Emmett Crawford How To Get Away

Shows that thrive on crazy plot twists often struggle to deliver a satisfying concluding season. This, coincidentally, was the challenge that How to Get Away with Murder faced in its sixth and final season, which tied up many storylines while still providing plenty of shocking moments.

With the end looming, the show needed to be more economical about its storytelling and deliver a decisive end. Some plot twists in the final season felt earned and helped provide closure for certain characters. Other story decisions felt forced and some mysteries were never clearly resolved. Without further delay, here are five things fromHow to Get Away with Murderthat finally gave audiences closure and five that left fans hanging.

10 NO CLOSURE: Asher's Killer

How To Get Away with Murder made a bold move when Asher was killed off in the Season 6 midseason finale. Fans created a number of fascinating theories about who killed Asher, but the actual answer was rather unsatisfying.

Asher's killer ended up being Agent Pollock, who was a corrupt FBI agent working for Xavier Castillo. Pollock had barely been in the show before she was revealed as the murderer. Many fans were confused about who she was or why she killed Asher in the first place. That is not the kind of reaction a show wants from a major plot twist in its final season.

9 BROUGHT CLOSURE: Asher's Final Words

The truth behind Asher's death was a letdown, but the video he recorded shortly before his unfortunate end was moving and provided a sense of closure for his character development. His words were sincere, showed how far he'd come, and that he stuck to his principles in the end. He'd gone from being a homophobe to becoming a mostly accepting individual who considered Connor and Oliver his best friends and the definition of relationship goals.

He loved them and he loved Michaela, but he still believed he did the right thing by becoming an FBI informant and putting his family first. Asher believed his friends lost themselves, but that they were still good people and could still find redemption. It felt like a proper goodbye for Asher and one that didn't just acknowledge his growth, but also of the ways in which he refused to change.

8 NO CLOSURE: Emmett Crawford's Death

Emmett Crawford became an unlikely ally of Annalise Keating (Viola Davis) in Season 5. He was poisoned in the Season 5 finale and the truth behind his death was poised to be a significant plotline in the show's final season. Despite this, Season 6 barely mentioned Crawford's death and never provided a concrete answer behind who poisoned him.

Like many of the deaths in recent seasons, he was probably murdered at the behest of the Governor Birkhead-Castillo-FBI-Hannah Keating conspiracy in another attempt to strike at Annalise. That still feels like a lazy answer for the death of a significant character, though.

7 BROUGHT CLOSURE: Nate's Redemption

Nate had his fair share of ups and downs throughout the show. He'd be loyal to Annalise for a season, and then the next he'd be doing everything in his power to take her down. The final episodes seemed to be cementing Nate as a vengeful and destructive figure determined to destroy Annalise once and for all.

That changed in the series finale as Nate refused to accept the twenty million dollars he was offered and stayed true to his principles. His testimony helped Annalise and he even gave her Wes's confession so it couldn't be used against her in court. Nate recognized everything Annalise had done to help him and his father. The final minutes of the series finale showed Nate growing from this and creating positive change by founding The Lahey Justice Center, which definitely would've made his father proud.

6 NO CLOSURE: The Fate Of Laurel's Mother

Laurel's mother Sandrine Castillo disappeared at the end of Season 4. In Season 5, Laurel received a package that appeared to contain her mother's scalp. That it belonged to Sandrine was never confirmed, nor who killed her, or why she was killed.

In a conversation with Tegan in the series finale, Laurel had a throwaway line about her father killing her mother and that was the last fans heard of the matter. This was yet another case of the show having a major character die or disappear without properly following up on the plot twist.

5 BROUGHT CLOSURE: Mama's Return & Final Lesson

Any time Annalise's "Mama" showed up for an episode, fans knew they were in for a treat. That stayed true in the final season as she appeared in the episodes "The Reckoning" and the series finale "Stay."

In "The Reckoning," Mama made Annalise realize that she'd never put herself first and she'd always taken care of others. Mama helped Annalise put herself first and she returned in the finale once more to inspire Annalise and support her in her most desperate hour.

4 NO CLOSURE: Frank & Bonnie's Deaths

Frank and Bonnie died in the final minutes of the show, but both their deaths felt regressive for their character development. Frank was more than a vengeful hitman and Bonnie was more than a woman who was defined by her romantic relationships.

Their deaths negated this development as Frank's last act was killing Governor Birkhead and Bonnie's last act was trying to protect Frank. To make it even worse, the finale didn't provide an opportunity for fans to grieve and process the deaths of these major characters who had been part of the show from the very beginning.

3 BROUGHT CLOSURE: Annalise's Closing Statement

Annalise always knew how to win over a jury, and her closing statement in the series finale proved that once again. More than just winning over the jury, Annalise's closing statement showed her true self.

Her words laid bare her vulnerabilities, her strengths, and her struggles. She took the mask off and finally accepted herself.

2 NO CLOSURE: Alfred Enoch Playing Christopher

Fans had always held onto theories that Wes (Alfred Enoch) wasn't really dead. The show seemed to confirm this theory with a flashforward showing Wes at Annalise's funeral. Ultimately, Wes was dead all along and it was a grownup version of his son Christopher at Annalise's funeral.

Wes being alive would've been a stretch, but it just felt cheap to tease fans with the possibility. The audience was told that Annalise mentored Christopher, but it's never shown, and seeing Alfred Enoch try to play a character with a different accent was just distracting in the end.

1 BROUGHT CLOSURE: Annalise Lived A Full Life

Season 6 kept teasing fans with flashes of Annalise's funeral and the mystery of who killed her. In a twist, the series finale showed that the funeral took place in the distant future and Annalise died after living a happy and full life.

After all the suffering she endured throughout the series, it's comforting to know that Annalise got to live her best life with Tegan by her side. This was always Annalise's story and the show was smart to end it with the culmination of her journey as a character.

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About The Author

Matthew Rudoy (249 Articles Published)

Matthew Rudoy is a freelance writer who loves to write about his favorite movies and TV shows. In addition to Screen Rant, he also currently contributes to Dork Side of the Force. He has previously self-published two fantasy/sci-fi novels titled CORRUPTION and DESTRUCTION. While his favorite movies and TV shows tend to also fall in the fantasy and sci-fi genres, he enjoys and is open to anything that provides an engaging story, strong character development, and in-depth world-building. Matthew is grateful for the opportunity to write for Screen Rant and looks forward to continue contributing to the site.