How To Get Away With Murder Series Finale Review: Saying Goodbye

ABC's "How To Get Away With Murder" has finally come to an end. When the show began back in 2014 it was a wildly popular addition to the Shondaland TGIT lineup where it joined "Grey's Anatomy" and "Scandal" ."HTGAWM" was one of the few network shows to feature an African American woman as the lead. Viola Davis hit it out of the park with her characterization of the often messy but always compelling law professor Annalise Keating. Davis won an Emmy and two Screen Actors Guild awards for her portrayal. .

I must confess that he show lost me around seasons 4 and 5. Dont get me wrong. I love the cast and the flash forward structure. That's where we see a vague and often misleading future event (usually a murder) and over the course of the season gradually find out what really happened. The problem IMHO is that there are just too many episodes. "How To Get Away With Murder" averaged 15 per season (instead of the typical 22-23 for network shows). It's still too much filler though. I would be happy with 10 episodes. That forces the show to stay more on point.

My other gripe about the show is the longer the seasons went on, the more convoluted the plot had to be to keep the Keaton 5 (Wes, Michaela, Connor, Laurel, Asher) in the orbit of Annalise. I've lost count of how many murders they have been involved with. Below are the major ones. Let me know if I left out any big ones. I read somewhere that there were ~30 total on the show. That's crazy.

Sam Keating- Annalise's husband- his murder is the first flash forward we see in season 1. He is killed by the interns (excluding Asher) while defending themselves and Rebecca. Michaela pushed him over a banister. Wes finished the job with a statue. Annalise helps them cover it up.
Lila Stangard- a student at Middleton and Sam's mistress. Frank strangled Lila at Sam's request because she was preggo with his baby. That Sam seriously gets around. Besides Lila and Annalise, he also had a child with first wife Vivian Maddox. Their son Gabriel shows up in season 5.Sam also has another secret child which we'll discuss later.
Rebecca Sutter- Wes' neighbor. She was friends with Lila and later Wes' girlfriend. Bonnie suffocated her with a plastic bag in order to protect Annalise.
ADA Emily Sinclair- Her threatening to reveal secrets about Asher's judge father caused him to commit suicide. Asher runs over her with a car. Then Bonnie pushes her body off a roof of the Hapstall Mansion (during their murder case).
Wallace Mahoney- Wes' new found bio dad. He is responsible (along with Frank) for causing the car accident that killed Annalise's unborn baby. He is killed by Frank in season 2.
Wes Gibbons- killed on orders of Laurel's father (Jorge Castillo) who disapproved of Wes' relationship with his daughter. Let's not forget Wes also shot Annalise in the stomach. His body is left in the Keating house which is burned down as a cover. Annalise is arrested for arson and murder.
Nate Lahey Sr- killed while in prison on orders from Laurel's brother Xavier and Governor Birkhead.
ADA Todd Denver- secretly working with the Castillos. Killed in his car.
ADA Ronald Miller- badly beaten by Nate over the death of his father. Bonnie finds him seriously injured in the snow and finishes the job. Little did she know he was planning to propose to her that night. Also, he's innocent so they killed the wrong person. Oops.
Emmett Crawford- Annalise's boss for a while. Died from poisoning. It is assumed Governor Birkhead was behind it.
Xavier Castillo- brother of Laurel, killed by Nate to avenge his father's death.
Sandrine Castillo- Laurel's mother, assumed killed by Xavier. This is one crazy family!
Hannah Keating- Sam's sister. As Sam's death, she publicly acussed Annalise of murdering him. In a shocking twist, it turns out Hannah is the mother of Frank (with her brother Sam). Eeeekkk! Hannah is murdered in her house but we're not sure by who.
Asher Millstone- was on the periphery for much of the murder coverups. Love interest of Michaela. Let's not forget he also shot Simon Drake. Asher out to be the secret government informant. He is killed by an FBI agent.

Season 6 has Annalise goes on trial for the murder of Sam and I'm-not-sure-how-many more people. This is part of the FBI's investigation into her-- codename "Operation Bonfire". All is apparently at the bequest of Governor Birkhead. Annalise's students (Connor, Michaela, Lauren) are forced by the FBI to testify against. Nate (Annalise's ex lover also testifies)

Will Annalise's checkered past finally catch up with her? We're not sure. Remember, Annalise didnt actually kill anyone. Annalise (with the help of Tegan who confesses she is in love with Annalise) tries to save her life. In the closing argument she "unmasks" herself and gives one of the most memorable monologues I've ever heard. "Who I am is a 53 year old woman from Mempis, Tennesse named Anna May Hartness. I'm ambitious, black, bisexual, angry, sad, strong, sensitive, scared fierce, talented, exhausted... and I am at your mercy". Her gamble pays off and Annalise is acquitted.

After she is acquitted, Annalise is speaking to the press on the courthouse steps, Frank sneaks up and shoots the governor dead. Bonnie tries to stop him. In the aftermath, both are killed by her security. We also see Jorge Castillo killed while in prison. Connor goes to jail for five years as part of his plea deal that included testifying against Annalise. Michaela gets off scott free

In the end, we learn that Annalises's funeral (that was teased all season) really did happen. But as always, things were not as they appeared. This is Annalise's funeral but it's from when she died of old age-- years later. We also see what happened to the other characters. Nate Lahey starts the Lahey Justince Center in honor of his father. Michaela becomes a judge (possibly Supreme Court?). Connor and Oliver are still together and attend Annalise's funeral. There they see Laurel and a grown up Christopher (who looks like like his father). He's also played by Alfred Enoch.

Eve eulogizes Annalise. It's so good, I wanted to include it in its entirely. "I never loved anyone the way I loved Annalise. I loved her even when she didnt choose me. But hose moments when she did choose me-- I would feel seen. I think we all seek that person in our lives-- someone who shows us it's possible to survive whatever good or bad is thrown at you. That's one of the thousand things Annalise taught me. What feels like hell right now is a gift later. That's not to say Annalise was easy to love. But then when you thought of that young girl from Memphis, yo forgave her of everything. I thing that's why so many of us are here today-- to remember her yes but also to forgive her. For better or worse we were all chosen by Annalise. And despite the demand she put on us, we know she aught us something. I think that's what she valued most about her life. Not the trials she won, or glass ceilings she broke. But the fight she lost. She knew these were the things that made her, her. Determined, tough, stubborn. I know many people find it hard to be around a person like that. It's easy to choose nice even if that means settling. But the rest of us know this: When the sun shines on you, you're a fool to turn away."

We see a montage with Annalise and various people over the years-- dancing with Tegan, possibly holding hands with Eve, and I'm not sure who else. It seems she finally found some peace.

And in the final scene of the series, Christopher arrives at Middleton University. He has taken over teaching Criminal Law 101 or "as my mentor used to call it "How To Get Away With Murder". The show has come full circle. This is where we first met Annalise.

Grade: 4 1/2 Monsters (out of 5). . Although "How To Get Away With Murder" lasted several seasons longer than it should have, they definitely stuck the landing. The finale was a appropriate sendoff to all the characters we've been with the past six years. I especially enjoyed seeing Annalise's mother Ophelia (95 year old Cicely Tyson) again. I also enjoyed seeing what became of the Keating 5 (who became the Keating 3) as well as Annalise's long time team of Frank and Bonnie. And what can I say about Viola Davis' portrayal of the complicated, messy, brilliant, inspirational, alcoholic Annalise Keating that I haven't said already? She sooo deserved the Emmy and two Golden Globes for her performance. Voila Davis is the reason I kept watching this show. I find her completely memorizing on screen and cant wait to see what she does next.