This is one half of a dueling column. See the argument against How to Get Away with Murder here.
Fans of Shonda Rhimes’ usual level of brilliance, rejoice. Fans of Viola Davis’ genius ability to bring stern and complicated women to life before our eyes, rejoice. How to Get Away with Murder is all that and so, so much more.
In addition to being another brilliant installment of the Shonda Rhimes dynasty over at ABC (even if this one isn’t exactly her creation), How to Get Away with Murder sets up a season-long mystery that we absolutely cannot wait to see solved, but we’ll get back to that in a minute.
Beginning with a packed classroom in which Davis’ character, Dr. Annalise Keating, has not yet arrived, you get the backchannel impression of just how terrifying she might be. While we wouldn’t call a classroom full of college students a reputable source when it comes to identifying a professor’s true personality, they easily display how she is viewed by those inferior to her.
It’d be easy to assume that Keating will be another of Rhimes’ strong woman types, since they tend to be a staple in her many series, i.e. Olivia Pope, Miranda Bailey, Charlotte King, but there’s definitely more to the legal eagle than just strength. She’s secretive, she’s fair, and she’s not afraid to do the nefarious.
Most of the strong women in Rhimes’ creations tend to be wholehearted, do-the-right-thing types (even if they may not come off that way at first glance), but Keating feels like a new kind of protagonist. We’re not sure she’s out to do the right thing. At least not all the time. She’s a defense attorney, and while she has some semblance of right and wrong, she is most concerned with doing her job and doing it well. Defending the indefensible is the cornerstone of her class that she calls, “How to Get Away with Murder.”
The show could not exist without the incredible talents of Viola Davis, but the supporting cast brings brilliance all their own. Matt McGorry, Alfred Enoch, Aja Naomi King, Liza Weil and all the rest populate this intense and manipulative world, each claiming a quality all their own to embody with vigor. The pilot gives an immediate impression that each of these people holds their own secret, that no one in this tale is as they seem. While a few of those secrets are revealed throughout the pilot, there are more that remain a mystery. Obvious or not, there’s more than one case to solve in How to Get Away with Murder and some of these characters will undoubtedly be darker than we originally thought.
Getting back to that mystery we talked about earlier, while it wasn’t exactly unexpected, we absolutely welcomed it with open arms. As it’s the thread that will undoubtedly weave through much of the first season, it’s relieving to know it’s a head scratcher. The stars of Keating’s class are forced to work together in an environment that usually thrives on competition, creating an intriguing push and pull for them during an already tumultuous period of their lives.
Overall, if you enjoy Scandal, Grey’s Anatomy, any good legal drama, and want to add a sense of mystery to your viewing schedule, How to Get Away with Murder is a must see. It’s hard to go wrong with a show led by a twice Academy Award nominated actress, especially when said actress has any connection to a showrunner as capable and talented as Shonda Rhimes.
Make sure to tune in when How to Get Away With Murder airs Thursday nights at 10 p.m. starting tomorrow!
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