S01.E01: Pilot

[Stinger97]

Annalise Keating is a tough as nails Criminal Law Professor and when Wes Gibbins starts his first day at Middleton University, he has no clue what he's walking into. In her class, "How to Get Away with Murder," Annalise challenges her students to solve some of the most difficult criminal cases that her law firm takes on, and in the end, she selects a group of the smartest, most promising students to come work for her. The competition is on and the students will stop at nothing to make sure they get to the head of her class. While Annalise seems to have it all together, we soon learn that her clients' secrets aren't the only ones she's keeping. Meanwhile, in flash-forwards, we learn that the price of impressing Annalise might just be too much for some, when a group of four students, Wes, Connor Walsh, Michaela Pratt and Laurel Castillo get involved in their own murder mystery cover up.

[Primetimer]

Resistance is futile, so pour some red wine and assimilate with her latest sure-to-be-hit, How To Get Away With Murder.

Read the story

[Louise]

I think I'm going to watch this and NOT watch Scandal anymore.

[Dirtybubble]

You can't not watch

Well sure you can--just don't feed into ABC's idea that TGIT is a thing now.

[Guest Accused Dingo]

Never liked Greys but love Scandal so 50/50 I will like this but I am so in for a look.

Edited September 25, 2014 by Accused Dingo

[whack-a-mole]

It seems like a train wreck, but I'm probably going to love the wreckage. Seems my level of bad tv that's somehow enthralling as it crashes and burns.

[blackwing]

Viola Davis could read a phone book and she'd be compelling.  I love the way she intones "How to get away with murder".  The brief pauses between words, the way the "murder" comes out, everything about it is perfect.

 

I'm calling it now, she will win the Emmy next year.  Anyone but Julianne Margulies again, please.

[OjaiHoney]

still hanging with Grey's since I put 9 years into watching, LOVE Scandal and think I will love GTGAWM too. I guess I'm a ShondaLand groupie

[Shades of Red]

As a lucky Canadian I don't have to wait until 10 pm to watch this!  Have to say it didn't live up to my expectations but I will be back.  Not a spoiler so much as an observation - another show that seems to scrimp on lighting.  I know that some of the scenes take place at night/in not well lit areas in real life, but let's face it, if you want to show me something important at least make sure I can actually see it.

 

I really don't like the flashback stuff. Maybe I wasn't paying close enough attention but I got a little confused at times when the show flashed back. The flashbacks weren't long enough in some cases and didn't make sense in others.

 

I removed the spoiler notification as the show has now aired and my comment doesn't give anything away to anyone who watched it.

Edited September 26, 2014 by Shades of Red

[Syndicate]

The students are cartoons so far!  Reminds me of Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy, no dog is present so far, so no Scooby.

[TomGirl]

Yowza! Pretty riveting episode. Now let's see if they can keep it up!

[dizzyd]

That turned out to be quite underwhelming and predictable.

[SistaLadybug]

If half the episode continues to be that dark, I'm gonna have a hard time hanging in.  But I love Viola and I'm intrigued, so I'm gonna stick with it.

[janeta]

Having worked in law firms for thirty years and knowing many lawyers and law students--this isn't going to fly for me. Love Viola Davis, but I will not be able to suspend my disbelief far enough to not spend an hour rolling my eyes.

Oh--and who played the defendant (Gina?)?

Edited September 26, 2014 by janeta

[Llama]

This is the bomb!!! I figured right about who was dead. Not really sure what that says about me though - other than maybe I can get away with murder or I watch too many crime shows!!! LOL

[Syndicate]

So the professor slaughtered her husband and her students are going to burn him to dispose of him?  Sigh!

[bagatelle]

I liked it, but I wish they didn't spoon feed us with flashbacks to remind us the guy on the stand is her lover and the guy dead on the ground is her husband.  I can figure this out myself and it's more fun to do so.

[alias1]

I can't believe how boring that was.  They are all caricatures instead of real people. 

[Syndicate]

I'm hoping that the boyfriend did it but Annalise is unaware of it.  I'd hate to think that Annalise has done this and set her students up in the process.

[Llama]

They certainly can't burn him with just lighter fluid lol! I'm in for the show so far. Love me some Viola.

[SimoneS]

This is okay. I will keep watching because of Viola, but I found those students damn annoying. Only the black guy was tolerable.

 

I did not figure out who had been murdered until almost the end. I bet the students think that Viola's character did it, but it was really one of his students who he was sleeping with or maybe one of their boyfriends. His reaction to the death of the student makes me think that he was sleeping with her and a bunch of other students.

[Saint TV]

I'm a real lawyer so I seriously hated this. I can swallow a lot of BS but not THIS much.

