‘How to Get Away with Murder’ Winter Finale Recap: ‘Kill Me, Kill Me, Kill Me’

So, we finally made it. We finally see how Sam’s murder comes to pass and the role everyone plays in it. We also see that Sam is actually an awful person, so while I’m sad to see Tom Verica go, Sam had to die. For real. He doesn’t get to insult Annalise that dirty and survive. He could have been a little nicer and take Rebecca with him, but what’s done is done.

The Fight

The opening act is basically a “who can be more awful to each other” game between Annalise and Sam. When I say ugly, I mean UG-LY. Annalise is trying to kick Sam out of the house and he’s not having it. So they start launching verbal grenades at each other, including but not limited to Annalise gloating about banging hot detective Nate on the side.  Annalise keep egging Sam on about killing Lila, so while he’s got his hands around her throat, Sam brutally says to Annalise “You’re nothing but a piece of ass. That’s what I saw when I first talked to you on that day, because I knew you’d put out. That’s all you’re really good for: dirty, rough sex. And too ashamed to tell anyone about it. That’s how foul you are, you disgusting slut.” *Blank stare* What a catch, right? Sir, I hope she buries you next to Jimmy Hoffa after she uses you like a human piñata. Sam lets Annalise escape to her car and she takes off in her car to whereabouts unknown.

The Murder

Michaela is obsessed with having the trophy to turn in to Annalise to get out of the exam, so she invites herself into Annalise’s house, even when Sam clearly does not want her there. He looks like a deranged killer and she’s all “I’m parking my behind here because I need to keep my perfect grade by turning in this heavy metal statue.” In the meantime, Rebecca is trying to sneak into the house and Michaela’s slow self alerts Sam that she’s in the house. Rebecca runs upstairs to Sam and Annalise’s bedroom to download info from Sam’s computer to a thumb drive. While all this is going on, Michaela has called Wes to come save both her Rebecca’s asses, but she stays inside the house doing nothing except screaming and cowering. Any other rational person would have taken their behind outside, away from the dude who looks like he’s going to start snapping necks, but Michaela is special.

Wes, Connor, and Laurel show up and try to diffuse the situation in the bedroom, except Sam isn’t having any of it and launches himself at Rebecca, taking down the lot of them. It’s a free-for-all and the kids attempt a pitiful game of “keep away” of the thumb drive from Sam in the bedroom that ends up moving into the hallway. Sam charges Michaela to get it back and she pushes him over the balcony, where he falls and busts his head open like a melon. Now, there’s REAL drama. Technically, Michaela “killed” him out of self-defense, but all of these kids broke into Sam’s house, Rebecca was stealing info off of HIS computer. They in some kinda trouble. The best part is: SAM ISN’T DEAD. He comes to and tries to strangle Rebecca, something I feel like he should have succeeded at before Wes actually does crack him in the head with the statue. Now he’s dead dead. (I told you Rebecca and Wes cause the most trouble and are the worst.)

As seen in previous flashbacks, Connor and Michaela are flipping out, while Laurel is sociopathic and very calm throughout the whole thing, and Wes is lovingly cleaning Sam’s blood off Rebecca and making out with her. Ugh. Remember, this is where Asher shows up outside Annalise’s house pissed off that Michaela stole his trophy. He apparently goes off to play in the bonfire after being ignored and then gets that booty call from Bonnie. Basically those two have nothing else to do but each other. And Asher has the game of a 15 year old boy.  Meanwhile, Connor, Michaela, Laurel, and Wes (after returning to get the statue) run to the forest to come up with a plan, and we have now returned to the very first opening scenes of the series.

The Cleanup

Remember when Wes lied and said the quarter landed heads up? Because heads up means they go back and get Sam’s body, well now it makes sense because Wes had already conspired with Annalise BECAUSE SHE WAS IN THE HOUSE WHEN HE WENT BACK. She rolled back up to her house, saw Sam dead on the floor and was like “Jesus is real, he heard my prayers about this man going to the light.” She sees Wes come back to steal the statue and realizes there’s a plan to be had. PS – Wes apologizing to Sam? Sir, stop talking.

How much of the kids’ plan is really Annalise’s idea is my burning question. What instructions did Annalise give him? Wes doesn’t want to go to jail and Annalise’s dick of a husband is longer her problem anymore. The interesting thing is that Wes has bossed around the other three all evening with them falling into line about how to dispose of Sam, when we now know it’s Annnalise calling the shots, I think. Mainly because I think Wes is an idiot.  Connor, however, bucks Wes’ authority and dumps Sam’s body parts in a dumpster instead of an incinerator like Wes demanded. That’s gonna come back to bite them in the ass, along with Michaela’s missing ring.

Back to Annalise, she has the perfect alibi. She goes to Nate’s house after finding Sam’s body. So, she wasn’t there when Sam was actually murdered, and she’s not there during the cleanup. She makes a HUGE deal, with crocodile tears and snot running down her face, about her fears that Sam killed Lila to Nate. Nate, being a dude falls for it. Actually, Annalise LETS him fall for it because this is allllll her show. She plays him like a fiddle, even showing Nate that she’s trying to call Sam to talk it out and he’s not answering. She then manages to get some pretty amazing wall sex from Nate, that’s HBIC right there. Even better, she leaves Sam this amazing heartfelt voicemail declaring her love and begging him to come home after returning to her now cleaned up house. Meaning, the cell phone gps will show that she was home when she left this voicemail.

Remember when Annalise called Bonnie the next morning, playing on Bonnie’s feels from being fired AND her crush for Sam. ALL. A. Game. Even better, everyone is summoned back to the Annalise’s house the next morning.  But before arriving, Michaela throws herself on the sword and signs Aidan’s prenup, Connor plays off his mental breakdown as a bad high, and Laurel gets Frank to believe that her freakout was over stealing the statue. The only thing to note about Wes and Rebecca is that he broke the thumb drive that Rebecca started this whole mess over, so it couldn’t be traced back to them.

The Future

Everyone shows up at the house petrified that they’re busted, except a very calm Wes. Annalise, comes out in her robe, no makeup, no wig to inform the kids that she knew about Sam and Lila, Sam is now missing, and could they please cooperate with the police to help find him. I knew something was off when Annalise didn’t make a single mention about the missing rug in her house. This woman misses nothing, except a big ass rug in her house? No way.  Her eye contact with Wes (and the subsequent flashback to Wes and Annalise being in the house with a dead Sam) means act two will be: how WE get away with murder. Important to note, when Michaela lied in the beginning of the season that Annalise gave them permission to donate it to the bonfire to the rent-a-cop, Annalise can now either confirm it or throw all of the kids under the bus to save her skin. Game. Set. Match.

I could go on and on and on about the range Viola uses to play Annalise, the true sociopath of the show, this episode (and the previous 8 episodes) but I’ll just end with: Viola, I better see your name on the Emmy nominations this year. Also, Tom Verica, you done good, sir.