In the eighth episode of season 3 of How to Get Away with Murder, “No More Blood,” Annalise and Bonnie turn to an unexpected ally for help when Wes gets into trouble. Meanwhile, President Hargrove asks Annalise for help with a personal matter, Connor deals with relationship drama, and Wes has to take the stand as a witness to his biological father’s shooting. With only one episode before the mid-season finale, we continue to narrow down the list of fire victims.
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Annalise Turns to Frank for Help!
The episode begins where the last one left off. As Bonnie wakes Annalise up to tell her that Frank is back in town, Frank is at Laurel’s apartment. Frank says he came to her because he needs her. He claims he didn’t come to see her before because he didn’t want to involve her in his problems. Laurel says she doesn’t know anything about him and she never did. Frank starts to apologize for keeping secrets from her, but Laurel doesn’t want to hear it. She tells him to leave even as Frank tries to guilt her into letting him stay.
Just then, Bonnie calls Laurel to see if Frank is there. Laurel says he is, but that she’s safe. Annalise tells Laurel to let Frank know that if he comes anywhere near the house, she will kill him. Frank realizes that Annalise is on the phone and he tries to get Laurel to let him speak with her. Annalise hangs up before he has the chance to bully Laurel into handing over the phone. Frank decides to go see Annalise directly, but Laurel stops him. She tells him that Annalise will kill him, but when that isn’t enough to keep Frank in line, Laurel’s plays on Frank’s claim that he loves her to get him to stay. (Who is Laurel trying to protect here? Frank or Annalise? If I had to guess, I’d say it is both of them, though I’m not sure why Laurel is still protecting Frank.)
Wes’ new lawyer stops by to see him. It turns out he got his first subpoena. Wes shows Annalise the subpoena and tells her it will be a closed hearing. He has to testify that he saw Charles at the scene of his father’s shooting. Annalise says the defense is trying to get Wes’ testimony thrown out before the actual trial. If they have enough evidence, they can do just that. Wes says he’ll just go with Annalise’s idea of telling the court that he saw someone who looked like Charles that night. Alas, Annalise has changed her mind. If Wes testifies to that, Charles will go free and the prosecutor will start looking into Wes. Annalise says they need to find out who Charles’ alibi is and there is only one person who can do that in such short time.
With Wes in trouble, Bonnie goes to Laurel’s to see Frank. She tells him that Annalise needs his help. Bonnie and Annalise then have Frank follow Charles’ lawyer to find out who the alibi witness is.
Needless to say, Michaela and Connor are upset when they learn that Annalise is trusting Frank to help Wes. Bonnie says they need to find a way to stall the hearing so Frank can find Charles’ alibi. Michaela and Connor want nothing to do with any of this, so they decide to leave. Asher sticks around to help Wes. Once Michaela and Connor leave, Bonnie once again says they need to stall the hearing. Wes comes up with the idea of using his medical records. If Charles’ lawyer learns that he recently spent time in a psych ward, she will want him to have a psych evaluation before he takes the stand. Laurel and Wes head to the hospital to get Wes’ medical records.
A Blast from the Past
Frank is still following Charles’ lawyer when he sees her meet with someone from his past. This woman was the person who offered Frank a deal on behalf of the Mahoney’s all those years ago. She is the one who gave him the money and helped orchestrate the car crash that killed Annalise’s baby. When Bonnie tells Annalise this, she says they can have Frank follow this woman in case Annalise wants him to take care of her.
Wes gives Bonnie his medical records. Bonnie has them delivered to Charles’ lawyer. The lawyer files a motion to challenge Wes’ competency as a witness. As they expected, Charles’ lawyer wants Wes to have a psych evaluation before he testifies.
Frank is still watching the woman serving as Charles’ alibi. Annalise tells Bonnie that she doesn’t want Frank doing anything to this woman. If he hurts anyone else, she will turn them all in.
