Michaela Pratt: Shooting Star

[Chicago Redshirt]

I think Michaela deserves her own thread after raising the rhetorical question "When have I ever done something stupid?" in a recent episode.

 

Off the top of my head, I would have to include:

 

1. Not noticing her fiance may be on the down low

2. Losing her fiance's ring during the coverup of the murder

3. Not being able to keep her stuff together during Christmas break, generally

4. Freaking out when her fiance shared a friendly moment in public with someone who happens to be a man.

5. Even THINKING about slapping Lynn Whitfield.

6. Trying to go to the cops to confess

7. Stealing the trophy from Asher

8. Stealing (or trying to steal) Laurel's magical outline

9. Being the most transparent of the Murder Four that something is awry

10. Calling Wes instead of Annalise or the cops when Sam freaked out.

11. Not checking Sam for a pulse after she pushed him over the railing apparently accidentally.

12. Not calling the cops when it appeared Sam had died by accident

 

I have a feeling as the series proceeds, there will be plenty more.

[helenamonster]

At least I think we were supposed to be like "ummm..." when Michaela said that line, considering the "jigga whaaa???" look Laurel gave her.

Edited February 21, 2015 by helenamonster

[samhalliwell]

At least I think we were supposed to be like "ummm..." when Michaela said that line, considering the "jigga whaaa???" look Laurel gave her.

 

I was a little bit frustrated when no one answered her. Laurel could have totally taken that cue or even go-to snarker Connor, but I guess letting it slide seemed better to the writers (didn't take, at least in my opinion, LOL).

Edited February 21, 2015 by samhalliwell

[wanderingstar]

I've always been intrigued by Michaela - especially when we learned via her fiance's mother that she came from humble beginnings. Likewise, she made a seemingly throwaway comment to Connor about being able to reinvent herself if they confessed because she done it before.

 

I enjoyed her in this most recent episode ("Mama's Here Now") I found her concern for Nate quite poignant.

[Chicago Redshirt]

With the finale, I have a lot more respect for Michaela. The Michaela at the beginning of the season, I think, would have warmly taken to Aiden's mom's implicit offer of "Be my son's beard and live in luxury for the rest of your life."

[ribboninthesky1]

I'm not so sure about that.  The way she laid into him post "Connor relationship" reveal suggested to me that there was only so much she'd tolerate, and being a beard wasn't part of that list.  As I recall, after Connor dropped the bombshell, they had a fight, Aiden left town early, and Michaela hadn't bothered to reach out to him.  He had to sneak into her apartment (dorm?) just to talk to her because she wouldn't return his phone calls.  I perceived that Michaela had serious doubts about them, and wasn't in a hurry to reconcile. Her ultimatum confirmed she wasn't interested in being a beard.  

 

What they did around Sam's murder was the catalyst for her going to Aiden's mother and agreeing to the pre-nup.  I read it like she was grabbing for any sense of normalcy in the midst of chaos, and that was her life preserver.  Once she believed that all that shit they pulled to save Rebecca was futile since Rebecca looked guilty for Lila's murder, I think she realized how much of an illusion things were, especially given the manner in which Aiden ended their engagement, and thought, "Fuck it." 

 

In any case, I always liked Michaela.  She never struck me as stupid, and was the most interesting of the students for me.  Especially after the "even if I go to prison, I can reinvent myself" spiel, which indicated to me that she was the one with the strongest survival instinct.  I suspect that was meant to be Laurel, but the writing wasn't there for me.

 

It's a shame that she and Annalise never really talked, as her life seemed to parallel Annalise's the most in terms being upwardly mobile.  I would have preferred that kind of interaction vs more Annalise/Wes scenes.  

[dirtypop90]

Michaela does seem to have a lot in common with Annalise, but also Wes. It's a bit odd that her and Wes have little to no interaction. Of the Keating kids, they're the only two from humble beginnings and well...they're both black in what appears to be a predominately white, top law school. As a person of color who has attended predominately white schools, their lack of camaraderie sticks out to me. I don't expect them to be besties but I do expect a chat or "nod" every now and then. lol For instance, a chat between Michaela and wes about them setting up an innocent black man for murder since Michael raised that concern to Annalise would've worked.

Edited March 8, 2015 by dirtypop90

[wanderingstar]

I don't expect them to be besties but I do expect a chat or "nod" every now and then. lol For instance, a chat between Michaela and wes about them setting up an innocent black man for murder since Michael raised that concern to Annalise would've worked.

 

This is an excellent point. So far, their interactions have been mostly about Michaela's resentment that a) Wes was so hellbent on protecting Rebecca, and b) the special treatment Wes gets from Annalise. I'd love to see more interaction between them.

[ribboninthesky1]

Wes didn't have much interaction with any of the students until Sam's murder.  I can see Michaela, along with the others, being resentful that Wes was favored by Annalise very early on, when it didn't appear to be earned.  So there were barriers to bonding from the jump. 

 

Also, it makes sense to me that Michaela wouldn't have much to say to him afterwards, given that he was all about Rebecca. I don't know why Michaela would want to talk to him about Nate when they all risked their lives because Wes was invested in a white woman's innocence.    

 

ETA: missed the Gillian's post above, so apologies for the redundant comment.   

Edited March 8, 2015 by ribboninthesky1

[dirtypop90]

Even if there is resentment from Michaela, it's just odd that I can remember key moments of interaction with every other pairing of the keating 5 except them. Even if there was resentment, you'd think we'd get a scene between them clearly showing that. Connor and Wes have had those scenes, and we've had several scenes of Connor and Michaela bickering since the beginning. We've seen Asher teasing them both. They both have some form of established relationship with Laurel.

