How To Get Away With Murder - Hello, Raskolniko - Review: "The Story Begins"

Ten weeks is an incredibly long time. But time does pass, and eventually the moment you've been waiting for finally arrives.

That time finally arrived last night, when the clock struck 10pm Thursday in the US, or 4pm Friday where I live, and ABC's hit show How To Get Away With Murder finally returned.

And what an outstanding hour it was. The episode was titled "Hello, Raskolnikov" and was superbly written by Marcus Dalzine and directed by Michael Offer. It made the nine episodes which screened in 2014 feel like a prequel, as the story truly begins now that the flashforwards have concluded.

We began with Annalise Keating being interviewed by the police, who, at this point, are treating Sam Keating's absence as a missing persons case. One by one, the Keating Five, and assistants Frank and Bonnie, were interviewed, with all giving similar accounts of the previous day or two. This was beautifully executed by the creative team, because while no one contradicted anyone else, each individual had some form of insight that the others didn't.

While that was happening, plenty of games were being played between the group. Originally the only two in the know, Wes and Annalise thought they had everything mapped out, but both individuals had to think very quickly to cover their agendas avoid causing any more friction and paranoia than there already was. That approach was doomed from the start because lawyers know the tricks of the trade, and eventually came together at the last moment to present what looks to be a united front, with Annalise promising her five that they'll get away with it if they trust her. My money is on the probability that it won't be as easy as that by any means.

Woven in among the interviews and clashes, Annalise went head to head with D.A. Wendy Parks to get the case against Rebecca dropped. She succeeded after persuading the judge to force the prosecution to hand over Sam Keating's laptop for forensic investigation. Annalise also got confirmation that her deceased husband had in fact impregnated the also deceased Lila Stangard, with the case against him also including events at an abortion clinic, where Sam and Lila had an argument.

But there's another element to last night's episode that makes things really interesting. It's the fact that, for lack of a better term, life goes on. This was seen most notably when Michaela went to have her wedding dress fitted, and when Laurel tried to repair the damage with her ex. Connor also called on Oliver for assistance with the case, and, of course, all five sat their highly anticipated law exam, with the topic running in parallel to the circumstances of the murder. Writing these events in is something I can't recall seeing previously as all the time available is dedicated to the one big event happening at present. It's as if the world stops until the event passes, but not on Murder. This is a big step up from many other shows on television, and one that I'm really looking forward to seeing how the creative team play with the ripple effects.

The writing and directing were superb as I have mentioned previously, but the cast were also excellent. Viola Davis' was the standout right through, but not by much, with Karla Souza winning my vote for second place among the Keating Five. In most of last year's episodes, one character stood in the spotlight in each episode, giving the cast member a golden opportunity to stand out. It will be interesting to see whether the creative team persist with this approach, or, now that the group are more or less working together, avoid the spotlight tactic altogether.

In any case, this was a fantastic hour of television, and it's made the ten weeks of waiting well and truly worthwhile. Now we get to sit back and enjoy the ride as the group attempt to get away with murder.

Thanks for reading! Keep an eye on How To Get Away With Murder's ratings on my TV ratings website, www.seriesmonitor.com/howtogetawaywithmurder, and don't forget to share your thoughts and theories in the comments below!

About the Author - Jimmy Ryan

Jimmy Ryan lives in New Zealand, and works in the IT industry. He is an avid follower of drama television and has a keen interest for television ratings and statistics. Some of his favorite shows right now are Person of Interest, Scandal, House of Cards, Orphan Black, The Blacklist, The 100, How To Get Away With Murder, Elementary and Castle. You can visit his television ratings website, www.seriesmonitor.com or follow him on Twitter, @SeriesMonitor.

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