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Thursday, March 28, 2024
The Observer

'How to Get Away with Murder' season 2 premiere

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Lucy Du | The Observer
Lucy Du | The Observer


Want to know how to get a good workout without getting out of your seat? Watch the season two premiere of “How to Get Away with Murder” (HTGAWM). This latest Shonda Rhimes series is centered on prestigious law professor and criminal defense lawyer Annalise Keating, played by Viola Davis, the first African-American actress to win an Emmy Award in the drama category.

If you saw last season in its entirety, you understand how the series does a heck of a job when it comes to twists, surprises and cliffhangers. The series practically left its viewers in a dark, confused, comatose-like seven-month hiatus after the season finale ended by revealing the shocking death of Rebecca Sutter, the love interest of Wes Gibbins.

This episode introduces a new murder case: adopted siblings Caleb and Catherine Hapstall are accused of murdering their affluent parents. They don’t play too large of a role in the episode except at the very end.

The season premiere was so full of twists and surprises that the revelation of who murdered Sutter was overshadowed by everything else. Bonnie Winterbottom, Keating’s uber-loyal associate, tied a bag around Sutter’s head while she was bound up in the basement. I did not expect it and I’m sure no one else did either. Winterbottom was so uninvolved with the whole scandal last season. She was practically the only main character who did not know the truth about the murder of Keating’s cheating, scheming husband.

When the body of Sutter was first discovered, Frank Delfino, the other associate, suspected Keating, but Keating also suspected Delfino. Then, both suspected Gibbins and even put him to the test. He passed and was believed to be innocent. Soon enough, Frank suspects Laurel, an intern like Gibbins. Everyone was playing the blame game, and in my opinion, everyone was likely. Except for Bonnie. Mind blown.

But this was clearly the first of many unexpected revelations and twists. At the beginning of the episode, we are introduced to a mysterious woman, Eve, who seems to know Keating very well. It’s also clear they have a bad history. Keating was trying to save the object of her love affair — a gorgeous hunk of man, ex-detective Nate Lahey — from death row after she framed him for the murder of her own husband. Twisted, I know.

Eve turns down the case, only for Keating to visit her apartment. That’s when we find out a little about her past. Keating and Eve were lovers, but Keating, presumably, ended the relationship messily when she began seeing her now-dead husband. But wait, there’s more. They still have feelings for each other. And they rekindle this love with a somewhat PG-13 kiss.

The biggest surprise is at the end, and we’re given another typical "HTGAWM" cliffhanger. Fast forward two months, we’re at the two siblings’ creepy, old mansion. The entire duration of this last scene, we hear the Keating narrating, “Statistically, if you're going to be murdered, your killer will be someone you know ... an acquaintance, a friend, a family member ... your lover. Why is that?” We hear a gunshot, we see Gibbins run for his life, and we see a wounded Keating lying on the ground in her blood and gasping for her life.

The end. Fin. Finito. That was it.

The ending marks another week of wondering what could’ve happened. Who shot her? Was it Gibbins? Why were they at the Hapstalls' mansion? Did she die? She couldn’t have died. How would the "HTGAWM" series survive if they kill off Keating? They can't. I’m just praying she’ll be fine. Happy thoughts, Wei. Happy thoughts.

On another note, we get to see the fine, young Connor Walsh get serious with a geeky Oliver Hampton. Connor wasn’t the “dating type of guy,” but he’s changed a lot since then. He and his boyfriend are now “officially a boring, domesticated, co-habitating couple.” And it’s super cute.

New episodes air each Thursday night at 10 p.m. on ABC. For those who want to revisit the first season, you can watch it in its entirety on Netflix. Until Thursday, I’ll continue to formulate theories of what the ending meant.