 

It actually really stands out now that I'm doing a re watch with my mother. Michaela and Wes can be sitting right next to each other and just not say one word to each other. They don't talk, tease, throw insults, nada. They never work together on the case of the week. I wonder if they're just trying to spread the black kids around lol

Edited March 8, 2015 by dirtypop90

[wanderingstar]

It actually really stands out now that I'm doing a re watch with my mother. Michaela and Wes can be sitting right next to each other and just not say one word to each other. They don't talk, tease, throw insults, nada. They never work together on the case of the week. I wonder if they're just trying to spread the black kids around lol

 

Ha! But seriously, I hope this changes in season 2. I've seen Alfie Enoch and Aja Naomi King doing promotional appearances for the show, and they're adorable and fun together. I hope the writers craft more opportunities for Wes and Michaela to interact next season. 

 

And overall, I hope that we learn more about Michaela and her background. She's become a far more intriguing character than I'd initially thought she would be.

Edited March 9, 2015 by Gillian Rosh

[dirtypop90]

I hope to learn more about Michaela's background as well, and single, ready to mingle Michaela, as shown at the end of the finale, should be a lot of fun to watch too.

[l star]

I think by the finale, Michaela was truly realizing how far to hell everything had gone. She signed the prenup to try and protect herself by jumping into that ivory tower she had envisioned. By the finale, the illusion of any possibility like that had passed and she was cutting her losses. She was no longer melting down over the murder. She was saying that she could get out of there, reinvent herself, and be fine. That line was all her, not Aiden and I can make it. Similarly, the relief of being off the hook had passed into guilt that she was letting a black man go on trial for a murder she committed, knowing what that meant. While she can panic and meltdown just like anyone else, when push came to shove I think that scrappiness is who she really is.

[kikaha]

 

I don't expect them to be besties but I do expect a chat or "nod" every now and then

 

A couple of thoughts: 

 

1.  For most of the season, Michaela considered herself light years above Wes, in intelligence, motivation, ability, and the boundless future she had mapped out for herself.  (This was true of the others in the K5 as well.)  Michaela saw herself as a princess, and Wes as a commoner.   

 

2.  Wes falling in love with freaky Rebecca lowered him even further in Michaela's estimation, IIRC. 

 

3.  Michaela doesn't seem to respond much racially -- to people or events.  Real or fake, she's mostly shut off or buried those triggers.  

 

4.  The show overall doesn't deal much with racial issues.  It could substitute black characters for white -- or vice versa -- and be just as believable (if the new characters were as strong: hard for me to picture anyone playing Annalise as well as Viola does).  I think the showrunners intentionally are blurring racial lines.  (And gender/sexuality lines as well.)   

 

Overall, I liked Michaela a lot more by the end of the season.  While the OP's list was both funny and mostly accurate, Michaela's instincts on #4 were right on. 

[starri]

"He's gay, Mrs. Walker.  Aiden's gay or bi or experimental or...I don't know what he is, but I think you do.  Or else you wouldn't be here scared and nervous, begging a girl you don't like very much to marry your son.  I'm sorry.  He doesn't love me.  But here's the thing:  I love me.  So I'm done."

 

It took Michaela a long time to become interesting, but by the time she finally snapped and put the smack down, she had become amazing.

 

In the S2 premiere, they seemed to show that she had gotten closer to Connor.  I hope they keep that up.

[dirtypop90]

Not enough of her in 2.01. Based on the dating stuff shown this ep, having a feeling her s/l will be being desperate sleeping with nobody or being desperate sleeping with everyone. Not looking forward to either. I would've preferred an s/l of her having a loving fiance and struggling to keep all of this b/s from him while planning the wedding etc.

 

Still feels she's just floating around and is the least cared for member of the keating 5 (writing wise). Laurel is linked to frank, lila's killer. asher is linked to bonnie, rebecca's killer plus his spying s/l. wes linked to annalise plus rebecca's story is still going. connor's special s/l with conrad. and michaela has...nothing

Edited September 26, 2015 by dirtypop90

[CabotCove]

Still feels she's just floating around and is the least cared for member of the keating 5 (writing wise)

 

I think they neglect Asher and Laurel more. We barely see Asher, and Laurel has been made to be all about Frank. 

 

Anyway I think Michaela had good moments in the S2 premiere, her and Connor, her and Laurel's growing friendships were cute. That scene with the gay guy was funny lol.

She is still fierce and outspoken, I like that. 

[Skyline]

Levi is gonna scare her off men for good. I think he's Eggs911. Michaela can't catch a break.

[jhlipton]

Aiden's mom certainly saw Michaela as a potential gold digger. Hence having her sign a prenup.

 

Didn't Aiden's mom have a change of heart?  Maybe I'm having a senior moment but I seem to recall her being friendly to Michaela before she dumped Aiden (which a true "gold-digger" wouldn't.

 

I think there's a lot of air between being a scrub and being worth millions or billions. The Michaela we've seen so far doesn't seem to make allowance for that space and is willfully and deliberately marketing herself in the millionaire or greater range even though she's not wealthy herself. No shame on her game, especially if she's able to pull it off, but it still seems mercenary to me. Of course, that doesn't make her much different from centuries of women and men who've sought wealthier mates and married for money.

 

Was Levi a millionaire?  Not that I recall, and she was into him before she found out that he was using her.

ALSO, It bothers me when a woman who marries "above her station" is called a "gold-digger" when there's no equivalent for the men.