[silverwings]

Can someone clarify - it looks like int he previews that the prof is alive.  So is the show going to work in a split timeline showing the leadup to the murder/after the murder?  Are we going to stay in one timeline until we get to the actual murder (as to why they did it?).  I have to say, I was kinda expecting it to be no-name student 5 since he wasn't part of the core group.

[Maude]

I enjoyed this first episode. Kinda soapy and unrealistic, yes, but still kept me watching...what's TV for but escapism! I'm a big fan of Viola Davis though, so that may have influenced my perception of the show as a whole. So far it's sexy, dark and entertaining.

Edited September 26, 2014 by Maude

[KaveDweller]

His reaction to the death of the student makes me think that he was sleeping with her and a bunch of other students.

 

I thought he was sleeping with the other lawyer in the firm, the one played by Paris from Gilmore Girls.  She had a weird look on her face when he came in that I thought was significant.  But he could certainly have been sleeping with her too.

 

I liked this more than I thought.  I am interested in how the husband ends up murdered and how the students end up with the body.  I thought it was going to be the fifth student who was picked to work at the firm.

 

Do first-year law students really get to work in firms like that?

[Eolivet]

If half the episode continues to be that dark, I'm gonna have a hard time hanging in.

 

Me too. It was really dark. I understand Shonda Rhimes didn't create it, and you can tell, because it lacks her trademark banter. There's no joy in the characters -- even evil joy. And the acting (save Davis) wasn't strong enough to sell it as a serious drama either, at least for me. The show needs one more solid adult character to balance all the law students/newbies, and Annalise's associates don't cut it.

 

I sort of want to know what happens, but I'm not sure if I want to watch...if that makes any sense.

[Amethyst]

I found the students to be pretty two dimensional and aggravating except for Wes.  

 

Anyone else think Bonnie (aka "Paris Geller") was having sex with Keating's husband?

 

I'll give it a chance.  Shonda's shows are usually a turn off for me because of the soapy nature, but Viola Davis and Alfred Enoch are too awesome for me not to tune in.

[bagatelle]

They certainly can't burn him with just lighter fluid lol! I'm in for the show so far. Love me some Viola.

 

Why not?  They arranged the wood and doused him with the whole can, is the not enough for a bonfire?

 

I'm a real lawyer so I seriously hated this. I can swallow a lot of BS but not THIS much.

 

What was the one most glaring bit of ridiculousness that stood out to you?  Other than she made her students miss their other classes  in order to sit in the courtroom.

[dizzyd]

So the professor slaughtered her husband and her students are going to burn him to dispose of him?  Sigh!

He was murdered because he killed the girl found in the water tower and burning him would destroy the DNA that would link him and therefore the professor to that crime.  He was the dead girl's "bf" or at least the prof knew he was banging the dead girl.

[wanderingstar]

My God, Viola Davis was wonderful in this. I'll probably continue to watch just for her. I couldn't make myself care one iota about that aspirin murder plot. Ditto the dead body the students were trying to get rid of.

 

The students are cartoons so far!

 

 

They bugged. I wanted less of them and more of Annalise. I also enjoyed seeing Tom Verica as her husband. Have always liked him.

Edited October 2, 2014 by Gillian Rosh

[Tickletock]

I found the characters either uninteresting or unpleasant, the plot ridiculous and the constant time shifts frippery.

I wish they'd just brought back The Paper Chase. That I loved.

[Llama]

Why not?  They arranged the wood and doused him with the whole can, is the not enough for a bonfire?

I should have more so said burn him that quickly. That would need to burn a long time to do some damage no? They seemed to be in an area that would get noticed quickly if there was a fire.

[marieYOTZ]

I'm a real lawyer too, and i just don't care. I like whacko lawyer shows.

As per usual i'd say the most 'ridiculous' bit was how easily they got the video into evidence. I wish every day it was that easy. No foundation laying, just 'i'm going to play this video now. Trials would be shorter and juries would be less bored.

Also, as per usual with law and order type shows, the idea that she was retained a couple weeks ago and now it's time for trial is pretty silly. Real life it would peobably be in processing for 9 months.

But whatever. "The wheels of justice grind slow" does not make for good TV.

[picklesprite]

Well, I guess I'm glad to get my Thursdays back. I've dropped Scandal, and I don't like the new show at all, and turned it off after the first half hour. I do like the actor who plays the cutiepie nice kid who didn't get the email about the homework for the first class. if only the other characters seemed even half as genuine as he. The actors must all be exhausted from that rushed pace. I picture a director with a stopwatch, yelling GO! Instead of Action. For me, that pace works okay for Scandal, where the fate of the world is at stake every 15 seconds, but not in an academic setting.

[Amethyst]

Was I the only one thinking that what the kids were doing in the present time was not disposing of a real body, but participating in some type of class assignment to stage a murder and get away with it without being detected?  It wasn't until they actually showed the body at the end that I was convinced there really had been a murder.  

