HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER: BEST CHRISTMAS EVER (TV)
Summary
One in this series of legal dramas about a hard-nosed Philadelphia law professor who recruits her students to work in her firm – leading to their entanglement in a variety of ethically questionable schemes.
Annalise holes herself up in a room at the Hamrick Hotel in Philadelphia on Christmas Day and the following few days as well. She does little other than eat and consume alcohol. After New Year’s Eve, she returns to her home to find Hannah waiting for her. Annalise claims that she went away on a trip to visit her mother. Hannah upbraids Annalise for seemingly fleeing while Sam is still missing; Annalise tells her that he will not be returning. They argue about the events leading up to Sam's disappearance; Hannah refuses to believe that Sam killed Lila despite Annalise’s protestations to the contrary. Annalise’s students reconvene to begin their spring semester. Connor mentions Hannah to Wes, Michaela, and Laurel, but they are unaware of Annalise’s meeting with her. Wes confronts Annalise over this, but she says that she felt it was not necessary for him to know about it. They are interrupted by the arrival of a client seeking a lawyer for a drunk driving charge. Annalise is immediately suspicious of the client, who reveals the true reason for her visit: She claims that her husband has kidnapped a pair of young girls and has trapped them in the basement; she wants Annalise’s assistance in turning him in to the police.
In North Philadelphia on Christmas Day, Wes spends time with Rebecca and finds a Christmas card for Rudy from his grandmother, who seems to believe that he still lives there. Wes suffers from nightmares despite Rebecca’s attempts to calm him. In the present, the new client, Jackie, explains that she was homeless before she married her husband, who sexually abused her and somehow caused her to become infertile. He later brought another woman home, and she knew that the process would repeat itself. She implies that her husband is kidnapping women in an attempt to produce children with them. Annalise convinces the others to help get legal protection for Jackie despite being an accessory to the kidnappings. Jackie testifies before a prosecuting attorney and a SWAT team raids the house, apprehending her husband and freeing the trapped girls. Hannah confronts Annalise again and tells her that Sam has been supposedly sighted in upstate New York. She is surprised to learn that no one told Annalise about this. Bonnie tells Annalise that she will look into the matter.
At West Palm Beach on Christmas Day, Laurel has Christmas dinner with her family. Laurel mentions the case surrounding Sam, and expresses resentment at her family not taking an interest in her life. They become angry at her and ask her to leave the table. In the present, Laurel talks to Frank about disposing of Connor’s car in order to hide evidence surrounding Sam’s death. Annalise presents a plea deal in court on Jackie’s behalf, favoring a reduced sentence and mental health counseling. The judge refuses this until she can hear testimony from the victims, although Annalise asserts that it would be unreasonable to expect this. The judge calls for a closed session away from public scrutiny; Annalise has her students draft questions. Annalise discovers that Hannah is following her and confronts her. Annalise then spends time with Nate, who reveals that he told his wife about her.
In Grand Rapids, Michigan on Christmas Eve, Connor spends time with his sister, who attempts to set him up with one of her friends. He tells her about Oliver, referring to him as his “boyfriend.” In the present-day he invites Oliver on a date, but Oliver is confused about the nature of their relationship, stating that they are “not dating.” He is also concerned about Connor’s drug problem. However, the two spend time together and seem to continue their relationship. Later he emerges from Oliver’s apartment to find that his car has been stolen. The next day, he tells Wes, Michaela, and Laurel about it and says he did not tell the police to avoid implicating all of them. Annalise questions the girls from Jackie’s husband’s basement, and they corroborate her claims to reinforce the plea deal. However, Annalise discovers that Jackie drugged the girls to knock them unconscious in an attempt to “protect” them from the trauma of her husband’s abuse. Annalise believes that this implicates Jackie in the crime; Jackie counters that she has suffered from rape multiple times in her life and that the memory of it is far worse than the act itself. Laurel believes that Frank is responsible for stealing Connor’s car, although he neither confirms nor denies her suspicions. Annalise discovers Jackie is raising a baby fathered by her husband with one of the kidnapped girls; she previously testified that it was stillborn, but admits that she took it away and has hidden it to raise. Jackie refuses to disclose the location of the baby unless Annalise secures the plea deal.
In Fishtown, Pennsylvania on Christmas Eve, Frank hangs out at a bar with Asher. Asher protests his involvement with Jackie’s case and temporarily manages to cow Bonnie into submission due to their earlier sexual encounter. However, Bonnie becomes frustrated and takes him aside to talk about their lingering feelings.. Asher agrees to lay off for the time being. Annalise learns about Jackie’s reasons for hiding away the baby, Heather, but discovers that Jackie has not left anyone to take care of Heather. Annalise becomes extremely frustrated and tells her that she has completed the plea deal. She gets Jackie to give her Heather’s location. The police recover her and bring her back to the station alive, much to Annalise’s relief.
Laurel tries to get Michaela to talk about her Christmas break, but she is not forthcoming with details. Laurel fears that if they do not communicate with each other, they will be driven mad by the guilt of their crime. One by one, they open up about themselves: Laurel discusses her situation with her family and Wes talks about his nightmares. However, Connor still has antipathy toward Laurel and Wes, and refuses to discuss anything with them. Hannah comes upon the four of them and introduces herself.