[Chicago Redshirt]

Here's what happened with Michaela and Mama Aiden:

 

Mama Aiden hired a hoity-toity firm to draw up a prenup, and had them summon Michaela to their office to sign it in an apparent ambush. (She went in thinking she was to be interviewed about a job).

 

When Michaela refused, Mama Aiden showed up and had Michaela go to dinner to get her to sign the prenup. Things went south during the dinner and Michaela even tried to slap Mama Aiden. Mama Aiden said all this proved that she was right about Michaela being the bayou gutter trash that Mama Aiden always thought she was.

 

Then Sam's killing happened. Michaela of course was freaking out and barely concealing it. 

 

Over the winter break, Aiden and Michaela went to a party at Gracie Mansion (the home of the NYC mayor), where Michaela freaked out when she saw Aiden talking in an flirty-seeming way with a guy. Aiden then said that his parents had wanted Michaela to see a shrink and he disagreed, but because of her outburst, he thought he was wrong. He then broke up with Michaela.

 

Michaela was desperate enough to try to sign the prenup to get her engagement back on track. But at first it didn't seem to work.

 

Later, Mama Aiden invited her to another meal. The first thing out of Michaela's mouth was some legalese about how she was entitled to keep her expensive engagement ring. (granted, that might have been about an attempt to keep the discovery that she'd lost the real engagement ring, and got a fake a secret, so as to keep the coverup in place, rather than moneygrubbing.) Mama Aiden tried to say that Aiden and Michaela should be together. Michaela seemingly correctly sniffed this out as Mama Aiden knowing that Aiden was gay or had some other issue, and only wanting Michaela to get back with Aiden to cover that up. Mama Aiden's silence on this point seems clearly meant to signify that she couldn't dispute what Michaela was saying. Michaela talked about how she had envisioned a fairytale life with Aiden, but decided to put herself first.

 

The thing of it is, we never saw Michaela react to Aiden as someone she truly loved and wanted to spend her life with because of his personality rather than because through him, she could picture the perfect life.

 

She never acted like "Hey, I should share this deep secret with my soulmate." 

 

And if a fling with a guy some 12 years ago is enough to say, "I can't really do this relationship," I'd say it's just not based on much solid ground.

 

Now that may be a fault of the writing, or the acting on the part of either him or her. 

 

But the impression she leaves is she's the epitome of the women Frank was talking about who go to law school claiming they want to change the world, but then get a job in corporate law, and stay at home shortly after they get married. For the kids, of course.

 

The term "gold digger" might seem harsh, but I don't think there's getting around Michaela being very materialistic.

 

As for Levi, there was no implication that Michaela considered him as anything more than a hot rebound guy potentially capable of giving her Os. Whereas there seems (to me, anyway) to be something more to her relationship with Caleb.

 

It's funny...back when S1 first aired, I felt like it was odd that Michaela's sex scenes seemed tame compared to some of the other characters. In retrospect, maybe that wasbeing done purposefully to signify her limited ability to orgasm.

Edited November 16, 2015 by Chicago Redshirt

[dirtypop90]

We never saw much of Michaela/Aiden to really understand their relationship. But  Aiden rather easily breaking things off with Michaela during christmas, led me to believe he simply didn't care that much. she was standing their crying and begging and he was just like...I'm done. Michaela was clearly on edge and not acting herself, and even though Aiden didn't know why (the murder), he didn't show very much concern for her mental state. All he said to her was, "I can't marry you like this" It just didn't seem that he cared much for her. Based on what we have seen of Michaela in season 2, I do think she was hurt by the fact that he wasn't really into her, and it did affect her self esteem. Last ep, when Caleb simply told her he liked her, she looked at him like a guy had never been genuinely into her before. The scene played as if she just liked the fact that he liked her, which is well...very very sad.

 

Michaela and Aiden actually talked about the future in their scenes last season and when he mentioned kids, michaela made it clear she would be having one kid and they would be getting nannies because she would be working. She's definitely not the stay at home mom type. Michaela appeared to have high standards  because she was highly ambitious and goings places in her career, but I never felt as if she simply wanted to live off of man. She was always portrayed as the member of the K5 most serious about law school, even when she was engaged to aiden. I read her as wanting a partner who can help her reach her career goals, not simply wanting a rich man so she can live off of his riches.

 

But I do agree that if they have her pursue a relationship with caleb, it does make it seems as if $$ is the most important thing to her in choosing a mate. Aiden came from money but was also said to be intelligent and ambitious with a bright future ahead, which is why I totally got the pairing, but don't get caleb/michaela. What exactly does Caleb have going for him besides the money in his bank account? He doesn't seem to be very smart or to have any sort of plans for his future. Michaela being adopted is used as a means to get her into bed with Caleb, but I really don't see what she sees in him that would make her want to enter into a relationship with him.

Edited November 16, 2015 by dirtypop90

[DearEvette]

But I do agree that if they have her pursue a relationship with caleb, it does make it seems as if $$ is the most important thing to her in choosing a mate.

 

I would buy this is Caleb wasn't also completely hot.  I don't think his money hurts but nothing we've been shown about her would suggest it is the main thing she is looking for.

 

My read of Michaela matches what some others have said.  I don't see her as a gold-digger.  She doesn't use sex or wiles to try and land a man.  In fact, it doesn't feel as if she especially trying to land a man at all.  Post-Aiden,  her sexual self-esteem has taken a beating and she is trying to reclaim it.  Both Levi and Caleb are seriously good looking guys who both apparently have given her the Big O.  It feels like she wants a guy who just wants her with no shady motives behind it.

 

We never saw much of Michaela/Aiden to really understand their relationship.

