How to Get Away with Murder was never a “smart” show – at least in the traditional sense of the word. But tonight’s episode, “He’s a Bad Father,” was a stupid episode. And, honestly, this critic doesn’t know how much longer he can take a show this dumb.
This episode found Annalise representing Laurel in the custody battle for her son, a subplot that failed to even pick up momentum before crashing in the final third. This custody battle, which has been stretching on since the show returned from its winter hiatus, just goes in circles: Laurel’s villainous dad falsely accuses Laurel of something outrageous and Annalise tries to defend her, only to find that Laurel’s dad has pulled some string to warp the evidence in his favor. A villain is boring if he wins for the sole reason of furthering the plot. Not to mention, it’s completely unbelievable that Laurel’s father can just keep planting evidence against her; his far-reaching corruptness is cartoonish and ridiculous.
The custody battle also introduced another member of Laurel’s family: her mother, who we learned earlier in the season suffered from mental illness and spent time in an institution. This new character was largely unnecessary, however, and just added unnecessary drama to an already crowded subplot. Furthermore, the way Annalise figures Laurel’s mother into her courtroom strategy makes literally no sense. Again, this has never been a “smart” show, but it doesn’t take a lawyer to see how poorly thought out the main plotline was in this episode.
But the most frustrating takeaway of the episode is a simple one: the writers refuse to let Wes/Christoph die. The revelation that Wes had died during Season 3’s climatic explosion was a surprise, no doubt, but the writers have been milking that plot point for so long now that it completely lost its impact.
This week, we learned that Wes had more connections with the Castillo family than we were originally privy to and, honestly, why does this matter? How did no one figure this out? Does it even make sense canonically? How to Get Away with Murder used to occasionally abandon logic for the sake of a good plot twist – something that most television series have done, at least once in their run. But these aren’t even satisfying plot twists. They’re all just disappointments.
Elsewhere in the hour, there was a boring, rushed subplot involving Nate’s imprisoned father, but it was honestly totally forgettable when compared to the annoying main storyline. Meanwhile, Connor and Oliver continued to let a Simon-shaped wedge drive them apart, and Asher found something of a social justice calling as he learned about solitary confinement in prisons and the horrible psychological effect it could have on its victims. None of these plots were particularly special, but they were, at the very least, passable.
It’s always a shame to see great shows go bad – especially when they occasionally have strong moments. But How to Get Away with Murder has reached the point where their bad episodes are punishingly awful. If the show continues to cling to this downward spiral of a subplot, ABC would be wise to just put the series out of its misery and free Viola Davis to focus exclusively on film.
