(ABC)
On Thursday’s “How To Get Away With Murder” finale, it was finally revealed who killed Wes. Here are the most important things to know about “Wes,” the 15th and final episode of season three.
IN THE PRESENT: The two-hour season finale started with episode 14, “He Made A Terrible Mistake.” As Annalise attended an AA support group, Connor contemplated suicide and distanced himself from the group. The next day, though, he went to a dismissal hearing for Annalise. Bonnie argued there was malicious prosecution and evidence tampering by ADA Atwood.
Charles Mahoney was released from jail after the murder charges against him were dropped, and his family was determined to find out who actually killed Wallace. Annalise was convinced Atwood was connected to them, and vowed to find proof. Nate lied to D.A. Denver about being in touch with Annalise, and gave her Atwood’s wi-fi info for Oliver to hack as the rest went through case files.
With Connor himself unable to confess, Michaela announced to everyone, “Connor might’ve killed Wes.” Connor then admitted to getting Annalise’s voicemail and going to her house, where he found Wes unconscious and without a pulse in the basement. He did CPR, accidentally breaking one of Wes’ ribs. As Laurel accused him of murder, Connor cried, “I swear I didn’t do this.” She even told him to “kill yourself,” even though Connor still thought Annalise herself was responsible.
Annalise accused him of “deflecting” his grief and insecurity, and he lashed out, “All your sons are dead! And you can’t use me to replace them!” She told him, “You said you didn’t hurt Wes. I believe you. But I need you to believe me, too.” Annalise then told the others, “Forgive him. He made a terrible mistake, just like we all have.” But Bonnie worried Connor still wasn’t telling them everything. But after noticing the coroner’s report said nothing about a cracked rib, he offered to testify to prove the autopsy report was fixed.
Laurel had her first ultrasound as she contemplated abortion, and apologized to Meggy for being “paranoid.” While Annalise didn’t want Connor to testify, she suggested Laurel instead. At the hearing, the coroner insisted Wes died of asphyxiation from smoke and had no other injuries but burns. When Laurel took the stand, she testified to seeing Wes unconscious and doing CPR, breaking his rib before the fire. On cross, Denver accused her of lying, and proved she had lied under oath before, about a teenage kidnapping. The judge ruled against the dismissal, and said Annalise would go to trial.
Denver offered Frank a plea deal: Admit Annalise ordered him to kill Wes, and get just seven years in prison. Denver threatened he had a “big file” on Annalise to use otherwise, but Bonnie thought the D.A. was bluffing. Nate confronted Atwood over the Mahoneys, and she denied any connection. Towards the end of the first hour, Connor asked Denver for Wes’ immunity deal. Asher called an anonymous phone number linked to Annalise’s case through Atwood, and a cell rang in Denver’s drawer while Connor was there. It seemed clear the D.A. was actually the one behind framing Annalise.
The second hour, episode 15, began with Connor seemingly missing. Bonnie accused Denver of hiding him to avoid being exposed. The D.A., who now wouldn’t let Frank take the offered plea deal, had Connor handcuffed in a shed and offered him the immunity deal. He threatened to pin Wes’ death on him if he didn’t sign. Nate later confronted Denver about his “dirty work” and vowed to take him down. Denver in turn fired Nate and threatened to jail him.
Annalise met with Wallace’s widow, Sylvia, asking for a truce. Sylvia denied involvement in Wes’ death, and revealed Wes was actually Charles’ child, not Wallace’s. Annalise called her out for protecting her rapist son over her grandchild, and Sylvia denied being responsible for the death of Annalise’s baby. The group, though, thought Sylvia was “playing” her.
Asher confessed his love to Michaela, but she couldn’t say it back, later admitting she “didn’t know” what she feels. Going through the wreckage of her home, Annalise found her photo with Sam and their dead baby was still in tact. Just as Connor was about to be arrested for Wes’ murder, he confessed that Oliver had a copy of Annalise’s phone data, sending the cops to his home. The group worried the data would reveal a deleted voicemail from Wes about Rebecca and Sam’s deaths.
Annalise now wanted to use that to pin both murders on Wes to save herself and the rest of the group, infuriating Laurel and leading to argument about what Wes would want them to do. Still, Annalise went to Denver to tell him about the voicemail, saying Wes was a “monster” who killed both Rachel and Sam, was accused of stabbing his mother, and now killed himself via the fire instead of taking the immunity deal. “Better to die than go to jail,” she said. Denver refused to drop the charges against her, so she threatened to expose his involvement in Wes’ death and her case “until I have your head on a stick.” He then caved, and Annalise returned to Bonnie’s with Connor in tow.
A relieved Oliver asked Connor to marry him, while Denver and Nate brought the voicemail to the judge, saying they “got this one wrong” and no longer wanted to prosecute Annalise. She told her AA group about losing Wes and her baby, and came home to find Frank had been released, too. He dropped to his knees, saying he would do whatever she wanted.
Meanwhile, Laurel secretly asked Michaela and Asher to help her nail the Mahoneys, who she still thought was responsible for Wes’ death. As she and Asher watched, Michaela hit on Charles, and was invited back to his place. She didn’t want to go through with it, telling Asher, “I think I love you, too.” An angry Laurel, armed with a gun, was about to approach Charles when she was stopped by an old family friend named Dominic.
IN FLASHBACKS: In the first hour, after Wes hooked up with Thomas, he listened to his voicemail on Thomas’ phone. He followed Annalise’s order to go to her home, and found Wes unconscious in the basement. He did CPR, breaking one of Wes’ ribs. Connor saw the gas line was cut and ran out of the basement just before the house exploded, but just after Laurel arrived. A man lurking outside called someone saying they had a “problem” and it “got a little messy.”
In the second hour, Nate left Wes at the house. As Wes tried calling Annalise, he was attacked from behind. Meanwhile, ten years prior, Sylvia and Charles awkwardly ran into Rose and Christoph. Back to the night of the fire, Wes left Annalise a message saying the D.A. knew about Rebecca’s body, and she couldn’t go down for what he did to Sam. After the tragedy, Annalise deleted the voicemail, not wanting anyone to be incriminated. After leaving the message, Wes was injected with something by the man who attacked him, who then suffocated him and dragged him to the basement.
In the final minutes, the past and present collided with the reveal to viewers that Dominic, working for Laurel’s father, was Wes’ attacker and murderer. Annalise cried over losing Wes, who she said was her “son… and he’s gone.”
