TV REVIEW: Asher Learns Some Hard Truths in HTGAWM’s “Freakin’ Whack-A-Mole”

Asher learns some hard truths about himself in HTGAWM‘s “Freakin’ Whac-A-Mole”

By Chelsea Hensley

Asher Millstone is a doofus. A really big, really lame doofus. He’s been one since the pilot episode with the running gag of how many people he can annoy in the space of one episode. So far the number is everyone. The most consistent thing about Asher has been how useless he is, how casual he can be even while everyone else is killing themselves to prove their mettle to Annalise. Of everyone, Asher is the one with the least to offer besides some annoying and painful jokes, but he’s the one most satisfied with his contributions. He’s certain of his own worth, something he’s never had to prove to anyone, and “Freakin’ Whack-A-Mole” forces him to realize what kind of legacy he comes from.

Asher’s character has been so firmly established that giving him an hour to be developed further works better for him than many of the others. There’s never been any doubt of Michaela or Connor or Laurel being more than what they seem, but Asher’s been “doucheface” for so long that it hasn’t looked likely he’s got anything else going on. The night of the murder Asher is, of course, being the lamest person on Earth, dancing and drinking alone in his apartment. His plans to go to the bonfire are interrupted when he realizes the trophy is missing which leads him on his hunt for Michaela and the others. Hiding from him in Annalise’s office, the group considers roping Asher into Sam’s murder in the hope his influential father will be able to save them all from legal repercussions. It’s an extreme suggestion, even from these less than perfectly moral kids we have here. Wes and Michaela are the only ones who don’t entertain the notion, Wes telling everyone to drop it and Michaela luring Asher away with a text about being at the library.

Asher not being liked isn’t a mystery. He’s not a likable person, and he’s terribly, terribly annoying, but the thought of including him in Sam’s death seems quite the leap. And it doesn’t seem as though any of them is really aware of what a crappy solution that would be, considering what we learn about Asher’s father. Judge Millstone presided over the trial of David Allen, a man sentenced to death for the murder of his girlfriend. Millstone ignored perjured testimony to satisfy a state senator and further his own career. It’s highly unlikely this man would stop short of pinning Sam’s murder on the rest of them to get his son off (in which case he’d be correct), but I digress. It’s obvious that Annalise selected Asher not because of anything he could offer her team but because of his father. She says that Allen’s case has been haunting her since her own law school days so of course she was invested in taking advantage of anything she could, including Asher’s enrollment in her class.

(ABC/Mitchell Haaseth)
MATT MCGORRY

Asher’s clearly never had to prove anything about himself, and he’s always been under the impression that he’s gotten to where he is based on skill alone without his privilege and important family helping at all. While everyone else is immediately suspicious of Millstone’s role in Allen’s conviction, Asher defends his father passionately, even walking out of Annalise’s office when she announces they’re switching their focus to Millstone. Making a beeline for his family home, Asher finds evidence that his father knew about the perjury and ignored it. Matt McGorry’s had little to really sink his teeth into since the show began, but his exchange with his father is the best Asher’s ever been. He’s deeply disappointed, even angry, and it’s even more apparent that Asher’s not a bad person exaclty, but he’s very, very out of touch and hasn’t had any experience outside of the posh world and charmed life his father’s corruption got him.

Asher’s clearly shaken by this realization, but like everyone else who has someone they want to protect, he’s determined to protect his father. So he makes a deal with Annalise: his information for her leaving his father’s name out of everything. And also like everyone else, he’s eager to get ahead, and in Annalise’s class this means he wants the trophy.

Annalise says the David Allen case entranced her so because it brought on her first realization that the justice system was only good to people with the influence to make their own truth. It’s what Annalise has built her career on, creating truths that are in the best interests of her client. She’s passionate about freeing a wrongfully convicted David, going so far at his appeal hearing that her conduct is criticized by the court, though admired by her students. She’s fearless and relentless in her questioning in the name of correcting a wrong, but she’s casual in planting evidence that implicates Griffin O’Riley in Lila’s murder.

It’s to protect Rebecca and to win back Wes’ trust. The last time they saw one another Wes told her what a disgusting person she was before leaving her house and ignoring her pleas to stay, then he leaves the trophy on his empty desk for all to see. Their second meeting isn’t much better with Wes demanding that Annalise get Rebecca back or he’ll go to the police about Sam.

(ABC/Mitchell Haaseth)
KARLA SOUZA, KATIE FINDLAY, AJA NAOMI KING

Wes and Annalise have an interesting push and pull. He presents himself as the anti-Annalise, going on and on about the “right thing”, but he doesn’t care about Griffin being falsely implicated anymore than Annalise does. Even Rebecca comments on the injustice of them making it appear as though Griffin’s guilty, but Wes is simply satisfied with Rebecca no longer being the prime suspect. Annalise and Wes each have their own motives, but strangely enough it’s Annalise’s that are the most clear. She has a client she’s taking care of and a husband she’s protecting, but all Wes has to say for himself is that he wants to help Rebecca. But there’s no reason given for this, and the “right thing” doesn’t hold up all that well. It’d be better if it was that Wes just had a crush on her. It would be a lame reason of course, but it would be something.

Finally there’s Bonnie, who’s such a trippy character I don’t know what to make of her and is weirdly all over this episode. She moons over Sam constantly, but when he thanks her for putting up with his and Annalise’s marital drama she credits her interest with being willing to do anything for Annalise. She tells Laurel to stop leading Frank on (after weeks of implying that Frank just has a tendency of sleeping with students, not that he actually falls for any of them), and she spent the night of the murder with Asher. In the morning they’re interrupted by a call from a tearful Annalise who thinks Bonnie spent the night with Sam. When that suspicion is dashed, Annalise concludes that “something terrible has happened”.

Stray Observations

• Michaela’s a messin the future, but she pulls herself together when it counts. First by coming up with the lie necessary to get that cop to leave them alone then by texting Asher to make him leave. Unlike Connor. Why did they let him drive?
• So Frank’s definitely an investigator then? He’s the Kalinda Sharma of HTGAWM? He’s definitely not as good as her, since Kalinda would never be photographed planting evidence.
• Annalise is obviously still very much in love with Sam. Even in the future she’s terrified about what’s happened to him. We’ve seen how she gets in cases that are personal to her now, and if she learns that the students killed Sam, what kind of hell is going to be in store for them?
• Wes: “It’s not about a crush, it’s about doing the right thing.”
  Annalise: *tosses away envelope*
• Annalise: “The puppy’s acting up.”
• Asher: “It’s not just white people who go to Kennebunkport!”

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