Pete Nowalk explains the decisions behind all the biggest spoilers in the series finale.
Warning: This article contains spoilers for theHow to Get Away With Murderseries finale, “Stay.”
After six seasons of betrayal, manipulation, and sacrifice, it’s all come to this.
Raymond Liu/ABC; Inset: Kim White/Getty Images
After years of dogged persecution, Annalise Keating (Viola Davis) won her trial.
And it workedthe jury found her not guilty on every count, allowing her to go free.
Meanwhile, the Keating Four tried to make peace with their choices.
He left Bonnie (Liza Weil) and told Gabriel (Rome Flynn) the truth about Sam.
How to Get Away With Murder.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: We saw some version of an ending for every character here.
How did you decide who would get a vaguer versus concrete resolution?
It’s funny because I feel like [Nate’s] ending is as definitive as Michaela’s.
It’s like a breadcrumb that will lead them to create a story in their head if they want.
Can you tell me more about writing that?
Was it an arduous process?
I don’t remember it being a process.
I just finally wanted to say what the show was about for me and what it became.
A lot that is also in what that character became for Viola.
I think when it came to writing, it took me like 30 minutes.
From the beginning, Viola and I talked about the mask that Annalise wears.
I was ready for Viola to have a million thoughts and make it deeper and better.
I’ve never heard her continuously tell me she loves something so much.
Every time I’d go to her she’s like," I love that speech."
Bonnie and Frank have such a violent end.
Did you always know that would go down that way?
Any thought of sparing one of them?
In a sick way, that’s what he thinks he was doing in that last moment.
Bonnie was a big debate.
But my instinct was this was a show about really messy situations.
Tragedy begets tragedy and that means some people had to die even if it was a complete accident.
That’s the tragedy of it to me because she did deserve better.
She and Frank really did truly love each other.
There was something veryRomeo and Julietabout them dying together.
Tell me more about filming that day.
Then, I actually left before they shot that last scene.
I didn’t want to be prepared.
People told me, “It’s even worse than you would expect.”
And I was like, “Yeah, yeah, yeah.”
It’s really violent.
It was real and raw.
I still get sick to my stomach watching it.
Why do you think Connor needed to choose jail?
Why was that the only option for him?
Connor since the beginning has felt more guilty and more self-loathing than any other student.
Really any of the other characters.
I don’t think he thinks that’s true for him.
I really understand it.
I think I would probably want to do the same thing.
Or would you rather fans decide that for themselves?
I really am kind of handing it over to the fans and the viewers.
People who love Connor and Oliver the most can make that story whatever they want it to be.
Was there ever a time or a version you hoped to tell it?
One of my goals with this was to give answers but also to allow for imagination.
There’s so much room to interpret what happened.
Why did you decide Laurel would allow that relationship between them?
I think Laurel is the most misunderstood character in the show.
Laurel from the beginning was very Team Annalise and hated her father.
I think Laurel could have easily become the third part of the murder spree with Bonnie.
But once Christopher was thrown into the picture, she had to protect him.
Even if that meant hurting everyone around her.
He was the most important thing to her.
But I don’t think Laurel hated Annalise.
I think they were just completely in conflict.
They both loved Wes, and Christopher is obviously a part of Wes.
Annalise saved the baby.
They both loved that boy so much, so whatever their differences, they could come together over Christopher.
You have perfectly bookended the opening and closing of this series.
Did a part of you always have that in mind or how did it come to be?
It came to be when I had the idea to bring back Alfie over the last hiatus.
That was my big a-ha moment.
From the beginning of the season, I knew that was how we were gonna end.
I never deviated from it.
It was really that image that made me feel at peace the whole time.
That hand-holding montage, it seems like Annalise did go with Tegan for at least a time.
Obviously, Eve still means a lot to her.
Can we assume she had some romantic happiness in the intervening years?
I don’t know if they can assume.
They can watch the hands over and over again.
There’s a few different hands.
Again, that’s another thing I just want people to dream what they want to dream.
I think losing Bonnie was devastating for Annalise.
Ultimately, I just feel like she failed at protecting her.
Connor felt so guilty about everything they did.
How she came out of it is she probably felt she had to live for the both of them.
It’s so funny because I don’t even know if Annalise liked the beach.
Also, it turns to bright white light very quickly in that shot.
you’re free to see that paradise as whatever you want to see it as.
Was there anyone you wished you got to write more about?
That’s a character that I think has a lot of question marks left that may frustrate people.
What actually happened to Laurel’s mom?
I feel like we kind of have said it, but we haven’t shown it.
I wanted it to also be moving forward.
I didn’t want it to be like we end and now we explain everything for 25 minutes.
That’s not how the show works; it always ends on a climax.
The closure we were giving people was all we could afford to give.
Believe me, every second counted in this finale.
Sometimes I feel like it’s way too rushed, but it is what it is.
So many of the seasons we changed our minds and someone dies that we didn’t want to die.
I was open to it.
It’s really tragic what happens now.
I didn’t want anyone else to suffer that end.
I just believe that.
We saw everyone make that decision.
The show’s final words are a speech about forgiveness and empathy.
What do you hope audiences take away from the series?
And then be a little bit more compassionate.
Lastly, reboots, spinoffs, etc.
are all the rage.
It’s not top of mind for me right now.
Crazily, I’m giving a preliminary pitch on something else on Friday.
I don’t know how that happened, but I’m doing it.
But I love this world.
I love these characters.
Right now, I want to write about something else, not law.
But never say never.
I love my writers and I think we could definitely do it.
I just would want it to feel unique.
