S02.E15: Anna Mae

[Tara Ariano]

In the Season 2 finale, Annalise is feeling the pressure from the chaos surrounding her and is desperate to put it behind her. Meanwhile, Frank reflects on his multitude of sins; and Wes gets closer to learning the truth about his past.

[secnarf]

I hate Oliver.

I never thought I would say or think that. And it's not like the others haven't done way worse, but I think I'm even more upset because Oliver was the one totally innocent person left, and now that is ruined. He's slowly being corrupted.

 

It's interesting how Annalise regresses so much around her mother. I guess that's not all that uncommon with people, but it's really interesting to see.

Nate didn't question her family calling her Anna Mae. I doubt Annalise would have told Nate her former name. Cicely Tyson was great as usual, and I loved her reaction to Nate when her and Annalise's sister were spying through the window. And Annalise telling her mother about the baby was heartbreaking.

 

I'm a bit disappointed in what Sam had over Frank, though. Sam was so adamant that Annalise shouldn't know, Frank shouldn't have been worried he would tell her after all that time. There was no evidence tying Frank to the crime - unless something came up later that Sam buried. Frank's devastation in the flashback was heartbreaking, though. He obviously still feels so guilty about it - so I guess he's not a psychopath.

And the woman's "Don't worry, we'll see each other again" comment - did they? What happened?? I hope that gets answered at some point.

Did Frank tell Bonnie about his role in the baby's death, though? I was kind of confused about that. Did it happen when they were drinking in the basement?

 

I was so concerned Laurel was going to find Frank's body after he killed himself at the end, so I was really glad that he wasn't the second body!

I'm aware this is somewhat of an unpopular opinion, but I like Laurel and Frank together. I hope Frank comes back - he has such great lines. Besides, Annalise needs Frank.

 

I think they drew out the Hapstall case too long, though. I would have been much more interested in psychopath Caleb before we went so in depth into the Mahoney case. I'm glad they didn't forget about Caleb going out for a run that night and Catherine lying for him. And kudos to everyone who realized that Philip was trying to tell Annalise something. Should have realized there was a significant piece of information in the missing time between Annalise falling to the floor and Eve arriving at the police station. I just wonder how Eve didn't hear that on the phone.

 

Of course Wes would go confront Wallace, and as soon as Wallace showed up onscreen, of course he was doomed. I can't really see any reason for him to be killed, though. Unless it was Frank.

I feel like Bonnie probably killed Caleb. Then again, that also might have been Frank, but it seems less likely to me. 

 

I think the intensity of he cliffhangers that they left will dull with the time it will take for season three to start, so although I am curious, I'm not dying to find out what happens - at this point, I'm just along for the ride.

[represent]

 

And the woman's "Don't worry, we'll see each other again" comment - did they? What happened?? I hope that gets answered at some point.

Didn't she end up being his "girlfriend"?

 

Isn't she the same actress who played his girlfriend, who stopped by his hotel/apt. last season or maybe it was at the end of season one?

 

Yeah, there was a woman who called herself his girlfriend and she stopped by his place and Laurel was there I think as well.  That's when Laurel actually found out that he even had a girlfriend. 

 

Isn't that the same woman in the flashback?

 

OMG Oliver, what happened to you? Is he crazy? I just think I saw a ranking that had Stanford as number 2 on the list for the best law schools for 2017.

 

Frank had Mahonney killed, it had to be him.  I do feel for Frank, they weren't that close yet, he did betray her, but had no idea that bugging her room would result in any death.

 

Oh, but wait, it seems like Ann knew all along, based on the way she was speaking to Bonnie. When did she figure it all out? Did she figure it out just from Laurel telling her that Frank killed Lila? 

 

I'm not sure that Mahonney was Wes's father either. He could have very well been his grandfather, which means Wes can keep searching and find out what happen to the Mahonney Jr. 

Edited March 18, 2016 by represent

[SimoneS]

I am disappointed in that season finale. I have no idea what to think about the Hapstall case resolution. It is such a confusing mess. I wasn't surprised that Wallace Maloney was killed in this episode, but I was surprised that Wes wasn't set up as a suspect. Next season should be finding out who killed him and Wes getting embroiled in his Maloney family drama.

 

I missed Oliver's conversation over the phone. What was that about?

Edited March 18, 2016 by SimoneS

[Neurochick]

Poor Wes, "I think I'm your son," then Bang!

Loved the music at the end.

It looks like Caleb killed his parents, then went to frame his siblings, so he'd get all the money.

Edited March 18, 2016 by Neurochick

[Milaxx]

 

I knew Caleb wasn't to be trusted. I suspected him all along.

Also not that surprised about the Frank reveal. I knew it had to be something BIG that Sam had over him.

Sad, but not surprised by the Oliver reveal. I knew something bad would happen and I didn't think TPTB would kill off the character. Oliver has been slowly getting seduced by the thrill of the K 5.  His diagnosis has been life changing for him. He no longer wants a normal, calm life.  Connor is going to be devastated. He thought Oliver was his rock.

Edited March 20, 2016 by Milaxx

[Chrissytd]

That was a lot. I loved seeing Annalise's family life.

When Laurel was walking their Frank's apartment, I expected her to find him dead.

Judging by the blood patterns, I don't think Caleb killed himself.

