Written by Gabrielle Estrada

If you were on the Internet when How to Get Away with Murder Season 3 Episode 2 was released (whether it’s for stalking your celebrity crush on Twitter or stalking the cutie who sits next to you during Biology on Facebook…), chances are you’ve come across the remarkable amount of posts, shares and (ugh!) spoilers that can only mean one thing: How to Get Away with Murder returned with a bang.

For those of you who don’t watch the show, How to Get Away with Murder (HTGAWM) is an American drama series that follows the story of a successful defense attorney and her five law students who all come together and, well, get away with murder. The show has been running since 2014 and is now in its third season. HTGAWM is loved (and hated) by its many viewers for all the crazy, intense and twisted characters, scenes and storylines it offers.

Before you read any further, I need to warn you that spoilers are up ahead. If you haven’t watched the second episode of the third season and hate spoilers as much as the rest of us, DON’T GO ANY FURTHER! For those of you who have seen it or don’t mind spoilers (if such people exist), keep on reading.

The third episode, entitled There Are Worse Things than Murder, centered on the new case which Annalise Keating offered to the students taking up her newly established clinic. The case tackled an issue that is significant not to the characters in the show, but also in real life.

Irene, their client, had gone to jail for brutally murdering her husband and had been in jail for the past 30 years. However, she now sought parole so she could finally get out of jail. At first glance, Irene may seem to have committed cold blooded murder. However, as she gradually opens up, most viewers find themselves feeling rather sympathetic toward her. She was a victim of abuse. She had decided to kill her husband because she would much rather commit murder than continue to live with his abusive ways for the rest of her life.

The title of each HTGAWM episode often binds together the key moments in each episode. Most of the time, they are also said by a character during a central moment in the episode. The title of Season 3 Episode 2, however, is arguably one of the most compelling one-liners that have ever been stated in the show.

Before watching the episode, you will probably overlook the importance of the title. However, after watching it, the same six words will probably haunt your thoughts for a while. You will also probably ask yourself the same question I’ve been asking since I watched the episode—”Are there things worse than murder?” The episode shows us that there are indeed worse things than murder—repetitive physical abuse and torture can make human beings just want to die (or in this case, kill the person responsible for the abuse).

When you look back at Irene’s motive for murdering her husband, you may, at some point, find yourself accepting this as a valid reason for her actions. However, we cannot discount the fact that what she did was still wrong. Is she justified in murdering her husband? I myself cannot answer that question. Asking myself this makes me wonder whether any of the other murders committed in the past two seasons can be justified as well.

The truth is that there is no definite answer to this dilemma. A moral dilemma is always founded on the varying principles that are learned and disseminated in various contexts: through different cultures, organizations, and systems. The one certain thought that the episode has taught us, which may hold true in most of these contexts, is that murder is not always the worst thing in the world—repeated abuse and loss of freedom is just as bad. There are worse things—#NeverForgetNeverAgain.

For more unexpected law (and life) lessons, dilemmas, drama and craziness, catch HTGAWM on Netflix (Seasons 1 & 2 are now out!).