Things are looking better for Annalise and co.
The episode started with Nate being questioned by the FBI. He was looking responsible for Miller’s disappearance but Nate would try to shift the blame on to Governor Birkhead.
Going back in time, Nate listened to Miller’s phone call, however, he was still convinced that Miller and Governor Birkhead were guilty and that he was going to prove it even if it made him the suspect in Miller’s disappearance. At this point, everybody knew thanks to Asher but Annalise wasn’t worried. Laurel, however, was more worried about Christopher’s involvement in what happened (he was with Bonnie when it happened). She confronted Bonnie and she was pissed.
Nate confronted one of the jurors from the inquest and he told him about a bag with seemingly fake DNA evidence that was presented to the jurors and not during the inquest that implicated Nate Sr.’s guilt. His DNA was supposedly found on the gun that killed him. He tried to get that same evidence but encountered some opposition with Miller’s disappearance. Meanwhile, Asher tried to console Bonnie who admitted to seeing Miller while he was still alive but did nothing to save him. Nate would present Annalise with the fake DNA test he acquired but she warned him about the path we was taking. He and Bonnie would cope in much different ways.
During a meeting to discuss Crawford’s misconduct hearing, Annalise had a different idea on how to proceed which went against Caplan & Gold’s British owners and could put her and Crawford’s jobs at risk. She wanted him to be less soft. Crawford’s relationship that got him in trouble seemed to not be over and it was again being leveraged against him. Annalise and Crawford’s ultimate plan was to turn the tables on them for trying to make Crawford the scapegoat for a deal gone bad.
Gabriel volunteered to speak with the FBI about his voicemail. He was helping Miller to investigate Annalise for reasons that were unknown to him. Denver had been investigating her and Miller was supposedly continuing the investigation. He wanted to talk to Annalise but she wanted none of it. Meanwhile, the others were working on Nate Sr.’s wrongful death lawsuit. Gabriel asked about Nate though got shut out. Worried about Christopher, Michaela consoled Laurel with a story of violence she encountered when she was young. The others were trying to keep Tegan away from Nate which made her suspicious.
Ultimately, it was Nate’s carelessness that made him a target of the FBI. They questioned him about his erratic behavior. He would give them his DNA before they let him go. They can use it to prove that the fake DNA test was indeed fake. Gabriel went back to his bag to destroy evidence before a visit by a mystery character before finding himself arrested and calling Annalise for help. Bonnie went missing for a while but was really in Frank’s bed. Annalise wanted to make sure that everyone was on the same page. They warned her about Tegan who took her suspicion to the FBI. Everything was going to be fine as long they stuck to the plan of blaming Governor Birkhead for Miller’s disappearance.
The first step towards that came when the DNA Nate gave to the FBI was tested against the DNA found on Nate Sr.’s murder weapon. It was not a match. The FBI now believed that the evidence was doctored and they had a mystery witness.
Overall, Be a Martyr was another great episode of How to get Away with Murder that firmly steered the season back towards the main plot of the season which was Annalise’s battle against Governor Birkhead. For the first time, there’s actually something there thanks to the the doctored DNA test. The FBI may be on their side now but who is this witness they have? Crawford’s misconduct case may be almost done but Tegan appears on the way to being a thorn in everyone’s side once again. Why was Miller investigating Annalise and what did Gabriel have to do with it? After the Gabriel reveal, it seems like he has been forgotten but he will surely figure in to the plot somehow. The drama is there so hopefully it will all be worth it as we approach the end of the season.