S01.E14: The Night Lila Died / S01.E15: It's All My Fault

[HalcyonDays]

Thinking about the episodes again, I just realized that the show missed one way to try to get Rebecca to stay silent. Offer her money. They never once even hinted that Annalise could simply pay off Rebecca and buy her silence. Rebecca needs the money and Annalise is rich, so that could easily be done and Rebecca would stay silent in this case.

 

Also, Nate is SO SCREWED. He's accused of killing Sam. He gets parolled and while he is free, Rebecca gets killed. You know the police are going to be wondering why Rebecca all of a sudden disappeared. I mean, in Nate's court case, she could be called as a Witness. Also, are they going to screw up a second time when disposing the body?

 

I'm second guessing Annalise knowing that Frank killed Sam. If Frank was a "fixer", then why would Annalise ask her own students to dispose of the body? Just call Frank and he'll take care of it. He would not do a sloppy job of it either, so it makes me wonder if Annalise really knew.

 

However, with this show, and how Annalise seems the devil at times, I swear this is like one big experiment that Annalise is running, using the Keating 5, to create curricula and an interesting case for her class. Nothing would surprise me anymore with this show and all of its twists and turns and crazy motivations.

[Joimiaroxeu]

I feel like they're going to need to flesh Frank out a lot more next season because now, IMO, they've reduced him to a basic cartoon henchman to be used to close plot holes.

 

Oh Nate's pretty face, all beat up. I shudder to think what his glorious body must look like. For shame, Annalise! Whatever, I sure hope we haven't seen the last of the character.

 

That was a very satisfying season finale. It kept the audience guessing right until the very end and then didn't insult us like some shows do. <coughScandalcough>

Edited February 27, 2015 by Joimiaroxeu

[Xazeal]

This show basically just became Pretty Little Liars. Now, I was hooked on that show for years, so I'm not saying it's necessarily a bad thing, but it's definitely veering in a way different direction than I expected it to at the start. As long as they don't go completely off the rails (by PLL standards, this was fairly tame) I'm fine with it. But if they start doing jawdropping, immensely satisfying reveals and then immediately backpedalling to square one, I think I'm out.

 

Halfway through the episode I guessed that it would be Frank. Bonnie told Asher that Frank wouldn't expose their relationship because she knows about some bad stuff he's done, and while I know there's a number of things she could be referring to, that line really stuck out to me. With the reveal that he actually did kill Lila, I'm convinced that Bonnie knows about it. 

 

I think the show has done a spectacular job with developing the students. Connor has been great for quite some time now, Laurel has become more and more interesting each week, and Michaela was fantastic in this one. I still think Wes is... not necessarily dull, but he's not engaging. 

 

I figured Rebecca would leave town or end up dead. I still wish she'd killed Lila, manipulated the fuck out of everyone and gotten away with it, but I guess it wasn't meant to be. I'm not too fond of the "who killed Rebecca" cliffhanger, though. Unless it ends up being Laurel, in which case I'm totally down.

[kikaha]

A few weaknesses in the various plot twists:

 

1.  Sam was an idiot to go to the sorority house that night.  The place was quite active.  Very good chance someone would see and remember him. 

 

2.  Same with Frank.

 

3.  The roof was pretty popular.  e.g. Rebecca and the other sorority girls were up there around 2 am. Which makes it a very risky place for Frank to commit the murder.  The foot traffic meant someone could walk up there and see him. In fact, Rebecca and the sisters couldn't have missed him by much. 

 

As for sociopaths, Sam is right there near the top of the list.  He convinced Lila he loved her -- even while he was ordering her execution. 

[nara]

Even with all the hints of his shadiness, I didn't peg Frank as Lila's murderer.  Bonnie, I think, is completely in the dark about it, but I'd love to know more about her complicated relationship with Annalise.  But now I'm a bit scared for her, too.  If she becomes too much of a liability, will Frank kill her?  And how much does Annalise know?

 

Bonnie knows.  She said at one point that there are things she knows about Frank, which is why she feels he won't reveal her relationship with Asher.  My theory is that she is the one that Sam called and that she arrived at the roof in time to see Frank kill Lila.

 

w/e sympathy I could have garnered for rebecca went out the window when she insinuated to Connor that Wes killed his mother, and then poor rudy. I don't know if I wanted her dead, but I wanted her gone.

I wonder if Wes's mother (or adopted mother if you buy the Annalise is his mom theory) was murdered.  Something about Rebecca's comment made me think it wasn't just a cheap shot, but something she had researched.  However, if this is true Wes could either be or not be the killer

 

If he was not the killer, it could explain why he killed Sam--a desire to protect a woman-- when he had previously failed to protect his mother.

 

On the other hand, there's something suspicious about how the initial killing of Sam went down.  There were many witnesses to the fact that they were defending themselves.  Perhaps Wes was worried that the police would research the suspicious death in his past and link the two.  Therefore, he sent the group down a path of cover-up.

 

Could Connor also be HIV positive? We didn't hear the nurse give him his results, did we? He coud have lied. Or is this show making me paranoid?

I assumed that Connor was also positive and lied to Asher because he was in denial.

[dr pepper]

Aids. Ring. Frank. Rebecca. Ouch!

It hardly matters what else happened in that episode.

Annalise's borderline inappropriate behavior with Wes? we get it.

An apparently guilty client that Annalise will defend with shady tactics and legal brilliance? Over before it could develop.

Rebecca is manipulative and devoid of conscience? All our speculations were confirmed but that's anticlimatic.

Sam was the killer after all, for realz? Effectively yes, but so what?

Bonnie yearns for Annalise's approval and for some extracurriculars of her own? That continues nicely.

Nate being treated like some heirloom that Annalise pawned to get out of a jam but really really means to get back? He's wised up.

So in effect, they've swabbed the decks clear of most of this season's issues so they can set up the next season.

And next season will be almost a different show.

[TVHappy9463]

That was perfect.  Frank and Annalise are my new favorite non-sexual male/female relationship. I thought it was pretty funny that the chick who played Rosie on The Killing and was the subject of Who Killed Rosie?  Will now be the subject of who killed Rebecca?  But since only Frank and Annalise know she is dead, and they know how to dispose of a body will it even be a thing next year?  Kudos to all involved. Can't wait till next season. 

