Deola’s Corner: Another Week Of TV (Edition 24)

DISCLAIMER: The following article contains spoilers from TV Shows of the past week. So if you haven’t SEEN the episodes of the week, and you detest spoilers, then I suggest you leave while you can. If you haven’t and you don’t mind spoilers, feel free to enjoy. If you have seen the episodes, then by all means read on and lets ki-ki.

REVIEW OF THE WEEK: How To Get Away With Murder – S03E02 (There Are Worse Things Than Murder)

This week picks up where we left off last week – at the house fire (I just realized that we had a bonfire murder in Season 1, how cute). Annalise is visibly shaken. She still has tears in her eyes as the police question her about her whereabouts, and from their line of questioning, it’s clear that they are treating her as the suspect here, not the victim. She freaks out and yells at them: “Arrest me!”

Flashback to two months earlier, Annalise is enjoying some private time with Nate. She’s been talking in her sleep. He wonders if she’s been having sex dream.

Nate: “You had another guy up in this bed?”

Annalise: “Who says it was a guy?”

Me:

They banter some more, and Annalise directs Nate to go and baff, not because she wants him be clean or anything. It’s just so she can use shady flip phone to call Frank, who we learn killed Annalise’s PI friend. PI guy didn’t go down without a fight though. Frank seems lost here, like it’s sad to watch. Her call is interrupted by a wet and naked Nate who wants her to join in him in the shower.

Next Annalise is called into the new president’s office. What happens in this scene is still a blur to me as all I could focus on was the coat of many colors that Annalise had on.

Annalise be looking fine as hell this season.

Moving on to this week on ‘Annalise and Wes: It’s Weird’, Annalise invites Wes to come live with her. Wes says what we are all thinking by saying, “It’s weird!”, says it’s because of Meggy. Umm, nope! It’s because of the unresolved sexual tension between you two!

Key detail in this next scene: the person who opens the door for Laurel is a workman who is changing Annalise’s locks. Laurel is there to chat up a frustrated Bonnie, who doesn’t seem to have much work to do these days since Annalise’s cases are pro-bono and her students are doing all the work. Laurel asks about what is being done about the Mahoney case. Bonnie tells her Eve is on it. They talk some more about Frank, but are interrupted by the presence of Annalise.

Meanwhile, Frank is doing what he does best – disposing of a body. It’s almost like a scene out of a different show. It is artistic the way he goes about it, isn’t it? An expert is what he is. This is me while he goes about his craft:

That was art!

Oliver meanwhile is getting ready for his first day at work and he is talking to someone who turns out to be Connor.

Like seriously, didn’t these two break up last week? Hian! This their own breakup is nice oh. They are even bantering as if nothing happened.

And then in class, Connor is bringing everyone up to speed on the tea of Oliver dumping him. What’s funny is they all think Connor cheated on him. Connor himself seems unfazed by the breakup (he’s in denial, just like the rest of us). He seems convinced he’ll win Oliver back by week’s end. They talk about the Annalise flyers, and then Drake the filler bitch says something about Annalise being the one putting them up. And I’m like:

Oliver awkwardly hovers around the class until Annalise tells him to introduce himself to the class. He does so by cracking a joke, and this is Connor’s reaction:

The case of the week meanwhile features a woman named Irene who murdered her husband by bludgeoning him to death with a hammer. She has served 30 years and is up for parole, and Annalise and co. want to help, seeing as Irene was physically and sexually abused by her husband throughout their ten-year marriage. It’s like she said last week: “They are good people now.”

Also, did I hear correctly or did Annalise say that after their potential client killed her husband, she still made it on time for work?

YASSSSSS Miss Irene! Showing us all that efficiency isn’t dead! (HA!)

Annalise tells them they all have a minute to present a parole strategy to Irene, which they all do, and she picks Connor, you know, the one person who told her she had no chance. Apparently that’s who she connected with the most. LOL! Very twisted, Ms. Irene, I love you already.

And then, just because things can’t get any weirder between these two, Wes confronts Annalise and she tells him she wanted him to move in with her because she is “lonely”. Sweet Jesus! These two will be the death of me! Did you see the way Mrs. Keating was blushing sef as she was saying it?

Annalise goes on to meet Nate, and tells him to help her find Frank, but of course she doesn’t tell him the full story. She lets loose of this little tea though: Sam Keating was apparently Frank’s doctor in prison. Interesting.

