it, girl! With the coy neck touching and everything.
• WOAH Bonnie has a heart! Did not see that one coming!
• “That’s the best thing I’ve seen in days” SAME
• Tripping and face-planting onto the answer #JustAsherThings
• Annalise digging her teeth in and refusing to let up until justice is served #MYHERO
• My pulse has sped up and there are tears in my eyes #ViolaDavisOwesMeTissues #ThatTestimony
• Laurel, stop lying. #UnbreakMyFlaurelHeart
• This Wes/Rebecca relationship is still the weak-point of the show. No reason given for why he’s doing all of this for a complete stranger.
• THE SHIP NO ONE SAW COMING #BOSHER