[jjj]

After reading an interview with Peter Norwak, I realized that I was wasting my time trying to figure out who the murderers are because he makes it up as he goes along.

Yes, I was actually disappointed to read how improvisatory the writing was.  So, any meanings we attach to interactions in the early part of the series are purely random, as it was only after the fact that the writers decided what the backstory was. 

[Blue Plastic]

I guess I'm in the minority here, but I was a bit disappointed that Frank was the murderer, mostly because he apparently did it at Sam's behest.  That means that Sam is essentially the murderer.  The show in general is so twisty, and Sam actually having been responsible for Lila's death is not twisty at all (and not very interesting, IMO).

No, I'm there with you.  They've pretty much harped on the idea that Lila's murderer was either Sam or Rebecca all season, so having it turn out to be Sam+Frank was still a pretty "safe," i.e., non-surprising conclusion IMO.  Especially since Frank kept denying being a hitman about every 2 seconds during the finale.  I guess it would have been more shocking for me if the camera had panned up the murderer's arms and showed Annalise's or Bonnie's face just because that would have been a little more hardcore way for the writers to go.  Annalise would definitely have motive and I could buy Bonnie having motive too.  I probably would have wet my pants if it had been one of them!  But Frank was just not all that surprising.  So I was grateful for Rebecca's murder - LOL - since that did surprise me even though in hindsight I guess it shouldn't have.  There Annalise was all, "We aren't going to hurt you" and "We are civilized people here" and Rebecca ends up dead!

 

I think it's very interesting that they originally, with Wes' urging, ended up killing Sam and covering it up to save Rebecca's life and now that very same coverup has ended up killing the very person it was supposed to protect!

[Happytobehere]

 

I think it's very interesting that they originally, with Wes' urging, ended up killing Sam and covering it up to save Rebecca's life and now that very same coverup has ended up killing the very person it was supposed to protect!

I hadn't thought of that until you mentioned it. Isn't that the ultimate irony. That's why Rebecca being the killer would have worked for me. Wes winds up committing murder to protect the woman who committed the murder in question at the time, Lila's. So in essence, Rebecca would have been doubly to blame for Sam's death, first for actually killing Lika. And second for breaking into Sam's home like a true idiot, when he was there and saw her before she ran up the stairs.

[KFC]

Yes, I was actually disappointed to read how improvisatory the writing was.  So, any meanings we attach to interactions in the early part of the series are purely random, as it was only after the fact that the writers decided what the backstory was. 

 

I'm willing to cut them some slack if the end result feels cohesive and ties up loose ends and/or builds on the groundwork laid throughout the season and leads to logical stories thereafter.

 

So much changes over the course of producing an entire season of television, especially a show in its first season. So I think it's understandable that there'd be some level of change as things unfold. To me, the season finale didn't feel like resolutions were pulled out of nowhere, it still felt respectful of the episodes before, so I'm okay if the creator admits he's not adhering to a set plan that's long been mapped out. This episode never felt like it was ignoring the plot threads that came before, so I can't fault his creative process if this is what we get.

 

Sometimes it takes a while to see what's working and what isn't, so for now I'll say the improv is working, and hopefully now the writers have a clearer idea of where the show is going for S2.

[starri]

I'm more willing to forgive sort of catch-as-catch-can writing on what is ultimately a soap than I would be on something where the plot is supposed to be the main driver (looking at you X-Files/Lost/Galactica).  Plus, being a little more open-ended gives them the possibility of getting into a happy accident; for example, I'm betting that Oliver wouldn't have been such a prominent character (moreso than anyone who wasn't directly tied to murder) if they had been following a stricter blueprint and couldn't adapt to audience reaction.

 

Also, even if the decision to make Frank the killer didn't happen until the producers were deep into the show, considering I woke up this morning feeling like I'd been kicked in the stomach, I don't know if it's a fail when they can produce an episode that's tonally that compelling.  The reviewer at AV Club made the comment that it was the most exciting episode since the pilot, and I think I agree with that.

 

I also have to say, the producers made the exact right call in agreeing to limit the season to fifteen episodes to keep Viola free to accept film and theatrical roles.  It's going to suck waiting until the fall for more, but I appreciate not having the plot spread out so thin.

[secnarf]

It's more than a little reductive that it's HIV. Why can't he have syphillis?

Did he call from a cell? I thought he called from a payphone, but if it was a cell, it may have been a burner phone.

Because syphilis is easily curable and doesn't really have the same association with gay men.

You can live with HIV and have a relatively normal life, but it's still a burden to live with and terrifying when you first find out you're HIV positive. Also, many of the medications have significant side effects, and eventually they can stop working as the virus develops resistance.

 

I just found out that Frank was brother of the brother/sister duo Glory from Buffy. I'm usually good with recognizing faces but I guess the beard and extra weight threw me off.

I really want the writers to tone down Asher next season. Those puns and that dancing are so damn corny, but he fill out a pair of slacks. Holy booty

Was Olivia Pope the mysterious call Nate made. Are we getting a crossover event lol.

I wonder if the show will pick up where we left or diva time jump.

I knew that Frank was Ben, but I could never see the resemblance until he was choking Lila. I suddenly pictured the scene where Ben was being suffocated, and it was a really weird mental juxtaposition.

[Tony]

I just can't with Wes. Total spineless idiot.

[helenamonster]

Could you imagine thinking you're going to law school for an amazing education and wind up in...this? lol

 

Well, Wes did try to get an honest education at Hogwarts only for Harry Potter and his friends to fuck shit up every year, so he's probably over it by now.

 

I think my sudden sympathy for Rebecca comes from how she bit it. She'd been held hostage for what seemed to be at least twenty-four hours, she was probably still taped up and had no way to defend herself, and I'm going to assume she was choked, which just seems like such a slow, painful, agonizing way to go. Yes, she could have saved herself all this trouble if she'd been honest from the beginning. She yanked everyone's chain and what she did to poor Rudy was unforgivable. And her character dying opens up a lot of possibilities for next season. But still. Heebie jeebies galore. Also, her finding Lila in the water tank and then having to sit in the water tank with her body made me feel a little bad for her as well.