Meanwhile, Meggy and Wes have a moment in his room. It is sweet and nice and I am already bored.

Connor however is trying to get these his yeye classmates to take this case seriously, but Asher is too busy farting upandan. It’s still somehow less annoying than the presence of Drake the filler bitch though. And instead of working on the case, Michaela and Asher are too busy discussing whether or not they should make their ‘relationship’ public. Laurel and Wes are instructed to go see the dead man’s sister because – and I am quoting Connor here – “You seem sweet.” Obvious emphasis on seem, because we all know these two are the craziest ones. They meet up with Terrible Sis and she has every intention of testifying against Irene. I already can’t stand her.

Then Connor goes to see Irene to try and convince her to testify. And it is clear that Irene isn’t remorseful about what she did, and she necessarily shouldn’t be. What’s also clear is that she has no intention of begging the men on the parole board. It’s a really powerful scene and Amy Madigan is already amazing here.

The remaining Keating Kids are busy compiling a list of Annalise’s enemies instead of working on the case; they are really being jerks. The list is a funny one though; it goes thus: Catherine Hapstall, Levi aka Eggs 911, ADA Denver, Rebecca, Frank, Emily Sinclair relative (?), the entire DA’s office, all the cops, and Hannah Keating. A very nice list, I think they got everyone.

Bonnie gets Laurel’s phone records and shows Annalise. It shows that Miss “Frank is dead to me” has been leaving him voicemails. Annalise goes, “I hate them, every single one of their bitch-ass lying faces.” LMAO, Annalise is so maternal.

At her parole hearing, we learn that Irene was once pregnant but lost the baby, most likely due to the physical abuse she suffered from her husband. But the parole board isn’t having any of that. They believe she is inventing the claims of abuse since she never officially brought up the abuse during her trial (never mind the fact that that abuse wasn’t allowed to be entered the first time due to the shitty laws back then). Irene remains steadfast in her resolve not to beg the men. Connor can’t believe what he is hearing and he goes all Annalise on them AKA he goes on an epic rant, snatching all their weaves in the process. It’s amazing to see, and this is me when he is done:

And then, Michaela and Asher are having lunch, except Asher is the one doing all the eating here *wink, wink*. He comes up for air to talk to Michaela about their relationship again, and she rebuffs him again, specifically calling him a meat-stick.

Still working hard, Connor is back trying to get Madam Irene to spill the beans about her dead husband, but she still isn’t budging. Connor gets frustrated and does something really stupid. He tells her he murdered a man and got away with it! AH! Mister Man, this isn’t an Interview. She isn’t asking to see your CV as a successful murderer so she can hire you na! Chai! As Connor is busy spilling the tea, Annalise is on the other side of the door hearing EVERYTHING! – because she is Annalise.

You can tell this is how she feels as she hears Connor confess:

No wonder she hates all of them. LOL!

Surprisingly, she goes easy on him and only talks to him and doesn’t devour his soul.

And back on campus, Asher tells Michaela that he has changed and he isn’t a meat-stick. Yeah whatever! But then, he reaches and says he and Michaela are “the same.” Umm, no you aren’t. Last I checked, Michaela hasn’t murdered anyone; she’s been part of a cover-up, sure, but she hasn’t done it personally. You on the other hand are not to ever be trusted with car keys ever again. You here talking about how you two are the same.

You better sit your white ass down, mister!

At the parole hearing meanwhile, Connor’s confession must have worked, because Miss Irene starts spilling everything, and my God, no wonder she hammered the man’s head. From almost drowning her in her own urine to raping her with a hose! Jesus! The actress delivers an Emmy-worthy monologue and I am shaken. The session ends and Annalise goes to confront Terrible Sis in the restroom. Turns out the not-so-dearly departed husband, her brother, also abused her. Yet here she is, about to testify against his biggest victim to keep her in jail. She truly is terrible. Thankfully Annalise convinces her not to, and without her mumu statement, the parole board lets Irene go.

And then, the president and a bunch of other people attempt to suspend Annalise because of the mess with the fliers. LOL! She looks at them and unleashes this:

YASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!! DRAG THEM!!!!!!

