How To Get Away With Murder Review: I’m Not Her (Season 4 Episode 2)

How To Get Away with Murder Season 4 Episode 2, “I’m Not Her,” tackles Black Lives Matter, and shows how Annalise’s courtroom victory sparks a ray of hope inside of her.

This episode beautifully orchestrates the root of injustice in America and what the Black Lives Matter movement is supposed to highlight in the justice system.

Although the take away can be used for the poor, LGBTQIA+, and well, any oppressed minority, the authors purposefully allude to the Black Lives Matter movement because the organization, and who they’re meant to represent, have received the same demonization that Jasmine, Annalise’s ex-cellmate, has to deal with in the episode.

The prosecutor pats himself on the back for not pressing multiple charges on Jasmine, but he still tries to prosecute her. Of course, he’s just doing his job. However, another part of his job and the court system’s, in general, is to deliver justice.

How can keeping a woman, who never got a fair chance at life, down count as justice? Instead of waving around justice as synonymous with inflexible laws, we must look at what these laws are meant to do: protect the people.

When the justice system only seeks to punish those trapped in a cycle, such as the cycle of poverty, community drug use, a prosecuted identity etc., then the cycle will never end. The crimes won’t stop.

We will just continue to feed corrupt private prisons by throwing victims of systemic oppression into jail cells, instead of trying to help them and prevent future, similar crimes.

This episode highlights these injustices with Jasmine’s case and Annalise’s speech; however, I hope we see similar cases in the future. There’s no better time than the present to talk about what our unalienable rights allow us and what justice truly means.

Additionally, Annalise’s therapy session with Isaac, played by Jimmy Smits, acts as the frame for this episode. Annalise explains to Isaac that she wants to help Jasmine because Jasmine helped her in jail.

Later, we realize that Annalise also picks this case because she wants to instill hope in herself for a second chance.

As Isaac explains to her, Annalise subconsciously fights so hard in every hearing to win Jasmine’s freedom because she projects her troubles onto Jasmine. And since this connection is overtly made in the episode, Jasmine’s victory in the courtroom and her second chance at life seems like it foreshadows Annalise’s own future.

Well, initially, it seems like foreshadowing, until we see the bloody flash-forward scene. And then that whole idea goes straight to down the drain.

As I explain in my last review of How To Get Away With Murder Season 4 Episode 1, “I’m Going Away,” Annalise wouldn’t be away from Laurel in her dire time of need unless she is also in trouble. The last scene of “I’m Not Her” proves this theory right.

Apparently, while Laurel is in the hospital, Annalise fights with someone in her room, a gun is present, and there’s an unhealthy amount of blood in the elevator. How wonderful.

We get an entire episode that plants a ray of hope in our hearts for our favorite attorney. Then, boom! We get a flash-forward that implies, at worst, she’s shot and dying, and at best, she’s just embroiled in another murder.

The fact that bloody crime scenes follow Annalise everywhere simply can’t be good for her career.

The ending scene also implies that Bonnie and Annalise don’t fully make up before the crime happens in Annalise’s hotel room, or at the very least, they fight again right before it.

Instead of Bonnie being with Annalise in her time of need, she comes onto the scene like any other bystander, having to piece together information herself. And what about the rest of the scooby gang? Where are they?

It seems like all Annalise has right now is her career, her family, and her therapist, who is already doing shady deals on the phone.

I want to hate him because he’s clearly siphoning information from Annalise for someone else, probably Hannah. However… I can’t be the only one who absolutely loves Annalise and Isaac’s banter.

Every time he tries to push too hard for information, Annalise immediately catches him and explains to him how unprofessional it is. And just when you think Annalise has caught him pushing her too hard for information, he spins it around to where it makes sense.

I know wanting them in a relationship is wrong, I just hope the narrative makes it right and validates their palpable chemistry.

Yes… yes… hoping they get together, just so he can betray her later, is far from what’s best for Annalise. As she pointed out in her last scene, it rings just a little too true to her relationship with Sam.

But maybe Isaac can heal those psychological scars as well? You know… after he decides to stop trying to cause her more scarring.

On a happier note, I have to say that the Keating 4 show themselves to be a lot less annoying this episode. Laurel still finds a way to get under my skin in the beginning. However, she annoys me a little less now after her teary forgiveness scene with Connor.

For the first time since Wes died, she crawls out of her self-absorbed bubble and does something selfless.

Michaela finds herself an internship, Asher loses his temper and his shot at the coveted Caplan and Gold Agency internship, and Connor gets a reality check from his fiancé, Oliver.

The same fiancé who will be covering Connor, Asher and (presumably) Laurel’s internship requirement, if Laurel can find the time to do any work between trying her own hand at being inspector gadget and taking care of her baby.

I’m happy to see my sweetheart Oliver thriving this season. I’m even happier to see Laurel directing her vitriol and anger at someone who deserves it. The heiress and I finally land on the same page.

Jorge Castillo must die. Not John Tucker style, Kill Bill style. Swords, guns, whatever, just pick your poison, Castillo.

Now that Laurel has included Michaela on her mission, it’s only a matter of time before the rest of the scooby gang join in on the hunt. Someone has to keep the sociopath, Simon, from getting in Michaela’s way, right?

And someone also had to keep Laurel’s murder-happy father from calling out a hit on anyone else.

So, what did you think of this episode of How To Get Away With Murder? What are your theories for the events that lead to the last scene? Share your thoughts with us 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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