S03.E03: Always Bet Black

[rubyred]

The writing may not be making this clear, but I have assumed that Wes is in an "it's fine, I'm fine, everything's fine" fugue state since Mahoney's murder. He's decided as a coping mechanism that primal screaming it out with Annaliese was all he needed to do to move on, but the fact is that the last few years have been nothing but trauma for him, adding on to his childhood trauma, and he hasn't truly dealt with any of it. Someone upthread mentioned that Meggy is a 180 degree turn from Rebecca, and boy is that true. Sounds like a rebound relationship to me, and destined to fail, because he's not all in, even if he doesn't realize it himself. Of course, I like AE so I may be projecting ;-)

I find that I don't really care who the bodies are, just who they aren't: I don't want to lose Wes, Laurel, and Connor, and I would miss Asher for the lolz. Michaela's tailspin has limited appeal for me, Oliver I used to love but he's a putz now, I never had time for Frank, Bonnie is...whatever (Liza Weil is great tho), Nate is dispensable. Since Eve has yet to appear this season, it would be cheap to have her be the shocking reveal as one of the bodies.

Being Annaliese, I think she'd put on that Grand Guignol-level show of grief if the charred body was the mailman, especially with her neighbors as the audience. I think I hope it's Frank, with the other body being Rebecca's, to get that dangling thread out of the way.

[Milaxx]

On 10/7/2016 at 7:08 PM, Kira53 said:

Someone got to Oliver and forced him to break up with Conner.  Annalise is my first suspect.  What's her motive?  They haven't decided that yet.  They do make it up as they go along.

I just decided that Annalise would be worried that Conner would talk about the murder if he went to Stanford.  Annalise might believe that breaking up Conner and Oliver would reduce the possibility that with time Conner would confess to Oliver.  The fact that he confessed to a client confirms her worries that he is still a high risk of confessing to the murder and risking the rest of the Keating 5 and Annalise herself.

Annalise didn't know about Oliver declining Connor's Standford offer until after the fact. She already had the fact that Oliver illegally hacks for them  and knows where Connors car is that they used to move Sam's body to hold over Connor's head. Oliver breaking up with Connor was his decision, not Annalise's  

Edited October 9, 2016 by Milaxx

[Dowel Jones]

Well, here's my totally preposterous guess at the first body under the sheet.  It's Annalise, and that's ghostAnna working around the crowd, which is why she can move in and around a crime scene.  Everything we see her do is her nightmare, which is why she can let out a ferocious scream that no pays any attention to.  I don't think this will hold up to scrutiny, but I like the wide range of possibilities.

[Delphi]

Okay, my opinion on the whole Coliver situation without quoting because there are just far too many people to quote. 

 

I, like Connor, am a gay, attractive, white guy with a tendency to not do boyfriends because honestly they are more trouble than their worth, though I'm now in a longterm relationship with someone, Hispanic btw .   And I have a history with dating apps.  And no, you don't have to add the "no fems" "Asian guys don't apply " because it's not really a dating app, it's a sex app.  People don't always expect a response, but proper etiquette would be to just say that you're not interested.   Saying that you're not interested in black people or Indian or what have you is in fact racist.   And in the past I have ignored people or blocked them when that was their profile tagline.  It's gross. 

I also wanna add that Connor did nothing wrong in the first season regarding his relationship with Oliver.   I think he honestly felt a connection to him but they weren't monogamous.   They were dating, not married and Oliver had a pretty good idea about who Connor was.   He just fell head over heels with Connor and couldn't deal.   Connor admitted that he really liked Ollie, but Ollie was the one that fell in love after a month and expected Connor to change everything about himself because he loved him after a few weeks .   That's not fair. 

Honestly, I'm a huge Coliver fan but in terms of their relationship, (disregarding the death count, because I have no experience there. ) Oliver is the wrong party not the wronged one. 

Edited October 8, 2016 by Delphi

[ribboninthesky]

10 hours ago, DearEvette said:

I loved Connor's telling Michaela "Our ex has gotten engaged." Ha!  and snort!