 

No, I thought the same.  I was expecting to see Prof. Keating waiting for them in the woods with a stopwatch.

Edited September 26, 2014 by Amethyst

[omgsowicked]

I don't normally go for this kind of show but I enjoyed it. I had been very apprehensive because based on the promos, I thought all the characters seemed wholly unlikable (like, not a single interesting, redeemable, worthwhile thing about them) but they weren't as bad as I was expecting. Still, I really hope they've made character improvements between the pilot and the rest of the season because it was really too much... Wes was the only likeable, human person on the show. Well, actually that quiet girl was decent, too. They don't all need to be total sweethearts but they're too cartoonish right now.

 

I was really surprised that they revealed who was murdered... I thought maybe they'd reveal it in the S1 finale. But in the pilot? Wow. @silverwings, I thought it was going to be the jackass student, too. I was also surprised that they kept doing flashbacks between the past and present. That might get old, we'll see, but for now I thought it was interesting. I'll keep tuning in.

[KaveDweller]

Was I the only one thinking that what the kids were doing in the present time was not disposing of a real body, but participating in some type of class assignment to stage a murder and get away with it without being detected?

That's what I thought at the begining, but when they did the "3 Months Earlier" thing I thought it must be real.

The 4 students disposing of a body in the woods reminded me of this really weird book I read once.  I can't remember the name though.

[bagatelle]

Does Davis have some type of limp in real life?  Every time they showed her walking she seemed to be favoring one leg.  

 

I noticed her walk, as well.  I thought it was the heels she may not be used to wearing and I found her gait a bit distracting. 

 

Although, now that I think about it, it's not a bad thing. It's realistic. I love Davis and how much more natural she is than all those other TV actresses.

[MizStaken]

Kave, I know the book of which you speak, read it for a bookclub. Damned if I can remember the name though.

Confused about this show, seemed awfully hurried and rushed. Too many things going on and I hate the back and forth thing.

Hey but man on man action, I'm in!

[rlc]

During the news broadcast at the end did the reporter say that the girl was found in the water tank, or was that the reveal that the husband may have been involved when he said water tank? Wasn't watching that carefully.

That's what I thought at the begining, but when they did the "3 Months Earlier" thing I thought it must be real.

The 4 students disposing of a body in the woods reminded me of this really weird book I read once.  I can't remember the name though.

KaveDweller- was it Killing Mr. Griffin by Lois Duncan?

[blackwing]

I thought this was fantastically riveting. Viola Davis is a powerhouse. I thought it was well written. Love the three months flash forward plot device of showing the four trying to dispose of a body, and giving us glimpses of these "future" events in bits and pieces. Will be cool when the two timelines meet. Looking forward to seeing what led to the husband's death.

If I had one complaint... there is ONE Asian character in the episode, and he turns out to be a complete Fresh off the Boat nerd? Complete with nerdy glasses and buck teeth and gape mouth? All that they needed was for him to say "ahh so" and he'd be right out of a Charlie Chan movie. Disappointing.

I'm wondering if the prettyboy white boy student actually gay, or if he just went with it so he could get the information he needed.

What I most like about this show is that Viola Davis' character is so complicated. She acts like this tough professor but then we find out she's really human after all. She is having an affair, she confesses the affair to her student and cries and shows vulnerability, but then she's also so open in front of her associates about going upstairs to have sex with her husband.

Looking forward to the next episode.

Edited September 26, 2014 by blackwing

[yinsy]

re: "Hogwarts's only black student with a speaking role in the Harry Potter films"

Not true! How could you forget Blaise Zabini?

[portia7]

Where was the 5th student during all the break in and fire?

[lassiecat]

re: "Hogwarts's only black student with a speaking role in the Harry Potter films"

Not true! How could you forget Blaise Zabini?

And what about Magnitude? Pop! Pop!

I spent the first 55 minutes thinking they were going with a 'Teaching Mrs. Tingle' plot and we'd see Viola in the rug. I was all ready to say I told you so, so I was happy they didn't go in what I thought was the obvious direction. But now I think that still would have been more interesting than the cheating husband.

I think Viola's walk stands out because Kerry W glides so effortlessly on Scandal. But yeah, V is a bit lumbery.

[Amethyst]

I'm wondering if the prettyboy white boy student actually gay, or if he just went with it so he could get the information he needed.

 

I thought the latter as well, but the show's creator (Pete Nowalk, Shonda is the producer) confirmed that Connor is definitely gay.  I was also thrown because it looked like he was flirting with Michaela several times during the pilot.

[topanga]

 

The students are cartoons so far!  Reminds me of Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy, no dog is present so far, so no Scooby.

But we have our very own Oliva Pope/Kerry Washington wanna be!

 

The pilot was OK. I'll keep watching because Viola Davis is so awesome.

