HTGAWM is finally back with the mid-season premiere of its final season.
With only six episodes to complete the entire series, How to Get Away With Murder has a lot of ground to cover. The mid-season finale, which was all the way back in December, left us with some huge questions that need to be answered.
The HTGAWM mid-season premiere hit the ground running, which is a great sign for what’s to come. The show picked up right where we left off with Michaela and Connor being charged for Asher’s murder and Annalise attempting to escape. We even got a few flashbacks to fill in some of the blanks from the shroom-fueled night before graduation.
Let’s start with those blanks because they were probably my least favorite part of the episode. Tragically, any hope we had of Asher redeeming himself in any way is officially dashed.
The loyal, loving guy that we knew for the entire HTGAWM series went down as a coward who completely betrayed everyone who cared about him.
While I thought that his visit to Bonnie’s house may have been an attempt to make amends and help save everyone from what he’d done, it was the complete opposite.
Instead, the visit was simply an attempt to get Bonnie to say something incriminating. Bonnie. The woman he loved, who he knows has already been through way more than any human should have to handle.
It didn’t stop there, either. He did the same thing to Frank, who has legitimately been his friend. The one saving grace from these scenes was how smart and hurt Bonnie and Frank were.
Bonnie knew immediately what Asher was doing, and they were both so heartbreakingly crushed that he turned on them. They’ve both really grown to care about these kids, but Asher was also special to them both for different reasons.
We still don’t know what happened with Asher and Gabriel or how he actually died, but I can’t see them turning things around for him now.
Asher’s story and life ended in cowardice and duplicity. Even if he did do it for his family. That connection is just too thin to justify what he did based on everything HTGAWM has ever shown us.
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Let’s jump over to another character who was the victim of poor decision making in this episode of HTGAWM. Annalise Keating, aka Justine, who was taken to Mexico. You know, the place where her biggest adversaries, the Castillos, almost definitely have eyes and ears everywhere? Yeah, that place.
I doubt Tegan, who we now know had a hand in helping Annalise, knew where she would be taken, but somebody really dropped the ball on this extraction. Maybe that’s why Annalise decided not to go through with it.
It was so strange to see her so scared and uncertain throughout this episode. Then again, maybe she regretted her choice to abandon the people who were counting on her and decided to right her wrong. Either way, she’s likely on her way to a court hearing as we speak.
If she is, I’m terrified to see her reaction when Michaela and Connor testify against her. They’ve been through so much together, and she’s protected them through all of it.
For them to have to lie about her involvement in Sam’s murder will definitely be a tough pill to swallow. I was kind of banking on Annalise’s escape sticking so Michaela and Connor wouldn’t actually have to go through with the testimony.
Even though their decision to take the deal is bittersweet, I loved all the scenes leading up to it. Jack Falahee and Aja Naomi King were at their best in the HTGAWM mid-season premiere, painstakingly portraying the hopelessness, disbelief, and anguish that their characters were feeling as they were brought in for questioning.
Conrad Ricamora was equally exquisite in the role of the grieving husband with a guilty conscience. His desperation was palpable and his suspicion of Bonnie was so indicative of everything he’s been through. I’m so glad Bonnie was able to get him bail, even though I’m still not convinced that his blow wasn’t Asher’s ultimate downfall.
I love that Michaela and Connor still managed to be their brilliant and compassionate selves throughout the whole experience. It was so heartwarming that they advocated for each other, each being willing to take the stand alone while the other enjoyed the same perks. Their friendship has developed so beautifully over the course of HTGAWM, and they both made me feel so much in this episode.
I was so glad that Michaela had her father with her and that he promised to help her become a lawyer, no matter what. But, is it just me or was he looking very suspicious at the end of the episode?
Does he have some ulterior motive to take Annalise down? Is he just trying to push Michaela to make that process easier? I really hope not, but I definitely got weird vibes from him after they took the deal.
I’m also nervous that Connor’s medical emergency could have larger implications for him than what we’ve seen. It’s possible that the attach was simply included in the HTGAWM mid-season premiere to show how ruthless the FBI agents are, but they made such a huge deal about it that I think it has to be something bigger.
In other bad news, everyone seems to think that the Castillos are behind everything, from deleting the footage at the Keating Hive to killing Asher. The Castillos definitely need to be dealt with before HTGAWM is over, so that would make sense. However, I hope there’s a little more to it than that, since this is the show’s final mystery.
Another mystery on the table, is what’s up with the funeral? Annalise’s disappearance definitely didn’t last long enough for her to be declared dead, so maybe she actually will die in HTGAWM season 6! Also, when is Wes going to make an appearance?
We also need to know what Gabriel’s up to. He obviously took Asher’s check, but does that mean that he gave him his phone or that he killed Asher? Also, why was he lying to the FBI? So many questions!
Luckily, it wouldn’t be HTGAWM if we weren’t exactly this confused, so we’re right on track. We can’t wait to find out even more in the next episode!
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