 

Exactly.  I get the impression that Michaela isn't very sexually experienced -- hence the reason she didn't catch on that her fiance was gay -- and i get the impression she saw her romance with him as some sort of fairytale. Here is a woman  who came from a lowly, poor background and wants to climb out of that and marriage to Aiden would have done that.

 

But we have also been shown that she is also willing to work for it (she wants to study, get good grades, get access to the best teachers etc.).  And, imo, it isn't necessarily money that is her motivator.  I feel that what she wants more than anything  is respectability and status.    And in her mind to get that is to do exactly what rich people like the Ashers and Aidens of the world do all the time: go to a good school,  meet the right type of people, and create good connections both professionally and personally.    In the case of the Ashers & Aidens of the world, they do all of this to maintain their wealth and status but someone like Michaela it is to attain wealth & status.  Doesn't make her anymore of a gold-digger than it does them, imo.

[dirtypop90]

Caleb is good looking, that's a given, every person on this show is. So her being into him because he has money and is hot doesn't sound any better. If she just wants to play with him, cool, but her actually pursuing a serious relationship does indicate it's the $$ she's into because she can find a hot guy anywhere. There has to be something else she sees in him if she wants to be in a relationship with him and based on what we've seen of Caleb is has to be that he is well off. I guess I'm just convinced if Caleb was in a situation more like Rebecca's, where he went to foster care instead of being adopted by incredibly rich parents, Michaela would be looking to enter into a realationship with him. The writers made clear Levi wasn't her type and she was just looking for fun with him, and when she met the black guy before him at the bar, the first words out of her mouth were, "what do you do." So Michaela definitely has a type, and before this Caleb situation, I thought it was more intelligent, ambitious + having money doesn't hurt (Aiden) but now it feels like money is the deciding factor for her.

Edited November 16, 2015 by dirtypop90

[represent]

 

My read of Michaela matches what some others have said.  I don't see her as a gold-digger.  She doesn't use sex or wiles to try and land a man.  In fact, it doesn't feel as if she especially trying to land a man at all.  Post-Aiden,  her sexual self-esteem has taken a beating and she is trying to reclaim it.  Both Levi and Caleb are seriously good looking guys who both apparently have given her the Big O.  It feels like she wants a guy who just wants her with no shady motives behind it.

I'm with you.

 

Most, not all, but most of those women on the Housewives series seem like nothing but a bunch of golddiggers. Fake, just fake, weaves, purses, shoes, houses, cars  they can't afford but lining up for the nearest sucker to help them pay for it, now that's nothing but a bunch of materialistic women IMO. They come off as golddiggers to me. I just don't see Michaela in the same light. 

 

Now I'm not saying that Michaela isn't snob or isn't trying to distance herself from the life of poverty in which she grew up. I would even go so far as to say she's ashamed of it.  But, sorry, she's not some useless woman who uses her body to rake in some rich  man so that she can sit on her ass and spend all his money and do absolutely nothing for herself.  

 

I have never gotten the impression that if and when Michaela hooked herself a wealthy man that all her career ambitions would just disappear. I never got the impression that she did not like learning about the law. She admired Annalise the lawyer, and how powerful she appeared practicing her craft. They show her actually saying she wanted to be her one day. Yeah, that's not a golddigger. A golddigger doesn't admire career ambitions in other women because they have none of their own. Their only purpose in life is to find that man who has career ambitions that  will afford him with wealth that they can sit on their ass and live off of.

Edited November 16, 2015 by represent

[PrincessTT]

and when she met the black guy before him at the bar, the first words out of her mouth were, "what do you do." So Michaela definitely has a type, 

 

Are we really using that as a sign of a gold-digger?

That's just a standard ice-breaker question that people ask. 

 

If she had asked how much he earns then you may have a point, but asking what someone does is just taking an interest and starting to get to know someone. 

 

Until I've seen Michaela actively reject a guy based on his job / earnings / social standing then I'm not on board with labelling her a gold-digger. 

[Chicago Redshirt]

There are a few things that IMO should put Caleb in a no-fly zone romantically for Michaela:

 

1. He is their client. Yes, I know that she's not a lawyer yet. But the ethics of not sleeping with a client would still apply. Even if it didn't seem at best borderline, the negative example of Wes/Rebecca should set warning bells off.

 

2. There is at least some prospect that Caleb is a) an actual murderer and b) will be convicted as one. Sorry, but no matter how hot someone might be, I don't think I would go for it under those conditions. 

 

I will flip the script from PrincessTT and say until Michaela pursues a serious romantic relationship with someone whose net worth is less than $1 million, I'm not going to give her the benefit of the doubt as to her being a gold digger.

[ribboninthesky1]

I distinctly remember a scene between Aiden and Michaela - it was just after they had sex, and Aiden alluded to being less ambitious.  Michaela shut that down quickly. 

 

As others have stated, we didn't get much information on their relationship, but I think the show has established that Michaela is amibitious.  I doubt she attended law school for a MRS degree.  She's not looking for a come-up via a wealthy man.  I don't think she loved Aiden, either, but as already mentioned, she wanted someone as ambitious as she is.  Also, when shit hit the fan with Sam's murder, she doubled down on Aiden because she was desperate. 

 

But we have also been shown that she is also willing to work for it (she wants to study, get good grades, get access to the best teachers etc.).  And, imo, it isn't necessarily money that is her motivator.  I feel that what she wants more than anything  is respectability and status.    And in her mind to get that is to do exactly what rich people like the Ashers and Aidens of the world do all the time: go to a good school,  meet the right type of people, and create good connections both professionally and personally.    In the case of the Ashers & Aidens of the world, they do all of this to maintain their wealth and status but someone like Michaela it is to attain wealth & status.  Doesn't make her anymore of a gold-digger than it does them, imo.