An Eye for An Eye
Annalise is preparing Wes for his psych evaluation when he asks her if she plans to take Frank back. She claims she won’t, but Wes doesn’t believe her. Annalise ends up asking him how things are with Laurel. She has already figured out that they are together and she is happy for him.
After Wes leaves, Frank calls Bonnie. Annalise tells Bonnie to put him on speaker phone. Frank found out the woman’s identity. Her name is Lisa Cameron and she has a young daughter. Frank is calling from inside Lisa’s house. He tells Bonnie that he’s going to take care of it for Annalise. Annalise gets on the phone and tells Frank to leave the woman and her daughter alone. She asks him to promise her that there will be no more blood. Before Frank can answer, the woman and her daughter come home.
We watch as Frank hides in the closet while Lisa reads her daughter a bedtime story. Annalise is at home waiting to find out what Frank will do. She starts having flashbacks of losing her son so she goes to the liquor store. Thankfully, she doesn’t drink but she does end up getting an idea of how to discredit Lisa’s testimony.
Bonnie is waiting for Annalise at the house when Frank calls again. He left Lisa’s house and didn’t hurt anyone. In a chilling moment, Bonnie tells Frank to go back in and take care of it. She claims Frank was right and this is what Annalise needs. Luckily, Annalise comes home with a solution to the Lisa problem so she and her daughter remain unharmed.
At his psych evaluation, Wes seems prepared for every question he is asked. One of those questions is if he lied about seeing Charles at the scene of the shooting, but Wes claims he would never lie about something that important. He ends up passing the psych evaluation, which means he is fit to testify.
Wes Testifies
Annalise pulls Laurel aside and says she needs Laurel to do something for Wes. Laurel then goes to see Nate. Nate is working for the D.A.’s office now. Nate says he doesn’t want anything to do with them, but Laurel tells him that Wes needs his help.
Wes takes the stand and testifies to the story he told the cops, including that he saw Charles at the scene. Charles’ lawyer brings up Wes’ medical history and asks if Wes’ mental issues could have left him confused about what he saw. Wes says he knows exactly what he saw. Charles’ lawyer keeps challenging Wes on his testimony, but Wes keeps his cool on the stand.
After a brief recess, Lisa the alibi takes the stand. She swears that Charles was with her the night of his father’s shooting. She also claims she hasn’t had any contact with Charles since he was arrested. The prosecutor presents a report that Lisa called Charles the night before the hearing. We then see what Laurel asked Nate to do for Wes. Nate called the prosecutor and told her that Charles had a phone in his cell. We also see that Frank called Charles from Lisa’s house. The prosecutor presents this evidence to the court and completely discredits Charles’ alibi. It looks like Wes is in the clear again, at least for the time being.
More Relationship Drama
Early in the episode, Michaela and Connor are discussing his hook-up with Oliver. Connor says they are not back together and claims he knows how to separate sex and love. Michaela doesn’t believe him, but their conversation is interrupted by a call from her mother. Michaela chooses not to answer it.
Later that day, Oliver gets flowers from his former friend Thomas. Thomas wants another chance, but Oliver tells Connor that isn’t happening. Oliver suggests he and Connor sleep together again, but Connor and Michaela have to head to Annalise’s. That night, Oliver tries to find out why Annalise called the others to her house. Connor lies and says it was just about a case. Oliver clearly doesn’t buy that, but Thomas provides a nice distraction by calling Oliver. Oliver ignores Thomas’ call in favor of having more sex with Connor.
The next night, Connor is at Oliver’s when Oliver catches him in a lie and this leads to a huge fight. Oliver says one of the reasons he broke up with Connor is because Connor is never honest with him. Oliver says he wants to know everything about Connor, even the bad stuff, because that’s what real love is. Connor says he loves Oliver, but Oliver doesn’t believe him. Oliver thinks he’s just someone Connor goes to when he needs a safe place away from Annalise. To Connor’s horror, Oliver basically accuses him of being damaged and Connor is so upset that he storms out.
