I was so excited for How To Get Away With Murder I could barely contain myself through the random camera clicks and quick cuts that fill the hour-long soap opera known as Scandal. I've personally never been a Shonda fan, although I deeply respect when a woman creates an entire night of television (feminism for the win). But I never got into Grey's Anatomy and I couldn't get past the pilot of Scandal.
However, for some reason, when I saw the trailer for How To Get Away with Murder I was immediately on board. Maybe it's because I appreciate seeing an insane exaggeration of law school, or maybe it's because I would listen to Viola Davis read the phone-book, but something told me it was time to get on board the train to Shondaland.
Smash-cut to 10:00. Scandal is over. Olivia Pope and her fantastic coats are gone for another week. How to Get Away With Murder starts and we're talking murder a lot sooner than I think we all expected. Did Dean Thomas avada kedavra somebody? Did "Connor" give literal meaning to "if looks could kill" (dayum he fine)? Before we even have time to remember all their names, we're thrown back to 3 months ago.
Avid television viewers know what that means. It means, "Guess we'll be waiting until the season finale to figure this one out". Here's hoping they don't take a page out of The Killing and drag it out for two seasons.
But we're back 3 months and that's okay because Dean Thomas is gleefully riding his bicycle around campus of....dun dun dun....Middelton Law School. It might be Penn, it might be Temple. We know it's not Drexel because it features buildings that appear to be older than like one year. Then poor little Bennett from Orange is the New Black appears, this time playing the epitome of a law school douche. And if you don't know who the law school douche is, sorry but you may be the law school douche.
A little bantering about coldcalling actually makes my stomach churn a little bit until I remember that I'm watching a show, not actually in class right now. And then she's there in a perfect red leather jacket looking ***Flawless Remix feat. Nicki Minaj. And she gives us the title for the first time: Howwww to get away with murDERRR. That is the correct pronunciation.
Our queen starts coldcalling. My immediate thoughts: "Um Connor why are you standing up? Why are people standing up when they're called on? What is that? This show is so unrealistic". But i'm able to suspend my disbelief. And then poor Dean Thomas has to reveal he's a waitlister awwwww. Mens Rea is not that hard, my little waitlister. But then we're given the opportunity to meet the final murderess, Laurel.
Jump-cut to Viola's law office. Now hold on a minute, it must still be the first day because everyone is wearing the same outfit. Here is where Viola gets mean. First day of crim law and 70 students need to come up with unique defenses? Not physically possible, but okay. But wait there's more! The murder weapon is revealed to belong to Prof. Keating! Shock! Awe! OMG! Can it still be used to get out of an exam if you murdered someone with it?!
We get a little more of the flash-forward scene but who cares, I wanna see what the law students came up with. In a super stylized scene with a techno back-drop the students give it their best shot. Bennett again reminds me of a few of my classmates. Poor Dean Thomas brings up the rear. Self-defense is laughable but hey buddy now you're thinking like a lawyer. Viola liked it but it doesn't beat her approach which is so simple it's surprising no one came up with it. And then we get the title again: THAT'S how you get awaayyyy with murDERR. But go to the courthouse at 9 am, Viola? MISS TORTS??? NOOOOO.
Hey it's City Hall! Not CJC, but it's beautiful and recognizable. And then we have our first ethics violation. McKayla, break federal law to find out a witness is colorblind? Good luck passing the character and fitness evaluation. Crafty, but not ethical. Do we really need to continue to give defense attorneys bad names?
Dean Thomas then drives his little bicycle all the way back to campus just to tell Viola Davis about directed verdicts? Honey boo boo, did you think she didn't know what a directed verdict was? But we all know that he could have thrown any legal jargon around because the real point was that Dean Thomas find her with a sexy bald man with washboard abs.
Time for more ethics violations. Sexy Connor seducing the poor IT guy plus legal trickery to get in the evidence makes me uncomfortable in more ways than one. Again, giving defense attorneys a bad name.
Do I really care about the subplot missing sorority girl, Lila? Not really but Dean/Wes's neighbor is definitely up to something. But more importantly OH THAT IS VIOLA'S HUSBAND??? How do you even go to class after finding out something like that? Does Viola want a piece of that caramel wizard, Dean Thomas? We don't find out, but her lip color is onnnn pointttt.
But Bonnie is clearly having an affair with Viola's husband. Is everyone sleeping with everyone on this show? Before I can process this and Dean Thomas macking on his neighbor we're back at the courthouse.
Time to suspend disbelief again. You mean to tell me that the prosecutor gets a video two days ago and then just plays it in front of the jury without the judge or Viola seeing it first? It's okay though, she can fix it with a surprise witness, which also requires some suspension of disbelief. Seriously, when will that TV trope just die already? But we're all cool with it because it's sexy bald man with washboard abs! And he's a cop! Damn she's good. Discredit your own witness, girl. Mess up that chain of custody. Dean Thomas can't believe it. Philly cops are corrupt? WhAaaahahaht? Viola wins. McKayla wants to be her. We all want to be her.
Lila is found at the sorority house. Time to suspend disbelief again. What sorority has a water tower on the roof? Mr. Viola Davis looks pretty shaken up for having lost a student. He's clearly sleeping with her too. "I bet you the boyfriend did it", says Annalise. She either definitely knows he slept with her or this is Shonda being extraordinarily tongue-in-cheek.
Final scene of the night, the big reveal. WHO DID THEY KILL? Dun Dun Dun....it's Mr. Annalise Keating, Sam. They show some flashbacks in case you don't remember who he is. Gotta love pilots.
This show is nuts but I love it. I will willingly suspend my disbelief to watch Viola Davis kill it. She's perfection. We'll have to wait and see if taking crim law for 3 months is good enough to get away with murder. I'm gonna guess, no, but if Annalise Keating represents them, you never know.
A+