This scene really bothered me because it took me back to the root of why Connor & Michaela being presented as BFFs never rang true IMO. The recurrence of Aiden. How his character got outed as a punchline and subsequently used intentionally to antagonize Michaela throughout season 1 felt all kinds of wrong. And to have that rather large tidbit under rug swept, then using him now as a plot device for Connor to gloat just seemed unnecessarily mean-spirited. Especially considering he's crashing at her damn apartment after getting dumped. Some #friendshipgoals.

[Black Knight]

Bonnie's eyeroll in the background of that newspaper photo of her, Annalise and Michaela was hilarious.

I'm so relieved that she's not the dead one. Someone commented earlier this season that she's easily replaceable by Laurel, but I don't agree. Laurel and Annalise's relationship doesn't begin to compare to Annalise and Bonnie's relationship, which is arguably the most complex of the show's, and one we still don't have a lot of the backstory on. I was interested to see Annalise being nicer to Bonnie in this episode (which was happening even before the drinking scene, so it wasn't just because they were talking about Bonnie's childhood) than she ever has except for that flashback to when Annalise was pregnant. I wonder if that's because Frank is gone and so Bonnie's all she has left - by "all" I mean people she is consistently honest with, who know what she's up to with her schemes and are full partners in those schemes. With the students and Nate she only tells them bits and pieces.

The body under the sheet may be a pivotal character, but that doesn't mean Annalise's reaction to seeing that person was authentic. I keep remembering last season when Frank ran into the hospital pretending to be hysterical about Annalise's shooting. If Annalise's reaction was sincere, then I do think it's one of Wes, Nate or Eve (and she'd also react that way to Bonnie, but Bonnie was eliminated as a possibility). But if she was faking, if this is a scheme, then it really could be anyone...and if so, then it's the second person in the house that she'll really be upset over. I feel like that's probably the way the show will go, Annalise was scheming to remove person #1 and somebody she really cares about ended up being collateral damage.

I was feeling like Michaela got shortchanged on her COTW until I remembered that she actually basically had one in the premiere - it was Asher's case, but Michaela came up with the ideas and ended up being the key one, even though they didn't win. So this week's COTW was kinda odd in that it wasn't really any of the students'. Michaela was technically on it, but Annalise did all the courtroom stuff and met with the DA, and at no point did we see Michaela so much as involved in a strategy discussion. Showing that she knew the laws and cases Annalise was citing in court wasn't much of a bone. This was really Annalise and Bonnie's COTW.

[La Traviata]

[snip] The casino guy was making generic small talk with Oliver then later he was coming on to Connor.  Connor told him to go back to Oliver.  Casino guy said he's not into Asians.  Connor flew off the handle and started accusing casino guy of all sorts of things: no fems, masc only, no fatties.  

Edited October 10, 2016 by Stinger97
Don't tell people that they need to rewatch to see things your way.

[Milaxx]

15 hours ago, RedheadZombie said:

I offer Oliver (weak actor, and now bad character), Michaela (never liked her, don't like her with Asher), and possibly Meggy. 

Oliver has already been shown to be alive and well. Well enough to meet Annalise, get her phone and wipe it.

 

10 hours ago, Delphi said:

I also wanna add that Connor did nothing wrong in the first season regarding his relationship with Oliver.   I think he honestly felt a connection to him but they weren't monogamous.   They were dating, not married and Oliver had a pretty good idea about who Connor was.   He just fell head over heels with Connor and couldn't deal.   Connor admitted that he really liked Ollie, but Ollie was the one that fell in love after a month and expected Connor to change everything about himself because he loved him after a few weeks .   That's not fair. 

I agree to a point. Initially Connor did think things were casual between him and Oliver, however whether he wanted to admit it or not  he  quickly developed deeper feelings for him. If Ollie didn't matter to Connor when Ollie heard that recording he wouldn't have felt the need to try and explain, nor show any remorse. Hence the reason he was mooning over Oliver in class (Michaela caught him) an then later pretty much crying in his drink to the woman at the bar when Annalise had them go to the bar and try and get  info on the client du jour (I forget the specifics). Then as a result, he brought him flowers to try and make up for it. It's also why Connor ran to Oliver after they burned and chopped up Sam. Ollie may have fallen in love first, but Connor by his own actions cared enough for Ollie to want to change.

Edited October 8, 2016 by Milaxx

[Eolivet]

I have this weird (probably wrong) feeling that Meggy is going to replace whoever is under the sheet. Annalise would love to have a med student on her team, in the same way she has a tech guy in Oliver.