Poor Wes.

I missed Oliver's conversation over the phone. What was that about?

He called Stanford pretending to be Connor, and declined his admission into their law school.

[secnarf]

Didn't she end up being his "girlfriend"?

 

Isn't she the same actress who played his girlfriend, who stopped by his hotel/apt. last season or maybe it was at the end of season one?

 

Yeah, there was a woman who called herself his girlfriend and she stopped by his place and Laurel was there I think as well.  That's when Laurel actually found out that he even had a girlfriend. 

 

Isn't that the same woman in the flashback?

Really? I don't remember that well - I'd have to go back to the episode itself to check. The actress isn't listed in the credits for that episode on IMDb, anyway, but they didn't have her for this episode either.

 

I missed Oliver's conversation over the phone. What was that about?

Connor got accepted to Stanford, and Oliver called to turn down the offer and deleted the email.

And so you know Connor is going to get a phone call or something asking why the offer was rejected, feedback, etc etc or something to let him know what happened.

[Happytobehere]

I hate Oliver.

I never thought I would say or think that. And it's not like the others haven't done way worse, but I think I'm even more upset because Oliver was the one totally innocent person left, and now that is ruined. He's slowly being corrupted.

It's interesting how Annalise regresses so much around her mother. I guess that's not all that uncommon with people, but it's really interesting to see.

Nate didn't question her family calling her Anna Mae. I doubt Annalise would have told Nate her former name. Cicely Tyson was great as usual, and I loved her reaction to Nate when her and Annalise's sister were spying through the window. And Annalise telling her mother about the baby was heartbreaking.

I'm a bit disappointed in what Sam had over Frank, though. Sam was so adamant that Annalise shouldn't know, Frank shouldn't have been worried he would tell her after all that time. There was no evidence tying Frank to the crime - unless something came up later that Sam buried. Frank's devastation in the flashback was heartbreaking, though. He obviously still feels so guilty about it - so I guess he's not a psychopath.

And the woman's "Don't worry, we'll see each other again" comment - did they? What happened?? I hope that gets answered at some point.

Did Frank tell Bonnie about his role in the baby's death, though? I was kind of confused about that. Did it happen when they were drinking in the basement?

I was so concerned Laurel was going to find Frank's body after he killed himself at the end, so I was really glad that he wasn't the second body!

I'm aware this is somewhat of an unpopular opinion, but I like Laurel and Frank together. I hope Frank comes back - he has such great lines. Besides, Annalise needs Frank.

I think they drew out the Hapstall case too long, though. I would have been much more interested in psychopath Caleb before we went so in depth into the Mahoney case. I'm glad they didn't forget about Caleb going out for a run that night and Catherine lying for him. And kudos to everyone who realized that Philip was trying to tell Annalise something. Should have realized there was a significant piece of information in the missing time between Annalise falling to the floor and Eve arriving at the police station. I just wonder how Eve didn't hear that on the phone.

Of course Wes would go confront Wallace, and as soon as Wallace showed up onscreen, of course he was doomed. I can't really see any reason for him to be killed, though. Unless it was Frank.

I feel like Bonnie probably killed Caleb. Then again, that also might have been Frank, but it seems less likely to me.

I think the intensity of he cliffhangers that they left will dull with the time it will take for season three to start, so although I am curious, I'm not dying to find out what happens - at this point, I'm just along for the ride.

I love all of this except the liking Frank and Laurel. Not only don't I like Laurel, she has proven to be a bigger liability that asshat Asher. She runs her mouth and then owns nothing of the havoc she brings. Laurel is completely disposable at this point because we know she is utterly untrustworthy. She thinks she knows so much but her arrogant based stupidity makes Michaela look like a champ when it comes to picking the men in her life.

Why do I suspect that Caleb didn't kill himself. Maybe the show will surprise and it will be revealed that something is exactly as it seems for once.

Wes stays losing. He's like a black cloud of mayhem. I too wonder if Frank killed Adam Arkin perhaps in revenge for his unwitting role in the Annalise's attempted murder and the murder of her baby. I also think the twist will be that Adam Arkin's Wallace isn't Wes' father. I think as some have speculated, that just like we saw with the murder case, he was trying to protect his slime all son.

Every scene with Viola Davis and Cicely Tyson was platinum. Viola's scenes upon returning to the assorted snakes that surround her were absolutely amazing.

The true take away from this episode is that while Annalise has been demonized and my be a monster of sorts, she might be the true victim on this show,because there is absolutely no one in her life that she can trust in even the slightest degree, with the exception of her mother, but she didn't come to know that truth until last season (I also think she can trust Eve, never can really trust Nate because we know he is corruptible and quite frankly, I judge people by how they treat others when they are at their lowest, and I haven't forgotten his sleezy affair with Annalise as his wife lay dying). Her father, the rest of that family, Sam, Frank, Bonnie and the Keating Five are all unworthy of being trusted with a stick of gum, yet they keep taking from Annalise as if she is a bottomless pit of salvation. This show should be renamed How to Get Away from the Users and Takers in Your Life.

Edited March 18, 2016 by Happytobehere

[represent]

Oh, the funniest was Anna's mother and sister spying on her and Nate, salivating over him as they peeked through the curtain, hilarious, pure gold.

