“Somebody’s always the student, somebody’s always the teacher. That’s how sex works best.”
Quite the jam-packed week we had here. Annalise and her mom were giving us their best version of a movie adaptation of a Toni Morrison novel, Peter Parker’s neighbor was accused of rape, and Wes finally wakes up and realizes Rebecca is not to be trusted. And finally, after weeks after being shunted to the side and mistreated, Bonnie Winterbottom gets her moment in the sun.
Annalise A
With the arrival of Annalise’s mom (or rather Anna Mae’s), aptly played by Cicely Tyson, we get a lot more about whence Annalise came. Lots of this had been hinted to before (and you can pretty much guess that someone who is chill with her law students murdering her husband didn’t have a cozy home life), but now we know for certain that Annalise was raised poor, and that her uncle raped her when she was younger. It also explains why she connected with Sam. He’s someone who was totally different than her, with a completely different background, but could understand how the bad things in her life had transformed her into who she was today.
By the end of the episode, Annalise is out of bed, with her wig back on and ready to get Nate out of jail. Turns out, calling her mom was the right move. She gives Annalise the courage she needs to get back out there and be a winner.
BonnieA ![]()
I haven’t given Bonnie a grade before, but this was finally her week to shine! The case had a few false starts, but she did Annalise proud by getting the charges dropped against their client. If this was an 80's high school movie, Bonnie’s sleazy hook-up with Asher in the garage would be her thrusting her fist into the air moment, or her equivalent of driving off into the sunset. Enjoy it now, Bonnie, because Frank saw the whole thing. This is a show about murder, Bonnie. Nothing gold can stay.
WesC
Oh, Wes, you idiot. OF COURSE Rebecca is lying to you. He and Laurel finally track down Rudy, who’s now living in a mental institution after having some kind of nervous breakdown meets drug overdose. They try to question him about Rebecca, but I feel like they should know it’s maybe not a good idea to just lob questions at a person who has potentially brain damage? You don’t know what might trigger them, and I really expected (or hoped) Rudy would slap Wes across the face. And Rebecca, being the sweet, benevolent girlfriend she is, is somehow tracking her boyfriend. Modern love.
Michaela & LaurelB-
Hey, the two of them have a few things to do in this episode! Laurel helps Wes track down Rudy and even manages to get a hold of a fake ID, while Michaela seduces an assistant DA on Nate’s case. Way to put those burgeoning lawyer skills to work!
ConnerA-
This grade is more for Oliver than it is for Conner. He’s pretty much the heart and soul of this melodrama. His insistence that he wasn’t attractive enough for Conner and desire to meet his “friends” was so endearing, yet we know no good can come of this relationship. Maybe Oliver can move to San Francisco and get a part on Looking?
“Mama’s Here Now”A
This is 100% my favorite episode of this show to date. It represented everything a Shonda show does well: it juggled multiple, complex story lines, gave us some resolution for our mysterious main character, and touched and race and sexuality in an honest way. I’m even looking forward to seeing what happens next week. Bravo.
Extra Credit
- “Men were put on this planet to take things,” and other lullabies my mother sang me as a child.
- The “ugly girl” is the neighbor from Spiderman! And opposing counsel is Laurel from Gossip Girl! This show truly brings it with the guest stars.
- “Your boss came out of my V and her daddy’s P,” and other biology lessons my mother taught me as a child.
- Important question: What is a normal semester with Annalise like? More or less murder?
Demerits
- “This is why I don’t do chicks” - No, no, it’s not, Conner. That is not the reason.
- Only on Shonda’s shows do people drink vodka straight like that.
- “When have I ever done anything stupid?” Michaela asks. Well, what about the time you had a nervous breakdown on New Year’s at Mayor de Blasio’s? That was pretty stupid, I think.
- Humpr is both an embarrassing (but hilarious) name for a gay hook-up app.