How To Get Away With Murder Review: He’s A Bad Father (Season 4 Episode 11)

On How To Get Away With Murder Season 4 Episode 11, “He’s A Bad Father,” Laurel loses the first hearing to gain custody from her child and Dr. Isaac Roa takes another loss after everyone finds out his daughter’s suicide case will be reopened as a homicide.

Hello! Welcome to the table of depression, part of all the How To Get Away With Murder viewers. We’re all ordering gallons of ice cream and chocolate syrup.

Unlike previous episodes, “He’s A Bad Father” isn’t surprising, angsty and depressing, it’s just… depressing.

The writer’s make it clear when the episode starts that Laurel won’t gain custody of her child by making the hearing happen so quickly.

If Laurel got her child back, we’d only have 8 huge threads we’d have to tie up before the finale instead of 9. That just seems wasteful, right?

Okay, enough with the sarcasm. It is actually incredibly depressing that the trial causes Laurel to put her heart out there on the stand, strips Dr. Roa of his credibility and prospective livelihood and endangers Mrs. Castillo just so Laurel could walk away from the courtroom empty-handed.

This episode yanked some well-needed empathy out of me for Laurel and her situation, especially after hearing her mother’s recount of Laurel’s childhood.

It doesn’t mean she’s less rash and selfish; it’s easier to see why she’s so rash and selfish.

Poor Dr. Roa. For the first time, I wish he had never met Annalise. This is a complete turn around from my review for How To Get Away With Murder Season 4 Episode 2, “I’m Not Her,” where I basically push them both down the aisle.

This man was pure. So pure. And Annalise’s drama… no, the Keating 5’s drama, yank him down to their murky depths.

Honestly, it’s lazy writing on behalf of the writers. I’m usually the cheerleader for the How To Get Away With Murder writers, but Isaac’s current obstacle is entirely too on the nose.

So, we’re supposed to believe that Isaac Roa’s story not only parallels Annalise’s first husband by falling for his patient, he’s also a recovering addict who parallels Annalise’s thread of recovery and he now parallels Annalise’s traumatic childhood of molestation?

The last part hasn’t been confirmed, but the fact that they even brought it into the storyline is doing entirely too much. His character arc is everywhere right now, and quite frankly, the narrative doesn’t pay enough attention to him to warrant this many parallels.

I would love for Dr. Roa, but if the narrative keeps only grazing his character long enough to give us another “twist,” I’m going to lose my mind (distasteful pun is not intended).

Speaking of disappointing twists, the reveal at the end that shows us Wes speaks with Laurel’s mom before he dies has to be the most frustrating part of the episode (in a good way.)

The writers are leaving this trail of breadcrumbs down the cold path and it’s hard not to come up with a thousand theories.

My biggest questions: Why would Laurel’s mother pretend she’s never seen him? And why does she have such a blatant like for Wes and dislike for Frank?

Signs are pointing to her being the one who faked Wes’s death since she also knows how vindictive and brutal Mr. Castillo can be. However, the signs are also equally pointing to Laurel’s mom actually being the big bad who murdered Wes and her sickness making it easy for her to play Laurel like a fiddle.

Bipolar Disorder comes with the symptom of lacking affective empathy. So, Laurel’s mother could’ve sat at that table and listened to all of Wes’s woes, realized he could put Laurel in danger, and called out a hit without a second thought because if it.

Laurel’s pain because Wes died wouldn’t really affect her nor would the fact that her family is falling apart. What do you guys think about this new information?

Stray Observations:

• Connor clarifying to Asher that Christophe knew Dominic and not Wes has my Wes Lives Theory jumping for joy.
• Is it wrong I get satisfaction every time Laurel’s snubs Frank?
• Nate’s exposure to the “crack” that is Annalise has him acting out. What part of this civil suit seems “sexy” to him?

What did you guys think of this episode of How To Get Away With Murder? 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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