 

Speaking of Rudy, I would love it if they found a way for him to get better and join the main cast. He was a law student before the breakdown. Idk, he just seems so sweet.

 

I don't think Laurel is a sociopath. Mostly because I've seen people twist themselves into pretzels trying to argue that other characters on other shows, who have done a lot more fucked up shit than Laurel, aren't sociopaths. She was part of a murder coverup, but so were Connor and Michaela. As for the ring? That's just smart thinking.

 

Oh, poor Nate. I can't justify what Annalise is doing to him. Yes, I think she wants him out of prison, but she's also the one that put him there. I feel like she's going for a kind of OJ/Casey Anthony situation. Nate'll get off on a technicality but the court of public opinion will just assume there was a miscarriage of justice. Even if he doesn't go to prison for the rest of his life, people will always think he murdered and hacked up Sam.

 

Idk why I even questioned whether or not Sam was calling Frank. He was using a payphone. I've been rewatching The Sopranos recently and there's a *chokes back sobs* certain whacking that on first watch took me by surprise (though this character had been heading for death for quite some time, it was just a matter of when), but on rewatch, it should have been obvious what was coming since Tony used a random payphone to set the whole thing up. Payphones=imminent death in twenty-first century television.

[Waldo13]

I can't get on Rebecca's case for being a little shady and not telling the whole truth because of trust issues. All in all it was Wes that was being protected and if push came to shove they could turned on her. Also, I don't think that Rebecca trusted Annalise 100%. No matter how shady Rebecca was, there is no way she could have murdered Lila. How could she hide Lila's body in the water tank? Rebecca and Lila were about the same size and weight and even Rudy would have been to small to help. There seems to be a lot more suspects in Rebecca's murder than Lila's.

[helenamonster]

Yeah, that's kind of the other thing. She wasn't killed for being shady, or for what she did to Rudy, or because someone really thought she killed Lila. She was killed so that she wouldn't talk, after being held against her will. Skeevy as hell, whoever did it.

 

Also, I liked the new prosecutor. I know we only saw her for 0.5 seconds but she already seems like she's not buying into any of Annalise's bullshit. Going to Asher was smart. Seeing as how he's totally on the outside regarding, well, everything, he has no reason to lie and might inadvertently end up sending her in the right direction.

[nara]

While watching this episode, I remember thinking, luckily for Katie Findlay (who plays Rebecca) that at least she's not the dead girl at the center of the mystery like she was in The Killing.  Oops!

[truthaboutluv]

I can't get on Rebecca's case for being a little shady and not telling the whole truth because of trust issues. All in all it was Wes that was being protected and if push came to shove they could turned on her. Also, I don't think that Rebecca trusted Annalise 100%.

 

 

Actually the other students are protecting themselves, not Wes, as they rightly should. That said, it wasn't about Rebecca trusting the other students or Annalise, but being honest with Wes. Because the other students and Annalise weren't the ones who first got really suspicious of her, it was Wes and it was because he started realizing some things she said didn't add up, not to mention her strange and sometimes callous behavior. But ultimately, trust issues or not, after a guy full on kills someone else to protect you, I think you can fully trust him. But she didn't do that and it allowed Wes, already on edge and paranoid about the whole Sam cover-up, to get suspicious and ultimately turn on her with the others. 

[marceline]

My favorite part of the episode was at Nate's bail hearing when the judge said, "Don't play the cancer card in my court counselor." That's some pretty epic alliteration.

Edited February 28, 2015 by marceline

[nb360]

Did anyone notice how much brighter the last episode was? Throughout this season, the show has literally been dark -- it was hard to even make out the characters. But in this last episode, there was a scene n Annalese's house where everything was a bright blue -- you could see people.

[NewRadical]

I would like to know how both Frank and Sam entered the sorority unnoticed... Sam is a professor and Frank's a fox.

When I saw the Laurel Frank scene, I didn't see it as her soliciting as to what Frank actually does. When they showed the Christmas episode, I kind of got a drug lord vibe from Laurel's father, so it's possible contract killing has just been part of her life.
But after reading the comments here, I can also see the sociopath vibe.

So Frank has always been a hit man? If that's just part of his job description, he might not have even owed Sam that big of favour.

I will be interested to see where the show goes next season. I know on scandal they have made many of their main characters murders and they continue to be the "good guys" so I am hoping this doesn't mean the end for beautiful Frank.


I actually started to not mind Rebecca, but I am not devastated to see her go. I thought the way she liked Wes was redeeming.

Edited February 28, 2015 by NewRadical

[RedheadZombie]

When Bonnie broke down in tears and told Annalise that Sam knew Lila was pregnant, was her only evidence Lila crying and saying Sam can't hide it anymore?  My first thought would have been that "it" was an affair, not a pregnancy.

 

At this point, I'm sticking with the opinion that Frank killed Rebecca.  Mostly because I think there has to be a limit to how many characters on the show are murderers.  I can't imagine there's any way to rehabilitate Frank after he murdered a fragile pregnant woman.  I can only see Frank as a future dead body.  Otherwise, we will now have two pre-meditated murderers.  Wes killed in self-defense.  Rebecca/Michaela/Laurel/Connor all conspired to hide evidence and dispose of the body.  Annalise is an accessory after the fact, and she's tampered with evidence.  Frank covered up and tampered with evidence.  And Bonnie figured it out, but hasn't reported it - I'm not sure if that's technically a crime.

 

As an aside, I still find Annalise as the guiltiest in the Sam situation.  What woman comes home to her husband's dead body, doesn't call the police or paramedics, sits down for a lengthy pity party, listens to the killer essentially confess to her dead husband, masterminds the cover up, then sets up her lover?  It's incomprehensible.

 

 

So when Sam made his phone call to Frank it was clear that they had previously spoken about getting rid of Lila... I wonder how long Frank had known about Sam & Lila and why he didn't tell Annalise about the affair.

 

This also implies that Frank is more loyal to Sam than Annalise.  I just can't figure out what Sam could have done for Frank that would end with him "owing".  Sam can't handle any legal issues.  He didn't seem to have political connections.  Maybe Sam handled a sticky situation Frank got into with the college girls he was screwing.  But the college girls are of age, so short of rape, what could Frank have done to them?