If another poster said they all cried when they read who was under the sheet, that can't be Eve then. She hasn't been back in months. That leads me to believe it's one of the Keating 5, and that's why they promoted Oliver to a regular and (maybe) introduced Meggy -- to keep up the ratio of "younger adults" on the show.

(Also, wasn't it implied that Nate made Annalise the smoothie at home? Yet when she dropped it in the trash, it was in a plastic cup with a lid and a straw? So, unless Annalise keeps a supply of plastic cups, lids and straws on hand...)

[Milaxx]

2 minutes ago, Eolivet said:

(Also, wasn't it implied that Nate made Annalise the smoothie at home? Yet when she dropped it in the trash, it was in a plastic cup with a lid and a straw? So, unless Annalise keeps a supply of plastic cups, lids and straws on hand...)

He made it and put it in a plastic cup. She tasted it without the lid, turned to get coffee and before she left out he handed it to her with the lid on and straw in it.

[Stinger97]

I've deleted the four latest posts for two reasons: 1. They're off topic; and 2. The use of the "N" word. It's not pertinent to this episode's discussion and it's offensive. Keep the conversation about the episode and not about your dating preferences and/or the state of race relations. Thanks.

[ChuckWagon]

20 hours ago, Black Knight said:

 But if she was faking, if this is a scheme, then it really could be anyone...and if so, then it's the second person in the house that she'll really be upset over. I feel like that's probably the way the show will go, Annalise was scheming to remove person #1 and somebody she really cares about ended up being collateral damage

Agreed. Annalise is nothing if not a skilled actress...my first thought after seeing the flyers was the house went up to cover up a confrontation gone real bad with Hannah/Marcia Gay Harden, who would totally have it in her to post the flyers. You'd have to love the character closure of losing Hannah to a Code Black ;)

[helenamonster]

On 10/7/2016 at 5:06 PM, Glade said:

I loved it when Analise asked Bonnie if she was also going to tell the police where Rebecca's body is.  Rebecca also had a mother somewhere, and she may even have been a survivor of child sexual abuse, we'll never know. 

We do know that Rebecca grew up in foster care, and that the only person who appeared concerned about her disappearance was Levi. I did like the point that Annalise made, that it's hypocritical of Bonnie to criticize someone who murders lost young women, but unfortunately I don't think anyone is looking for Rebecca.

On 10/7/2016 at 8:00 PM, Feline Goddess said:

Annalise would have to be Mad Hatter bonkers to burn her own house to the ground and sacrifice everything in it.  Even if she didn't care about any of the furnishings, it's also her place of business and all her case files would be there.  

Hmmm, but maybe that's part of it? We know from this episode that the DA's office is getting sick of Annalise's shit (btw, loved seeing the actress who played Kristen on the now-cancelled Aquarius show up as the ADA this episode) and the promo for next episode shows her facing consequences for slapping her client. Maybe the DA's office launches a full-scale investigation into Annalise's career and she sets the fire to destroy her records? And then two people get trapped inside? Or maybe one of them was still intentional and it was a two birds, one stone situation.

It always feels a little strange when Wes is shuttled over to the sidelines on this show. I'm not particularly fond of him outside of Alfred Enoch being part of the Harry Potter universe, but I think this show kinda deceived us in the pilot and a lot of the first season with so much focus on Wes. There was this sort of understanding among most of the audience that he was the main student character and/or the audience surrogate, but maybe he was never supposed to be more than one of the Five and was just the one that the show decided to focus on first. He's still gotten a lot more focus than the others of the Five, what with last season flashbacks and all, but I think this really is supposed to be The Viola Davis Show feat. An Ensemble.

[possibilities]

I feel like the show is making a comment about nose rings. Rebecca wore one. And the woman the COTW confessed to murdering also did. No one else I remember on the show has done so. Now I think nose rings are the show's shortcut for "young women to be murdered and have their corpses dumped."

[darkestboy]

I'm really enjoying this season. The cases seem more interesting and the mystery is taking more interesting twists as well.

The guy this week deserved that slap and jail time but clearly it's going to come back to haunt Annalise as well. I liked the bits of continuity on Bonnie's storyline from last season as well.

