'How to Get Away with Murder' Season 4: No Murder Mystery in the First Episode

Annalise Keating (Viola Davis) and her gang are back! In "How To Get Away With Murder," season 4 premiere titled "I'm Going Away, Annalise is slowly recovering from dementia and faces disbarment. After her house burning down, being accused of Wes (Alfred Enoch) murder, and her Mother's  (Cicely Tyson) Annalise is humbled than before.

The fourth season of ABC's suspense series, as usual, might have full-on wild, twisty murder party and slow, intense character drama. But the first episode is a strange but ultimately satisfying premiere, standing out from the show's past premieres by going the slow character drama route rather than murder party.

The only legal proceeding the episode was disbarment of Annalise. Though her right-hand Bonnie (Liza Weil) argues against the disbarment hearing, claiming that the reports that showed Annalise broke her probation terms by drinking are tampered with. Annalise decides to speak honestly, asking the panel not to take the only thing she has left, away from her. Yes, we are talking about her pet project, the Legal Clinic, however, she has herself destroyed what she had by sending her interns packing.

There is not much progress in the first episode, but at least the premiere wastes no time revealing Laurel knows that her father was behind Wes' death. In the scene with her dad at the beginning, there's palpable, cringe-worthy suspense, especially since we're made to believe that Laurel remains in the dark.

With the death of a couple of characters in the season 3 and Annalise's disbarment, one thing to be sure about is that there are big changes in store for the show in season 4.  We flash forward to a possible kidnapping. Three months into the future, Laurel wakes up in a hospital to Frank smiling at her creepily and her baby gone. We can't wait to see what happens next, as the cliffhanger in the episode is not a murder.