What You’ve Been Missing—A pop culture blog; Reviewing current television series, books and films
Review: “How To Get Away with Murder”
How
to Get Away With a Confusing Plot:
5 reasons for reasonable doubt and 5 reasons for strong defense.
MAJOR SPOILER ALERTS!
One
of the most anticipated fall television series, How to Get Away with Murder aired on September 25th
starring critically acclaimed and Oscar nominated actress Viola Davis. With all the teasing advertisements, the show
created a large amount of anticipation especially with myself.
I live for
murder mysteries. I have seen over 125 episodes of Crime Scene Investigation and watch an episode everyday. So I
thought that this series would live up to its premise and I was not prepared to
be disappointed.
Basic plot
The best defense
lawyer and law professor, Annalise Keating (Davis) teaches at a prestigious Ivy
league-type university in Pennsylvania. Her course as she calls it is “Criminal
Law 100: How to get away with murder” (not creepy at all). Keating teaches an
auditorium full of over achieving students who go out of their way to impress
her. She then chooses five of her top students to assist her in her private
practice. The “privileged team” of the students who go above and beyond to once
again impress her. If they achieve this they are awarded a trophy. Yes, a group
of law students are after a trophy and will stab each other in the back to get
it. The plot follows Wes Gibbins (Alfred
Enoch, aka one of the only hot guys from the Harry Potter film franchise), a stunned (he always looks stunned) student
that miraculously ends up with the trophy and as part of Keating’s “privileged
team”. On campus a pretty girl, Lilla mysteriously disappeared and is found
dead in a water tank on the roof of a sorority house. Lilla is also a student
of Keating’s husband, Sam.
Here are 8
things about How To Get Away with Murder:
5 things that prove that the series is indeed, well thought out in addition to
highlights of the series: Reasonable doubt
and 5 things that prove that the series is disappointing, Strong Defense.
Reasonable doubt
1.
Wardrobe:
Gibbins has a wardrobe to dream of. She always wears statement jewelry and
great suits: highlights include episode 4 where she wore a peplum top and a
matching pencil skirt. For a top defense attorney one would hope that she has a
great wardrobe to go along with her great reputation.
2.
Couples:
In the series, Gibbins an African American woman is married to Sam, a Caucasian
male causing them to be a biracial couple, which is still a statement even in a
television series from the year 2014.
3.
A
different view: In other legal dramas, we normally see the other side of
the courtroom, in that we see the cases from the view of the crown not the
defense such as in the Law and Order series.
However, it is only recently that we see it from the defense perspective as in
the Good Wife. Additionally there are
not many current television series that feature “the life of a university law
student” which, by the way the writers of the series make a lot more
interesting than I thought it would be.
4.
Horribly
relatable: In the pilot, Gibbins enters the lecture hall where the class is
held and does not find anywhere to sit and no one to sit with (every liberal
course I have ever attend week-after-week). In addition, due to the fact that
all the students want to impress Keatings they choose to interrupt the
literature to show their knowledge on the subject…no I cannot think when that
happened during my lecture at all (not).
5.
The
finale. That moment when Annalise is sitting in the chair…..
Strong Defense
1.
Confusing.
Flash Forwards (!!!): Every. Single. Episode. And the next scene after a
commercial break. Opens with a “Flash forward” aka what happens in future
episodes…aka who all Keating’s “privileged team” choose to murder and the
events that occur after and up to the murder. Why would you want to tell your
viewer what happens in future episodes? Talk about spoiler alert! And it is so
confusing that I have trouble telling the difference between a flash forward
and what is happening on the show in the “present”. May I also add that the “flash forwards” lack
continuity…it’s a puzzle that doesn’t fit properly (that will probably never
fit together).
2.
How to
get away with murder…Literally: In episodes #2 and #3, the two clients that
Keating defends both get away with murder. As one escapes during recess and the
other did committed murder in another country and yes, got away with it.
Additionally, in the “flash forwards” the “privileged team” says that they
think they can get away with murder…maybe they will indeed, if Keating agrees
to defend them all. “We are smart enough to get away with murder, destroy all
the forensic evidence”. No. No you won’t. Especially after one of the members
of the “privileged team” leaves her HUGE engagement ring at the murder
scene…her engagement ring. How does one lose their engagement ring committing a
murder?
3.
Kill for
your neighbor: As you too can conclude, “This show would be amazing without
those ‘flash forwards.’” Yeah no duh. In one of the “flash forwards,” it is
revealed that the “privileged team” murdered Mr. Keating to keep Gibbins creepy
neighbor, Rebecca (Katie Findlay, who played the annoying bff of Carrie in The Carrie Diaries) safe. Why would you
risk your life (and the death penalty) for your neighbor who looks like a
Lisbeth Salander wannabe? And why would your fellow law students help you? And
murder your professor’s husband? It is hinted that Mr. Keating may be involved
in the murder of Lilla who was one of his students. In the present, Rebecca is
being tried for Lilla’s murder with Keating defending her…if Keating couldn’t
get her off who can? #lostcause
4.
Unbelievable:
To impress Keating students go as far as to break the law: hacking into
computers and sneaking into prison just to name a few, to get the information
they need to help Keatings with her current cases. As one of the character’s
partners says in the latest episode: “For someone who wants to practice law,
you think nothing of breaking it.”
5.
The fatal
(pun intended) flaw of the students. The fact that each student in the finale
did not call 911 and went to their partner’s house after the murder…do you
really want your partner to go to jail with you?
You be the judge (punny). Will you
tune into How to Get Away with Murder?
Next article: Goodbye Aria, Spencer, Hanna and Emily
