The mystery has started to deepen on this season of How to Get Away with Murder, and last week’s episode ended on a very promising note. Let’s take a look at this week’s new episode, “Always Bet Black.”
The episode opens in the future as Oliver is acquiescing to Annalise’s wishes and wiping clean the phone that she gave him outside her house. She, meanwhile, is getting her mugshot taken at the police station, and it’s clear that the flash-forwards this season are going to have just as much of an impact on the cast as the first season’s did. I really like the fact that we’re getting so much of Oliver this early on, too, because it’s showing that the writers are absolutely committed to using him to their full ability now that he’s a series regular on the show.
Six weeks earlier, Annalise is both angry and worried about her current predicament(s). In addition to not being able to commit to Nate in the way that she would like (which is a pretty interesting thing to explore considering their history), the university president is the biggest obstacle in her life. It’s been nice watching Annalise have such a direct conflict with authority this season, because a lot of her undermining has been done below the surface. Viola Davis sells the heck out of any situation you put her in, and this scenario is just another great example of the work that the award-winning actress can do when given the material.
The case of the week this week is surprisingly intriguing, and I continue to be impressed with the way that the writers are weaving these more procedural elements in with the main story this season. Nothing’s perfect, of course, but the cases are working on a level that they never have before on How to Get Away with Murder.
Laurel’s daddy issues are just as interesting as the show has led us to believe, and it’s great that they’re tying it into Frank’s story in such a major way. Character cohesion is something that can make How to Get Away with Murder work better than it sometimes does, and this is just one way that the writers are showing that they know what they’re doing. Also, I really enjoyed Mikayla, Conner, Oliver, and Asher going on a night out together. The different ways that the show pairs up the cast offers plenty of material for everyone, and it’s important to keep switching things up so that the show doesn’t start to get stale.
Overall, “Always Bet Black” was a really strong episode of How to Get Away with Murder that did a really good job of mixing the show’s formula up a bit while still giving us more of what we need in terms of the story.
What did you think of this week’s new episode of How to Get Away with Murder? Let us know your thoughts in the comments down below!
[Photo Credit: ABC/Nicole Wilder]
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