Michaela was a bit reckless in this episode but I did like seeing her, Asher, Connor and Oliver at the casino though. Connor taking on that himbo guy was pretty good as well as Oliver's gaping at Nate.

Laurel and her father and Frank was interesting too. I don't believe for a second that Annalise believed Laurel about not knowing where Frank was though.

Meggy probably should dump Wes. Her instincts about him and Laurel are on the money.

So on top on who died, we know have to figure out who is barely hanging on as well. At least we can rule out Bonnie though, 8/10

[Tara Ariano]

In case you missed it, here's the Previously.TV post on the episode!

On How to Get Away With Murder, Laurel Leaves These Other Fools Behind

She's in Miami, so she skips the dumb story with the ugly murderer.

[Milaxx]

My only quibble with the recap is questioning the K5 crew going to AC still in their work clothes. I'm not sure if it's a Philly/Jersey thing but folks do that a lot. It's actually a pretty common thing to do.

Edited October 13, 2016 by Milaxx

[Joimiaroxeu]

Why was Oliver looking so hard at Nate? You'd think he had never seen Nate before or had just realized something bad about him. Hope this doesn't mean Nate is up to no good behind Anna's back. (Wouldn't be interesting if it turned out Nate is into men too and Oliver has seen evidence of it.)

And then later in bed Nate and Anna alluded to secrets they both have. Hmm.

Are we going to find out who the dead one is before the winter break or is this something they'll be dragging out through next spring?

ETA: I see upthread that some posters thought Oliver was ogling Nate. I still think it was more of a "...wait a minute, I know you from somewhere and you shouldn't be here" look.

[Tiger]

On 10/7/2016 at 9:00 PM, love2lovebadtv said:

I dunno. The guy was a Jerk and I'm not up in the dating lingo. But I don't feel like the episode addressed racismnin the gay community. If he was a heterosexual black guy who was only interested in black women, I doubt people who have an issue with that or call it racism.

If anything I think Michaela makes inappropriate comments to Asher about his being white but people seem ok with it. She clearly has an issue being Asher but seems to also not want to be with someone outside her race. But I digress. 

Just because someone, gay or straight or black or white or whatever, has a 'type', that isnt wrong and definitely isnt racist.   John DeLuca's character spoke and looked like a total douche, but just because he, allegedly, doesnt like asians or any other 'type' doesnt make him a racist.  

That argument also didnt make sense coming from Connor.  I'm still pretty sure Falahee is leaving the show, whether Connor exits dead or alive.  And part of why I think so is that the writers have clearly lost interest in him, have abandoned his personality, and are now using him to move plot or make a statement on behalf of the show.  

[secnarf]

9 minutes ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

Why was Oliver looking so hard at Nate? You'd think he had never seen Nate before or had just realized something bad about him. Hope this doesn't mean Nate is up to no good behind Anna's back. (Wouldn't be interesting if it turned out Nate is into men too and Oliver has seen evidence of it.)

And then later in bed Nate and Anna alluded to secrets they both have. Hmm.

Are we going to find out who the dead one is before the winter break or is this something they'll be dragging out through next spring?

ETA: I see upthread that some posters thought Oliver was ogling Nate. I still think it was more of a "...wait a minute, I know you from somewhere and you shouldn't be here" look.

That's an interesting take on it! I definitely just assumed Oliver was staring at Nate because Nate was half-naked and quite attractive, and Oliver is gay. It seemed kind of cheap because Bonnie and Michaela are (as far as we know) also attracted to men and totally ignored Nate, but that also seems a bit more in keeping with their characters, imo. Oliver has been portrayed as naive/innocent, so my interpretation was that they played that up with half-naked Nate in AK's kitchen just for laughs, with no deeper motive. 

Would be interesting though, if Oliver had stumbled across Nate's Grindr profile (or whatever their version of Grindr is - Humpr??)

I am mildly curious as to what secrets Nate has.

I believe Nowalk has said that we find out who the body is

in episode 9

[Tiger]

The stuff with Laurel and her father was great, but when he showed up in season 1 Im pretty sure it was a different actor, he was living/working in Mexico, was married to Laurel's mother, and beyond just that one episode has always been hinted to be in the mob or an arms dealer. But now he's played by Esai Morales and is (just) a military contractor? 

