IR TV Review: HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER - EPISODE 15 ("Stay") [ABC-S6]

The trajectory of a series finale has to bring the idea of redemption, sacrifice and simple comeuppance into the idea of what ultimately a series is trying to say. This is of course predicated not just on the cast but the woman who is leading the charge does, which in this case is Viola Davis as Annalise. Last time this reviewer watched the show, she was laid bare almost in bordello below the border trying to run away before she is captured. Stripping a character and actor down to that basis is key for the trajectory of this episode. While most of the series finale leads towards why people are motivated to do certain things whether it be in their best interests or their ability to protect others, the simple moral line of which they are traversing is really the pendulum of drama.At two points in this episode which directly correlate to each other, it is Viola Davis' character coming to terms with both the hurt she caused but also the selflessness or perhaps mistakes of others that causes her to act the way she does. Granted humanity is always going to act a certain way as a result of its actions and giving away any point here which might interrelate to the conclusion in many different aspects would take away from the impact of those scenes. This series at the end is about identity and responsibility despite the path they might take. Time is the true healer of certain impact situations but the pain has a way of giving perspective. "How To Get Away With Murder" understood that and even with the title of its final episode "Stay", the irony and perception is in full view with a degree of both humility but acceptance in a way.A-

By Tim Wassberg