At Gracie Mansion on New Year’s Eve, a drunken Michaela interrupts Aiden’s conversation with his co-worker, accusing them of having an affair. She is unable to account for this and angers Aiden. He grows weary of her irrational behavior and asks that they postpone their wedding; she begs him to reconsider, although he does not. In the present-day, Hannah returns a box of files Annalise gave her and points out various inconsistencies in the account of Sam supposedly murdering Lila. She begs Bonnie to help her uncover the truth, but Bonnie refuses. Heather is returned to her biological mother and Annalise reveals that she lied about the plea deal, meaning that Jackie will be going to jail.
Connor spends more time with Oliver, and Oliver suddenly kisses him, much to his own surprise. Oliver feels conflicted due to Connor’s history of promiscuity and admits that he is in love with him. Connor claims that Oliver is the only person in his life that he can trust. Frank obscures the lead about Sam on behalf of Annalise. Annalise cooks dinner for herself and Hannah, and they argue about Annalise’s behavior in light of Sam’s disappearance. Hannah demands to know the truth, and Annalise answers questions about her affair with Nate and her knowledge of Sam’s relationship with Lila. This display of truth convinces Hannah, who now believes that Annalise’s reaction was justified. Wes and Rebecca then see a news report claiming that Sam’s body has been discovered in a landfill and identified by the police. Includes commercials.
Details
- NETWORK: ABC
- DATE: November 30, 1999 10:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:59:56
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: 122245
- GENRE: Drama, legal
- SUBJECT HEADING: African-American Collection - Drama; Drama, legal; Drama, mystery/suspense
- SERIES RUN: ABC - TV series, 2014-2020
- COMMERCIALS:
- TV – Commercials – AT&T phone service
- TV – Commercials – Charmin toilet paper
- TV – Commercials – Chrysler automobiles
- TV – Commercials – Eos lip balm
- TV – Commercials – Esurance insurance
- TV – Commercials – Ford automobiles
- TV – Commercials – HR Block tax services
- TV – Commercials – Humira anti-inflammatory medication
- TV – Commercials – Hyundai automobiles
- TV – Commercials – Kay jewelers
- TV – Commercials – Lexus automobiles
- TV – Commercials – Lincoln automobiles
- TV – Commercials – Listerine mouthwash
- TV – Commercials – L’Oreal cosmetics
- TV – Commercials – M&M’s candy
- TV – Commercials – McDonald’s restaurants
- TV – Commercials – Mini-Wheats breakfast cereal
- TV – Commercials – Sprint phone service
- TV – Commercials – Subway restaurants
- TV – Commercials – T-Mobile phone service
- TV – Commercials – Trojan lubricant
- TV – Commercials – Verizon phone service
- TV – Commercials – Yoplait yogurt
- TV – Commercials – “Focus” motion picture
- TV – Commercials – “Jupiter Ascending” motion picture
- TV – Promos – “20/20”
- TV – Promos – “American Crime”
- TV – Promos – “Blackish”
- TV – Promos – “Cristela”
- TV – Promos – “Fresh Off the Boat”
- TV – Promos – “How to Get Away with Murder”
- TV – Promos – “Jimmy Kimmel Live”
- TV – Promos – “Marvel’s Agent Carter”
- TV – Promos – “Repeat After Me”
- TV – Promos – “Secrets and Lies”
- TV – Promos – “Shark Tank”
- TV – Promos – “The Hunger Games”
- TV – Promos – “The Oscars”
CREDITS
- Peter Nowalk … Executive Producer, Created by
- Bill D'Elia … Executive Producer
- Betsy Beers … Executive Producer
- Shonda Rhimes … Executive Producer
- Michael Foley … Co-Executive Producer
- Ann Kindberg … Co-Executive Producer
- Erika Green Swafford … Supervising Producer
- Tracy A. Bellomo … Producer, Writer
- Scott Collins … Producer
- Doug Stockstill … Co-Producer
- Scott Printz … Co-Producer
- Noah Evslin … Co-Producer
- Holden Chang … Associate Producer
- Michael Katelman … Director
- Warren Hsu Leonard … Writer
- Photek … Music by
- Viola Davis … Cast, Annalise Keating
- Billy Brown … Cast, Nate Lahey
- Alfred Enoch … Cast, Wes Gibbins
- Jack Falahee … Cast, Connor Walsh
- Katie Findlay … Cast, Rebecca Sutter
- Aja Naomi King … Cast, Michaela Pratt
- Matt McGorry … Cast, Asher Millstone
- Karla Souza … Cast, Laurel Castillo
- Charlie Weber … Cast, Frank Delfino
- Liza Weil … Cast, Bonnie Winterbottom
- Jackie Geary … Cast, Jackie Groves
- José Zúniga … Cast, Laurel's Dad
- Conrad Ricamora … Cast, Oliver
- Elliot Knight … Cast, Aiden Walker
- Marcia Gay Harden … Cast, Hannah Keating
- Tabitha Morella … Cast, Lynn Applewhite
- Tayler Robinson … Cast, Rachel Parker
- Jennifer Christopher … Cast, Gemma Walsh
- Brynn Thayer … Cast, Elena Castillo
- Vince Duvall … Cast, D.A. Roger Galvinson
- James Logan … Cast, Vince Groves
- Innis Casey … Cast, Adrian Castillo
- Anne Betancourt … Cast, Judge
- Delpaneux Wills … Cast, Stylish Man
- Joy Benedict … Cast, Desk Reporter