Como Defender um Assassino

I rarely ever write reviews, but this is a must. I have have a hyperactive ADHD, I get bored with most shows because I can always predict their plots. Not here. I binged all seasons in 10 days, I couldn't stop watching, it's brilliant. There are legal irregularities, yes, but this show is not for educational purposes, people. It's entertainment.

The performance and the writing are phenomenal, I can't recommend it enough. Viola Davis' acting skills are unprecedented. And FINALLY, a decent ending! You don't get to see many of those anymore.

I've rated over 1500 movies and shows, I've written less than 10 reviews in total. If there's one show I can make you watch, let it be this one.

Annalise Keating (Viola Davis) is a sought-after law professor and a famous hard-charging defense attorney willing to push the envelope. She selects her students Wes Gibbins, Connor Walsh, Michaela Pratt, Asher Millstone, and Laurel Castillo as her interns to work on her cases. There is Annalise's husband Sam and her secret affair with police detective Nate Lahey. There are her associates Frank Delfino and Bonnie Winterbottom. The first season centered on the murder of student Lila Stangard and Rebecca Sutter who is the main suspect.

This is Shondaland. The flashforward structure of the first season is challenging but kept the show different and interesting. There is nothing better than Viola Davis. She shines but she also overpowers the younger cast. The biggest overshadowed problem is Alfred Enoch who is most known for a minor Harry Potter role. He's not alone in that problem. It doesn't help that the storytelling is non-stop twists and turns. The characters never get the stability needed to build chemistry. The second season centers on a different case and by the third season, I have to give up. All the effort is used to keep up with the twisty stories. Only Viola Davis is able to break through. It's just really tough to remember the situations for each character over the years.

I just binge watched season one and I loved it. First off I want to say that there are a bunch of complaining critics on here that I think are missing the point of the show. How to get away with murder. It's not a show that's going to depict total reality. It's a fun to watch exaggerated clever show (but there's a bit of truth behind every bit of this exaggeration). Maybe the critics that rate the show so harshly should really watch it with a grain of salt. So many are saying that it's unrealistic. The law schools are not at all like this. Law isn't practiced like this. Oh grow up. The crazy twisting corrupted lying cheating goings-on are exaggerated and accelerated to make it more fun to watch. This is a fun show and I am most certainly looking forward to season two. Now I will agree that there are some gratuitous sex scenes that just really aren't necessary. The writers really don't have to spell it out for us. We get it. Maybe they will ease up on that kind of stuff in season two. Good show and I recommend it to people who are open-minded to the fact that TV doesn't always have to be based on true absolute reality. It's supposed to be entertaining. And this show is definitely entertaining.

At the time of writing, I have seen all of season one and the first episode of season 2.

I've seen other reviews on here that talk about how impossible it is to watch this show if you have any legal knowledge, and I would just like to add my two cents to this topic. I sympathize. I'm a lawyer, and have worked in criminal defence (once upon a time), and I, too, generally have a really hard time watching any legal dramas whatsoever. Television takes egregious liberties with the justice system, and shows that portray the practice of law are difficult to watch when they are wildly inaccurate, and it is frustrating to witness protagonists do things that you know are illegal or unethical. As annoying as this is, the tendency is understandable—even criminal law is only so compelling in real life. The assumption is that most viewers do not have legal training, and that nobody—lawyers included—will watch a show where competent, ethical practitioners stay at the office late looking up cases on Quicklaw, fiddling with binding machines, and trying not to smudge pad thai sauce on their prelim transcripts.

This show, however, is so ridiculous that it actually rose to the level of suspension of disbelief required for me, at least, to still enjoy it. It is basically a soap opera. Trying to subject it to human logic is a pointless exercise that will inevitably leave you discombobulated, shouting at the sky about injustice or whatever people do once they've discovered their whole life is a lie.

For instance, I would be hard pressed to conceive of a more profound conflict of interest than that contained in the season 1 episode 10 court scene if someone bet me $100 and a case of beer (I won't describe it in the interests of no spoilers--the blame-shifting thing). And that is just the tip of the iceberg. Every other thing that every character does in this show would get you summarily disbarred, fired, or charged with something.

At the end of the day however, that is not the point. This show seems to know exactly how over-the-top it is. But rather than trying to scale back the insanity in the name of realism, it revels in knocking it right into twelfth gear. Left and right, people are lying to each other or the court, sleeping around and committing felonies—sometimes at the same time—because why not? The degree of accuracy is so low that the mercury drops out the bottom of the thermometer and creates a rift in the space-time continuum. It fails so hard it wins. It is the Hearts equivalent of shooting the moon.

So get some popcorn and get comfy. Try to resist the analytical voice in your head that keeps screaming "No!" and just let it wash over you. Everything will be fine.

I honestly think the other review was uncalled for. This is fantastic! The beginning is a little confusing and hard to figure out whats going on but honestly, that's what makes it so suspenseful. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. Most crime shows are all about justice, which is great but sometimes it's nice to see the opposite side of things. There's so many dynamic characters in this show, it adds interest. Viola Davis is amazing in this. She's such a strong actress and her acting is very believable and on point. What I will say is, some of the characters seem a bit awkward. Again, I think that's what makes it interesting. The awkward characters have a place and don't seem like a random actress throw into the mix. I find this show, sexy, interesting and very dramatic. It's the perfect mix! I say give it a watch, if you don't like it no harm, no foul.