 

Here's my take:

 

Sam didn't call Frank. Either Bonnie or Annalise had Frank follow Lila, saw Sam leave and then went up there and killed her. I believe Frank called a divorce lawyer?? Just not Frank. He is too loyal to Annalise.

 

This isn't working for me because a divorce attorney doesn't have to "owe you" to handle your divorce.  You simply pay his fees.

 

I think Annalise will get Nate off, not just in bed!

 

If Nate lets Annalise back in his bed, I hope he's the murder victim in the season two finale.  I just can't believe he would have that little dignity.  She has destroyed his life.  There is no justification for what she's done.  It doesn't matter that she's lied and manipulated evidence that may end in him getting off - he's only a suspect because she set him up.  If he's not murdered in jail, the charge will follow him the rest of his life.  He will be bankrupt from attorney fees, and his career is over.  Thanks Annalise!

[pennben]

 

As an aside, I still find Annalise as the guiltiest in the Sam situation.

 

I'm going to have to disagree. I find the guy who bashed his head in and killed him as actually the guiltiest in the murder of Sam. Tomato/Tomahto/Fractured Skull With Blood/Brain Matter Splattered all Over, as they say!

Edited February 28, 2015 by pennben

[youngdaveed]

wait, wait… can someone explain to me the plan annalise devised to get nate out on bail? what role did she have in the solitary confinement and was that part of her scheme? 

[Nanrad]

As an aside, I still find Annalise as the guiltiest in the Sam situation.  What woman comes home to her husband's dead body, doesn't call the police or paramedics, sits down for a lengthy pity party, listens to the killer essentially confess to her dead husband, masterminds the cover up, then sets up her lover?  It's incomprehensible.

 

What is she guilty of regarding Sam? He was dead when she got home. Now, I'll admit, I wouldn't have done what she did, but considering his sister's testimony and that they eventually found out that he fathered Lila's baby, she'd be prime suspect number one. But, this also disregards that Sam lied to her every step of the way all while she asked for honesty and tried to cover for him. At that point, Annalise was fed up and distraught, but she wanted to protect herself from being convicted of something she didn't do. Right or wrong, she also thought he deserved his fate for killing Lila and stringing her along, so she wanted to protect the students as well. 

 

One thing I won't defend is the Nate situation.

 

This also implies that Frank is more loyal to Sam than Annalise.  I just can't figure out what Sam could have done for Frank that would end with him "owing".  Sam can't handle any legal issues.  He didn't seem to have political connections.  Maybe Sam handled a sticky situation Frank got into with the college girls he was screwing.  But the college girls are of age, so short of rape, what could Frank have done to them?

 

TBH, I think that Frank is more loyal to Annalise. We honestly don't know what Sam had on Frank, but we do know Frank does shady/illegal things.We've seen him plant evidence (and get caught doing it as well). But, for him to do something so major like that for Sam says that it was something pretty major. Frank simply committed the murder for him--he's done nothing else (that we know of) to take the attention off of him like planting evidence, tampering with logs, etc. 

[Fredward]

I really thought the end was leading up to Bonnie as the murderer. That would have been a lot more thematically pleasing. To me at least. Frank just opens a LOT of questions. Why does Annalise have a hitman in her employ? Problem solver is somewhat shady but understandable. Proffessional hitman? Yeeeeaaaah. Whole 'nother level. It opens up a LOT of questions.

 

Luarel. I'm not sure what to make of Laurel. I still remember that idealistic (which is not synonymous for naive as a general fyi), kind person she was or seemed to be at the beginning. Was that an act? Or does it simply take a backseat to her cold, calculating and wickedly sharp self-preserving nature? She's really interesting though. It's always the quiet ones. I don't think she's a sociopath necessarily it's just that... a lot of people (Connor, Michaela, Annalise to a degree) wear this hard external shell to protect their mushy, squishy insides. But for some people they wear their fluffy niceness on the outside and when you keep digging and pressing you find something really hard and somewhat inhuman on the inside. And I don't think it's as simple as one aspect being the 'real' person, they're both the real person just... under different circumstance.

 

AIDS man. AIDS. I thought for sure it was gonna be Connor and then I thought he just lied to Oliver because he seems to need to be loved so badly but no. It's Oliver. Which is a nice twist. AIDS isn't some cosmic punishment you get for being a 'slut,' it's pretty indiscriminate in who it fucks over. Pun only somewhat intended.

 

Asher is the kind of person I really want to punch in the face. Can't help it. Hoping Bonnie is just with him cuz he makes feel better about herself.

 

BayouCaela was pretty cool.

 

The weird Oedipus thing going on with Annalise and Wes. Do you guys remember when Asher, waaaay at the beginning, made a joke about Wes being Annalise's son and Michaela going 'what, because they're both black?' It would be incredibly corny and forced. I really hope the writers don't go there. Also. Wes' neck is the exact same width as his head. I cannot get over that.

 

Rebecca's death. Not sure how to feel about that. She was smart though, clever. Would've fit in pretty well with the crew. I can only say that I really hope this doesn't turn into one of those shows where the primary plot device is someone dying at the end of every season. If you can't hold your audience's attention with something less gimmicky you should hang up your hat.

 

This show, along with OITNB, has some of the best characterization on tv in my opinion. The characters are real, nuanced, human. Their little pathologies feel believable rather than subject to plot/angst demands. I'm really hoping that remains central and it doesn't just devolve into a series of ever-escalating twitter friendly #OMG moments like Scandal.

[ribboninthesky1]

As an aside, I still find Annalise as the guiltiest in the Sam situation.  What woman comes home to her husband's dead body, doesn't call the police or paramedics, sits down for a lengthy pity party, listens to the killer essentially confess to her dead husband, masterminds the cover up, then sets up her lover?  It's incomprehensible.

 

My issue is Annalise's inconsistent characterization regarding Sam.  She's having her own affair with Nate, yet she's in a tizzy about Sam having an affair with Lila. I got the impression that she would have gone into an emotional tailspin even without Lila's murder.  We see her tell Wes that she's not sorry for Sam's death, yet we see her bawling over Sam's dead body (I'm not saying there should be no reaction, but devastation? Not buying it).  She apparently did NOT call the cops before Wes came back to the house, yet we see her snapping at her Mom about Sam's suits as if they're sacred.  We see Bonnie go immediately to Annalise about Sam's knowledge of the pregnancy, yet she fires her, only to reel her back in to establish an alibi.  It's all over the place.  I guess I'm to believe Annalise is so damaged from her childhood trauma that it led to her dysfunctional relationship and marriage to Sam, and she went straight into survival mode upon discovering his dead body.  Unfortunately, the show was so focused on the murder mysteries and twists that her dynamic was Sam was neglected, and I never understood any of it.

