“Who is it?”
So many spoilers ahead, so if you haven’t watched the season three premiere of How To Get Away With Murder, now would be the time to fix that (think of Shonda Rimes’ feelings!).
The premiere actually had a great way of returning to its murder-ific roots while also building on the previous seasons. The Keating Five, our favorite/least favorite law students, are finally shown to be doing badly in their classes–mostly because of the constant murder they’re surrounded by, but it’s refreshing for them to actively acknowledge that it has become a problem academically. The jig is up for the Keating Five and Annalise herself as the school takes more notice of their obvious connection to each other and starts questioning the real consequences of her program.
However, we see someone try very hard to join Annalise’s team this episode: Oliver. The sweet tech-nerd we know and love finally gets to (officially) work for Annalise, but it costs him his relationship. After a tearful exchange with long-time boyfriend Connor, Oliver decides that what they really need to do is break up.
Jack Falahee, who plays Connor, gave his idea about Connor’s feelings in this scene in an article for Variety:
“I think that Connor just wants Oliver to survive. He wants to get him out . . . having become complicit with these murders and having gone through what he’s gone through, I think he found a man that he loves and can hold onto and found his footing, and to then have it taken away from him I think is scary. He just wants good things for Oliver. But that might not happen.”
Connor’s not the only one going through a bad breakup; Laurel is still reeling from the end of her relationship with Frank, whose gone off the deep end and is now in hiding. Frank, although significantly less hairy, is out in the middle of nowhere with only an employee of Annalise’s detailing his movements.
“Charlie is so dedicated to this character,” creator of the show Pete Nowalk remarks, referencing Charlie Weber, who plays Frank. He goes on to add, “Frank goes to some crazy-a– places in this season so it’s exciting to watch.”
And just how crazy is this season going to go? Is Frank behind the mysterious stretcher in front of the burning Keating house? Is Frank actually dead himself?
“It’s one of those decisions you make and then you hate yourself for it later . . . and then realize you have to show who is under that sheet,” said Nowalk.
True to the flashback-heavy telling of the show, we may not know the identity of the victim for months, but Nowalk also notes that “Every episode, you’ll see more of the night of the house fire and you’ll always see more of who is not under that sheet.”
How To Get Away With Murder airs Thursday nights at 10pm on ABC.