The second season of HTGAWM instantly puts us in a familiar setting, Annalise Keating’s (Viola Davis) classroom. Connor Walsh (Jack Falahee) is caught daydreaming about boys, so Annalise calls on him to answer a question, before Wes Gibbins (Alfred Enoch) enters and surprises everyone. A flashback shows Anna and Frank Delfino (Charlie Weber) planning to get rid of Rebecca Sutter’s (Katie Findlay) body. Back in class, the questioning turns to Michaela Pratt (Aja Naomi King).
Another flashback shows Frank putting Rebecca’s body in Sam’s suitcase. Anna insists Wes can never find out about this, but Frank reveals that Wes committed the murder. They argue about the identity of the murderer. In the present, Wes is called on and refuses to answer. Back at home, Wes is ridiculed by Frank for his behavior, while Michaela and Laurel Castillo (Karla Souza) childishly argue back and forth. Frank is forced to separate the two.
Bonnie (Liza Weil) and Anna watch a news segment about a murder trial, in which two siblings are accused of killing their parents. Frank gets Anna alone and tells her about his concerns for Wes. Next, Annalise meets with Caleb (Kendrick Sampson) and Catherine Hapstall (Amy Okuda), who were just shown on television. Annalise ridicules the couple for getting adopted into the family and then killing their adoptive parents. She leaves behind a business card, when their current defense attorney arrives.
When she returns home, Anna tells the team that they’ll manipulate the defense attorney into making a mistake, so they can swoop in and take over. Anna gets angry and tells them to do their work or get out. Eve Rothlow (Famke Janssen) arrives and startles Annalise. The pair escape to privacy and discuss Nate. Eve is a death row attorney, who Asher (Matt McGorry) refers to as a liberal. Eve continues questioning Anna, if she and Nate killed Sam.
Eve initially refuses to take on the case, but eventually caves in an agrees to help. Oliver (Conrad Ricamora) hacks into the lawyer’s network, before Conrad shows up naked. Oliver turns him down and insists they must wait. Conrad agrees to remain celibate for 13 more days. Next, Wes works on the case, before searching for Jane Does in the area. Frank alerts Annalise to Wes’s computer activity, but she still believes in Wes’s innocence. However, she does agree to help Frank uncover the truth.
Anna calls Wes into her office and attempts to get to the bottom of his problems. She gives Wes information regarding Rebecca’s location, before Laurel and Bonnie enter with evidence against the siblings. Laurel confronts Bonnie and attempts to pry out information about Rebecca. Laurel speaks to the sibling’s lawyer and turns over information, which supposedly traps Helena Hapstall (Joan McMurtrey) in a lie.
In court, the lawyer presents the evidence and it shows that Helena wasn’t home, at the time. Asher spills the beans about his relationship with Bonnie, before he blows her off for the night. Conrad and Michaela confront Frank about eggs 911 and believe the person Rebecca texted will come after them. Frank insists it isn’t a concern. Meanwhile, Wes heads to the motel, with Frank following him. Eve meets with Nate (Billy Brown) and questions him. The pair immediately get off to a bad start.
Nate admits he doesn’t trust Annalise and blames her for framing him. Nate calls Annalise and reveals that Eve turned down his case. He swears he’ll bring her down, if he goes to prison. Eve confronts Annalise and accuses her of framing Nate. She ridicules Annalise and tell her to stay away. Next, Michaela looks at the phone and the Eggs 911 text. She sends the individual a message.
Back in the courtroom, Helena is still being questioned. The prosecutor shows the unedited piece of evidence, which shuts down the defense and swings things into Annalise’s hands. That night, Annalise meets with Wes and prepare to eat. Wes confronts her about lying about Rebecca. Wes continues to insist that Rebecca ran away. The pair apologize to one another. Meanwhile, Frank watches as Michaela makes a profile on a dating app. Laurel pays him a visit and questions whether or not Rebecca is dead.
Frank sends her away, before attempting to quell her worries. Next, Frank attempts to convince Anna that Laurel is the killed. Annalise insists he is wrong, before she pays a visit to Bonnie. A flashback shows Bonnie bringing water to Rebecca in the basement. Bonnie tells a sob story and admits she grew up and stopped playing the victim. Bonnie tapes Rebecca’s mouth and puts a plastic bag over her head.
In the present, Annalise scolds Bonnie for keeping things a secret. Bonnie promises she did it for Anna, but Anna says she did it for Sam and labels her a monster. Annalise leaves and speaks to Eve. She admits she is the cause of many people’s ruin. Eve recalls Anna leaving her for her therapist. She finally admits to framing Nate and protecting the murderer. The pair wind up kissing and making out heavily.
Next, Annalise meets with the accused siblings and gives them instructions. She seals the deal and takes over the case. Next, Eve takes over Nate’s case. Conrad moves in with Oliver. Annalise groups the team together and takes them to a club, so they can forget about their worries. Meanwhile, Asher is confronted about something happening at Trotter Lake. He is questioned about Eve and he admits she was at Annalise’s house.
Michaela leaves her bag behind and Eggs 911 texts back twice. Helena Hapstall is discovered dead in a car. Bonnie watches the news, before calling Anna. Meanwhile, Catherine paints a portrait of her paints and Caleb admits he likes it. The show flashes forward 2 months earlier and shows us the Hapstall mansion. Gunshots ring out from inside and Wes is shown running from the scene. Annalise is shown inside shot.
HTGAWM Review
Well, the critically acclaimed How To Get Away With Murder is back. Things jumped right back where they originally left off. There were some good and bad aspects of the season’s pilot. First, Rebecca’s murder mystery didn’t excite me at all. It was lackluster compared to Lila’s murder and this may wind up hurting the entire season. Also, Eva arrives and Annalise is suddenly a lesbian. I don’t recall her even edging that way in the previous season. Definitely a shoddy attempt to shock or continue down the road of political correctness. Who knows?
Finally, the episode got interesting in the last 2 minutes. The siblings are not compelling, but Wes shooting Annalise, which likely doesn’t happen, is a reason to keep watching. A 6 out of 10. Be sure to catch up with our previous HTGAWM recaps now!
Jay Skelton is a fan of all television shows and movies. He tries his best to keep up with the latest foreign television shows and movies. Jay loves skinny dipping in the dark too.
