How to Get Away with Murder: Best Christmas Ever

February 7, 2015 9:00 AM - Season 1, Episode 11

Annalise's sister-in-law arrives in Middleton, desperate for answers about Sam's supposed disappearance. Annalise avoids her and instead focuses on the case of a woman whose husband has sexually abused her and the two young women in their basement. Flashbacks to how everyone spent their holiday break.
posted by oh yeah! (5 comments total)

I really liked the holiday flashbacks. They added depth to the characters. Annaliese's actions over the holiday prove she couldn't be Lila's killer--Annaliese is taking the death of her husband very hard, she's just hiding it very, very well. The dinner with her sister-in-law was so incredibly well-done. There's always another layer to her actions.

The writers have definitely impressed me with the decision to advance the story so quickly. So, does Annaliese turn on her students to save herself? It's guaranteed that none of them will step forward to save her.
posted by Ik ben afgesneden at 11:29 AM on February 7, 2015 [1 favorite]

omg I love this show

Not that anything about this show is at all reflective of the actual practice of law, but wouldn't lying to a client about a plea deal like that be a violation of ethics that could get you actually disbarred?

Also, big ups to whomever is doing the location scouting -- the Castro case wasn't even on my mind in relation to this until they showed that house. It was on screen for less than a second but was so reminiscent of Ariel Castro's house.

there is definitely still more to learn about Bonnie, says me.
posted by KathrynT at 11:54 PM on February 7, 2015 [1 favorite]

OH AND REBECCA AND RUDY

WHAT IS THE STORY THERE I ASK YOU
posted by KathrynT at 11:59 PM on February 7, 2015 [2 favorites]

Yeah, I've been thinking about Annaliese and her client and screwing over client really didn't seem appropriate or, necessarily, in character. I chose to see Annaliese's actions as reflective of the stress she's under.
posted by Ik ben afgesneden at 10:33 AM on February 8, 2015 [1 favorite]

I loved the SVU-esque storyline in the Case of the Week. Although Olivia would have been more sympathetic in the end.

KathrynT, I think the idea was that Annalise knew that she wasn't supposed to lie about a plea deal, but since she did it when the only two people in the room were her and the defendant, she knew she could get away with it.

I'm interested to learn more about Frank's involvement in the murder and what role he plays for Annalise in general. He previously came off as mild-mannered but in this episode he seemed like the "enforcer" archetype from mob movies.

I liked the Christmas flashbacks but the timeline sorta confused me, although I don't think that it really affects my understanding of the show either way.

I love Marcia Gay Harden. Kinda perfect that she appeared in this episode since she had a recurring role on SVU.
posted by radioamy at 8:25 PM on February 10, 2015