I loved Annalise slapping the taste out of COTW's mouth, and she and Bonnie drinking and discussing the girl in the freezer.  Everytime it seems like the show is about to pull back out of fear of making Annalise too "unlikeable", instead it dives-in head first.  

I hope we see more of that D.A.  The actress actually had the attitude that the show wanted that D.A. that Asher mowed down to have.

[dgpolo]

I get the feeling that Oliver may have 'wiped' the phone but he saved the info somewhere else.

[TV Anonymous]

Did I miss anything with this show? Does Laurel have two fathers?

[dgpolo]

4 minutes ago, TV Anonymous said:

Did I miss anything with this show? Does Laurel have two fathers?

No, in the long, long tradition of TV they just recast the role. Two Darrins on Bewitched, two Beckys on Roseanne, two Miss Ellies on Dallas, two Daarios on GoT

[Milaxx]

3 hours ago, Tiger said:

The stuff with Laurel and her father was great, but when he showed up in season 1 Im pretty sure it was a different actor, he was living/working in Mexico, was married to Laurel's mother, and beyond just that one episode has always been hinted to be in the mob or an arms dealer. But now he's played by Esai Morales and is (just) a military contractor? 

I loved Annalise slapping the taste out of COTW's mouth, and she and Bonnie drinking and discussing the girl in the freezer.  Everytime it seems like the show is about to pull back out of fear of making Annalise too "unlikeable", instead it dives-in head first.  

I hope we see more of that D.A.  The actress actually had the attitude that the show wanted that D.A. that Asher mowed down to have.

They did recast, but that scene in season one was in Fla, not Mexico. IIRC I think it was Palm Beach and that was her step mother who appeared to be a white woman.

[Major Bigtime]

19 hours ago, dgpolo said:

I get the feeling that Oliver may have 'wiped' the phone but he saved the info somewhere else.

I agree, he had it hooked up to a computer. To clean off an iPhone, you don't do it that way. At least, when I've sold my old ones, I use the control center. No cord needed.

Who is Eve on this show, I'm drawing a blank on her character.

Laurel's dad is hot. That's all I got!

[secnarf]

2 hours ago, Major Bigtime said:

Who is Eve on this show, I'm drawing a blank on her character.

Famke Janssen's character - lawyer in NYC, Annalise's ex-girlfriend and classmate from law school.

[Hava]

I really enjoy this show, but I have to get some of my unpopular opinions off my chest:

1. I LOVE Michaela and Asher together. Asher just makes me smile, and I love that I never saw their relationship coming but it still works and makes sense. 

2. I hate everything having to do with Laurel and Frank. I've never gotten their relationship, so the continuous emphasis on their love makes me despise the characters.

3. I feel nothing for Annalise/Nate and Connor/Oliver. Like others have said, Nate serves no other purpose on the show other than eye candy. Oliver is so blah to me, too. I love Connor, though.

[Milaxx]

On 10/11/2016 at 1:35 PM, doram said:

Initially, I thought Aiden was bisexual then I realized that the show made a point of saying that Michaela never had an orgasm from him, and he wasn't interesting in giving her oral sex. It's never outrightly stated - but it's very, very likely that he was her first and only sexual partner for a long time and she didn't have anything else to compare it to. 

There was also the discussion Michaela had with Aiden's mother where it was implied she was aware that he was gay and on the downlow. I believe it was after he had called off the engagement. Michaela thought she was coming to ask for the ring back. Micheala  was wearing a fake because Laurel hadn't told her she found the real ring.  So I always assumed Aiden was gay and on the downlow. My take was not that she was jealous that Aiden was married, but that at one point Michaela had dreams of being that woman that AIden married, ie: successful, rich and glamorous. Tack onto that her next few flings were Rebecca's step brother,  Caleb Hapstall and now Asher, it's no wonder she's feeling a little frustrated and needed to blow off some steam. I think there is potential for the Asher/ Michaela pairing but she needed to put her dreams to rest and deal with realty. Asher's right, they are different people now and the potential for their relationship to be more than just the physical is there.

Edited October 13, 2016 by Milaxx

[Tiger]

I think the problem with Asher & Michaela is that they are not only constantly injecting race into it, but acting like Asher isnt good enough for her because he's white.