When Michaela ignores the call from her mother, it sparks Asher’s interest. Since he wants to know everything about Michaela, he asks her what the deal is with her mother. Michaela says their relationship is complicated and she said goodbye to her mother a long time ago. He drops the subject, but it is clear Michaela’s drama with her mother hits a nerve for him since he had so many problems in his relationship with his now-deceased father.
Connor shows up at Michaela’s place after his fight with Oliver. While Michaela looks after Connor, she gets another phone call from her mother. Asher decides to potentially risk their entire relationship by answering the phone despite everything Michaela told him.
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Annalise Meets with Frank
Annalise goes back home and Bonnie is waiting for her. Bonnie tells Annalise that Frank is inside and Annalise sends Bonnie home. What unfolds next is one of the most intense scenes this show has ever done. It is also beautifully acted, particularly by Viola Davis.
Frank thanks Annalise for seeing him and then immediately starts in on how he wanted to tell Annalise the truth about his role in her son’s death from the start. He blames Sam for making him stay quiet. Annalise tells Frank that he had every opportunity to tell her the truth, but he just stood by and let her suffer. Annalise tells him, “You killed my son.” They both cry and Frank says he wants to fix things. Annalise tells him that’s not possible after everything that has happened. Frank thinks it is and he produces a gun.
Frank puts the gun under his chin and says he can fix things. Annalise tells him she will not feel guilty for this. Frank tells Annalise he loves her just as it looks like he might pull the trigger, but Bonnie walks in. Bonnie begs Frank not to do this. She says it’s not what Annalise wants and it will only end up hurting her. Annalise insists that’s not true and tells Frank to do it.
Bonnie and Annalise then start arguing over one other, Bonnie pleading with Frank not to kill himself and Annalise begging him to pull the trigger. The episode ends before we find out who Frank listens to. (While Frank may be the person under the sheet, I doubt it because if he killed himself, that would be far too simple for this show. Plus, if Frank pulled the trigger himself, there would be no need to cover up his death.)
Who is Still Alive?
In this week’s flash forward, we see Annalise in jail. She tells Bonnie that an anonymous source turned her in. Bonnie swears it wasn’t her, but that doesn’t make Annalise feel any better. She tells Bonnie that she can’t keep doing this. She only got through it because she thought it would end at some point. Bonnie promises Annalise that she will find out who turned her into the cops.
In the episode’s closing moments, we see Michaela, Oliver and Asher show up to see Bonnie. She tells them that Annalise was arrested because someone turned her in. Michaela asks if Bonnie knew that Annalise called everyone over to the house earlier that night. Bonnie insists that Annalise didn’t do this. Oliver doesn’t know why Annalise would’ve lied to him if that’s true. Annalise told Oliver that she didn’t know someone died in the fire, but she clearly did know. Oliver thinks Bonnie knows who the victim is and that she’s not telling him because it’s Connor.
As all three of them try to get Bonnie to tell them who died, we see that Connor is alive and well. Alas, we also see that he’s just slept with Oliver’s ex-friend Thomas. (As happy as I am that Connor is alive, I have now changed my mind in wanting Connor and Oliver to get back together. They have too many issues to work through before they can even think about reuniting.)
What did you think of this episode of How to Get Away with Murder season 3? Are you glad that Meggy found out about Wes and Laurel? Do you think she will play any role in Wes’ future? Why do you think Bonnie was so insistent that Asher not get involved in the Wes-Frank situation? Is she trying to protect him because of their previous relationship or does she just not want to see anyone else get caught up in the drama? What did you think of the little confrontation between Annalise and Wes’ lawyer? Are you surprised Annalise offered to help her boss with her divorce case?
From all appearances, it seems that it is down to just Frank or Nate as the fire victim. Is it possible it could be someone else? Could any of those flash forwards have been shot out of sequence? Will they make it an upset and have it be Drake-the-douche? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.
How to Get Away with Murder season 3 airs Thursday nights at 10/9c on ABC. Want more news? Follow our HTGAWM Facebook page.
(Image courtesy of ABC)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV