How To Get Away With Murder Review: There Are Worse Things Than Murder (Season 3 Episode 2)

On this episode of How to Get Away With Murder: The threats against Annalise’s life start bleeding into her career. Connor gets his first case. Bonnie discovers that Laurel has been contacting Frank. Michaela and Asher are figuring out their relationship. Meggy is more than Wes deserves.

Case of the Week:

• Irene Crowley and the Abusive Ex[sanguinated]-Husband.

Character of Focus:

• Connor
• Annalise

Much of How to Get Away With Murder Season 3 Episode 2, “There Are Worse Things Than Murder,” talks about the concept of victim blaming and how it takes many forms without the victim being aware of it. In this instance, both victims are aware and aren’t going to take it sitting down.

Though we’re only two episodes into the season, I’m generally digging how things are turning out.

The case of the week format really works for this show as it allows one or more of our favorite characters to somehow connect and discover more about themselves in the process, something Season 2 neglected.

This week’s focus is poor Connor, who gets his first chance to be in charge and does so with… well, he doesn’t kill anybody, and on this show, that’s an accomplishment. We get a chance to take a look under the hood of the ol’ Connormobile and really study the insecurity which makes his engine run.

Connor’s always been driven by the need for approval. Back in his earlier days (on the show), he was quite the Lothario, not because he sought the approval of his sexual conquests, but because he desperately wanted for Annalise to say “good job.”

Then he met Oliver, someone to tell him “good job” over and over every morning, and he got a bit less… ambitious, shall we say. Even his speech to Oliver near the end of the episode, “tell me what you want me to do to make you happy,” is quite revealing. Connor can’t deal with the notion that he can’t be of service somehow and his self-esteem suffers for it, something we see the moment he thought he made a mistake with his client.

Fortunately for our favorite recovering sex addict, he wins the case; Irene Crowley is free to go remove other trash men from the planet. Unfortunately, that temporary boost in self-esteem is almost immediately torpedoed by Oliver’s request for space. That bastard.

In all honesty, we never really have the opportunity to explore Coliver beyond the sex. Perhaps because the characters themselves never had the opportunity. (Between all the classes, sex, betrayal, and murder, when does a respectable gentleman find the time?)

When you slow down and look at them, Oliver the People-Pleaser and Connor the Approval-Seeker, an implosion makes sense. They probably spent so much time worrying about each other, they hardly had the chance to take care of themselves.

Oh, boy. I just depressed myself. Moving on…

As this is her show, Annalise’s story took up quite a few scenes and it looks like this season is ultimately going to belong to her. With her house in flames, her job on the line, and her face plastered all over campus, Annalise has—and always had—more to lose than any other character on this show.

Like Irene Crowley, Annalise is the victim of abuse, this time coming from the university, who continually whittles away her freedom in the name of “safety”, and like Irene, Annalise isn’t going to endure that abuse any longer, going as far as to threaten the university with litigation in a scene that reminds us why she’s in charge.

We still don’t know who’s posting the fliers or who she murdered, but her story—like her house (whomp whomp)—is more of the slow burn variety, and it’s tantalizing to see where those flames are going to spread.

Murder of the Week:

Annalise’s P.I. by Frank

Didn’t Stop Until I Saw Brains:

• Billy Brown met the shirtless quota for this week and next week.
• Everyone thinking that Connor cheated was a hoot. Guys, he’s reformed!
• Really, that entire conversation was just fantastic. It’s nice to see them talking as friends.
• “I just came to say hi to Bonnie. Why does everyone think that’s so weird?” Best line of the evening. Literally no one on this show trusts anyone else.
• Sam was Frank’s doctor in prison. I’m starting to think Sam wasn’t very good at his job.
• Frank, however, is too good at his job: murder.
• I think the race difference is a bigger deal to Michaela than she lets on because Doucheboo was at peak adorableness this week. Minus the farting.
• Michasher? Ashaela?
• Irene to Asher: “You remind me of my husband.” Are the writers trying to tell us something? I mean, he did kill a defenseless woman. If he lays a finger on Michaela, I will jump through that screen so fast…
• Michaela is the first person Connor goes to thus continuing the long and complicated history between gay men and Black women.

No lingering questions for me this week. 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.

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