Prime-time television viewing reached a new high this past fall with the introduction of Shonda Rhimes’ latest juggernaut, How to Get Away with Murder. Jam packed with suspense, scandal and seduction, HTGAWM left fans hungry for new clues and new answers each week. And those who waited patiently were gifted with the ultimate reward—the identity of Sam Keating’s killer. However, the fans of HTGAWM fully know, the story’s only just beginning to unravel.
There’s still a lot that fans don’t know—from who killed Lila Stangard to whether or not Annalise’s budding law students will face potential jail time for disposing of her husband’s corpse—but remain eager to find out. If you’re a fan of the series and want to re-live all the drama or if you’re a newbie to the series and want to play catch up, here are the top 10 best moments of HTGAWM so far.
For those who haven’t seen the series, please note that there are spoilers ahead.
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Rebecca and Nate team up in attempt to bring Sam down
When Lila’s good friend Rebecca becomes a prime suspect in Lila’s murder investigation, it’s up to Annalise to help clear Rebecca’s name. At the same time, Annalise’s forbidden lover and detective, Nate, is on a mission to expose Sam as the person responsible for the crime. Things intensify in HTGAWM episode, “He Has a Wife,” when Rebecca and Nate cross paths and Nate asks for her assistance. Upon learning some surprising new results of Lila’s second autopsy, Rebecca seems to be harboring her own suspicions about Sam and agrees to try and find clues in the Keating house.
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Flashbacks reveal Lila’s ties to Sam
Viewers also begin to learn a bit more about Lila’s connection to Sam in “He Has a Wife.” Through flashback scenes from before Lila’s death, viewers witness Lila fill Rebecca in on all the juicy details of her and Sam’s brief fling. But what starts out as playful and sexy suddenly takes a down turn when Lila confesses that “Mr. Darcy” (Sam) wants to end things between them and she considers divulging the affair to Annalise. To complicate matters even further, Lila admits she regrets having sex with Sam because she thinks she might be pregnant.
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Bonnie shares a secret about Lila
A second flashback in “He Has a Wife” reveals that Annalise’s colleague, Bonnie met Lila the night Lila was murdered. The two only share a brief interaction when Lila shows up at the Keating house looking for Annalise (presumably to talk to her about Sam.) Unsympathetic to the young woman’s request to see Annalise, Bonnie turns her away, threatening to call the cops. Flash forward to the present, after Bonnie informs Annalise of her encounter with Lila and Annalise seems very displeased.
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Annalise goes to great lengths to protect Sam
Despite her growing distrust of Sam, Annalise does whatever she can to prevent him from becoming named as a suspect in Lila’s death. In HTGAWM episode, “Freakin’ Whack-a-Mole,” Annalise has Frank, a colleague of hers, plant evidence in Lila’s ex-boyfriend, Griffin’s car to cast a greater amount of suspicion on him (along with Rebecca, he’s also been accused of killing Lila.) Of course, Annalise’s attempt to help Sam does not go unnoticed as paramour, Nate witnesses Frank’s less-than-covert operation.
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Annalise and Wes clash over Lila’s case
With Annalise adamant about protecting Sam, and Wes adamant about doing the same for Rebecca, tensions fly high when they begin to disagree. Wes is suspicious of Sam and uses Annalise’s love for her husband as a ploy to force her to help Rebecca. When Annalise temporarily appeases Wes, things seem to be a bit better between the pair, but the “truce” is short-lived once Annalise acts as though her husband is completely innocent and Lila’s ex-boyfriend is totally to blame. Annalise and Wes’ clash takes place in “Freakin’ Whack-a-Mole.”
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Lila’s second autopsy produces some surprising results
When Annalise fails to stop a motion requesting Lila’s body be exhumed, a second autopsy is performed. Unable to conceal the new results any longer, Bonnie interrupts a moment between Annalise and Sam to deliver the news. The new autopsy indicates that Lila had been six weeks pregnant at the time of her death, which creates an even greater sense of distrust between Annalise and Sam. The results of Lila’s second autopsy are revealed in HTGAWM episode, “He Deserved to Die.”
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Annalise reaches her breaking point with Sam
All of Sam’s lies begin to take their toll on Annalise in HTGAWM episode, “Kill, Me Kill Me, Kill Me,” when she announces her plans to leave him. When Sam refuses to let Annalise go, a heated argument erupts between the couple and he becomes enraged. After Sam chokes Annalise and they take turns insulting each other, he lets her leave as she’d originally planned.
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Annalise considers going to the cops about Sam
After Annalise and Sam’s explosive argument in “Kill, Me Kill Me, Kill Me,” she briefly considers turning him in to the cops. Annalise sits in her car outside the police station, but can’t bring herself to betray the man she loves, so eventually, she drives off and visits paramour, Nate and the two share a tender reconciliation.
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Growing suspicion of Sam culminates in his death
Still determined to aid Nate in his plan to expose Sam, Rebecca goes to the Keating house looking for answers. But Rebecca gets a lot more than she bargained for when Sam attacks her for snooping. Luckily for her, beau, Wes and his fellow law students, Michaela, Laurel, and Connor are there to save her, though not before Michaela pushes Sam off of a stairwell and Wes bashes Sam’s head in with a trophy, getting rid of him for good. Sam meets his untimely end in “Kill, Me Kill Me, Kill Me.”
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The fallout from Sam’s death
With the Keating house a crime scene, Wes, Rebecca, Connor, Michaela, and Laurel must dispose of the evidence before Annalise realizes they’ve murdered her husband. The group shares much debate over what to do with Sam’s body, but eventually they bring it to the woods and set it on fire before discarding the remains at a dumpster. But the group isn’t in the clear yet, as the next morning, Annalise informs them that the cops are on their way to ask questions about Sam.
Have a favorite moment that wasn’t included in this list? Want to share your predictions for upcoming episodes? Sound off in the comments below!
How to Get Away with Murder returns with new episodes on Thursday, January 29th at 10 p.m. on ABC.
Image Credit: Jennifer Graylock/INFphoto.com.