 

In addition to the bolded, I also think she wants stability.  But that may be projection on my part - I grew up solidly working class, and I don't mess around with my money.  Any man I'm with needs to have it financially together as well.  Doesn't mean he has to be rich, but yeah...ain't no scrubs in this camp, hear?

 

Whatever Caleb's motivations are, I can see Michaela being drawn to him because of the adoptee connection.  That seemed to be what clicked for her the most at first, and once Levi was out of the picture, more romantic feelings came to the surface.  No doubt it was unwise to sleep with Caleb, but I think Michaela thought she was "in the clear" once Caleb and Catherine were cleared of the charges. 

Edited November 16, 2015 by ribboninthesky1

[ForeverAlone]

I too have never gotten the impression that Michaela is strictly a gold digger, in the sense that she is just looking to link up with a rich man and that is it. She actively discounted the idea of being a housewife when she was talking with Connor about the all the ways she could reinvent herself if they were caught for Sam's murder. I can't see Michaela as the type who doesn't want to have a high powered career. She is ambitious and she wants someone as equally ambitious as her. Now granted, I don't see her in a committed relationship with some poor man, but I also don't see her dating a man ONLY for his money. She seems like the type who wants to make her own money, but also wants to be with a man who makes his own money. 

 

The Caleb connection is just bad news in my opinion, mainly because he still hasn't been cleared in murdering his parents, and he is at least shady. At a minimum, he hid knowledge of the gun, and who knows what else he is hiding, or if he is in on whatever Catherine and Phillip have going on. If Michaela is right thinking (and judging by the flash forward to Murder Night, I question that), she would have run screaming out of the house when Caleb showed her that gun. If for no other reason, than he conveniently waited until AFTER they had sex to mention something he has known about for at least a week. But she should also be wondering if he is playing her, because it is highly suspicious that he would innocently stumble upon the gun. If she believes him unquestioningly, I will have to give her some side eye, because I can't imagine the sex could be THAT good, that she could throw away her better judgment (though you could argue she already did that by sleeping with him in the first place). 

[dirtypop90]

I supposed I fall somewhere in the middle on all this...I don't think she fits the typical definition of a gold digger, because I do believe she wants to have a career, but I also don't believe she would be interested in Caleb if he was still adopted like her, and therefore they still had that "connection," but he did not come from a wealthy family and had an upbringing like Rebecca/Wes.

The guy at the bar said hi and she immediately went to, what do you do? Yes, that comes up often in the first conversation at a bar etc, but when that is the first line out of someone's mouth, well...that indicates that they're looking to see how well off you are before deciding whether they even want to continue the conversation. I would have felt differently in she was actually having a conversation with the guy, enjoyed his company, and then asked what he did but the scene didn't play that way and I do believe it was done on purpose

Re Caleb, it's not just that he's shady. It's also that he has nothing going for him besides his parents money. He has zero charm or personality so I can't understand her decision to hop on top of him so quickly just because he said he liked her, especially given what just happened with Levi. Perhaps we'll find out he's super passionate about something or top of his class somewhere later.

I do think Michaela was done a disservice by the writers because she's literally spent no time with Caleb outside of working on his case, but the writers threw them in bed together really just so Caleb can introduce the murder weapon before the spring finale.

Edited November 16, 2015 by dirtypop90

[jhlipton]

Levi was definitely a rebound guy, but we don't know what would have happened if he wasn't a lying scum-bag.  I don't see any indication that Michaela would have broken up with him just because he doesn't have a million dollars.

[shoetingstar]

I too have never gotten the impression that Michaela is strictly a gold digger, in the sense that she is just looking to link up with a rich man and that is it. She actively discounted the idea of being a housewife when she was talking with Connor about the all the ways she could reinvent herself if they were caught for Sam's murder. I can't see Michaela as the type who doesn't want to have a high powered career. She is ambitious and she wants someone as equally ambitious as her. Now granted, I don't see her in a committed relationship with some poor man, but I also don't see her dating a man ONLY for his money. She seems like the type who wants to make her own money, but also wants to be with a man who makes his own money. 

 

The Caleb connection is just bad news in my opinion, mainly because he still hasn't been cleared in murdering his parents, and he is at least shady. At a minimum, he hid knowledge of the gun, and who knows what else he is hiding, or if he is in on whatever Catherine and Phillip have going on. If Michaela is right thinking (and judging by the flash forward to Murder Night, I question that), she would have run screaming out of the house when Caleb showed her that gun. If for no other reason, than he conveniently waited until AFTER they had sex to mention something he has known about for at least a week. But she should also be wondering if he is playing her, because it is highly suspicious that he would innocently stumble upon the gun. If she believes him unquestioningly, I will have to give her some side eye, because I can't imagine the sex could be THAT good, that she could throw away her better judgment (though you could argue she already did that by sleeping with him in the first place). 

I agree. She's definitely a Type A - Ambitious. I think winning is her goal. Though the events of the show has distracted her. I believe before she basically all about winning at any cost. Handsome, rich, connected husband = win. The student who knows all the answers and impresses the teacher = Win. Getting the best grades = Win. She's evolving (not in a good way) in the boyfriend area. But again i think the chaos of life is knocked her off her game somewhat.