Up next, we have ‘Oliver and Connor Breakup: The Sequel’. This one is even more gut-wrenching than the first. I can’t even. And clearly, neither can Connor, because he decides to move out, and goes to crash at Michaela’s because they are BFFs. He sees Asher there and can’t care less.

Laurel and Bonnie play pool and it’s weird but, like, good weird. Bonnie convinces Laurel to stop calling Frank. And here, she delivers the episode’s title: “There are worse things than murder.”

Subsequently, Laurel still calls Frank, but this time, it’s at the behest of Annalise and Bonnie. “Now you just have to call you father,” Annalise says to Laurel. I wonder what that’s about.

Flash-forward: And the first survivor is revealed and it’s *drum-roll* Oliver! He rushes to Annalise’s side and she hands him her phone and tells him to wipe it clean. She is then arrested.

Other Tidbits:

1. Won’t it be ridiculous if Annalise’s over-the-top reaction to seeing the dead body was a thought-out reaction? We are three seasons in and there is literally nothing that the woman does that isn’t calculated. So could this be another cover up? Is this all a plan to get away with another murder?
2. I have noticed that the best cases of the week are usually ones that involve themes that Peter Nowalk obviously cares about. It would seem he writes those much better: perfect case in point is this week’s episode.
3. A lot of why this case of the week is so good is due to Amy Madigan’s performance, which was the only performance that surpassed Jack Falahee’s in this episode. This was Connor’s episode and Falahee rose up to the challenge with every scene, showing us even more layers of Connor than we had already seen.
4. Laurel and Bonnie should get drunk together more often. It makes for some tense viewing. Love it!
5. My suspect list of the dead person remains the same, but I am adding Eve to the list.
6. Remember how I complained last week about HTGAWM and their weak cases of the week? Well, they definitely stepped up their game and delivered one of the best cases that the show has ever tackled.
7. Showing us that Oliver survived in a Connor-centric episode is supposed to have us believe that Connor is the dead one. But I ain’t buying it.

RATING: 8.5/10: This was a massive improvement from last week’s flat premiere. All the pieces moved fantastically, were well-paced and the acting was even more incredible this week.

THIS WEEK ON TV

1. Finding Prince Charming: The main surprise this week is that Paul was sent home. Paul, who I was sure was going to win, based on how Oga Prince Charming could barely keep it in his pants whenever he was near. I was sure that Robbie was going to get evicted, but I am so glad he was saved. He is literally the last human being on this show with something resembling a personality. Also he seems to realize that this is a Reality TV show and he keeps dropping one-liners and gif-worthy moments. Make no mistake, he is the star if this show, seeing as Oga Prince Charming is still boring. This week, some suitors go out on a three-course meal with Prince Charming, while some others go on a gym date. He selects Robbie as his appetizer, Eric for his main course, and Brandon for dessert. Prince Charming is obviously not into Robbie; he tries to get Robbie to give him a sob story as he believes Robbie’s humor must be masking some hidden pain. But Robbie, being the goddess that he is, doesn’t have time for all of that. They share an awkward kiss, however not as awkward as the Prince’s kiss with Dillon last week though. At the gym date, Paul is made to look like a robot. He doesn’t know how to work out like the rest of the guys, and Prince Charming most definitely CAN’T fall in love with someone who cannot do a proper sit-up! And so at the Black Tie affair, Paul is sent home. Lesson here is: You have to know how to a sit up if you want to find the man of your dreams.

2. Grey’s Anatomy: This week on Grey’s Anatomy, Alex is charged with felony assault in the second degree. PS: I’ve never been a fan of Alex Karev, but I am even less of a fan of Jo, and even less of a fan of his relationship with her. Of all the characters he’s been paired with, she is actually the worst. Maggy Pierce’s crush on Dr. Riggs just keeps making her look silly. Also, I hate when drama is contrived, which is why I hate this looming drama with Maggy and Meredith over Dr. Riggs. I hate that all that it’ll take to prevent this is for Meredith to be honest with Maggy. She isn’t from fragile baby, she can take the truth, hiding it only makes matters worse. The most promising storyline remains Alex’s, and I’m looking forward to seeing how that turns out, because that seems like a legitimate drama. This whole love triangle thing with Dr. Riggs feels like a crappy soap opera at worst and a teenage drama that belongs on the CW at best.

And that’s it for this week, folks. SOUND OFF!!

Written by Deola