Edited March 18, 2016 by represent

[Scarlett45]

This may be neither here nor there, but I DONT like how they had Catherine in love with Caleb. I would've prefered if she had protected him out of sisterly affection than romantic love. No they weren't adopted as infants but she considered him her brother, it was just creepy. And whats worse is that Caleb abused those feelings for his own gain.

Happytobethere- I don't consider Nate's affair with Annaliese sleazy. Yes his wife was dying but it's not like he dumped her in the hospital and skipped on his merry way to fuck other women and left her to suffer alone with no support or comfort. Given what we saw of her, and her attitude about the end of her life she may have told him it was only a matter of time for her, don't waste his time waiting around for her to die. Just my interpration.

Edited March 18, 2016 by Scarlett45

[represent]

 

Really? I don't remember that well - I'd have to go back to the episode itself to check. The actress isn't listed in the credits for that episode on IMDb, anyway, but they didn't have her for this episode either.

Yeah I think so. As soon as I saw her at the bar in the previous episode, I thought it might be the same woman. They only showed her once in season one and now I'm thinking it wasn't just to show that Frank was trying to play Laurel and had a "girlfriend." 

 

So that was Caleb in a tub full of blood right?  Who do we think killed him and why? Don't they need him to go to jail?

 

I can't help but crack up thinking about this blogger's review last year when the Hapstalls first came on the scene, she said she wasn't trusting any guy that looks like Caleb with those pretty light eyes and have we not seen Michael Ealy in the movie the Perfect Guy, hilarious. In other words, never trust a guy that looks like Caleb. So true, so true in the case of Caleb.

Edited March 18, 2016 by represent

[Happytobehere]

This may be neither here nor there, but I DONT like how they had Catherine in love with Caleb. I would've prefered if she had protected him out of sisterly affection than romantic love. No they weren't adopted as infants but she considered him her brother, it was just creepy. And whats worse is that Caleb abused those feelings for his own gain.

That was telegraphed in the early episodes of the season. Everyone suspected that they were involved in a non-sibling way, so that callback made total sense.

[blackwing]

Is it bad that I found Annaliese's family infinitely more interesting than anything else going on in this rapidly deteriorating crapfest? I could watch a show with Viola Davis and Cicely Tyson and her sister and brother and father all day long. Cicely Tyson is amazing.

Everything else, I found I couldn't care less. I don't care about Frank's guilt. I don't care about Caleb. I don't care about Asher and Michaela sleeping together. And most of all, I don't care about Wes.

I do feel bad for Connor, but we all knew he wasn't going to transfer, otherwise the character is off the show.

[Milaxx]

This may be neither here nor there, but I DONT like how they had Catherine in love with Caleb. I would've prefered if she had protected him out of sisterly affection than romantic love. No they weren't adopted as infants but she considered him her brother, it was just creepy. And whats worse is that Caleb abused those feelings for his own gain.

Happytobethere- I don't consider Nate's affair with Annaliese sleazy. Yes his wife was dying but it's not like he dumped her in the hospital and skipped on his merry way to fuck other women and left her to suffer alone with no support or comfort. Given what we saw of her, and her attitude about the end of her life she may have told him it was only a matter of time for her, don't waste his time waiting around for her to die. Just my interpration.

I think that's the point. Caleb manipulated Catherine to suit his needs. Much like as Micheala pointed out he waited until after they slept together to how him the gun he supposedly found in Catherine's studio. 

Edited March 20, 2016 by Milaxx

[possibilities]

For the first half of episode, I was like this: I LOVE CICILY TYSON!!! Other stuff, too, but that more than everything else combined.

 

Second half, I was like this: HOLY SHIT! HOLY SHIT! HOLY SHIT! HOLY SHIT! OH MY GOD!! HOLY SHIT!!!!!

[SimoneS]

He called Stanford pretending to be Connor, and declined his admission into their law school.

 

Oh no, Ollie. Connor will be crushed. Well, he couldn't leave the show so they had to find a way to keep him. Thanks for letting me know.

Edited March 18, 2016 by SimoneS

[Free]

I think they drew out the Hapstall case too long, though. I would have been much more interested in psychopath Caleb before we went so in depth into the Mahoney case. I'm glad they didn't forget about Caleb going out for a run that night and Catherine lying for him.

 

Agreed, it shouldn't have lasted the entire season.

 

IA with others, I found Annalise's family more interesting, but I do hope next season has a good mystery set up.

[pivot]

I love this crazy, crazy show. I am throughly entertained by these horrible people.

So, Frank clearly killed Wes's dad right?

[Artsda]

WTH Oliver! Conner makes it to one of the best Law schools and he deletes the email, turns it down on his behalf! Conner will flip out. 

 

I loved Annaliese's mom and sister's reaction when they saw Nate. Plus the spying from the window.

 

Laurel tells Annaliese everything about Frank which she didn't know because she was a brat refusing to talk to Frank the 1000845 times he asked her to talk then suddenly she wants to talk to him and show up? She deserves to lose him.

 

It will be too obvious for Frank to be the killer. I wonder if Wes will now be rich.

[represent]

 

I love this crazy, crazy show. I am throughly entertained by these horrible people.

Meet too, and I get a chuckle here and there from time to time as well.