 

Don't even get me started on Nate.  Sad as I am that we likely won't get anymore sexytimes with Nate, if he is at all on the show next season, I'm fine with him moving on.  She's destroyed his life because...? That's why I thought perhaps Nate was in on being arrested and framed; otherwise, it makes no sense.  I mean, really, there was no one else she could have pinned it on? Why not lift one of Griffin's fingerprints to cast suspicion his way? Did she really NOT anticipate Sam's body being found? And overall, I'm baffled as to why she's covering for her students, whom she barely knows, didn't particularly like or respect beyond Wes, and were acting foolishly due to Wes' naivete, yet has hung Nate out to dry several times.         

 

Thinking back on the season, I suspect Sam was supposed to have directly murdered Lila, but they changed course.  I can't even remember Frank and Sam sharing a scene together, talking to each other, even in flashbacks, yet they colluded on Lila's murder? Um, okay.  

 

Also, Frank tackling tiny Lila from behind like a linebacker was unintentional comedy.  The actress, bless her heart, did not quite sell her dying scene, as I was chuckling the whole time. 

[pennben]

[nevermind, I'm not a doctor, please consult one when appropriate. Please get tested and follow up as needed.  Also, don't believe all medical opinions on this board].  Be well.

Edited February 28, 2015 by pennben

[RedheadZombie]

What is she guilty of regarding Sam? He was dead when she got home. Now, I'll admit, I wouldn't have done what she did, but considering his sister's testimony and that they eventually found out that he fathered Lila's baby, she'd be prime suspect number one. But, this also disregards that Sam lied to her every step of the way all while she asked for honesty and tried to cover for him. At that point, Annalise was fed up and distraught, but she wanted to protect herself from being convicted of something she didn't do. Right or wrong, she also thought he deserved his fate for killing Lila and stringing her along, so she wanted to protect the students as well. 

 

Everything that the students did was impulsive and reactive.  Rebecca, encouraged by Nate, stupidly stole Sam's computer in front of him.  She knew she did not kill Lila, and was angered that Sam did and was getting away with it.  Michaela stupidly went uninvited to Annalise's house with the trophy she'd stolen.  Connor/Wes/Laurel stupidly ran to help Rebecca and Michaela, and were influenced by the belief that Sam killed Lila.  These guys are first year law students.  They think they know everything, but are incredibly unaware of the law.

 

Annalise, on the other hand, acted with calculation, evil intent, and complete self-interest.  She knew perfectly well she did not kill Sam, and there would have been no forensic evidence to prove otherwise.  This is also a woman who's first impulse when finding her husband severely injured or dead was to sit down and do nothing. 

 

I don't really care that Sam lied to her - she was lying to him as well.  And the fact remains that she was scrambling to cover up his crime, even knowing he was guilty.  I know she claims she wanted to protect the students, but I don't buy it.  She doesn't even like them.  Maybe if it turned out she was Wes' mother I'd be more willing to believe it.  The fact is, she was well into her plan of covering things up before Wes ever walked back into the house and inadvertently confessed in front of her.  So she frames her lover, someone she has feelings for and whose wife is terminally ill, to protect her first years students whom she hardly knows.  Makes no sense to me.

[pennben]

And yet, Wes bashed Sam's head in.  Guiltiest. 

 

Seems like Annalise is trying to keep everyone out of jail, even if Nate (who encouraged Rebecca togo into the house without permission) has to go to jail for a bit to stay out of jail.

 

Sam, via Frank, killed Lila.  Wes, with the Scoobys, killed Sam.  It appears one of the Scoobys  killed Rebecca.

 

Look, I'm not saying Annalise is Mother Teresa, but her kill count is quite low compared to others from this season.

Edited February 28, 2015 by pennben

[Fredward]

HIV is not AIDS, man.  Look it up.  It is very important that folks understand the difference.

 

Is it? One leads to another, inevitably and without fail (unless you're lucky with your PEP). You don't want either. You can't cure either. You can spread it while you still 'only' have HIV. There's a reason it's used as HIV/AIDS and where I'm from they're often used synonmously.

[pennben]

[nevermind, I'm not a doctor, please consult one when appropriate. Please get tested and follow up as needed.  Also, don't believe all medical opinions on this board].  Be well.

Edited February 28, 2015 by pennben

[Fredward]

Yes.  Because, from what I understand, one does not lead to another, inevitably and without fail these days.

 

But, I'm not a doctor, so I'm stepping away here.

 

With current treatments it does. The ARVs can give you years, maybe even decades before you get AIDS but if you live long enough with HIV you WILL get AIDS. Currently. Treatments are developing rapidly though so hopefully not for too much longer.

[pennben]

[nevermind, I'm not a doctor, please consult one when appropriate. Please get tested and follow up as needed.  Also, don't believe all medical opinions on this board].  Be well.

[cooksdelight]

I would like to know how both Frank and Sam entered the sorority unnoticed... Sam is a professor and Frank's a fox

I figure Sam has been there before when he was with Lila so he probably knows a back entrance/exit. Same thing for Frank. Well, not Lila, necessarily, but I can see him chasing coeds.

[kikaha]

 I'm not saying Annalise is Mother Teresa, but her kill count is quite low compared to others from this season.

 

Maybe.  We don't know who killed Rebecca.  IMO Annalise is high on the suspect list. 

[WalrusGirl]

I was right!! I really thought it was Sam (and my Law & Order degree confirms that the person who ordered the hit committed murder/attempted murder), but knowing Scandal figured there had to be a twist. Really didn't think it was Annalise or Bonnie, but Frank has been enough of a "fixer" that, if it wasn't Sam, my money was on him.

