‘How to Get Away With Murder’ Sets up ‘Scandal’ Crossover With Last Second Cameo

The How to Get Away With Murder crossover with Scandal started three weeks early.

On the day Annalise Keating (Viola Davis) was supposed to give the opening statement in her class action suit against wrongful convictions in the state of Philadelphia, the governor bumped the case up to the state supreme court, retroactively killing Annalise’s lawsuit before it even started.

As she packed up her files, Annalise felt defeated by the corrupt system, but Michaela (Aja Naomi King) was not ready to give up. The law student walks into Annalise’s apartment and comes with a solution.

“I figured out how to fix the class-action,” Michael says as she walks in.

“It’s over Michaela,” Annalise says.

“Not if you appeal to the real Supreme Court.”

“There’s no chance in hell the Supreme Court is going to hear this case!”

“You just need to ask for help. Like you said to me, nobody does anything worthwhile alone. Getting your case heard in the Supreme Court, for example. They only take two percent of cases submitted, that’s why you need to know people. People with power. People that have influence, fix problems. I know who that is!”

The story then shifts to Dewitt University where a professor is introducing a new guest lecturer who has “been behind every closed door in town, served under two presidents.”

Annalise sits down as the woman writes “How to Survive a Scandal” in a chalkboard (an ode to HTGAWM‘s first season).

The professor then introduces Olivia Pope herself (Kerry Washington).

Olivia and Annalise will be teaming up during the March 1 crossover event, where they will most likely work together to get Annalise’s case heard in the United States Supreme Court.

Davis and King will be crossing over to Scandal during the event, and Washington will then stop by HTGAWM.

“It was black girl magic on steroids!” Davis said to EW. “Me and Kerry dancing to ‘Rock the Boat’? Hey, it can’t get any better.”

Washington added, “I really love Viola. I have such immense respect and admiration for her.”

That Thursday will be a TGIT night of crossovers, as Grey’s Anatomy will be introducing viewers to the medical drama’s upcoming spinoff series, Station 19’s lead Jaina Lee Ortiz’s Andy Herrera in a special episode.

At the end of Thursday’s HTGAWM, viewers were already counting the seconds until the corssover’s arrival.