 

Well, we were right about the "Flowers in the Attic" vibe between Catherine and Caleb.

 

Michaela is a close second behind Wes when it comes to being a loser. My lord she picks loser after loser to give her heart to.

Edited March 18, 2016 by represent

[Chicago Redshirt]

I'm a bit disappointed in what Sam had over Frank, though. Sam was so adamant that Annalise shouldn't know, Frank shouldn't have been worried he would tell her after all that time. There was no evidence tying Frank to the crime - unless something came up later that Sam buried. Frank's devastation in the flashback was heartbreaking, though. He obviously still feels so guilty about it - so I guess he's not a psychopath.

..

Did Frank tell Bonnie about his role in the baby's death, though? I was kind of confused about that. Did it happen when they were drinking in the basement?

 

I was so concerned Laurel was going to find Frank's body after he killed himself at the end, so I was really glad that he wasn't the second body!

I'm aware this is somewhat of an unpopular opinion, but I like Laurel and Frank together. I hope Frank comes back - he has such great lines. Besides, Annalise needs Frank.

 

I think they drew out the Hapstall case too long, though. I would have been much more interested in psychopath Caleb before we went so in depth into the Mahoney case. I'm glad they didn't forget about Caleb going out for a run that night and Catherine lying for him. And kudos to everyone who realized that Philip was trying to tell Annalise something. Should have realized there was a significant piece of information in the missing time between Annalise falling to the floor and Eve arriving at the police station. I just wonder how Eve didn't hear that on the phone.

 

Of course Wes would go confront Wallace, and as soon as Wallace showed up onscreen, of course he was doomed. I can't really see any reason for him to be killed, though. Unless it was Frank.

I feel like Bonnie probably killed Caleb. Then again, that also might have been Frank, but it seems less likely to me. 

 

I think the intensity of he cliffhangers that they left will dull with the time it will take for season three to start, so although I am curious, I'm not dying to find out what happens - at this point, I'm just along for the ride.

 

I guessed that it was what Sam had over Frank when the bug was planted, so it made sense to me. I could see that Frank would not want to take the chance that Sam was bluffing. The threat is not that Anna would go to the police. It's that Anna would believe Sam over Frank, naturally, and God knows what Anna would do next. I would not be surprised if she would pretend to be alright and then use her getting away with murder expertise.

 

I think Bonnie only knows that Frank killed Lila at Sam's behest.

 

I hope real Frank comes back, not the schmoopy, lovelorn version who would confess a murder to keep getting in a 20-something's pants.

 

I think with regard ot the Hapstall case, they actually spent too little time on it. We never really were given a picture of who any of the players were and so the motives are just arbitrary. They could just as easily have said that the killer was Catherine, Phillip, some combo of the three or anything.

 

I hope we're done with the Hapstall family at this point, and Caleb's death is the suicide it was meant to appear as. 

 

Wallace Mahoney undoubtedly has numerous enemies outside of Frank. One doesn't get to be a titan of Wall Street (on TV, anyways) without screwing a couple business partners, cheating some investors, leaving people jobless, etc etc. There's also someone pissed off about his son's murder case. (We didn't find the ultimate outcome of that, did we?) Plus from his phone conversation, it sounds like he was in the midst of an affair.

 

OMG Oliver, what happened to you? Is he crazy? I just think I saw a ranking that had Stanford as number 2 on the list for the best law schools for 2017.

...

Oh, but wait, it seems like Ann knew all along, based on the way she was speaking to Bonnie. When did she figure it all out? Did she figure it out just from Laurel telling her that Frank killed Lila? 

 

Having lived both in Philly and Palo Alto, I'd have to say living in Palo Alto is preferable if you can afford it. But Ollie wants to stay put and keep his man with him. No long distance relationship for him, no move. He gets what he wants in the short term. In the long-term, he so obviously is going to pay.

 

Anna, I assume, just figured out that Frank killed Lila based on Laurel's drunken accusation/confession.

 

It looks like Caleb killed his parents, then went to frame his siblings, so he'd get all the money.

 

Or did he? Unlike the deaths of Sam, Lila and Rebecca, we did not flash back to the actual killing for us to see what happened for ourselves in the Hapstall killings (including Caleb Hapstall's). It could just be that Anna is pushing that as the best available story, an upgrade from the "inbred weirdo" story.

Edited March 18, 2016 by Chicago Redshirt

[wanderingstar]

That was good.

 

We got a lot of answers tonight. Now we know why Frank owed Sam. Damn. That I did not expect. It makes sense, though. I can't believe Frank worked for those Mahoney people. Terrible.

 

I'm glad the Hapstall case was wrapped up. Yes, the resolution did feel like a bit of an afterthought, but I stopped caring about that story a while back, so I'm just glad it's done.

 

I was afraid that Nate was the informant who was ratting on Annalise. So glad it wasn't him.

 

Seeing Annalise with her family was nice. Viola Davis and Cicely Tyson can just be in scenes together from now until forever.

 

As for the two new bodies added to the count, I don't much care who killed Caleb, unless Catherine somehow got out of jail and offed him.

 

I am curious about who shot that POS Mahoney. Frank? Eve? Mrs. Mahoney? Wouldn't it be something if Annalise was called on to defend Mama Mahoney next season!