I wonder how long they'll take to tell us why Frank owed Sam (and murder for hire is a big owe). Seems like the kind of thing they may never tell us, or give us some info on how he joined Annalise's firm but wait years to drop that big piece of background. Would love to know, though.

Poor Oliver. :-( I didn't see that coming.

Loved Michaela, and the work the actress did as she changed her dictation and sliding into a southern-ish accent while telling her would-be-MIL that "I am that girl." Loved her laying it all on the table.

Didn't expect Laurel to have had Michaela's ring all along. Nice resolution to that hanging thread.

Eggs 911! Forgot about that too. Really curious where on earth that's going to go. (Dear Scoobies: a reverse number search isn't perfect, but it's a good option to try here at some point.)

I think the COTW was almost just for syndication purposes, when the finale is aired as the two separate episodes it actually is. That and the obvious filler for the front, slower half of revealing and resolving all (and adding Rebecca's death as a new mystery). I forgot about it until reading here too.

I just assumed that Frank was clearly the one to kill Rebecca, and that wasn't supposed to be a mystery to the viewers. (The "no, I thought you did it" seemed a logical effective deflection.) Both because we just saw him kill the original victim a few minutes prior, and has his own butt to cover, and because he's the one I didn't remember seeing throughout Annalise's spiel to the Scoobies, etc about letting her go after Wes got the truth out of her. But I did rewind just to check for that and had forgotten that then Annalise left for an hour (to meet Nate, I think), and the viewers don't know what anyone was doing during that time. Laurel would be my only other candidate, since she was almost asking Frank to do it. Wes and Connor I just can't see killing someone who's sitting there defenseless and tied up, and I think Michaela was off the ledge at that point?

Wonder when Frank and Annalise first found her? Annalise didn't really have time to find her and hide her body before yelling to everyone else about "who let her go." Between threatening to contact the campus security guy who saw them with the carpet, the duct tape, and insinuating that Wes killed his mother, she was done on the show one way or another.

Poor Rebecca. What she did to Rudy was beyond awful, but still.

What she did to Rudy was arguably worse than what Sam and Frank did to Lila. Both in outcome (is he ever expected to come out of what too much of that drug did?) and his total innocence; Lila was playing with fire and in a dangerous situation herself, which not blaming the victim, totally shouldn't be murdered, but she was threatening to expose an affair to his wife, which is getting into a not-super-safe, don't-be-on-a-roof-with-him place; Rudy was just at the wrong place at the wrong time and collateral damage.

Though I found Lila so unlikeable that I felt much worse for Rebecca finding/hiding with her body than I did for Lila even as she was being strangled by a (probable) stranger.

Finally poor Oliver. Connor the man-whore is clean and he gets HIV. That sucks for them.

Yeah, HIV doesn't exactly play fair, but the seeming unfairness from, apparently, Oliver's perspective may well be a hurdle for them. Since he's diagnosed and therefore will get treatment, and HIV isn't remotely a death sentence (not a doctor, and at high risk from side effects, poor luck in treatment response, etc, but I'm under the impression that with early diagnosis and proper treatment, life expectancies are approaching those of the typical population), there's some new relationship ground to cover in terms of a mixed-status relationship, Connor considering Truvada, etc. My poor Oliver, but story-wise it gives them some relationship drama and controversial ground to cover (at least, I understand there's controversy about Truvada within the gay male community, but maybe/logically not as much when partners in a relationship are known to be discordant). And all this means more plot for Oliver!

Damn, I had not considered this possibility. So Annalise could still have been the one to order Frank to kill Lila.

If she'd been involved and knew he killed Lila, then his saying to her over Rebecca's body, when it was just the two of them, that "you know I'm not that guy" wouldn't have made any sense. The Show sounded pretty clear that we'd clear up Lila's death, so I'm not expecting any more twists in terms of who actually killed her.

I think questions like "why didn't anyone in the sorority house notice two really-not-college-aged men or the soaking wet goth friend" (who they may have been used seeing, since we saw Rebecca and Lila hanging out on a roof a lot, but she didn't blend with the sorority girls), especially once Lila was found in the water tank, are probably questions we weren't supposed to think of and shouldn't expect to be addressed. I think production has told us that this closed the book on the Lila mystery.

Does anybody know what was that end music? Sounded a bit punk but it was perfect.

I don't know, but since I wasn't at the end until about 12:30 am, it creeped me the F out! Took me back to the music on ER when Carter and Lucy got stabbed. I thought she'd really escaped until that music started with Annalise heading towards the basement door, then I knew we'd get the reveal of her body. But still creeped me way out.

Someone pointed out that Laura Innes directed part one - I checked, and she didn't direct part two, but that would have made the connection awesome!

On the other hand, there's something suspicious about how the initial killing of Sam went down. There were many witnesses to the fact that they were defending themselves. Perhaps Wes was worried that the police would research the suspicious death in his past and link the two. Therefore, he sent the group down a path of cover-up.

The show flat-out had the Scoobies say, in convincing themselves to cover it up vs going to the police, that any death that occurs during the commission of a crime (Rebecca was stealing, and the rest joined in (three of them having entered without authorization) ) is felony murder. Which is a real thing. Reasonable people can disagree as to whether they could/should have successfully lied about being there for work and his attacking Rebecca out of nowhere, but the autopsy a) may have indicated the fall from the second floor, separate from the fatal blow, and b) they didn't yet have reason to believe that Annalise would cover for them in terms of their supposed presence being work-related. But during the commission of a risky crime, including burglary, an unintentional death can still be charged as murder. (Though morally, I'm with you - clearly it was necessary to save Rebecca's life, and Wes probably wasn't going for a fatal blow, but they set the high-risk encounter in motion.) So I think we just need to roll with the logic the show and the Scoobies provided in terms of their motives Edited February 28, 2015 by WalrusGirl

[WalrusGirl]

wait, wait… can someone explain to me the plan annalise devised to get nate out on bail? what role did she have in the solitary confinement and was that part of her scheme?

Annalise had Frank arrange for him to be beaten (but not seriously hurt) in jail in an attempt to get him out on bail, which had originally been denied. (As a former cop, he's at higher risk in jail, a point that had been made to the judge already.) But the judge denied the post-beating request for bail, too, and moved Nate to solitary for his own protection. That's why Annalise looked like she'd been punched when Bonnie told her he was in solitary - she had him hurt to get him out, but instead he ended up hurt and in solitary confinement.

