The psychological twists in How to Get Away With Murder are among the best television has to offer. The show's genius was rewarded in the first season itself, winning multiple awards (although mostly for Viola Davis' portrayal of law professor, Annalise Keating).
The story begins at Middleton University, where Annalise selects five special students as interns, all of whom soon become an integral part of her life — Connor Walsh, Laurel Castillo, Wes Gibbins, Asher Millstone and Michaela Pratt. Through a sequence of flashbacks, audiences come to know of the whole plot, starting with a dead body and ending with the revelation that the murder victim sort of had it coming. Have a look at the ten best episodes in the first season, ranked by their IMDb scores.
He Has A Wife (Episode 8) - 8.5
Bonnie exposes Sam for the sleaze that he is, admitting to Annalise that he hit on her even when he was aware of his mistress' pregnancy. Frank has successfully put the moves on Laurel, only for her to find out that he isn't actually single.
Michaela is going through an entirely different kind of stress, one which only comes from having to deal with in-laws (potential or otherwise.) The backstory shows Lila Stangard telling her best friend, Rebecca Sutter, the identity of her secret lover, Mr. Darcy (obviously Sam Keating.)
Pilot (Episode 1) - 8.5
In the series-opening episode, Annalise's adultery (with Nate Lahey) is found out by Wes, adding unnecessary pressure on top of her already complicated case — of a woman killing her boss using aspirin.
The decomposing corpse of Lila Stangard is discovered in her rooftop water tank; after hearing the story, Annalise quips that "the boyfriend did it," totally unaware of how right she would soon be proven. In the future, the Five fight about "getting rid of a body", which is finally shown to be Sam, right before he is set on fire.
Freakin' Whack-a-Mole (Episode 6) - 8.5
Annalise takes a death row case to the Supreme Court, which complains that her arguments are entirely circumstantial. However, she wins anyway, by counter proposing that the evidence in the original trial was as flimsy as the one they are currently offering.
Nate arrests Lila's boyfriend, Griffin, after finding her phone in his car; he is totally unaware that it was planted there by Frank Delfino. Asher is shown realizing that the Keating trophy is not where he left it, but before he can go accuse his friends about "stealing it," Bonnie calls him over for a night in.
Let's Get To Scooping (Episode 4) - 8.6
Wes is unceremoniously banned from working on his girlfriend's case for being too emotionally involved, while Connor "cheats" on Oliver with Pax, so he can help his mentor get some more evidence. The case that Annalise is working on is for her old acquaintance, Marren Trudeau, who has been unjustly indicted for fraud.
Rebecca accepts Wes's explanation as to why they have to go through Lila's phone, but the only proof they find is an unsavory dick pic, courtesy Sam Keating. While all this is happening, Frank decides that it's the right time to get overly jealous over Laurel.
Hello Raskolnikov (Episode 10) - 8.7
In line with her reasoning, Annalise decides to redirect the attention over Sam's disappearance by filing a Missing Person report on him. This helps her win Rebecca's case, as she successfully convinces the court that Lila's murderer was more likely to be her own husband.
Meanwhile, the Keating Kids are plotting betrayal, with Michaela and Connor considering the possibility of shifting all the blame onto Wes, even blackmailing Laurel into joining in. Of course, this fails, as Annalise ends up finding out anyway. She reassures them, saying that she will take care of everything, no matter what happens.
The Night Lila Died (Episode 14) - 8.8
At this point, everything turns upside down as Wes contemplates that Lila's killer might actually be Rebecca. Feeling guilty over what she did to Nate, Annalise tries getting him attacked in prison in order to get him released but instead worsens the situation when he is thrown into solitary.
Laurel and Wes pore through all the pieces of evidence regarding Lila's case and the flashback unveils what really went down between her and Rebecca (the whole cheating episode with Griffin.) The ending of this episode is rather dark, seeing as the gang has basically abducted Rebecca to prevent her from ratting them out.
She's A Murderer (Episode 12) - 8.8
Sam's crispy corpse is found in a nearby garbage dump, prompting his sister Hannah to instantly point the finger at Annalise. This results in a police search of the Keating home, which uncovers nothing, saving the murderers a great deal of anxiety.
However, Sam's ring is also identified, with Nate's fingerprint that was planted by Frank at Annalise's behest, so the poor detective is arrested for a crime he was nowhere near. Bonnie tries her best to get Annalise to hand over the kids to the police, reminding her of the potential risks to her career if she doesn't.
Mama's Here Now (Episode 13) - 8.8
Ophelia Harkness, Annalise's sprightly but ancient mother, comes over to stand guard over her daughter's darkest days. It is here that she confesses her own crime (murdering Clyde for raping Annalise as a child), saying that a mother will do anything to save her own babies.
Laurel and Wes visit Rudy Walters, the previous occupant of Wes' room, at Enfield Behavioral Hospital, but learn nothing of actual significance. Unfortunately, Rebecca discovers their location by following Wes's phone GPS and calls him while he's talking with Rudy.
It's All My Fault (Episode 15) - 9.4
The season finale unravels all the knots and ties all the loose ends together. Annalise tells her team that proving Rebecca's guilt in Lila's killing is not going to be possible, as none of the evidence they have accrued is admissible in court.
Wes believes Rebecca, however, when she tells the true version of events — that she was the first to locate Lila's body, but was not the one who actually committed the act. Later, it seems that Rebecca has managed to escape, as Annalise comes out of the basement and demands to know which of the interns helped her. The climax reveals, of course, that Rebecca has also been murdered.
Kill Me, Kill Me, Kill Me (Episode 9) - 9.4
All the events surround the death of Sam Keating are shown, from Rebecca breaking and entering Annalise's house to get evidence from Sam's laptop to Wes delivering the killing blow after Michaela shoves him across and over the banister.
Annalise, unable to find Sam, rushes over to Nate's in a panic, where they end up having sex once again. Wes comes back to recover the murder weapon; here it is disclosed that Annalise had already known about her husband's final fate and that it is she who sets all the wheels in motion from the beginning.