 

About Oliver: I've really enjoyed watching him change this season. He's completely seduced by Annalise and her world. Oh if only he knew the truth of it.

[WhitneyWhit]

I have to disagree with Annaliese being a victim; her need/want to protect Wes set this whole mess in motion. I get tired of her acting as though she had no choice in any of this when she did, she knew what Wes did and made the decision to protect him rather than turn him in, she's just as much, if not more, to blame than everyone else

 

When you compare what Oli did to what everyone else has done, it's pretty mild, but still shitty. I really hope he isn't hanging on to some fantasy of being brought in as Annie's right hand computer hacker.

 

So Sam had a young pregnant girl murdered, thereby murdering her child as well, even though his own child was pretty much murdered? So he was OK with having two murdered children? Damn.

 

Is Wes the Grim Reaper? I'll be damn if people don't drop like flies when that boy shows up.

 

Annie's mother actually crossing herself while looking at Nate had me rolling.

[bantering]

I suppose Wes is used to seeing people murdered in front of him, but I still thought it was a little weird that he didn't seem to have much of a reaction to his dad dropping dead right in front of him from a shot in the head. 

[bantering]

He looked pretty shocked to me. He had just worked up the courage to talk to this guy - and then he gets shot right in Wes's face. Did it even sink in properly? 

 

 

 

 

 

I didn't think his face or eyes registered much of anything (at least not in the way Michaela or Connor's eyes seem to register something when a terrible incident has happened). The little kid who played Wes registered something in the face when he saw his mom lying on the floor but I didn't think adult Wes's reaction looked any different from his usual reaction to things (which usually seems to be not much? He didn't seem all that shocked when he realized he could have potentially killed his mother either. I would have been suicidal if I had found out something like that, but he seemed to easily shrug the realization off).  I don't know if enough time had passed for what had happened to sink in, but I thought the eyes could have showed more expression. Maybe he was directed to look like that though -- Wes's reactions usually seem more guarded than everyone else's on the show. For what reason, I'm not sure though. Laurel's reactions always seemed more guarded as well, and then the show revealed that there was a real reason as to why (i.e her father). Adult Wes never really seems shocked by much of anything, but why I don't understand. 

 

Wes did seem to step back in some kind of shock after the guy was on the floor, but the camera pulled away from his face by that point, and who knows what he was thinking when the camera veered off.  I assume he was all appropriately wtf, but adult Wes seems so reserved emotionally compared to little boy Wes (except maybe where Rebecca was concerned). I suppose one could argue that the actor playing Wes is more subtle, but most of the time Wes seems kind of blasé about stuff (like he's been there, done that and needs some sleep). Nonetheless,  I do expect his reaction to be less muted in the next episode of the next season when the Scooby Doo crew are all at some hospital yelling at each other. 

Edited March 18, 2016 by bantering

[Luciano]

Didn't she end up being his "girlfriend"?

Isn't she the same actress who played his girlfriend, who stopped by his hotel/apt. last season or maybe it was at the end of season one?

Yeah, there was a woman who called herself his girlfriend and she stopped by his place and Laurel was there I think as well. That's when Laurel actually found out that he even had a girlfriend.

Isn't that the same woman in the flashback?

No, it's a different actress. According to imdb, the girlfriend, Sasha, was played by Katie Cleary. The woman in the flashback is being played by Emily Swallow, who is currently annoying me in Supernatural.

[RedheadZombie]

Michaela really has bad radar. Maybe she'll break her string of failures with Asher. But I don't like them together.

I liked Mama so much better now that she's not a charicature out of The Color Purple.

I thought Laurel and Wes were going to kiss again when he's was looking at her with those big sad eyes.

Poor Wes. Poor Wes haters. He's smack dab in next season's SL again.

VD has absolutely no vanity and I love it. I'm sure if she wanted her character to wake up with wig and false eyelashes in place they would let her.

I hope Caleb was a suicide. I'm sick of the Hapstalls.

Surely there will be flashbacks with AA next season, otherwise I don't know why he would accept such a small role.

[bantering]

I thought Frank brought his A-game acting wise for this episode, though I am peeved that he thought killing some pregnant lady would make up for a dead baby. Still, good job on that hospital scene!

[VCRTracking]

Hey, Annalise' brother is the rollerskating dude from The Thing! Also remember him from Doctor Detroit and a few Punky Brewster episodes.

Edited March 18, 2016 by VCRTracking

[pennben]

I have lots to say that can wait until later after what is most important:

 

I got to watch Viola Davis act tonight. I got to watch her act with Cicely Tyson.

 

That's really all I need to keep coming back to this show.

Edited March 18, 2016 by pennben

[Milaxx]

It may seem too obvious that Frank killed Mahoney, but this show has a track record of presenting the obvious. From the beginning Annalise said the boyfriend killed Rebecca. From the beginning it was suspected that Wes was Mahoney's son. I personally always suspected Caleb. The show make takes twists and turns until they reveal it, but it often is the most obvious choice.

[luvly]

I'm still in shock. Not over anything that happen murder plot wise, but that we got to see Annalise in a stocking cap. Not a silk bonnet, not a TV-pretty sleep scarf, but an old school ass stocking cap. This show gets me. 

