The devil is alive y'all!

Well, not really. But Sam Keating was back in a big way on How to Get Away with Murder Season 5 Episode 9. And he was just as bad as we all remember.

As the first of many deaths we got on the show, it’s easy to forget about Sam and how much of an impact he had on the show as a whole.

The specter of Sam Keating has haunted the characters and the show at large for years and this installment introduced us to another side of Sam we hadn’t seen before. And spoiler alert, he’s still the worst.

Picking up right where How To Get Away With Murder Season 5 Episode 8 left off, this was an hour less about the murder of Miller and more about Annalise remembering one of the most difficult periods of her life.

After her baby died, Annalise was a shell of her former self and the one thing she wanted more than anything was to replace the void and pain she was feeling. That meant she wanted to adopt 12-year-old Wes, but Sam wanted no parts of that.

Unbeknownst to Annalise, Sam wasn’t grieving in the same way she was because the pain of their lost child made him realize that he had a child of his own out there in the world that he didn’t know.

It's entirely in character for Sam to keep something like this hidden, but it's still insane to think about.

The Keating marriage began to crumble after the events of the car accident and seeing how Sam struggled with guilt and shame afterward makes sense in the broader context of how he pulled himself away from Annalise.

But the thing with Sam has always been and will always be that he’s a liar. When you think about it, who is the real Sam Keating? Is it the man standing in the hallway looking at his son with eyes of sadness and hope? Or is he the man who lies to his grieving wife and secretly emails his ex-wife behind his current wife’s back?

It was so painful to see just how blinded Annalise was to the person Sam was. Sam must have had some magic that he floated over women, from Annalise to Bonnie to Lila way back when.

Better to have no father than a bad one.
Annalise [to Gabriel]

Permalink: Better to have no father than a bad one.

He's caused a lot of pain, and it will be interesting to see what Gabriel's real motive is in regards to infiltrating Annalise's life and that of her students. If all he knows is that man in the hallway holding his basketball, it may be that his mission is to avenge the death of the father he never knew.

It seems too convenient to think that he was calling his mother, but if not her then who?

While we ponder on that new mystery, we can put to rest an old one. Frank's mysterious contact is none other than Eve!

I've got to say I did not see that coming. I'm not sure how the audience at large feels about Eve as a character, but I've always been a bit indifferent. As with nearly everyone on this show, there's a deceptive side to her, and as much as she cares about Annalise, she was never entirely honest with her.

I have to imagine she knows a lot about the Maddox's and she didn't just show up for no reason.

While Annalise is traveling down a harrowing road, the rest of the Keating crew is discussing Gabriel and Bonnie and Frank are just trying to catch their bearings.

Poor Oliver and Connor. Even on their wedding night, they can't escape talk of death.

Having the students be on the outside of the murder for once is an exciting tactic to explore this season. This murder is solely related to Nate and Bonnie, yet it's a given that at some point everyone will be pulled into the coverup.

And how in the world are they going to cover it up? Philadelphia is a big city, but isn't there anyone out there suspicious of all the dead bodies that show up and get connected to Annalise and the people with whom she associates?

For a midseason premiere, this was less an hour of action and more a time of reflection, which is okay. But moving forward I need more murder subplots, and fewer Sam Keating think pieces.

Everything Else You Need To Know

Frank and Bonnie. Bonnie and Frank. So in every timeline, they hook up, and I'm not sure how to feel about it. What was the purpose of showing us they had a thing in the past unless the show is leading us into a universe where these two become a couple?

Nate was awfully calm for having just nearly murdered a man in cold blood.

So should Gabriel show up to class on Monday as if nothing happened or what?

How To Get Away With Murder's triumphant return fell a little flat for me, but as always, I'd love to know what you guys thought! Did you learn anything new from the flashbacks? What is Gabriel's next move? How long until everyone figures out Bonnie killed Miller?

Leave your comments down below and make sure you watch How to Get Away with Murder online, so you're all caught up this season!