How to Get Away with Murder is one of ABC’s top hits, and it’s not afraid to push buttons and have the audience seriously dislike the cast.
Last night, How to Get Away with Murder came back for its season 2 premiere, and it was a crazy and wild rollercoaster ride. Viola Davis, who just won the Emmy for her portrayal of Annalise Keating, echoed the sentiments of many fans on her Twitter account.
Anyone else have a #TGIT hangover? #HTGAWM
— Viola Davis (@violadavis) September 25, 2015
One of the best things about How to Get Away With Murder is how flawed the characters are, and at the same time likeable even though you want to strangle them. As we mused in our recap from last night, we are starting to wonder if it’s a prerequisite to sleep with the interns, and to be a cold-blooded murderer, to be a member of Annalise Keating’s senior staff.
Source: htgawm-gifs tumblr
It’s refreshing to see these greedy, self-absorbed, amoral characters who don’t pay the price for their misdeeds and moral relativism. In real life, the “bad guys” don’t always get what’s coming to them, and How to Get Away With Murder is living proof of that. Karma isn’t exactly nipping at all of their butt cheeks.
Another area where How to Get Away With Murder makes greats strides is in trying to get society to see that sexual preference isn’t the defining be all and end all of a person. No one should be viewed as just “the gay character,” or their actions viewed through solely a heterosexual/homosexual lens. Executive producer and writer of last night’s premiere, Pete Nowalk, wants audiences to think about maybe making that just a human sexual lens. Earlier today he tweeted the following:
Thanks all for watching last night! And just a tip: It's not a lesbian kiss, it's a kiss. Love you all. #HTGAWM
— Pete Nowalk (@petenowalk) September 25, 2015
Moving right along, let’s talk diversity. There are exactly two heterosexual, white males with major roles on the show. Last night’s newest star, Famke Janssen plays a successful, Harvard educated, high-powered death row attorney who has a track record of getting her clients off. Oh, and by the way, she had a previous relationship with Annalise that went bust when Annalise started seeing her therapist (unethical much) who she later married. Talk about throwing the Bechdel-Wallace test a whole lot of curveballs!
Now as groundbreaking as it was finding out that Annalise is bisexual and in a biracial relationship (cause we sure don’t see that every day on network TV), what’s even more refreshing, is that her ex-lover is such a complex character. Quite possibly, the least interesting thing about their relationship might be that they had a physical relationship. We are dying to know the backstory of who metaphorically screwed who and how. Plus, what is that relationship going to be like now that Eve is involved in Nate’s case. Is all really forgiven? Who knows? Maybe Eve has never forgotten Annalise for a day, but could it be in a creepy, stalker way?
Speaking of diverse relationships, it’s possible that the Connor and Oliver biracial, homosexual relationship, reformed bad boy, dealing with HIV, moving in plotline may be the most healthy and normal relationship on the show. We love it, and isn’t THAT saying something.
Lastly, let’s talk about the surprise factor. How to Get Away With Murder always keeps us guessing because of how multi-faceted the characters are. No one is ever just one type of person. Last night’s big surprise was when Annalise called a meet up and it wasn’t to deal with the current case. It was to take the students to a rave and to party with them. We wanted to say “Who are you and what have you done with Annalise?” but at the same time, having an alcohol fueled dance party while eye screwing Wes sort of made sense actually. Granted, it was way different than what we’ve seen so far, but still not really out-of-character if you think about it.
Here’s to next week when How to Get Away With Murder will again be pushing our buttons.
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