 

I always suspected Caleb was guiltier than he appeared, but I only caught on to him being the informant about a second before they saw him but didn't tell the audience, so props for that. It would have been better if there'd been more focus on his and Catherine's personality throughout the season though, because there wasn't really any emotional resonance for me upon finding out he was the murderer. As much as I couldn't stand Rebecca last season, I knew her personality and I went back and forth over whether she killed Lila or not. I would have liked to see more slightly manipulative moments from Caleb, like the not telling Michaela about the gun until after they'd slept together, so I could wonder more. I'm suspicious over his blood pattern too, though. Why would you slit your wrists at the doorway and then get in the tub? The tight shot of his hotel room, conveniently only showing the very corner of the bed before showing the TV and then panning to to the bathroom seemed deliberate too. Like the Annalise and Philip scene, it feels like something's being held back.

 

I liked the continuity and symbolism of the suitcase of money. I'm assuming it's the same one he put in the storage locker for Wes to find when he was convinced Frank killed Rebecca so that was a nice little call back. It also feels like they were showing that he'd never spent any of it because of the guilt he felt over how he procured it and was using it as his backup, escape without a trace money because he knew all ties with Annalise were now severed. 

[pennben]

I'm sure someone can correct me, but when I first saw the woman Frank was with (from 10 years ago in the bar) on tonight's episode, my first thought was that she was the cop who had been questioning Wes/Christophe.

[rexytheking]

Seriously, if they made Frank commit suicide for this, I would have dropped the show immediately. I think that Frank and Laurel are the most interesting part of the show (besides Annalise of course). The fact that they're always one step ahead of everyone else is just nice to watch. Both of them were pretty amazing in season 1 but kind of died in season 2. That's because they were amazing soloers but when they got together, everything went downhill...

 

This Asher, Michaela thing is really odd to me. It's just pure lust and just confusing. So I guess its a pretty good representation of a real relationship I guess...

[silverwings]

So can someone clarify Frank's role in the flashback for me and why he was so guilty.... Did he just plant the bug (which gave Maloney the intel to crash into Annalise's car) or did he actually drive said car?  That wasn't clear to me given how guilty he was acting.  How would he know it wasn't an accident if he didn't drive the car himself?  I guess that scene went by too quickly for me.

 

Loved the rest of the episode - can't wait for next season.  Wonder if they'll do a DNA test for Wes to prove he's Maloney's son and cause a huge inheritance case?

[Eolivet]

 

I think with regard ot the Hapstall case, they actually spent too little time on it. We never really were given a picture of who any of the players were and so the motives are just arbitrary. They could just as easily have said that the killer was Catherine, Phillip, some combo of the three or anything.

 

 

I agree with this. I think this season they bit off more than they could chew. The Hapstall case didn't have that overwhelming arc-y feel that Sam's death had, and after they tied it up with explaining who shot Annalise, I thought we were done and on to the Mahoneys. Every time Philip would come up, I'd be like "Not this again!" And correct me if I'm wrong, but when was the last time we saw Caleb? Two...three episodes ago? The reveal didn't have nearly the impact it would have if he'd been a regular onscreen presence (like in the first part of the season) compared to the Rose/Annalise baby/Mahoney case. It felt like a "Uh...we need a big surprise -- here you go!" moment. This was, to me, the perfect illustration of why you shouldn't do surprise just because you can. The show is so good at shocking surprises, but this just felt rushed and lazy.

 

And I'm actually getting vaguely creeped out by the incestuous Keating 5. It never bothered me on Grey's Anatomy, but I find Laurel/Wes and Michaela/Asher really awkward. I didn't love Frank/Laurel or Wes/Rebecca (RIP) but I understood them, at least.

 

Other than that, I loved the episode. People will say that Viola Davis earned her Emmy last week -- I think it was this week. You can teach people to cry on cue -- you can't teach them how to alter their onscreen personality just enough to give a hint of who they were before they grew up. I loved how Annalise's persona just...changed and softened, but kept that hint of who we knew, around her family -- even moreso than when her mother came to visit her last year. From burying the paper with the baby's name (I knew it would be Sam -- an example of good predictability) to confronting her father to lounging in bed with her sister, it was like an entirely different side to Annalise that only Viola Davis could ever pull off. Absolutely brilliant. And I also hope Cicely Tyson earned the Best Guest Actress Emmy she was robbed of last season.

 

All in all, a good season -- liked the first half better than the second, but I'll be back for more in the fall! Can't get enough of the acting (and the OMGs).

[Chicago Redshirt]

So can someone clarify Frank's role in the flashback for me and why he was so guilty.... Did he just plant the bug (which gave Maloney the intel to crash into Annalise's car) or did he actually drive said car?  That wasn't clear to me given how guilty he was acting.  How would he know it wasn't an accident if he didn't drive the car himself?  I guess that scene went by too quickly for me.

Frank knowingly betrayed Anna by taking a suitcase full of cash to "not be Annalise Keating's bitch" and planted the bug in her hotel room. It didn't take much to put two and two together that planting the bug led to AK's "accident." Nobody is going to just hand you (let's say) $50-100k in cash if they don't have nefarious purposes in mind. Even as a baby version of 2015 Frank, he could do the math. Frank didn't drive the car but to his sense of guilt he might as well have. 