Then Frank and Bonnie had Asher go up and greet/make small talk with the judge on the case, since his dad was a judge she knew/knew of and she'd talk to him because of his father. Frank took photos of Asher's innocent conversation with her and they sent it to Nate's lawyer, spelling out that it was a conflict of interest for the judge to be talking to a member of Annalise's legal staff while she was trying someone for murdering Annalise's husband. That improper contact got a new judge assigned to Nate's case, and due to the beating the new judge approved him for bail.

Asher was suspicious after he found out about the new judge, wondering if that's why they sent him to talk to her, but Bonnie told him that it was about a separate case (the priest's?), not Nate's, and he seemed to believe her.

[Puffaroo]

yes ding dong the witch is dead

 

even thought she idnt do it she was the msot annoying smug emo character on the show

 

bye Rebecca u will not be missed

 

Oh, trust me, she'll be back -- in flashbacks.  We're not rid of her yet.  Unfortunately.

Bonnie is in this up to her eyeballs but I haven't figured out how yet.

 

I could have sworn show was telegraphing that she killed Lila.

[Puffaroo]

And whoever it was, he didn't want a trace of his cell phone calling the person, hence the public pay phone. Do they still have them? I haven't seen one in a long time.

 

Yep -- there's one right outside our local police department.  It gets a fair amount of use.  ;)

The preppy dude who is sleeping with Bonnie is probably going to wind up dead next season.

 

One can hope.  I find him unspeakably annoying.

[bantering]

Bonnie didn't seem the least surprised when it was revealed to her that the 4 of them had killed Sam and that Analise was helping them cover for it. Like, she didn't even bat an eyelash about it. 

[Eolivet]

My issue is Annalise's inconsistent characterization regarding Sam.  She's having her own affair with Nate, yet she's in a tizzy about Sam having an affair with Lila. I got the impression that she would have gone into an emotional tailspin even without Lila's murder.  We see her tell Wes that she's not sorry for Sam's death, yet we see her bawling over Sam's dead body (I'm not saying there should be no reaction, but devastation? Not buying it).  She apparently did NOT call the cops before Wes came back to the house, yet we see her snapping at her Mom about Sam's suits as if they're sacred.  We see Bonnie go immediately to Annalise about Sam's knowledge of the pregnancy, yet she fires her, only to reel her back in to establish an alibi.  It's all over the place.  I guess I'm to believe Annalise is so damaged from her childhood trauma that it led to her dysfunctional relationship and marriage to Sam, and she went straight into survival mode upon discovering his dead body.  Unfortunately, the show was so focused on the murder mysteries and twists that her dynamic was Sam was neglected, and I never understood any of it.

 

That's interesting, because that's one of the parts I loved about it. It reminded me of that Chris Rock monologue, something to the effect of "If you haven't seriously contemplated murder and how to bury the body, you've never been in love." Sam was a despicable person -- a murderer and a philander -- and he "deserved to die," but that doesn't mean Annalise didn't love him. I can absolutely buy her reaction -- it felt very human to me. The show seemed to imply that Sam was cheating first, and Annalise found Nate to sort of ease her own pain/scratch her own itch. I believe Annalise never would've cheated if Sam had been faithful. I found her compartmentalizing very believable: dispose of the body, concoct an alibi, etc, etc., but that doesn't mean she can't still miss him or that she stops loving him. Look at all the mothers and wives who stand by vicious killers in the courtroom. We cannot control who we love, right or wrong.

 

Even more now that he's dead -- if he was alive, and he left her, she'd have time to process, let go of the relationship, realize all the pain he's caused and move on in good time with her life in a healthy way. But he was ripped from her -- she doesn't get that closure. She's protecting herself, but he's frozen in time -- they were still married and she was in a place where she still loved him, no matter how angry she was. I absolutely believe she doesn't want to get rid of his suits, that she hugs the pillow that smells like him, that even as she was telling Wes that Sam killed Lila, tears were streaming down her face (IIRC). She's not a robot. But she can separate "what has to be done" from "what she feels."

 

It's the kind of shading and complexity I very rarely see from women characters on TV. Women are usually either good or evil. But Annalise is like all those complex anti-heroes who've always been men. She's ruthless and calculating...but she still has emotions and weaknesses. What did Viola Davis say at the SAG Awards? "A messy, complicated woman who looks like me?" Long live Annalise Keating.

Edited February 28, 2015 by Eolivet

[Puffaroo]

 

I just realized something - Rebecca texted someone before Michaela realized what she was doing and wouldn't say who it was and none of them knew because they were too afraid to call the number and find out. I imagine that person will come into play next season and that might be another suspect for who killed her.

 

They should have looked up the number and used The Last Remaining Payphone on Earth to call it.  ;)

[Puffaroo]

 

If Nate lets Annalise back in his bed, I hope he's the murder victim in the season two finale.  I just can't believe he would have that little dignity.  She has destroyed his life.  There is no justification for what she's done.  It doesn't matter that she's lied and manipulated evidence that may end in him getting off - he's only a suspect because she set him up.

 

The wang wants what the wang wants.

[Bort]

Bonnie didn't seem the least surprised when it was revealed to her that the 4 of them had killed Sam and that Analise was helping them cover for it. Like, she didn't even bat an eyelash about it.

Because Bonnie already knew. She figured it out when the police searched the house and found the weight scales that went with the trophy/murder weapon.

They should have looked up the number and used The Last Remaining Payphone on Earth to call it. ;)

There's an app where you can prank call people using fake numbers and disguised voices. (My brother and sister-in-law got drunk and called me with it in the middle of the night one time.) They should've done that. Edited February 28, 2015 by kariyaki

[truthaboutluv]

That's interesting, because that's one of the parts I loved about it. It reminded me of that Chris Rock monologue, something to the effect of "If you haven't seriously contemplated murder and how to bury the body, you've never been in love."

 

 

Ha...I loved that special. My favorite part was when he added, "if you haven't looked at him, looked at the can of rat poison, looked at him and the only thing that stopped you from killing that motherf**ker is an episode of CSI...you haven't been in love." I love Chris Rock. But in all seriousness, like you I get Annalise and don't think she's so strange or inconsistent. Ultimately I think what it came down to was as toxic and unhealthy as their marriage was, Annalise still on some level loved Sam. 

