We finally have (most of) our answers about what happened the night Lila died, and who definitively killed Lila Stangard. I feel like as soon as our main characters think they have a handle on things, that’s when everything blows up in their faces again. I’m interested to see where this show goes when it comes back, but I can’t say I’m upset it’ll be without Rebecca.
AnnaliseB+
Forcing all of your students to present their evidence against a potential killer and then saying you didn’t think any of them had convincing arguments is not how you win Teacher of the Year. Yeah, they’ve been working for you for six months, but they’ve been a little preoccupied with all the murder to become the best lawyers they can be. Although, I guess to you, that is how you transform into the best legal counsel there is.
Annalise finally gets face-to-face with Nate, and understandably, he’s none too happy with her, but she convinces him to call that number she’s been talking about. Who’s on the other side of the line? I guess we’ll have to wait until Season 2 to find out.
Something else I’d like to know more about in Season 2: exactly who is Frank? Sure, Annalise didn’t know he killed Lila (at Sam’s request), but he’s probably killed some other people, and Annalise is just chill with that? How much does she pay him for being vaguely murderous and creepy all the time?
WesD
Oh, Wes, you idiot. You dumb, dumb idiot. I think hooking up with Rebecca in the first place was a supremely stupid move, but it’s much worse that you started dating her and then questioned her character completely. Rebecca didn’t kill Lila, and she was telling the truth about the whole water tower thing, but it’s way too late for that to matter now. How do you think he’ll react when he finds out she’s dead? I have to imagine that he’ll blame himself (although what she did to Rudy is pretty horrible). Also, that scene at the end where Annalise is comforting him to repeat over and over again that “Sam killed Lila” was very disturbing and makes me particularly glad I didn’t know anything about my professors beyond their first and last names. I have to say, it's pretty messed up of Rebecca to accuse Wes of killing his mom when he was only 12.
ConnerB+
So Conner’s HIV negative, but poor Oliver is positive. We don’t get a lot of time with Conner after he hears the news, but hopefully this brings Oliver and Conner closer together instead of tearing them apart. HIV isn’t a death sentence the way it used to be, and if Conner puts aside his days of reckless abandon to commit fully to Oliver, it’s an opportunity for him to be his best self. I happen to love Oliver, though, and want him to remain on the show in any capacity, so maybe I’m biased.
MichaelaA
Finally we get a reason to cheer for Michaela. There have always been hints that her seemingly perfect fiancé, Aidan, might be gay, but it wasn’t until this episode that we knew it for sure. Michaela meets with Aidan’s mom, who has always hated her, and tells her point blank that her son is gay, bi, or at least experimenting, and she’s not going to put up with it anymore. She’s going to be the “ghetto,” Southern girl she is, and shed the perfect image she’s been attempting to create. “Here’s the thing, I love me,” she says. Snaps to that, Michaela.
LaurelB+
Laurel also did something interesting this episode! Turns out, Michaela’s ring has never actually been missing, Laurel’s had it the whole time. She found it the night they killed and buried Sam, but she knew that Michaela couldn’t go to the cops if there was still something that implicated her in the murder. Yeah, it’s a sneaky move (and I wonder how much that ring actually cost), but on a show about murder, you gotta have a few sneaky moves. That we know Laurel has a few tricks up her sleeve, maybe we’ll get to see a few more of them.
“It’s All My Fault”A-
I know they’re trying to make it seem like everyone’s wrong about Sam killing Lila, because technically, yes, Frank killed her. But, it was Sam that ordered the hit. In my mind, he’s just as guilty as Frank, even if he kept his hands clean. There’s now one more murder for them to get away with, but we don’t know yet who killed Rebecca. Presumably, it was someone in the house with them, or maybe it was this “Eggs” person? I’ll be tuning in next season to find out, but this whole Rebecca being murdered ordeal would be a lot more effective if she was actually a likable character.
Extra Credit
- RIP, Rebecca. If someone had to go, I’m glad it was you.
- I’m curious to see where all of this “keeping Asher on the outside” goes. He’s lucky not to be involved in this mess, yet I could see him ultimately being the one who ruins things for his classmates and Annalise.
- Seeing all these flashbacks of what their lives were like before Lila died really bummed me out. Their lives used to be somewhat normal! Now, they’re lucky if they make it through an episode without a tearful confession or a near-death (or jail) experience.
- The actress prosecuting Nate looks familiar. And of course Annalise just had to give them a statement.
- Sarah Burns, who has guest starred on every comedy and is in a bunch of really funny movies, is playing Nate’s prosecutor! Cool!
Demerits
- “We’re not monsters.” That is truly debatable.
- Frank gets all huffy when Laurel questions his character, but you secretly killed someone, Frank! Can you blame her?
- The green screen behind Rebecca as she climbs up to the water tank is terrible.
- How come everyone else had no problem getting into the sorority house if Rebecca had to carefully sneak through the gate?
- Who meets at a coffee shop at 1 a.m?