HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER (S5E6) “We Can Find Him”: Shock Ending Ignites Disjointed Episode
It was all going a little low-key until that shock finale. How To Get Away With Murder’s latest hour was all about family; Connor (Jack Falahee) and Oliver’s (Conrad Ricamora) mums turn up to celebrate their sons’ forthcoming nuptials with a bachelorette party; Bonnie (Liza Weil) confronts her estranged sister over her involvement with the missing baby; and Nate (BillyBrown) prepares for the release of his father from prison after his court victory last week. For a show that’s always been about character relationships and interplay, “We Can Find Him” explores the more intimate dynamics.
It leads to a handful of powerful moments but like a lot of the season to date, it doesn’t quite come together as cohesively as one would like. While the show hasn’t totally lost the momentum gathered in last week’s terrific episode, Murder returns to its more disjointed form; Annalise (Viola Davis) is completely seperate to the Keating Four, Asher (Matt McGorry) is barely an add-on at this point
Spoilers lie within!
“I’ll let you know when I’ve made my decision”
If Annalise is too busy to teach her students, it’s because she’s got a major decision to make. After last week’s provocation, longterm foe Govener Birkhead (Laura Innes) offers Annalise an ultimatum that rather reinforces the idea that you should keep your friends close and your enemies closer: the two work alongside each other on Keating’s class-action lawsuit, which would be taken to the next level by expanding their scope with additional financial support and backing for the project. There’s a lot of back-and-forth here, with sweeteners coming from both the Governer and Caplan & Gold but the final decision she makes, because this is How To Get Away With Murder, ultimately backfires in a truly shocking, heartbreaking way.
Nate Lahey Sr (Glynn Turman), with his release from prison imminent thanks to a pardon from the state as part of the governor’s deal for Annalise, is killed with a bullet to the head before he is even back on home ground. In the episode’s closing moments, he is confirmed dead as Nate receives the news minutes after a joyous celebration with Keating, with the gut-punch twist landing with a thud. Scored by a tender monologue performed tremendously by Glynn Turman in his character’s swansong, the foundation-quaking news is the catalyst we’ve been waiting for: the thing that will launch us towards the fall finale in two week’s time. Murder likes to shock – but this is something else!
Bonnie’s storyline rather wraps itself up somewhat. While the pain will no doubt spill out over the coming episodes, we finally have answers. After an hour of lying, covert recordings, heart-to-hearts and finally (what we assume to be) the truth, we come to understand that Julie took Bonnie’s baby under pressure from their abusive father; fearing that the child would be sexually abused as they were, she flees, eventually burying the newborn in a wooded area. In emotionally-devastating scenes, the truth comes out and the reverberations will be felt for a long time to come. Liza Weil has been yanked through the ringer this season but the strength of her performance is clear to see. She is utterly captivating.
“I’m here for you until the day I die”
As teased last week, Connor and Oliver’s moms have turned up in order to help their boys prepare for the wedding – and so we get to understand and explore their respective relationships a little more. While the air is frosty enough between Pam and Joanna, there is a lot of unspoken tension between them all. It takes some soul-searching, and the encouragement of husband-to-be Oliver for Connor to pluck up the courage to ‘come out again’ to his mom regarding his HIV-postive diagnosis. It’s a beautifully-written mother-son scene and so exquistely performed by Conrad Ricamora, who captures the emotion of such a weighty moment so well. As the series rushes towards a conclusion, it’s a relief that it still carves out time for these quieter, character-driven moments that continue to authentically evolve the people we have come to know and love.
Following on from last week, it seems that How To Get Away With Murder has finally gotten to grips with how to handle the enigma that is Gabriel (Rome Flynn). The mystery surrounding him is incorporated into the main narrative far more smoothly, slowly uncovering his behaviour in a thrillingly satisfying manner. After inadvertedly revealing to Laurel that he knows about Wes’ death, contradicting an earlier discussion in the season, the group is growing understandably suspicious – just in time for the mid-season finale! While better late than never, the season finally discovers a confident footing and I do hope it can be sustained.
In Conclusion: Murder’s We Can Find Him
Despite some individually great moments, “We Can Find Him” doesn’t come together as strongly as hoped. It’s fractured, uneven at times, like a series of stories rather than one potent episode; ultimately, it’s weaker than the sum of its parts. But with a renewed focus moving into the penulimate episode before the mid-season showdown (where we are set to discover #WhoDiedAtTheWedding), there’s an energy to Murder that really enhances both the emotion and drama. Revelations are the dynamite and the fuse has been ignited. Now to sit back and watch the fireworks.
How To Get Away With Murder airs on ABC on Thursday nights.
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