How To Get Away With Murder Review: What Happened To You, Annalise? (Season 2 Episode 10)
An episode full of flashbacks and little character development leads to a disappointing mid-season premiere of How to Get Away With Murder.
The problem with How To Get Away With Murder is the dependence on flashbacks. This form of storytelling typically works. Except when it doesn’t.
Such is the case with “What Happened To You, Annalise?”
The flashbacks feel forced and add little to the overall arc of the episode. It’s almost as if the flashbacks themselves were an afterthought.
In fact, the episode is so focused on the past that there isn’t any character development. We care more about Wes, Bonnie and Asher when their characters are explored and grow from their experiences. But this episode made me feel nothing for them or Annalise. We are supposed to be upset about Wes shooting Annalise, yet we do not feel anything about her recovery because of the flashbacks!
I get that the flashbacks are needed to show the immediate aftermath of the shooting. They are easier and quicker. But I miss the character interaction in group scenes. I wouldn’t have minded the Keating five eating tacos and discussing their upcoming exams, and having Laurel admit she covered for Wes. The reactions of each character would have been spectacular.
MATT MCGORRY, JACK FALAHEE, AJA NAOMI KING
I also would have enjoyed more interaction between Asher and Bonnie. Taking five minutes to have him share his grief with her or even expand on why he thinks his father was murdered would have made a nice touch to an otherwise confusing episode.
Am I the only one annoyed with how uneven the show has become? Am I’m the only one who is disappointed that Viola Davis’s marvelous acting is getting overshadowed by unnecessary filler scenes that have nothing to do with the main plot? Am I the only one frustrated to the point that I may not watch season three? Surely I’m not. Most of us love this show, but having the characters so isolated from each other is disappointing.
Will all this disappointment come with a significant payoff? I highly doubt it this far into the season. If anything, the writers need to rethink their process and adapt to satisfy the audience more. Once again I am left with more questions than answers. Will Bonnie be able to hide Annalise’s descent into madness? Is Annalise Wes’s mother? Is she having a nervous breakdown? Who killed Mr. and Mrs. Hapstall? The world may never know.
Other Thoughts:
- I really enjoyed the incidental music they used during this episode.
- Is anyone else concerned by how much Asher is drinking?
- They fooled me for about a second with the whole is there a baby or not which I’m still not sure if the baby she is seeing is the one she was pregnant with or Wes.
- Viola Davis still owns my soul. She can do amazing things with choppy writing, and I love her for that.
What did you think of this episode of How To Get Away With Murder? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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How To Get Away With Murder airs Thursdays at 10/9c on ABC.
Jessica Kreamer
Jessica has a degree in History, an MLA is Liberal Arts, and a great desire to consume as much quality television as she can. By day, she's an office worker and caregiver. By night, she's a tea drinking television fanatic. Her current favorite television shows include: Madam Secretary, How To Get Away With Murder, Jane the Virgin, and Veep. Her greatest wish is to make tea drinking into a payable skill. Follow Jessica on Twitter: @pythiaprophet