How to Get Away with Murder Season 3 Finale Recap: Mystery Solved
HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER – “He Made A Terrible Mistake” – Annalise tries to ward off a surprising new angle in the D.A.’s case. Meanwhile, alliances shift amongst the Keating 4, as they discover crucial information about the circumstances surrounding Wes’s death. The two-hour season finale of “How to Get Away with Murder” will air on THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23 (9:01-11:00 p.m. EST) on the ABC Television Network. (ABC/Richard Cartwright)
KARLA SOUZA
On the season 3 finale of How to Get Away with Murder, we learned a lot of secrets and solved some mysteries while also leaving some questions unanswered.
It’s been a long road this season. How to Get Away with Murder has killed off a major character in Wes, and we now know who was behind it all. Welcome back. Let’s recap.
We open with Connor out on a run and some driving beats. In between, we have cuts of a meeting with people talking about their problems, and as Connor keeps running, he breaks down into tears. He nearly jumps out in front of a bus, and then we get our title card.
The people talking are at an AA meeting, because Annalise is there. It’s a different group, not the one Hargrove’s in. Annalise has a monologue about trying to figure out sitting and “whining” helps. One guy asks if she’s tried meditation.
"Annalise: “I’ll think about it.”"
Connor returns to Oliver’s apartment. Annalise has a hearing tomorrow, and Oliver urges Connor to “tell them.” Yeah, Connor knows something.
The next morning, Michaela and Asher confront him. Connor acts shifty and worried, but manages to pull up some snark for Bonnie. At the hearing, we hear that A.D.A. Atwood has been fired for forging Nate’s signature.
Annalise passes Bonnie notes, but the judge notices and cuts that out. Atwood says she didn’t order the cremation on the stand. Only Connor sounds like he actually believes her. Laurel pulls up news that Charles Mahoney has been released from jail. At Bonnie’s, Annalise declares that Atwood is the “weak link” in this putative Mahoney conspiracy. Pointedly, we get a look at Connor looking doubtful.
HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER – “He Made A Terrible Mistake” – Annalise tries to ward off a surprising new angle in the D.A.’s case. Meanwhile, alliances shift amongst the Keating 4, as they discover crucial information about the circumstances surrounding Wes’s death. The two-hour season finale of “How to Get Away with Murder” will air on THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23 (9:01-11:00 p.m. EST) on the ABC Television Network. (ABC/Richard Cartwright)
LIZA WEIL, AJA NAOMI KING, CONRAD RICAMORA, VIOLA DAVIS, JACK FALAHEE
Nate walks into the D.A.’s office. The D.A. does not seem to believe Nate’s protests, and it’s probably right, because Nate promptly hands Annalise Atwood’s home WiFi password. Annalise then hands it over to Oliver.
Connor Has a Secret
The rest of the Keating Four take on the discovery. Though Asher tries to spare her, Laurel gets a look at the photos of Wes’ body.
"Laurel: “He looks better than I thought.”"
Oliver goes over to talk to Connor, who’s off by himself. Then Michaela corners Connor in the bathroom. He talks, but we immediately cut to Oliver showing that Atwood had some blocked calls. The twosome emerge from the bathroom.
And then it comes out.
"Michaela: “Connor might have killed Wes!”"
Back in the flashback, we see Connor and Thomas getting it on and the aftermath, which we’ve seen before. Then, Connor borrows Thomas’ phone to listen to his voicemail. When Connor arrives at Annalise’s, he sees the broken vodka bottle, and heads down into the basement, where he finds Wes. (All this time, we also see Connor telling the story in the present.)
The body was still warm, so flashback Connor tries CPR. Present Connor says he heard a crack and smelled gas. Laurel and Asher don’t believe his story, and Oliver comes to his defense. Then Laurel flat-out tells Connor to kill himself.
Multiple Sons
The DA pays Frank a visit with a plea deal. If it isn’t taken, the DA threatens a new theory of Wes’ death: the Laurel-and-Frank theory.
Bonnie and Annalise take Connor into a bedroom, and he gets the chance to ask if Annalise killed him. She kicks Bonnie out before she answers. Bonnie chivvies everyone away from the door. In the bedroom, Connor resists all of Annalise’s attempts to read him and screams that he won’t be another replacement son.
"Annalise: “You said you didn’t hurt Wes. So I believe you. But I need you to believe me too.”"
Annalise tells the group to forgive Connor, dropping the title: “He made a terrible mistake.” Laurel, naturally, resists and as she prepares to leave the house, Bonnie gets the info about the deal from Frank. Asher keeps pressing to call that blocked number.
Nate’s watching Atwood, and then we see him break into her car, including finding out where she’s been: New York City. He reports this to Annalise, who then has to deal with a doubting-Connor Bonnie.
Someone At Least Knows What Unhealthy Treatment Looks Like
Laurel, meanwhile, has an ultrasound, where she gets to hear the baby’s heartbeat. Then, though, the tech tells her about Pennsylvania abortion laws. Her next stop is seeing Meggy, who is clearly not pleased with how she’s been treated lately. (You go, Meggy.)
That night, Connor has an idea: put him on the stand to talk about the cracked rib, since it isn’t in the autopsy report. Annalise refuses, but then suggests Laurel should testify instead.
During the next hearing, the M.E. testifies there were no serious injuries other than the post-mortem burns. Then Laurel steps up despite the D.A.’s protests.
Nate asks Atwood about the Mahoneys, but she doesn’t know about them. She says she was in New York for an interview.
"Nate: “Someone’s gonna find out the truth, and they might not be as understanding as me.”"
Back at the hearing, Laurel says she lied to the police and gave Wes CPR, using Connor’s words and story, including the cracked rib and his death before the fire. The D.A. starts off by asking her to define perjury and if she’s ever lied to legal authorities before.
Frank and Bonnie object, but the D.A. puts in an affidavit of Laurel saying she made a false claim of kidnapping when she was younger. It’s Laurel’s signature, and she admits she did. She says in a recess that she lied to protect her father and really was kidnapped.
HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER – “He Made A Terrible Mistake” – Annalise tries to ward off a surprising new angle in the D.A.’s case. Meanwhile, alliances shift amongst the Keating 4, as they discover crucial information about the circumstances surrounding Wes’s death. The two-hour season finale of “How to Get Away with Murder” will air on THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23 (9:01-11:00 p.m. EST) on the ABC Television Network. (ABC/Richard Cartwright)
MATT MCGORRY, JACK FALAHEE, AJA NAOMI KING, CONRAD RICAMORA, LIZA WEIL
The D.A. makes his last case. The judge denies the motion to dismiss.
Connor walks into the D.A.’s office, and he says that he wants Wes’ immunity deal.
That night, Oliver, Laurel, Michaela, and Asher all look for Connor. He takes a call from Oliver and admits where he is. Michaela snatches the phone and tells him not to talk, even getting Laurel to say she forgives him. Asher says he’s calling the mystery number — and it’s coming from a phone in D.A. Denver’s desk.
Annalise and Nate meet, but she doesn’t believe his intel about Atwood. Then she starts to figure out that the real power targeting her isn’t Atwood: it’s Denver. Just then, Denver returns, and he sees Connor with the phone.
In flashback, we see Laurel arriving at Annalise’s, seeing Connor flee through the storm door just before the house blew, and running away. But then, though, we see someone on the phone, saying things got kinda messy.
That’s the first half. Click the button to see the second half.