‘How to Get Away with Murder’ is one of the most addictive shows. Anything can happen, anything could happen – it’s addictive with thrilling twists and turns. It is inappropriate for younger ages, there’s a lot of murder, if you couldn’t tell from the title, also quite a lot of sex scenes – so definitely not appropriate for younger ages. The show is scandalous, crazy and full of madness.
First of all, plots. Set at Middleton Law School in a Criminal Law class, Professor Annalise Keating (Viola Davis) begins a new year with a new lecture of students. Every new episode has a new case to be solved in court, led by Annalise and involving some of the students. The students are pinned against each other, all desperate for a case, as they compete to win defences and be chosen to work with Annalise.
Next, structure. The show jumps and plays with time throughout the series. We see more and more snippets of the future, as it becomes one month before, to three weeks, to two weeks, to knowing more and more with one week in the future, and so on. But we don’t know everything, we actually know quite little, but more and more is slowly revealed, but still you don’t know everything until the end. In the first series, as we are brought into the future a particular group is brought together when they are the ones involved with a case of their own and they must be the ones to get away with murder. This element of structure is so clever as it just forces you to keep watching.
Thirdly, the lawyers. Annalise Keating – she’s harsh, she’s brutal, she would do anything to win a case. Absolutely anything to solve a case, if not legal, it’s creative. Then there’s the two flanking her side, Bonnie (Liza Weil – Paris Geller from ‘Gilmore Girls’) and Frank (Charlie Weber). Bonnie is such a vulnerable and desperate character, she’s so interesting. Frank, again, is one that is discovered more and more about as we go on. But we know he would do anything Annalise asks him to, he is her henchman, as such.
Now, the students. Wes (Alfred Enoch – Dean Thomas from ‘Harry Potter’), the one that seems to have an unusual connection to Annalise. Connor (Jack Falahee), sex-driven to get what he wants, but also is probably the one with the biggest character growth. Michaela (Aja Naomi King), very driven, opinionated and determined in her own mind. Laurel (Karla Souza), the one that is underestimated at the beginning, but equally as driven as the others. Asher (Matt McGorry – John Bennett from ‘Orange is the New Black’), who maybe an outsider at the beginning, but becomes a character loved and appreciated as series go on.
The characters are some deep, complex people in this show. All with complicated backgrounds, many of them extremely difficult. This just makes it so much more interesting as we never know the potentials of the characters and the limits they would go to and trust me they are pushed up to boundaries and beyond. They are all played phenomenally well, obviously this includes the brilliance of Viola Davis in this series.
‘How to Get Away with Murder’ is a magnificent show. I became obsessed with it, it is so addictive. It has the fun lawyer court scenes with such an intense underlining plot arc that only gets crazier and crazier. Then we’re thrown to a future that is utter madness and we don’t know the full story, begging to know more, you just have to continue to watch and watch and watch. It’s a show thrilling and exciting, worth a watch.
Finally, as the original trailer states: “Sex, Lies and Murder” – this is what underlines this show quite accurately.
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