Today: Dec 08, 2024

Criminal Law 100: ABC’s “How to get away with murder”

Anisa Jibrell – General Assignment Reporter 

Shonda Rhimes’ understudy, Pete Nowalk, brings us the dark side of law with the thrilling, new ABC legal drama series, “How to Get Away With Murder”, starring the magnetic Oscar nominee, Viola Davis.

Davis plays Annalise Keating, the harsh yet brilliant defense attorney and criminal law professor with a pragmatic approach to the law and who has little to no interest in seeking justice.

The series begins in media res, with five frazzled law students who are arguing in the middle of the woods about whether or not they should or shouldn’t dispose of a body, and make a pact to cover up the homicide. Though it is unknown as to whether or not any of them committed the crime.

The show then flashes back three months to first day of classes at the fictional, Middleton Law School based in Philadelphia, where Keating provides law students with a set of basic criminal defense instructions. Discredit the witness, find a new suspect, and most importantly, bury the evidence. She drills into her students heads that almost anyone is capable of murder.

The students are both terrified and infatuated with Keating’s no-nonsense magnificence.

“I don’t know what terrible things you’ve done in your life up to this point, but clearly your karma’s out of balance to get assigned my class. I’m Professor Annalise Keating and this is Criminal Law 100, or as I prefer to call it, ‘How to Get Away with Murder.'”

This high-profile defense lawyer makes it very clear early on that her moral compass is missing in action and won’t take nothing short of excellence.

Keating invites her law students to take part in a not so friendly challenge. Whoever crafts the best argument for a case she’s working on wins an opportunity to work under the crass defense attorney, a trophy that allows them to get out of any test, and allows them get one step closer to Keating’s good side, if there is one.

wes
Alfred Enoch

The shows focuses on the five winners, Wes Gibbins (Alfred Enoch), the boy-next-door, Laurel Castillo ( Karla Souza), the justice-seeking Brown graduate, Michaela Pratt (Aja Naomi King), the sassy overachiever,  Connor Walsh ( Jack Falahee), the brash heartbreaker, and Asher Millstone (Matt McGorry) prepared know-it-all.

The eager law students scramble for clues to further Keating’s defense and to win her approval. When waitlisted law student, Gibbins catches Keating’s eye, the others are dumbfounded.

Gibbins, who at times unable to hide his disgust with his facial expressions, unfortunately ends up stumbling upon some of his professor’s most intimate secrets.

In last week’s episode, Keating defends a frivolous billionaire, Max St. Vincent who is accused of brutally stabbing his second wife to death in the comfort of their own home.

In regards to personality, Max St. Vincent bears a striking resemblance to “Collin Sweeney” from the Good Wife, who is similarly a dark-humored, nonchalant billionaire and throws money to defense attorney to bail them out of messy situations.

The timid Laurel makes her debut, by finally showcasing her cleverness and offering an interesting defense, that lands Keating yet another win.

Once again, Shondaland delivers a sexually-charged plot with polished characters who have crippling insecurities. Despite the twists and immaculate cast, the show doesn’t give an accurate representation of the classic law firm that shows like “The Good Wife” do so well.

Nonetheless, Davis’ regality, the extramarital affairs, and dizzying cliff hangers that are sure to make your head spin, are enough to keep you glued to your seat.

“How to Get Away with Murder” airs Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET on ABC.

Photo Credit: Disney ABC, Disney 

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