[Chicago Redshirt]

From the "It's About Frank" episode thread:

It's kind of weird seeing people calling Michaela a 'criminal' when every main character in this show has either literally committed murder or conspired to cover up a murder. She was the only one of the K5 that showed a sliver of remorse that Nate had been framed for Sam's murder. She talked Connor down from shooting Annalisse. She's never cheated in any relationship or otherwise treated any of her romantic partners unfairly. Where all this vitriol is coming from is beyond me.

I think there is potentially the element of race/sex factoring in.

But putting that aside, there's a few other things I'd say.

First, although all of the K5 are now killers or accomplices to killings, and have committed any number of other crimes, Michaela is to the best of my recollection the only one who has committed crimes for no other higher reason than she wanted to. She took Laurel's stuff and Annoying Dude's laptop to get their outlines. She stole from a client to have a night on the town.  It's one thing to be caught in desperate circumstances and to feel like there's no other alternative to commit more crimes. It's another to do so in a selfish way like Michaela has.

Second, Michaela has a holier-than-thou attitude a lot of the time. Now that could be her overcompensating for her upbringing, but the way she presented from day one was as the snotty mean girl who thought she was better than everyone else.

That she has redeeming qualities doesn't take away from her being an awful, damaged person, the same as every character on the show.

[Dee]

Michaela has nothing on Connor in terms of having a holier than thou attitude.

[DearEvette]

I don't dispute that she is a thief.  I mean, that is canon.  But "holier than thou" implies that the person thinks they are morally better and more sanctimonious than you or me.  I think is the clear that Michaela is incredibly insecure and ashamed of her poor past and is doing everything she can to rise above it. 

I do agree her methods can be off putting because she comes across as a bit strident and she seems like she is overcompensating in the area of respectability.  She tries very hard to appear "proper" and that doing so somehow creates a big enough space from her humble roots so she can enter "proper" society.  In truth, though,  think she is much more judgemental about herself & what people think about her than she is others.  But I love her relationship with Connor and the little flashes of vulnerability the show gives her.  Out of all of them, I think she is the most naive.

I agree she is damaged just like everyone else.  But I am not 100% convinced any of them are really awful anymore.  They've all come a long way from Season One when none of them were particularly likeable.  But I think over the last two seasons the show has done a good job of making all of them more sympathetic.  Even Wes who I hated in S1 just because he was so damned dumb.  I swear if the "under the sheet" mystery had happened after S1 I would have been praying it was Wes. But I actually like him a lot more.  And Asher who was such a spoiled, privileged rich boy, has been improved through his association with everyone. 

[Milaxx]

Her "crimes" are all evidence of why they called her shooting star to begin with. She's so high strung and want to achieve that the stress makes her do things like that. I don't think it's much worse than Connor sleeping with guys to get info like he did with both Oliver and Pax, or impersonating a lawyer complete with fake documents like Wes did. 

[Milaxx]

11 hours ago, doram said:

 

On 10/22/2016 at 5:52 PM, Chicago Redshirt said:

Michaela is to the best of my recollection the only one who has committed crimes for no other higher reason than she wanted to. She took Laurel's stuff and Annoying Dude's laptop to get their outlines. She stole from a client to have a night on the town.  It's one thing to be caught in desperate circumstances and to feel like there's no other alternative to commit more crimes. It's another to do so in a selfish way like Michaela has.

 

 

Let's not forget Oliver hacking and deleting Connor's Standford acceptance letter because he didn't want to move away.

Edited October 24, 2016 by Milaxx

[Tiger]

If I had to rank these characters from worst to least on a moral equivallancy scale, Id rank them:

1) Eve (<least worst)

2) Nate

3) Connor

4) Laurel

5) Michaela

6) Annalise

7) Oliver

[Huge gap]

8) Bonnie

9) Asher

10) Wes

11) Frank (<worst)

[DearEvette]

I dunno I 'd rank Nate lower than Michaela.    Cheating on your cancer ridden wife somehow seems less morally acceptable than pilfering study notes or blackmail money.

[Keepitmoving]

Quote

 Michaela is black and female, a double disadvantage, but even worse - she's arrogant and outspoken, and doesn't apologise for who she is. 

The question is do people see Anna in the same way they see Michaela? Because the only difference might be their age as I see it.  Anna isn't apologetic, she doesn't hold her tongue, the list of negatives goes on and on.  Maybe it's that she doesn't appear to come off as if she's looking down on others, maybe that's the other difference for some. Although I personally don't see Michaela that way, her attitude seems  to be about her worth, not about the worth of others. This is what makes the actress good in how she portrays the character that I can make this distinction. She definitely for me, does not come off as one of those who thinks she's too good to be in the presence of this person or that person. But Lynn Whitfield who played her future mother in-law definitely did come off that way. That's a bitch who thinks her shit doesn't stink and that she is better than others, not Michaela.  Lynn Whitfield is good at playing that kind of woman, she's doing again this season over on the Oprah network, playing an uppity preacher's wife on Greenleaf, good stuff by the way. You want to see what Michaela is being accused of, watch Lynn Whitfield in this role.  It'd be interesting to see if this "too full of herself" view of Michaela is shared by mainly male viewers and female viewers, or is it mostly female viewers who see her this way. 

Edited October 23, 2016 by Keepitmoving

[Happytobehere]

5 hours ago, DearEvette said:

I dunno I 'd rank Nate lower than Michaela.    Cheating on your cancer ridden wife somehow seems less morally acceptable than pilfering study notes or blackmail money.

Not only did Nate cheat on his dying wife, he became involved with Annalise and ultimately received his initial suspension in season one because he was at the very least a shady police officer. So in no way should Nate be that low on the list.

