Tuesday, November 17, 2015

How to Get Away with Murder Season 2, Episode 8 ("Hi, I'm Philip") Recap


In the flash forward scene Bonnie tells Connor he's either on board with what happened or he's the next dead body out there. Then she makes Wes give her the gun.

Meanwhile, in the present, Bonnie is sitting in a shower ignoring calls from both Asher and Annalise. Annalise is playing back in her mind Bonnie telling her she wished they had killed her instead of Sam. She forces a smile for a selfie she sends to her mom with it a text saying she misses her. Then Nate comes by. She's nervous, but she lets him in. The two go back and forth. She tells him he knows her better than most people, and he says that's sad b/c he doesn't know her at all. He tells her she can get away with anything, and he should kill her or make sure her life is hell. He then says instead he just comes to her not knowing why. She says he's just sad, and he demands she come to him. But instead she gives him a blanket and tells him he needs to decide if he's going to forgive her and that she's not opening her legs as payment. Then tells him to sleep off his drunkenness.

Meanwhile, Philip tells Oliver he doesn't want to kill him. Frank and Laurel have an argument about her being rich and a snitch while driving with Michaela and Connor. When Connor gets home, he sees the door is open, the milk is spilled, and Oliver is not there. So they all go to Annalise, and Connor wants to call the police to report Oliver is missing. Annalise rags on Frank for messing things up, which she'll continue to do throughout the episode. Later she tasks Laurel with being her new Bonnie, something Laurel later throws in Frank's face.

When Annalise agrees to have Nate call the precinct, and Nate calls, Oliver walks in with Philip! Apparently, Oliver and Philip went across the street to a restaurant to talk. Oliver tried to explain the case, but brought him to Annalise's home since he didn't know much about the case. Philip tells them the adoption agency gave him the names of his birth parents, and he isn't a Hapstall. He says he knows he's weird, but he's not a killer like they think he is. He then says he has to go to the cops or sue Annalise, because hacking into his computer was illegal. So she asks what he wants, and he says he doesn't know yet and walks out. Frank offers to follow him, but Annalise says she doesn't want him to mess things up again. So Nate offers to tail him instead. Michaela has an idea to look for hair where Philip was sitting to do a DNA test to confirm whether he's a Hapstall or not. But Oliver is a step ahead of them and gives them a straw Philip used at the restaurant they talked at. 

The next day, Sinclair delivers a ton of discovery to Annalise's home. Nate is tailing Philip. Connor destroys Oliver's laptop in case Philip goes to the cops. And Frank and Asher go to get the DNA tested, but the lab tech says she can't because an ADA gave her 300 labs to run. Then it hits Asher that Sinclair bugged Annalise's home like she planned to do with the  help of Asher's testimony, and sent the 300 labs as a way to stall Annalise's plan to run Philip's DNA. They unsuccessfully search for the bug in the boxes of discovery Sinclair sent, but then Asher realizes the bug is in the pen Michaela was given to sign the paperwork for receipt of the boxes of discovery!

Later, Annalise calls Caleb and Catherine over to tell them Philip knows he's a suspect. She asks them if they've ever seen him. They both say no, and Wes asks Catherine if she's sure since she's lied before. She again denies knowing who he is. Then, Sinclair offers Caleb and Catherine 15-year plea deals that expire at 5:00 p.m. that evening. Annalise tells them that means Sinclair is scared, because her case is based on a dead racist and a missing murder weapon. But Caleb wants time to think about taking the plea deal. Annalise sends Michaela to talk him out of it, and Catherine requests to see Wes. So while Michaela is trying to talk Caleb out of taking the plea deal, Catherine is asking Wes if they should take the plea deal. Michaela sticks to the plan, but Wes tells Catherine to take the plea deal! He reveals to Annalise he told her to take the deal, because he should have turned himself in for Sam's murder instead of dragging all of them into it. Annalise tells him he was protecting Rebecca, and now she's protecting him. She adds that no one deserves to go to jail for what happened. Then she sends him home, because he's having clouded judgment. 

Catherine calls and tells them Caleb agreed to a 30-year plea deal to keep Catherine from going to prison. But Annalise has a plan. They use the bug planted by Sinclair to plant a fabricated story about Catherine and Caleb being guilty and hiding the murder weapon in the home. Sinclair goes to search the premises for the gun, and of course she doesn't find one. So what is the plan? Well by the time Sinclair is told that no murder weapon was found, it's after 5:00 p.m. and thus the plea offer has expired.

Nate calls Annalise to tell her Philip is at the station giving a statement. So Nate decides to fix it, without telling Annalise how, by putting Philip's name on a record of someone with a record of schizophrenia. So when the detectives look up Philip's file, they assume his claim about being cyberstalked is just because he's off his meds and decide to just follow-up on it the next day. 

Then, Caleb calls to tell Annalise Catherine has decided to negotiate a 10-year plea deal with Caleb serving no time! She refuses to change her mind, but continues to tell Annalise she's innocent and just wants to protect Caleb this time. So Annalise tasks the team with finding a way to get the plea deal dropped in spite of Catherine not wanting to change her mind. They are unable to figure out anything, and the judge puts Annalise stalling attempt to an end. But Frank comes to the rescue. He walks in and passes a file to Annalise, and Catherine changes her mind after seeing what the file says. Frank took $50k from that money in the suitcase, and gave it to the lab tech in exchange for running the DNA test. Annalise later shares the results with an upset Sinclair. The file shows Philip is not only a Hapstall, but he's the product of incest! Yep, Caleb and Catherine's father had Philip with their aunt! #MOTIVE

Then the episode goes into extended love scenes between Frank and Laurel, Annalise and Nate (who's decided he wants to "know her"), Oliver and Connor (in Annalise's classroom, b/c Connor says Oliver has been seeking excitement), and Caleb and Michaela (yep, they finally admit they both like each other). 

BUT it ain't over! While everyone is hooking up, Wes receives a portrait of him and his parents from Catherine. Then something hits him and he rushes to Annalise's house. Meanwhile, after they have sex, Caleb tells Michaela he has something to tell her. 

Wes points out to Annalise and Nate that one of Catherine's painted portraits is in the background in Philip's home in the picture they have from hacking his computer! And Caleb shows Michaela the gun he found in the house last week (yea the missing murder weapon)! So did Catherine do it?! Well...the episode ends with Philip getting in the car with Catherine and telling her not to worry because he's going to take care of it!!!