HOLLYWOOD—This season of the ABC hit “How to Get Away With Murder” has been one of the best since season one. The narrative has been absolute thrilling not to mention a few fun surprising twists along the way. The mid-season culminated with the event that audiences have been aware of all season long: the nuptials between Oliver and Connor. Not for once was I worried rather these two would tie the knot, I was more concerned about rather Oliver would live beyond the wedding.
Yes, after wondering all season long who died at the wedding, the victim was finally revealed and it was none other than Assistant District Attorney Ronald Miller. Yes, I have the slightest idea what it is with Annalise Keating and the Keating Four where they always seem to target the District Attorney’s Office. First, it was season two, then season four and now season 5. Miller met his demise in a bloody fashion, one that has to be further dissected because there is so much more to the tale than what was delivered to audiences.
Things kicked off in a major way with Nate and Annalise working to find out what Governor Birkhead, who seems fixated on punishing Annalise did to knock of Nate’s father. Nate and Annalise suspect Governor Birkhead had Nate’s father killed right before he was about to be released from prison. However, it was Michaela who came up with the genius idea of trying to figure out who called the Birkhead moments before Nate Lahey, Sr. transfer. It was genius and the fact the no one else thought of it left me baffled.
Behind the scenes Laurel was pushing Frank and Bonnie to tell the truth about Gabriel Maddox (a truth, we didn’t learn until the end of the episode). This was driving me crazy; like I wanted answers and I wanted them ASAP, but patience does indeed pay off. Nate had a pal do some digging, where he discovered that Miller had utilized the same payphone that was used to call Birkhead the same night that Nate’s dad was killed. It looks suspicious right? Of course it does, but something tells me all is not as it seems. Oliver and Connor’s big day finally arrived and it was a fun one to say the least, but Annalise was still spiraling, as Bonnie was well aware that she was drinking again. Yes, secretly I was hoping this was not the case, but Bonnie was 100 percent spot on as Annalise was caught drinking in the bathroom stall and in the church after everyone vacated.
There was one hiccup she did not expect, Gabriel. He spotted her and something about the guy just seemed off. He has immersed himself into Annalise’s orbit and with the people close to her. As a result, the lightbulbs start to go off in my head. For weeks I suspect that Gabriel might be Bonnie’s son that was a mistake, than I thought what if he was Annalise’s son she thought died? Wait for it, because it sets the stage for a wicked revelation during the final moments.
Once it was revealed that Miller was the victim, everyone including myself wanted to know how it ultimately transpired. It was Nate who pummeled Miller to a pulp under the assumption that he was secretly working with the Birkhead. Yes, I did not buy Miller as the culprit one bit because it seems way too easy, and the guy seemed genuinely stunned with the accusation. Not to mention the revelation of Gabriel’s true identity places him at the top of the suspect list for me.
Nate refused to listen and nearly killed Miller, but Bonnie and Baby Wes stumbled across the bloody scene, where Bonnie learned from Nate what her secret lover had been up to. Bonnie was hurt by the revelation, and decided to put Miller out of his misery by smothering him. It was a heartbreaking scene to watch, but making the situation worse is the fact that both Bonnie and Nate are wrong. No one do I believe that Miller played a role in the demise of Nate’s father. He was a red herring and the true culprit is still out there.
Making the situation worse is the fact that Miller was planning to propose to Bonnie. Too bad Bonnie has no idea that marriage was on the horizon for her. She had finally found love and with the snap of a finger it was taken from her. Bonnie coached Nate on what to do, but rather Nate reveals Miller’s intentions to a devastated Bonnie is up in the air. So I cannot wait to see how this plays out when the series returns.
Let’s get to the game changing moment, the revelation that Gabriel Maddox is none other than Sam’s son! Yes, I did not see that twist coming from a mile away. Wait for it; he is the son of Sam’s first wife, Vivian Maddox, whose marriage crumbled as a result of Annalise who was the other woman! So this raises two vital questions: 1) did Annalise know that Sam had a son? 2) Why didn’t the name Gabriel Maddox register for her upon first hearing it?
There is way more to this tale that has me intrigued. We now know Gabriel is looking for a bit of vengeance for his mother who spiraled out of control based on what he alluded to Annalise when discovering she was drinking. I would throw out a bigger surprise: maybe Gabriel is the one who set things in motion to take out Nate’s father. That’s huge people and we still have no idea about this adoption mess that Birkhead seems to be holding over Annalise.
With a mid-season finale that strong, I cannot wait to see what transpires the rest of season five, but my instinct tells me more murder is headed our way, as well as a few surprises that will leave audiences aghast. “How to Get Away With Murder” returns in January 2019.