Edited October 24, 2016 by Happytobehere

[Milaxx]

6 hours ago, Tiger said:

If I had to rank these characters from worst to least on a moral equivallancy scale, Id rank them:

1) Eve (<least worst)

2) Nate

3) Connor

4) Laurel

5) Michaela

6) Annalise

7) Oliver

[Huge gap]

8) Bonnie

9) Asher

10) Wes

11) Frank (<worst)

I'd rate Eve a little higher than Nate. Nate's worse crime is infidelity. Eve helped Annalise scare Wes's mom by pretending to be with immigration. One could argue that lead to her being so desperate she took her own life. 

I'd also rank Oliver lower. Yes it was awful that he deleted Connor's acceptance letter, but it wasn't murder either directly or indirectly and it wasn't to cover up  a murder. Oliver and Nate are the only ones that can say that.

I'd also change Annalise's ranking. She's manipulative, but she hasn't actually killed anyone. The most she has done is cover up other people's murders. My list would look like this:

1) Oliver (<least worst)

2) Nate

3) Eve

4)Connor

5)Laurel

6)Michaela

7) Asher

8) Wes

9) Annalise

10) Bonnie

11) Frank (<worst)

Edited October 24, 2016 by Milaxx
reconfigured my list of evil

[Happytobehere]

3 hours ago, Keepitmoving said:

The question is do people see Anna in the same way they see Michaela? Because the only difference might be their age as I see it.  Anna isn't apologetic, she doesn't hold her tongue, the list of negatives goes on and on.  Maybe it's that she doesn't appear to come off as if she's looking down on others, maybe that's the other difference for some. Although I personally don't see Michaela that way, her attitude seems  to be about her worth, not about the worth of others. This is what makes the actress good in how she portrays the character that I can make this distinction. She definitely for me, does not come off as one of those who thinks she's too good to be in the presence of this person or that person. But Lynn Whitfield who played her future mother in-law definitely did come off that way. That's a bitch who thinks her shit doesn't stink and that she is better than others, not Michaela.  Lynn Whitfield is good at playing that kind of woman, she's doing again this season over on the Oprah network, playing an uppity preacher's wife on Greenleaf, good stuff by the way. You want to see what Michaela is being accused of, watch Lynn Whitfield in this role.  It'd be interesting to see if this "too full of herself" view of Michaela is shared by mainly male viewers and female viewers, or is it mostly female viewers who see her this way. 

I agree with all you have written.  I too notice that people seem to be willing to slam Michael for things other characters get a pass on. I just have a problem with the word uppity in relation to black people because of its racial implication where white people used the word to refer to black peoples who didn't know and adhere to there place as lessers. I like to say entitled or above it all.  This is not a criticism but rather a reflection.

[Chicago Redshirt]

First, I never said or implied that Michaela is any worse than any of the others, or that her crimes are particularly heinous.

Second, she very much did take Annoying Dude's laptop for his outlines. 

Here's the scene:

Oliver: You've got to see this.

Connor: What are you doing here?
Michaela: I asked Oliver for a favor.
Connor: What kind of a favor?
Oliver: I hacked Simon's laptop. 
Connor: You stole Simon's laptop?
Michaela: No, that was me.
Laurel: Michaela...
Connor: You're insane.
Asher: Seriously, who are you, some kind of hillbilly klepto all the sudden?
Michaela: You're all going to be happy I did this when we get his arbitration outline.
Oliver: I couldn't find the outline.
Michaela:  Check again.
Oliver: I found something better.

So she clearly did take the laptop to just get his outline, and had no idea that Simon was the one who had been behind the Annalise flier until Oliver told her and the rest of the K5. 

Third, I don't think that Asher made a calculated decision to kill the DA. It was a case of involuntary manslaughter, where he was provoked by Smugface's insults and in a highly emotional state after his father committed suicide. And if we are to take Asher at face value, he did not want or expect his father to have covered up the sexual assault either.

This is not to say manslaughter is better than theft. Obviously it is not. But I could see someone forgiving Asher (or Wes) for a crime of passion or the others for crimes to cover things up or to solve a murder more easily than forgiving Michaela for committing crimes basically out of selfishness.

Laurel cheating on Khan (sp?)  and Connor sleeping with people isn't illegal, and depending on who you ask, wasn't even immoral. I don't know if Khan and Laurel had even gotten to the point of being exclusive. And the dude who threw himself out the window did so because not directly because of Connor, but because he got caught stabbing his boss in the back, IIRC.

I don't think it's much of an argument in Michaela's favor that she didn't get away with the first theft and she managed to cover up the second by selling her ring. In fact, stealing from a client is probably one of the only unforgivable sins for a lawyer. You can have a criminal background, a drug habit and eventually get your license reinstated after enough time has passed and you've shown some remorse. Steal from a client, though, and you're pretty much done.

It's possible that some of the rest of the K5 committed crimes purely out of self-interest when they weren't basically trapped with few other choices. I just can't think of any, though. 

As for Michaela vs. Annalise, that's an interesting question. I think that as horrible a person as Annalise can be, she has generally been acting to benefit others: the K5, her clients...rarely for her own personal gain. 

[DearEvette]

I think people have different yardsticks by with they judge.  And that is perfectly fine.  My own personal yardstick is that there are degrees of magnitude when determining what you will accept versus what you won't.  Also legal definitions are different than moral ones. 

So for me, if I have to determine relative acceptable behavior I would definitely judge Michaela's stealing of notes or a laptop lesser than manslaughter even if hers is done with calculation and the others are done in passion.  One results in the loss of a thing, the other results in the loss of a life.  

