The first season of “How to Get Away with Murder” is compelling from beginning to end and getting Viola Davis to headline was a brilliant move as she gives much needed weight and her ability to keep viewers off kilter helps to build momentum throughout the season.
“How to Get Away With Murder”: The Complete First Season
(2014-15)
Genre(s): Crime, Mystery, Suspense
Buena Vista | TV14 – 645 min. – $39.99 | August 4, 2015
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MOVIE INFO: Directed by: Various Writer(s): Peter Nowalk (created by) Cast: Viola Davis, Alfred Enoch, Jack Falahee, Aja Naomi King, Matt McGorry, Karla Souza, Charlie Weber, Liza Weil, Katie Findlay, Tom Verica, Billy Brown DISC INFO: Audio: English (Dolby Digital 5.1) |
** Click Here to Purchase “How to Get Away With Murder” Season 1 on DVD from Amazon.com **
THE MOVIE – 4.0/5
“How to Get Away with Murder” is easily one of the more interesting crime mystery shows to air taking viewers, at least halfway through its first season, back and forth in time with a great hook as four college students attempt to cover up for a crime. What that crime is won’t be revealed until the season’s eighth episode and even then new mysteries abound to keep viewers around for the remainder of the season.
While the ensemble cast of mostly unknown actors are all great, though Alfred Enoch’s Wesley reminds me a bit too much of Wes from “Star Trek: The Next Generation” in some ways, there’s a reason Viola Davis is one well paid actress as she brings a much needed gravitas to a storyline that could become frustrating and also concerning for future seasons, not unlike “Pretty Little Liars” where writers seem to be writing new plotlines and villains at random. Back to Davis, though, she’s fantastic as high-powered defense attorney Annalise Keating, a character who isn’t nearly as perfect and with a crumbling personal life cheating on her husband with a cop (BILLY BROWN) while said hubby has his own share of secrets, one involving the death of a student.
Beyond Keating, the ensemble of characters, who were handpicked to be a part of Keating’s research crew, include the aforementioned Wesley, perfectionist Michaela Pratt (AJA NAOMI KING), go-getter at all cost Connor Walsh (JACK FALAHEE), snob Asher Millstone (MATT MCGORRY) and smart but slutty Laurel Castillo (KARLA SOUZA) who has her share of romances including one with Keating’s fixer/associate Frank Delfino (CHARLIE WEBER).
As a freshman series, “How to Get Away with Murder” is a success thanks in large part to the cast, primarily Viola Davis, but the season long storyline is well paced and keeps viewer’s hooked throughout the 15-episode stint. I do wonder where the series will go for the next few seasons but with Shonda Rhimes serving as executive producer and having “Scandal” still going strong, it’ll certainly be a fun ride.
Episodes:
- Pilot
- It’s All Her Fault
- Smile, or Go to Jail
- Let’s Get to Scooping
- We’re Not Friends
- Freakin’ Whack-A-Mole
- He Deserved to Die
- He Has a Wife
- Kill Me, Kill Me, Kill Me
- Hello, Baskolnikov
- Best Christmas Ever
- She’s a Murderer
- Mama’s Here Now
- The Night Lila Died
- It’s All My Fault
SPECIAL FEATURES – 2.0/5
The 4-disc set is housed in a standard DVD case with a matted slip cover.
First Year Law (14:59) is an introduction to the cast of characters as the actors, and crew, discuss them and what each bring to the series.
Bye Felicia Music Video (2:58) is a song by the character Asher Millstone.
Deleted Scenes (6:41) – There are nine scenes either cut down or removed for more than likely time constraints.
Bloopers (3:34) contains your usual flubbed lines and on-set antics.
VIDEO – 4.5/5 | AUDIO – 4.0/5
“How to Get Away with Murder”: The Complete First Season takes the stand on DVD presented in its originally televised 1.78 anamorphic widescreen aspect ratio and I imagine looks more or less how it did upon initial airings. Colors tend to be bright and even darker shots don’t show major instances of artifacts.
Each episode comes with a Dolby Digital 5.1 track which is effective though nothing extraordinary. It does provide for clear dialogue levels with ambient noises and the score making use of the front and rear channels.
OVERALL – 4.0/5
Overall, the first season of “How to Get Away with Murder” is compelling from beginning to end and getting Viola Davis to headline was a brilliant move as she gives much needed weight and her ability to keep viewers off kilter helps to build momentum throughout the season. The DVD release by Buena Vista has good audio/video transfers but the bonus features are a bit disappointing.
Published: 08/10/2015