‘How To Get Away With Murder’ 5×13 recap: Annalise gets help from an unlikely source

WARNING: The following article contains spoilers from How To Get Away With Murder Season 5 Episode 13 titled “Where Are Your Parents?”. Do not read if you have not seen the episode or read ahead at your own risk of being spoiled.

With the walls closing in on Annalise (Viola Davis), the gang took a break to celebrate Christmas and one character gave Ms. Keating a surprising gift that could save her (and everyone else’s) ass.

The episode begins with the everyone celebrating the Christmas holidays. Okay, let’s stop right there. In real time, it is February and we’re watching a Christmas episode. Talk about all kinds of weird. Anyway, Annalise gets a call from Agent Telesco (Melinda Page Hamilton), who offers immunity for “all of it”, whatever ‘it’ is. Annalise tells Nate (Billy Brown) about the offer, but says she would never sell him out by taking whatever deal is offered.

Annalise’s mother, Ophelia (Cicely Tyson) made a return for the holidays and she overheard the conversation with Nate. She asks her daughter what was going on, but Annalise (or Anna May as she’s called) brushes it off. Ophelia suggests more than once this episode that Annalise and Nate should get married to avoid turning on each other. Are we getting a Nate and Annalise wedding in the future? If so, let’s just hope no one ends up dead for once.

Annalise eventually agrees to meet Telesco after the holidays, telling her to draw up the details of the immunity deal. She goes to the FBI offices and waits a long time, so long she pulls out her iPhone (or the network’s idea of a fake looking iPhone X screen) and starts to grow impatient. Another agent comes in and tells Annalise they will have to reschedule.

So where was Telesco? She is no longer on the Miller/Nate case thanks to the workings of Tegan Price (Amirah Vann). See, Tegan met with Telesco the previous night and the conversation turned to romance, which led to a steamy makeout session and more intimate happenings later. Tegan played Telesco because she reported this to the higher-ups at the FBI and got her removed from the case for that and several other misconducts related to the investigation.

As the episode ends, Annalise gets a call from a blocked number and it turns out to be Governor Birkhead (Laura Innes). The two meet inside a church and Birkhead reveals she did not have Nate Sr. or Miller killed. Okay, we knew that last one. Birkhead reveals it was actually Annalise’s boss Emmett Crawford (Timothy Hutton) who ordered the hit. She gives Annalise a file to prove it and while we don’t see the contents, Annalise’s face said it all.

Episode Notes:

• The other plot of the episode involved another Christmas party at Connor and Oliver’s aka Coliver. Prior to her suspension, Agent Telesco went to the home and seized the photos from the wedding. Clearly, she saw Connor’s mother’s IG post. Oops.
• Laurel got a call from a blocked number with some heavy breathing on the other end. She assumes it is her mother, but at this point, we don’t know.

What did you think of the episode? Let me know in the comments below!

How To Get Away With Murder airs Thursdays at 10/9c on ABC.