Overall, Michaela has been shown to simply not want to be there.  She just wanted to get good grades and become the next Ruth Bader Ginsburg.  Connor ridiculed her panicked reaction to Sam's death and Laurel stole her ring in order to keep her in line? blackmail her? emotionally torture her?  Through it all she has always struck me as the one least able to cope with what they are all dealing with, with Connor as a close second.  This is why I don't think is bad by a longshot.

Regards how Michaela is viewed vs. how Analise is viewed, there was a long discussion on the Gender thread (in the generic tv forums) about  how fandoms react to women.  Generally, my belief is that women are judged more harshly across the board.  WOC even more so.  There are certain areas where a character is exempt or given a pass regardless of race or gender.  For instance, if they are the lead character.  Lead characters often will get a huge pass, there is some psychological sleight of hand at play where you subconsciously connect with the "hero" or protagonist and therefore you give them the leeway that a supporting character would not get.  Also Ana is played by Viola Davis.  She is a powerhouse actor.  I think that also goes a long way toward just enjoying or accepting her performance no matter what the character actually does.  Charisma outweighs a lot of sins.  I call it the Walter White effect.

Edited October 24, 2016 by DearEvette

[Milaxx]

I don't think we can say any of these folks is completely reprehensible. On another blog I frequent we have what we call Irrational Hate List. It's for people who may be perfectly fine, but for some reason just annoys you so every slight indiscretion is magnified.  Michaeala may be on a few folks IHL. 

However I do quibble with Asher crimes being dismissed. Sure he could claim he didn't know his dad would cover up the rape when he called him, but as Bonnie pointed out he certainly knew afterwards and did nothing. Then when Sinclair was blackmailing him he broke into Annalise's house and stole her recorder. Years later and he was still more willing to cover it up then own up to it. He then kills someone, and again covers it up to the point of framing an innocent person for (Catherine Hapstall) for murder. Yet, somehow that's worse than stealing a laptop?

All of these folks are flawed, I'm not sure how Michaela gets to be the worse. 

[Chicago Redshirt]

I should have said voluntary manslaughter, although one could probably argue everything from 1st degree murder to involuntary manslaughter.

With sex, people are going to vary from thinking that any premarital sex is immoral on up. I think most people would say that it only becomes cheating when there's a reasonable expectation of fidelity either because the two had talked about it and agreed or just sheer longevity of dating. With Khan, we don't even know if he and Laurel had sex or exclusive. We know that Connor wasn't exclusive with Oliver at the time that he had sex with that dude; their breakup was about Oliver thinking that he was in the same category of being pumped for information.  

Anyway, I want to clear up the notion that I hate Michaela or approve of the other K5 more than her or something. I don't. They are all deeply flawed people have done bad things, as I said before. And they will continue to do bad things.

I don't know if there's truth to the notion that either people on this board or people in general hate Michaela more than the rest of the K5. That doesn't really match with my observations. In my observations people have most complained about Wes, particularly in the first couple of seasons when he was strung out on Rebecca. 

But accepting it as a given for discussion's sake, it doesn't seem surprising. The thing about these characters is they were each given starting points, roles to play. Michaela's was the mean girl. It stands to reason that the mean girl is going to be disliked, even more than the wallflower, the puppy, the bad boy and even the douchebag. 

Now it's good that both because of the writing and acting, Michaela is more than just "the mean girl," just as the others are more than what they started out as. But she's not ever going to stop being the mean girl...

I think that all of the K5 have their moments of arrogance. Asher, Connor and Michaela more so than the others. And of the grownups, Anni is constantly arrogant. 

I think what separates Michaela from the rest is not the sense that she has not suffered enough. Like the rest of the K5 she has obviously suffered a lot. 

One difference is that most of the rest have shown a lot of remorse and guilt over what they've done.  Michaela, not so much. (Laurel, even less, but I think we are to see Laurel as a sociopath) Yes, she expressed concern about framing Nate, but a) she herself wasn't framing Nate and b) she let it drop almost immediately.

Her concerns in general were not about the ramifications as to what the K4 did, but more in terms of concerns that she wouldn't get to have the perfect life that she'd dreamed of. YMMV. 

[Dee]

Michaela was never The Mean Girl. She's The Prom Queen.

She's not Heather Chandler. She's Hilary Banks.

There's a world of difference between the two.

Edited October 24, 2016 by Dee

[Milaxx]

11 minutes ago, Dee said:

Michaela was never The Mean Girl. She's The Prom Queen.

She's not Heather Chandler. She's Hilary Banks.

There's a world of difference between the two.

Agreed. Michaela was snooty, prissy even, but never mean without provocation.

[Glade]

I agree that certain characters are given free passes for abusive, narcissistic behavior, but that list includes Micheala, who was also excused from her repeated homophobic/biphobic  outbursts in season 1 by many people who don't care about/aren't personally affected by those issues.  Some of us do equally dislike all white men, black women, and anyone else who exhibits certain personality traits.  

Edited October 24, 2016 by Glade

[Milaxx]

11 hours ago, Glade said:

I agree that certain characters are given free passes for abusive, narcissistic behavior, but that list includes Micheala, who was also excused from her repeated homophobic/biphobic  outbursts in season 1 by many people who don't care about/aren't personally affected by those issues.  Some of us do equally dislike all white men, black women, and anyone else who exhibits certain personality traits.  

From what I am reading it's quite the opposite. It appears that Michaela is being held to a higher standard. There isn't a single character on this show who hasn't done something bad. Perhaps I'm missing something. Seasons 1 & 2 are on Netflix, could you provide specific examples? 

Edited October 24, 2016 by Milaxx