 

So I bought her reaction when she first walked in and saw his bloody dead body on the floor. I also think on one level she went into shock mode when she just sat down at the desk watching his body and then her survival/defense attorney instincts kicked in, especially when Wes showed up and then confessed everything that happened which basically included Sam trying to kill Rebecca. 

 

As for the affair with Lila, I don't think it was just the affair so much Annalise was freaked out about because I'm pretty certain in other conversations they had, she and Sam referred to other indiscretions he'd had during the marriage. So it wasn't like it was the first time he was cheating and well let's face it, Annalise was someone he cheated with. It's the fact that said girl he was cheating with was a recently found murder victim, who incidentally, right as the body was found, Annalise asked Sam about his being Lila's professor, clearly wondering if they'd had an affair. He denied it and then kept lying about everything else - her being pregnant, his knowing about it, etc. I believe Annalise's emotions about Sam and Lila were more about her coming to terms with the very real possibility that he murdered her. Being married to a cheater is one thing, but a murderer is something else. 

[ribboninthesky1]

Even more now that he's dead -- if he was alive, and he left her, she'd have time to process, let go of the relationship, realize all the pain he's caused and move on in good time with her life in a healthy way. But he was ripped from her -- she doesn't get that closure. She's protecting herself, but he's frozen in time -- they were still married and she was in a place where she still loved him, no matter how angry she was. I absolutely believe she doesn't want to get rid of his suits, that she hugs the pillow that smells like him, that even as she was telling Wes that Sam killed Lila, tears were streaming down her face (IIRC). She's not a robot. But she can separate "what has to be done" from "what she feels."

 

My problem is that the show very clearly telegraphed that Sam and Annalise had a rocky marriage for some time before the Lila affair.  Sam's final words to Annalise were incredibly cruel, and seemed to bookend the downward spiral of their marriage.  So the Sam she got in terms of frozen in time, in addition to the previous months (and however long before), was certainly not some idealized version where he acted the good husband, and was ripped from her.  

 

And ultimately, to me, I didn't understand why her survival instinct would have kicked in before Wes arrived.  You come home alone, and find your husband on the floor, dead - if you loved him so, why wouldn't the first thing you do, out of instinct, is call the police?  She had no idea what her students had done at the time. If you're devastated over his death, still processing, why tell Wes not to be sorry (therefore implying you're not sorry, either)?  And without knowing WHY Wes killed him at that moment?  For all she knew, Sam could have been murdered in malice. I mean, Wes felt remorse for his actions, even though he was keeping Rebecca from being killed, and believed that Sam killed Lila.  Yet Annalise basically reacts, "Hey, don't be sorry.  Let's clean this up and get rid of the body."     

 

I think there's a difference between complexity of emotion within a person and what happened on the show.  I'm fine with complexity of emotions, but that's not what I saw play out on screen.  Plus, despite what TV implies for dramatic purposes, emotions are rather hard to fake.  To me, her emotions often felt like the writers' thought, "Okay, we need Annalise to think this way for this plot point or twist."  And it seems that the show "explained" Annalise's emotional roller-coaster by pathologizing her past, which was a copout to me, as plenty of women have cheated with married men and eventually married them.

 

Someone else has mentioned in other threads that Annalise's emotions about Sam haven't felt earned at times, perhaps ChicagoRedShirt, and I agree.  I was hoping the season would resolve some of this, but not really.  Mostly because we've primarily seen their marriage as stilted, awkward, masked by deception and underlined with affairs by both of them. Annalise's relative indifference to Sam's infidelity and death would have made sense to me based on this (not to mention more interesting), but it felt that the show would have her emotionally break down because Viola can act vs anything coherent within the story about Sam/Annalise's love.      

Edited February 28, 2015 by ribboninthesky1

[Chicago Redshirt]

It occurs to me that whoever physically killed Rebecca, everyone but Asher is still guilty of Rebecca's murder under the felony-murder rule.

 

Rebecca was abducted and falsely imprisoned. Every non-Asher character was part of keeping her bound and quiet. Her death during this abduction and false imrpisonment is on every single one of them.

 

As for who physically killed Rebecca, pretty much anyone (but Asher) had the classic trio of means, motive and opportunity.

 

Heck, if they wanted to go twisty, there's nothing stopping Asher from somehow getting wind of Rebecca being held (perhaps because of Bonnie, perhaps because he decided to lurk around and got wind of what was going on.) and deciding to go to the dark side. (Or Nate). 

[starri]

Yeah, HIV doesn't exactly play fair, but the seeming unfairness from, apparently, Oliver's perspective may well be a hurdle for them. Since he's diagnosed and therefore will get treatment, and HIV isn't remotely a death sentence (not a doctor, and at high risk from side effects, poor luck in treatment response, etc, but I'm under the impression that with early diagnosis and proper treatment, life expectancies are approaching those of the typical population), there's some new relationship ground to cover in terms of a mixed-status relationship, Connor considering Truvada, etc. My poor Oliver, but story-wise it gives them some relationship drama and controversial ground to cover (at least, I understand there's controversy about Truvada within the gay male community, but maybe/logically not as much when partners in a relationship are known to be discordant). And all this means more plot for Oliver!

The general belief these days is that an HIV+ person on HAART therapy ("the cocktail," which is usually a combination of three drugs: the two in Truvada and a third) is more likely to die with the disease than from it.  The meds have side effects, aren't cheap, and there are still risks associated with a positive person catching a garden variety infection (because it will at least temporarily deplete T-cell levels), but there's no reason to think that Oliver can't have a long, happy life, with or without Connor.  We're even at a point where he could have children.  (SOURCE:  my thesis on HIV medication, two years of medical school)

 

HTGAWM is ultimately a primetime soap, albeit one with an outstanding cast.  I'm not sure they are the correct forum to tell a story that's got so much nuance to it, but I AM sure Conrad Ricamora and Jack Falahee can carry it, and if the writing manages to stick the landing, it can only be a positive.

 

I shouldn't be this emotionally invested in a fictional couple.  Is this what Edward/Bella or Jacob/Bella is like?