In the previous episode of How to Get Away with Murder, Annalise came clean to Hannah about some of the details surrounding Sam’s “disappearance,” and Frank got rid of Connor’s car as a way to destroy any evidence that was left behind. But all of that may have been for naught when, in the episode’s final moments, it was revealed that the police found Sam’s remains.
In this episode, “She’s a Murderer,” Annalise scrambles to keep the cops from learning the truth about Sam’s death, all the while taking on a new case for a long-time client.
How to Get Away with Murder Recap: Annalise Tells Hannah the (Partial) Truth >>>
News of the Discovery Hits Hard
Everyone is freaking out in the wake of Sam’s remains being discovered. Connor thinks Annalise set them up because he does not know how else the cops would have found what was left of Sam. Rebecca points out how ridiculous that is, since they are Annalise’s students and she was her client and the police would want to nail Annalise more than them. Rebecca is a lot smarter than any of these people give her credit for.
Laurel calls Frank and he tells her they cannot talk because the police will be monitoring all of their calls from here on out. Laurel relays this message to the others, which just serves to increase their paranoia.
But Annalise and Hannah were not watching the news so they are both thrown when the police arrive to tell them about Sam’s death. (Marcia Gay Harden does an incredible job with Hannah’s reaction to learning that her brother is dead.) Hannah immediately points the finger at Annalise, demanding the cops arrest her for killing Sam. Hannah’s determination to take Annalise down will continue for the rest of the episode.
Poor Bonnie does not find out about Sam’s death until the next morning because no one bothered to call her the night before. Bonnie thinks that means Annalise does not trust her anymore, but Frank tries to convince her that Annalise just had a lot to deal with. He also tries to convince her not to mourn Sam, since he screwed them all over and killed a girl.
Annalise Keeps Working
Even though she is in the middle of a murder investigation, Annalise is still working on her cases, namely one for a long-time client. When the client tries to drop her because of what is going on in her personal life, Annalise lays into him until she convinces him to keep her on.
Their client, Paul Lombardo, has ties to the mob and he is being prosecuted for drug possession with intent to distribute. The drugs were found by a customs agent who searched the container they were in. Annalise says they need to find out why that container was chosen for a random weigh-in. They need to prove the cops were tipped off to the drugs.
Annalise’s people discover that the customs agents arrived to search the container before it had been weighed so someone had to alert them to the drugs. Laurel eventually tracks down the worker who weighed the container and they get him to testify that he was paid off to choose that container for the random weigh-in. He fingers the prosecutor as the man who paid him. Annalise says this means the case was built on illegal grounds and the federal government brought false charges against her client. Needless to say, the client goes free.
Hannah Versus Annalise
Hannah is on the warpath, determined to get Annalise arrested for Sam’s murder. She shows up at the police station and the lead detective tells her that they need probable cause to search the Keating home. After Hannah sees the photos of Sam’s remains, she asks the detective if they would have cause to do the search if Annalise had threatened Sam prior to his death. The detective confirms they would and Hannah says she will do whatever is required to get Annalise put away.
Bonnie learns that Hannah gave a statement to the police saying Annalise threatened Sam so Annalise orders Bonnie to take care of it. Alas, Hannah is more than prepared for her testimony and Bonnie is not able to prevent the judge from issuing the search warrant.
The cops search Annalise’s home in a fantastic sequence that shows just how terrified all of the characters are of being discovered. Alas, the cops do not find anything, not even blood because Annalise meticulously scrubbed every trace of it off the floor that night.
Bonnie Knows
Throughout the episode, we get the sense that Bonnie is starting to piece things together. She is suspicious of Annalise the moment Sam turns up dead and we see her question Asher as to whether he saw Annalise’s car at the house that night. Yet, when the cops discover the missing scales from the trophy, Bonnie grabs them and takes the trophy away. The cops do not think twice about that because they do not seem to be looking at the trophy as a possible murder weapon.
Bonnie takes that very trophy to Annalise later on and lays out what she believes happened that night. Bonnie looked at the medical examiner’s report on Sam’s death and it says Sam’s skull was bashed in by a heavy metal object. Bonnie says she always found it suspicious that the trophy scales went missing right around the time Sam disappeared. That, combined with the students always sneaking off together and whispering, makes her think they killed Sam. Bonnie says Annalise should come forward and give them up because Hannah will not stop until someone is charged with Sam’s murder.
Annalise Turns on a Loved One
At the start of the episode, Annalise tells Nate not to say anything to the police. Later, Nate tells Annalise that the police are trying to figure out where Sam’s body was burned. This comes back to bite him when Annalise decides to set him up as Sam’s killer.
As Bonnie points out, Annalise knows the debris on Sam’s body will lead back to the woods behind campus so she gives Frank Sam’s ring to plant in the woods. She has him get Nate’s fingerprint onto the ring before he plants it so the one piece of evidence the cops find leads to Nate. Nate is arrested and everyone breathes a temporary sigh of relief.
But remember, Michaela’s ring is still out there in the woods somewhere and could be used to tie the students to the crime. Plus, there is still the Bonnie factor. Will Bonnie believe that Nate killed Sam or will she continue to investigate the students?
Annalise is clearly feeling guilty for setting Nate up, as we see when she breaks down in the episode’s final moments. But why does Annalise call her mother for help? What can she do to ease Annalise’s guilt?
Other Happenings
— Wes is still looking into Rudy’s whereabouts. He talks to the landlord and finds out that Rudy was taken in by the police before he disappeared. The landlord also tells Wes that Rebecca was the one who called them. When Wes confronts her about it, Rebecca claims Rudy just lost it that night and she had no choice but to call the cops. Rebecca worries this means Wes does not trust her, but Wes says that is not the case. I like Rebecca, but I do not blame Wes for being suspicious. Nothing about Rudy’s disappearance make sense.
— At one point, Annalise overhears the students discussing her and she knows she does not have their trust. She pulls Connor aside because she knows he will be the hardest to convince. He is too much like her. Annalise knows Connor will never trust her, but she is the only option they have to stay out of prison. She is their best chance to get away with this. And when Nate is arrested for Sam’s murder, Michaela sees it as proof that Annalise is taking care of them like she said she would.
What did you think of this episode of How to Get Away with Murder? Are you surprised Annalise turned on Nate? Does Hannah really believe Nate killed Sam? Will she try to prove Annalise had something to do with it? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.
How to Get Away with Murder airs Thursdays at 10pm on ABC.
(Image courtesy of ABC)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