He isnt good enough for her because he's a killer, stood around as his friends raped a girl, and is an all around douche.  His "bad habits, have zero to do with hid race.  

Also, while I think the actors do have chemistry, I think both have a lot more chemistry with Falahee, so its a bit hard to want Asher & Michaela when theyre both constantly sparking with Connor.  

And its funny because that shocking hook-up last season that ended up being Asher & Michaela, I thought was going to be Asher & Connor.

[J.D.]

On 10/10/2016 at 0:52 PM, Tiger said:

Just because someone, gay or straight or black or white or whatever, has a 'type', that isnt wrong and definitely isnt racist.   John DeLuca's character spoke and looked like a total douche, but just because he, allegedly, doesnt like asians or any other 'type' doesnt make him a racist.  

That argument also didnt make sense coming from Connor.  I'm still pretty sure Falahee is leaving the show, whether Connor exits dead or alive.  And part of why I think so is that the writers have clearly lost interest in him, have abandoned his personality, and are now using him to move plot or make a statement on behalf of the show.  

I agree on both points made above.  I'm white and I have a 'type' that's not necessarily pristine white.  By some people's definition that would make me a racist.  LOL.  Racist against what?.... white people!?!?  How absurd.  "Help, get me outta my own skin; I hate my kind....."  LOL

With a heavy heart, I'm thinking Connor's under that sheet.  I hope it's Eve or Nate, but I can't think of any good reason TPTB would have Annalise hire Oliver unless it was to keep him in the storylines because Falahee's (allegedly) leaving the show.

On 10/10/2016 at 0:55 PM, secnarf said:

That's an interesting take on it! I definitely just assumed Oliver was staring at Nate because Nate was half-naked and quite attractive, and Oliver is gay.

That could be the reason, but I'm hoping Oliver knows him from someplace else.  I don't care for the stereotype that gay guys go for anything that breathes.  And besides, Nate might have a good body -- but that face!  Ew.

 

On 10/10/2016 at 1:31 PM, dgpolo said:

I get the feeling that Oliver may have 'wiped' the phone but he saved the info somewhere else.

Ooooo, let's hope so!  :)  That could make for a juicier storyline.

 

1 hour ago, Tiger said:

I think the problem with Asher & Michaela is that they are not only constantly injecting race into it, but acting like Asher isnt good enough for her because he's white.

He isnt good enough for her because he's a killer, stood around as his friends raped a girl, and is an all around douche.  His "bad habits, have zero to do with hid race.  

Exactly!  Michaela is such a bright, beautiful woman.  Why in heck are they having her waste her time with Asher?  He's such a jerk.  He had a good storyline last season with his dad dying and him running over Emily Sinclair with his car....but still, he's a great big doofus who has zero chemistry with Michaela.   Please, HTGAWM Gods, end this relationship soon.

[Milaxx]

When you are in an interracial race is ALWAYS injected in it.  That's not a negative thing. When you are bridging different cultures it's always an ongoing discussion.  You have to talk about everything from family traditions, acceptable slang and microaggressions. Being open and aware is how you grow and learn. Ironically Asher seems more cognizant of this than Michaela. I think part of it due to her being burned by her past few relationships that she refuses to look beyond the physical, but Asher is right, they are different people now and they could really have something.

[Portain]

Quote

I liked that this episode addressed the issue of racism within the gay community. My best friend is a gay man (white, for what it's worth) and he talks about how frustrating it is to see such open racism on gay dating apps (just like Connor said, a lot of "masc for masc" and "no blacks, no Asians"). I wouldn't really know about this issue if it wasn't for my friend, and I think it was cool of this show to give it a little bit of a spotlight. It's not something mainstream media ever really gets in-depth with.

never face any issue like this but i know it actually happens on dating app Tinder, i heard many stories about this. That's so unfair.

[Geekie]

6 hours ago, Portain said:

never face any issue like this but i know it actually happens on dating app Tinder, i heard many stories about this. That's so unfair.

it happens daily on any app.

[ArkisticMockery]

I tend not to pay much attention to their "case of the week" drama. I love this episode because we get to dive more into Laurel's story. Which have been such a mystery since Season 1.

[dunnel]

This is the most ugly show I've ever seen. Is the producer trying to tell us that lawyers are totally evil?