Like with everybody on this campus, Thanksgiving break was the week I decided to get work done. Did I? Definitely not. What did I do instead? I went on a “How To Get Away With Murder” spree.
As the classroom floods with first-year law students, the professor, Dr. Keating, begins the class period ominously, saying, “This is Criminal Law 100. Or, as I prefer to call it, ‘How To Get Away With Murder.’” Little did some of those students know that that class would quite literally become their guide to getting away with murder.
The first episode had me on the edge of my seat, constantly switching from the present to the future, leaving me wondering how in the world we would get from point A to point B. We start the show off with four law students deciding how to cover their tracks after they assisted in the murder of an unknown victim. Just a few moments later, we meet those same students months before that event, just as they start law school at Middleton University. The show is quite fast-paced, with every episode leaving you with more questions than you had the previous one.
Besides the obvious focus on the students and their journey toward the inevitable oncoming murder, each episode deals with a different criminal case. Dr. Keating leads the students through the process, advising them and helping them figure out how to gather information and argue their points in court. She places a lot of importance on giving her students a hands-on approach to learning, so she launches them into life as a criminal lawyer by involving them in her cases. It was quite interesting to witness Dr. Keating turning cases around through her cleverness and talent at argumentation in court.
The most riveting character by far was Dr. Annalise Keating. Her layered personality makes it impossible to guess her next move, especially as we see her get more and more involved with the oncoming murder. Viola Davis plays the character beautifully, radiating power and confidence in Keating’s complicated role.
While this show is nowhere near law school-accurate, it was still a great opportunity to learn about the various legal processes involved in criminal cases and to put your detective eye to use. The twists and turns would keep me on my toes, and I can’t say that I got bored (at least during the first season; we’ll have to see about the rest). If you are ready to be thrown into the complicated story of not only how a group of law students got away with murder but also how they got to that point in the first place, then you should definitely give “How To Get Away With Murder” a try.
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.