 

On to other thoughts:

 

Assuming Caleb is the real killer, he was both extraordinarily stupid and lucky. If his motivation was to inherit all of mommy and daddy's money NOW, seems like killing is a little extreme. It's not like he was going to live in poverty between when he conceived of this plan and executed it. Killing Racist Aunt Hapstall while wearing a GPS device placing you at the scene of the crime is beyond dumb. He is very lucky that the cops apparently  decided to frame him by planting DNA at that scene, and that somehow he didn't leave any DNA while doing the deed.

 

Caleb's being the presumed killer also raises questions about Anna's judgment. You may remember some episodes back where Team AK basically arbitrarily decided that they would choose either Caleb or Catherine and throw the other under the bus. Why they did this, I don't know. But as long as they were going to do it, why choose Caleb? Hate to be sexist, but there is no chance that Catherine by herself could have physically pulled off a double homicide. 

 

Then there is the notion of Caleb turning informant. I don't really understand what his motivation was there. Maybe discredit Anna and somehow that would result in Catherine getting freed? I also don't understand the motivation of the DA's office in swallowing his story. Literally, they just prosecuted him for three murders. How in the world could they expect anyone to think him credible? Also, there's at least some issue with talking to a represented party outside the presence of their counsel.

 

As to AK's time down south:

 

Did we know that AK has a brother and sister? 

 

Her stuck-in-the 80s room was everything. Except it didn't quite square with the notion that they'd been basically poverty stricken if this house was where she was in the 80s.

 

Sis sleeping in the bed with AK was a little creepy. I wonder if Uncle Molester went after her too or was roasted before he got the chance.

 

I knew she named her child Sam. Still, it was a powerful moment. I kind of wanted to see what she wrote in the letter to him.

 

Given Mama's mad cooking skillz, I am of the mindset that the cobbler Anna purportedly made for Nate was real...and it was spectacular.

Edited March 18, 2016 by Chicago Redshirt

[marceline]

Is it bad that I found Annaliese's family infinitely more interesting than anything else going on in this rapidly deteriorating crapfest? I could watch a show with Viola Davis and Cicely Tyson and her sister and brother and father all day long. Cicely Tyson is amazing.

 

Same here. That felt like something straight from the pen of Tennessee Williams. Every time they went back to Annalisse's office it was like someone turned the channel from the show I really wanted to watch. I say ditch HTGAWM and double down on a "Welcome Home Anna Mae" spinoff. 

 

Also can we please find a way for these folks to get information besides Oliver's "hacking?" The FBI can't get into an iPhone but Oliver can "hack" Annalisse's credit cards and get access to the redacted warrant for her AND the the station video feed?! Stop. Put a little effort in. They have Nate on their side. He could've gotten any one of those things and it would have meant that characters could be doing something instead of just standing around talking while Oliver "hacks."

Edited March 18, 2016 by marceline

[Primetimer]

The stuff about murder is (ahem) less great.

Read the story

[Chicago Redshirt]

Also can we please find a way for these folks to get information besides Oliver's "hacking?" The FBI can't get into an iPhone but Oliver can "hack" Annalisse's credit cards and get access to the redacted warrant for her AND the the station video feed?! Stop. Put a little effort in. They have Nate on their side. He could've gotten any one of those things and it would have meant that characters could be doing something instead of just standing around talking while Oliver "hacks."

 

In fairness, though, hacking AK's credit card records when you (presumably) have access to her home/office computer is probably something anyone could do. At least, a lot of us are lazy and use saved passwords for various sites. It probably isn't tough once you log on as AK (and I'd have to think Bonnie and/or Frank would have her logon) to her desktop/laptop.

 

Also, any time Nate is on screen with his shirt on or when he's not making someone wish he would be taking his shirt off is wasted time, IMO! I say this as a secure hetero guy: Goddamn!

[TheHappinessHotel]

 

I was so concerned Laurel was going to find Frank's body after he killed himself at the end, so I was really glad that he wasn't the second body!

I'm aware this is somewhat of an unpopular opinion, but I like Laurel and Frank together. I hope Frank comes back - he has such great lines. Besides, Annalise needs Frank.

 

_______

I am a Laurel and Frank as a couple fan! 

 

I was terrified they would show he killed himself because we are just getting to learn more of his background.  

[TobinAlbers]

 

So Sam had a young pregnant girl murdered, thereby murdering her child as well, even though his own child was pretty much murdered? So he was OK with having two murdered children? Damn.

 

I'm going with Sam has a weird sense of logic and was punishing himself and protecting Annalise with having Frank kill pregnant Lila. Punishing himself in that he was denying himself a child he once upon a time wanted but knew deep down he didn't deserve and protecting Annalise in as much as they grew to hate each other is as much as they once loved (and possibly still did given all the anger we saw between them in their final confrontation) and Sam felt it would CRUSH her to know that he'd gotten someone else pregnant. Seriously, if Sam was truly over Annalise and their marriage and didn't feel anything for her, he wouldn't have gone to the lengths of having Lila killed. He'd have at least flaunted that kid in her face like grinding glass into her stomach. Instead he covered it up - yes for himself- but oddly I think also to 'protect' Annalise. Don't get me wrong, Sam was a messed up person in the end, but I kind of get some of his thought processes in this.

