Photo: Jessica Brooks/ABC
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On Thursday night, How to Get Away With Murder ended its six-season run with one last story centered around a courtroom trial: After all these years, Annalise must face the crimes she’s accrued since the murder that kicked off the ABC drama in 2014. Fittingly, there was even more murder in the finale, and a lot to parse through. The trial is the end of the line for some characters and the final glimpses of others — until, that is, a surprise, flash-forward epilogue in the episode’s closing act. Who had a happy ending? Who lived? Who died? And who actually got away with murder?
Annalise: Annalise is found not guilty for the conspiracy to murder her former husband, Sam, as well as all of the other murders that built up across the series. And it’s true, she’s never killed anyone! In the future, she is eulogized at her funeral by her former lover, Eve. We learn she lived “a lifetime of struggles and triumphs.” She continued to confront her alcoholism, yet lived a happy life full of various lovers and loved ones. We are shown a cycling montage of Annalise’s hands clasped with various lovers’ across the years. Fans are left to fill in the blanks of who they might be.
Frank: After the trial, on the steps outside the courthouse, Annalise’s crime-oriented assistant shoots and kills Governor Birkhead, who pinned all these crimes on Annalise in the first place. Frank is shot by police officers and as he dies in Bonnie’s arms, but not before telling her, “I had to make it right.” He stayed (too) loyal to Annalise, always.
Bonnie: It’s revealed that Bonnie, too, was shot in the crossfire while trying to stop Frank. She dies in Annalise’s arms, a devastating turn after years, albeit rocky ones, of their love and friendship.
Laurel: She admitted that the FBI coerced Annalise’s former students to lie on the stand, helping to secure Annalise’s non-guilty verdict. She flees the scene with her son, Christophe, when shots ring out on the courthouse steps. In the future, she attends Annalise’s funeral with an adult Christophe — who looks exactly like his father, Wes, because he’s also played by Alfred Enoch.
Michaela : By negotiating a deal to avoid jail time, Michaela’s friendship ends with several key HTGAWM characters. Connor and Oliver are angry about her act of self-preservation, and Laurel doesn’t even bother to answer her call afterward. Their relationship is over as they knew it. Michaela’s future is more hopeful: Although she is not in attendance at Annalise’s funeral, she’s shown wearing judicial robes, swearing in on a Bible, with two daughters by her side. Might she be fulfilling her dream of becoming a Supreme Court justice?
Connor and Oliver: Connor must serve jail time as part of his involvement in covering up Sam Keating’s murder. He gives his wedding ring back to Oliver, telling him, “Thank you — now I know how to love.” Oliver is heartbroken. In the future, thankfully, the couple is back together. The two lock arms at Annalise’s funeral, once again wearing their wedding rings.
Asher: Prior to the finale, Asher is killed by the FBI after being outed as a mole against Annalise and the remaining Keating 5. Annalise is found not guilty of his murder.
Wes: After dying in season three, his presence echoes through Annalise’s trial since he dealt the final blow that killed her husband in the pilot. He lives on through his son, Christophe, seen in the future at Annalise’s funeral.
Tegan: In the finale, Tegan finally admits her love to Annalise, but she responds by saying that she couldn’t give her all she wanted. In the future, the two remain friends. Perhaps even more than friends? We’re shown flashes of them dancing together amid Eve’s eulogy.
Nate: Annalise’s ex-cop former lover is not involved with the final trial. But in the future, Nate is shown in front of construction for his new project — “the Lacey Justice Center” — which is aimed at, as the sign says, “building opportunities for the incarcerated and their families.”
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