Written by David Oliver
She’s Dying Plot Summary:
Intrigue and lies plague every character, as the cases of the week — Nate (Billy Brown) and the Hapstall siblings — take shocking turns.
Could a show with “murder” in the title actually get away with killing off its leading actress? In principle, yes, but this is Viola Davis we’re talking about. So it can’t be that likely.
We start off this week at the Hapstall mansion, with Connor (Jack Falahee) hunching over a bloodied Annalise (Viola Davis): “It’s always your fault,” he says. Did he shoot her?! Wes (Alfred Enoch) runs out and meets up with Michaela (Aja Naomi King) and Laurel (Karl Souza) (poor Asher (Matt McGorry), clearly left out again). We later get an update on this sitch, but more on that later.
The show alternates between cases throughout the episode.
In the present, Hapstall siblings are being questioned. Caleb (Kendrick Sampson) says they’ve been together all night and Catherine (Amy Okuda) covers for him, even though he went out for a run.
Annalise decides to let Bonnie (Liza Weil) take point on the case, though delivers a scathing warning. “You screw up again you’re gonna be the next dead body in this house.” Thanks for the vote of confidence, boss lady.
Eve (Famke Janssen) asks Annalise if she loves Nate, but only admits to caring for him. The two agree they had fun the other night (clearly). Emily Sinclair (Sarah Burns), the prosecutor, accuses Eve of not revealing her relationship with Annalise — but don’t worry, it’s not what you’re thinking. Eve just notes they were both in the same law school. Sinclair then claims Annalise helped Nate kill Sam (Tom Verica).
Once Annalise takes the stand, it’s a firestorm of questions, including when she and Nate first had sex, to which Connor aptly puts as “slut-shaming.”
Michaela runs into a sexy stranger in court, who at first Connor notices, named Levi (Matt Cohen). Connor encourages her to go for it.
Frank (Charlie Weber) helps uncover that Caleb’s DNA was found on his aunt’s car (womp). Wes plays the “puppy” with Catherine to get her to talk (this works) and Caleb later insists he was framed.
Back to Nate’s case:
Sinclair’s line of questioning frustrates Annalise, so she calls her a petty, foolish and amateur prosecutor. Sinclair says, “Seems like you’re more than capable of murder.” She’s not wrong, even if Annalise is right about those other less favorable qualities.
Eve tears down Annalise in court, pinning Sam’s murder all on her. The tactic works, as it’s unclear who the real suspect was, and Nate’s free to go.
As for the Hapstall case: turns out the cops ran two tests, and the DNA only showed up on the second one. Annalise brings the evidence to the court to suggest the cops planted the DNA. Good news for this murder (so far), but let’s not forget the siblings are still accused of their parents’ demise.
She gives the siblings good advice after: “Now go home and don’t kill anyone.” Clearly, the case isn’t over yet.
But much of the real drama this week happened outside the courtroom.
Connor lets it slip the Oliver (Conrad Ricamora) is HIV positive, which he isn’t too pleased with (good job giving that away, Asher). Oliver later recounts him getting HIV when Connor asks: he went home with a guy and barely remembers it, but it all happened because Connor cheated on him and he feels responsible. Real talk, though: is Connor lying? Something about this feels off to me. Could this all be from a character we’ve met before?
Annalise and Bonnie’s layered relationship comes more to light:
Annalise: I can’t trust you to do anything yourself.
Bonnie: Because you won’t let me.
Annalise says she ruined her. How, exactly, remains a mystery, but this odd mother/daughter relationship makes me squirm.
Laurel got an A on a test in another class (how these people have time for anything else is beyond me) and visits frank for a (sexual) reward, so it seems, but he shuts it down and refuses to be treated like a gigolo. The two have excellent chemistry, I’ll say, but let’s be real, Frank. You’re a murderer. Do you have the upper hand here with Laurel? Because something tells me she won’t be so into you when she finds out the truth, eventually.
Annalise calls out Eve for making court personal and asks why she did it. It later comes out that Eve is partially still in love with her. No one can quit Annalise. Annalise tells her, “You’re the most beautiful thing that ever happened to me.” Cue romance.
But here comes the real bombshell:
Wes discovers a picture of Rebecca, and guess who’s in it? None other than LEVI, who we then see on a date with Michaela. IS THIS EGGS 911 OR THE BIGGEST RED HERRING TO DATE?!
And that’s not all: Sincalir is going to be the prosecutor on the Hapstall case. But it doesn’t look like she’ll make it out alive. As the Keating 4 dash out of the Hapstall mansion (Wes, Michaela and Laurel head inside to drag Connor away from Annalise), the camera zooms in on a seemingly dead Sinclair.
WOAH.
Favorite comedic moment among the drama? Asher using Hapstallin as a verb.
This installment built upon a jaw-dropping premiere, and in typical HTGAWM fashion, its best moments are its cliffhangers. A solid installment for what’s suring up to be continued gasp-worthy episodes.
Rating: 9/10
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