 

And while I get his telling Frank not to tell Annalise his role in the baby's death as protecting Annalise, there was Sam also protecting himself in that as was driven home in the previous episode, Sam forced Annalise to hire Frank. Frank wouldn't have been there to betray her if it hadn't been for Sam so again, twisted logic, he feels she'd work her way to blaming Sam and Sam would feel she was right. I think that's what he really meant when he said if she knew the truth he'd lose her. Either she'd blame herself and pull away or she'd blame him and pull away. It was a no win. He leaned towards trying to hide his 'culpability' and work on making her believe that it was a random accident. Meanwhile, Annalise was still blaming herself because she felt that if she hadn't taken the case, she'd never have been in the car at that 'random' moment.  So in the end Sam hiding this secret not only was for naught, it still ended his marriage.

 

Asher and Michaela is still weird to me, but I did like that he immediately asked her if she was okay after learning about Caleb. Not sure where it's headed but it seems like yet another of the Keating 5 who was whatever about Asher (Wes is the last one) now has the more intimate relationship with him.

 

I knew that they'd cut something from Phillip's attack on Annalise. When she was able to get away she ran to the door but turned back to look at him rather than down the stairs and they cut away from it so I knew they'd had a conversation that we would see later to put everything together.

 

Still, something felt rushed about Caleb being the culprit all along. As if the writers were like 'Okay, let's just wrap this up so we can move on already.'

 

Had to chortle at Annalise tsking Bonnie for 'believing anything a man tells you', when Annalise and plenty of other women on the show lie and cloud the truth themselves. Lying is an equal opportunity dick move.

 

Deadbeat Dads are the worst, but deadbeat dads correctly calling you out on duplicating their behavior of abandonment and running back home again is a particularly prickly barb. Viola Davis wore the sour lemon look well when Annalise couldn't say anything to counter Deadbeat Dad's saying 'Yeah I ran home to your momma for some healing, so did you!'

 

I'm usually good at picking out plot twists but I seriously did not see Wallace's death coming. I mean cold blooded shot right in front of Wes mid-conversation. This is at least the one time Wes can say 'I didn't do it! I didn't kill him! I was just standing her!' Poor guy. As someone pointed out, he's witnessed the deaths of both his parents (or grandparent if Wallace's son is actually Wes's father). I'm actually looking forward to Wilson Bethel playing off Wes in the bro v bro saga next season.

[marceline]

One thing I liked about this episode is how we see that the baby's death "broke" everyone involved and turned them into the morally bankrupt people we know today. Anna, Sam and Frank all lost a piece of themselves that day and never got it back. The people they were died with that baby.

Edited March 21, 2016 by marceline

[Dr Epi]

Viola Davis and Cicely Tyson.

The whole hour could have been them in the kitchen together in Memphis and I would have been satisfied.

[rubyred]

So glad that Hapstall mess is resolved. Don't even care that Caleb didn't seem to have the cunning to pull it all off -- I blame that on the actor, or "mactor", really. Dude had zero nuance, which contributed to his sketchiness. I think they would have spent more time on that murder if they'd have cast it better.

If Wes doesn't end up in a psych ward after this...this is the fourth time (?) he's found himself standing over a dead body. Give the dude a break, show! I didn't see the sniper shot coming, but I'm also sad about it because I really liked Adam Arkin in this role and was looking forward to his shenanigans in the future.

I think Matt McGorry is softening my attitude towards dudebros everywhere. Asher can be as self-interested as the rest, but he's also the only one who follows that up with compassion, empathy and/or self-awareness. And he makes me laugh inappropriately.

[St. Claire]

How many people's blood will be splattered all over Wes before this series ends? Ew.

[Waldo13]

Viola Davis and Cicely Tyson.

The whole hour could have been them in the kitchen together in Memphis and I would have been satisfied.

With more performance like VD and CT had tonight, there would be no begging for awards from the academy. IMO they were the best performances in either TV or movies in a couple of years. They only other actor to have consistent fantastic performances is Eva Green (Penny Dreadful) and she has been snubbed quite a bit.

There are some not so logical moments on HTGAWM, but unlike daytime soap operas, I can let them slide due to the much superior acting and much more interesting characters.

[vixenbynight]

That was good.

 

About Oliver: I've really enjoyed watching him change this season. He's completely seduced by Annalise and her world. Oh if only he knew the truth of it.

That's why I'm not so disappointed in why Oliver called Stanford and lied about Connor not wanting to go to that school.

In Oliver's mind, Annalise/Keating Five and all the craziness that comes with being with Connor has completely changed his life. He's happy, fulfilled and in love.

Why would he want him and Connor to leave all that behind for Stanford?!

I'm just glad that CR has made it to the main cast. He's terrific.

[KaveDweller]

I didn't think his face or eyes registered much of anything (at least not in the way Michaela or Connor's eyes seem to register something when a terrible incident has happened). The little kid who played Wes registered something in the face when he saw his mom lying on the floor but I didn't think adult Wes's reaction looked any different from his usual reaction to things (which usually seems to be not much? 

 

I thought he looked pretty shocked when Mahoney dropped to the ground. He doesn't always have the most visible facial expressions, but I definitely saw something then.