[shapeshifter]

Weird show. Kind of like a mashup of Law & Order, Perception, and Cult, but--fortunately--without any stabby stuff so far.

[Rick Kitchen]

Having worked in law firms for thirty years and knowing many lawyers and law students--this isn't going to fly for me. Love Viola Davis, but I will not be able to suspend my disbelief far enough to not spend an hour rolling my eyes.

Oh--and who played the defendant (Gina?)?

 

According to imdb, her name is Andrea Syglowski.

 

I do not believe for a moment that they are actually burning the husband's body.  They can't have four show regulars involved in a murder.  It just ain't gonna happen.  I liked Wes, and he's an innocent, so his being involved in a murder is just impossible.

 

I don't know that I like having a main character so flawed, though.  Having an affair already?  Damn.

 

How did the prosecution get the video tape of the defendant buying aspirin into evidence?  Didn't that violate procedure, as much as the defense's video?

[Chicago Redshirt]

What was the one most glaring bit of ridiculousness that stood out to you?  Other than she made her students miss their other classes  in order to sit in the courtroom.

 

I don't know if you can go with just a single bit of ridiculousness. So here are some that come off the top of my head:

 

1. The structure of the law school class itself. The class is billed as an intro to crim law, which is pretty structured and narrow. No law school would allow a professor to use her students en masse to staff her real-world cases like Prof. Keating does. Nor does it make sense that she would hire second-year students when she has access (presumably) to more advanced students or actual lawyers. But putting that all aside...

 

2. The notion, as someone said above, you just roll into trial and there are surprises is a fictional one. So stuff like the videotape isn't going to be discovered midtrial or catch Prof. Keating by surprise. Even assuming that somehow the video was discovered at the last minute, the prosecution couldn't just spring it on the defense in court like that. They'd have to disclose it to the defense first, outside the presence of the jury, and there would be a fight over whether it was admissible.

 

3. Like on most TV shows, the questions from the lawyers are exaggerated and clumsy. You would never ask people questions as open-ended like how Prof. Keating accused the business partner of planning the murder so he could have the company all to himself. You'd ask him questions that lead up to that point where he'd have to admit things and then argue the rest in your closing.

 

4. If a single thing stood out for me, though, it was the detective admitting that he personally knew of instances when the Philly PD had altered digital pictures. Seems career-suicidal to admit that under oath (in addition to it being another example of something that would never come in to evidence that way.).

 

I do give the show credit in one sense though -- as far as I could tell, the possibility is still strong that the defendant did it in concert with the wife. Most tv shows featuring defense attorneys have the defense attorneys representing only factually innocent clients.

 

I do not believe for a moment that they are actually burning the husband's body.  They can't have four show regulars involved in a murder.  It just ain't gonna happen.  I liked Wes, and he's an innocent, so his being involved in a murder is just impossible.

I don't know that I like having a main character so flawed, though.  Having an affair already?  Damn.

 

To compare it to Scandal, most of the lead characters have either carried out or covered up murder. And the central romance of that show involves an affair between the lead character and the very married president. So I think it shouldn't be too out there that Shonda and co. would go there.

 

Rather than any/all of the four students being killers, my money's on the four finding the hubby's body at the office/home, jumping to the (wrong) conclusion that Prof. Keating did it, and deciding that since they idolize everything about her so, that they should cover it up for her.

Edited September 26, 2014 by Chicago Redshirt

[wales260]

As a lawyer that was born and raised in Philly, the first 20 mins were rough:

 

- Nice bike ride through the palatial college campus in the middle of West Philly through "What's-a-UPenn?"'s campus

 

- "She's a ball-buster sure, but I spent my summer interning for Chief Justice Roberts, so..."

 

- "Unlike many of my colleagues, I will not be teaching you the law or theorizing about it, but rather how to practice it, in a courtroom, like a real lawyer."

 

- Said courtroom seems to take place in the first floor of City Hall, as Philadelphia is a two-horse town that has all government functions in one building à la Pawnee

 

Couldn't they just have made her class a Trial Advocacy class with her as the infamous adjunct professor intimidating 2Ls who would actually care about litigation fighting for her approval and a spot at the (presumably) noted defense firm? This would have spared the ridiculousness of forcing each of the 120+ students in class designed to teach black letter criminal law to present completely distinct defense theories on the 2nd(!) day of class after just learning what both actus reus and mens rea are. Then the students wouldn't have to immediately violate the ban on 1Ls having jobs by either (1) outright working for her immediately, or (2) work for her in a litigation clinic.

 

Once they got to the teacher's character arc, though, it was getting better. I'm hoping that they hammer out the easy details over the next few episodes. Either that or I'll break out the whiskey so my stupid brain stops pointing out stuff I shouldn't care about.

Edited September 26, 2014 by wales260