Discussing feminist themes and characters in ABC's How to Get Away with Murder. The show follows attorney Annalise Keating (Viola Davis) and her five law students at Middlebury University. The main cast get caught up in a murder plot, and as the title would suggest, get away with murder. The main characters are an excellent example of feminist ideals. The show is currently in its second season.
The next character I want to
discuss is Laurel Castillo. Laurel is without a doubt my favorite character, because
at first she comes of quiet and unassuming but she is actually the most conniving
especially in season two. Laurel is one of Annalise’s students who works on the
cases throughout both seasons. She is played by Mexican actress Karla Souza.
In the first few episodes I had
doubts about the character, she didn’t particularly interest me and she kind of
floated around in the background. As the first season progressed and moving into
the second season she becomes the most level headed and cunning of Annalise’s
five students. at the start she is rather idealistic bordering on naïve but
becomes arguably the most vital of the Keating Five. I love her especially because
of this because even as Annalise recognizes her as a vital member of the team
in season two, there is still a part of laurel this is idealistic and sees the
best in everyone. I like that she is neither extreme but a mix of both ends of
the spectrum. Like many of the other characters she owns her sexuality, starting
with her relationship with Frank. My second favorite Laurel moment is in real
time when she and the four other students go to bury Sam Keating’s body in the
wood, and she gets a phone call from Frank. While the other members of the
groups judge her for sleeping with her sort of boss, she quickly accepts whatever
criticisms they have and reminds them that they are literally burying a dead
body in the woods.
My all-time favorite Laurel moment is
when the team goes to their perspective homes for Christmas in season 1. It is
the first time we as an audience get to know a little more about Laurel. While it’s
a little upsetting that before this moment I hadn’t realized that the character
or the actress was Latina the moment is too good to pass up. After this moment there’s
a noticeable change in Laurels behavior, she seems to gain confidence and perspective
after this encounter and I ate it up. Her smirk at the end absolutely kills me.
Moving into season two you see this Laurel a lot more. She is generally the most
rational helping to control the situation amongst her peers. The audience also
sees her cunning and manipulative streak that helps Annalise and the team solve
cases and it’s awesome. I can’t wait to see what else she is capable of this
season.
How to Get Away with Murder aired
on September 5 2014 on ABC. The show follows attorney Annalise Keating,
associate attorney Bonnie, employee frank and five of her students at Middleton
University in Philadelphia. The five students are Wes, Connor, Michaela, Laure,
and Asher. In the first season, they unwittingly
find themselves in the middle of the murder of Annalise’s husband, Sam Keating.
The show is told In Medias Res with flashbacks depicting the rest of the story.
The "Keating 5". Wes, Connor Micheala, Laurel, Asher
One of the things this show does well is that it has a
diverse cast. About half of the main characters in the show are people of color,
which is more than most shows you see on television. Every character on this
show is unique, complex, and has incredible depth, which is also very refreshing
to see. The first cast character I want to focus on is Annalise Keating.
Annalise is without a doubt the most refreshing and powerful
characters I have seen on television in a very long time. I might be a little
biased because I am a huge fan of Viola Davis and think she can do no wrong,
but that’s beside the point. Annalise Keating is absolutely ruthless and I love
watching every minute of what she does. She’s manipulative and does literally
whatever it takes to win her cases, and that’s why she’s the best. It’s really
incredible to see a woman, be indisputably the best defense lawyer in the business.
Another piece that I absolutely love about the show in
general and Annalise, is that the women in this show talk about sex. Explicitly.
Even more so in the second season, where it is revealed that Annalise is
bisexual. While I wouldn’t be surprised
to see men discussing their sex lives on a television show, it’s considerably rarer
to see women discuss it. When Annalise wants something, she gets it.
While she is unforgiving, tough and displays traits that are
traditionally considered masculine, she is also incredibly vulnerable. One of
my favorite scenes on the show is a moment after Annalise finds out some
terrible news about her husband. She sits in front of her mirror and takes off
her wig, her eyelashes, and all of her makeup. It’s an absolutely chilling moment
because as a viewer you feel like Annalise has finally taken off all of her
armor and has allowed herself to grieve and be upset, to be vulnerable. She strips
herself of the things that make her traditionally beautiful, until its just Annalise.
I think its really important to see her grief and her tears. One, because it
makes her character more well-rounded if she has moments where she breaks down.
It also allows her to be a character that is ruthless, powerful, strong, and a
character that cries and grieves. Another great thing about this scene is that
Viola Davis requested it; it was her idea.