S06.E15: Stay

[Cranberry]

Quote

Annalise discovers there's a surprise witness that threatens her case. Meanwhile, Connor tries to persuade the K3 to go along with a new plan. Elsewhere, a lie between Frank and Bonnie threatens their relationship as Annalise's killer is finally revealed.

Airdate: May 14, 2020

 

[katycat74]

Ok, confused here. What was with the final shot.? Show was pretty good up until then, but I got lost there

Edited May 15, 2020 by katycat74

[mtlchick]

I pretty much gave up on the show midway through this season because it was becoming tiresome and was only reading the post show analysis.  

 

But I made the effort to watch tonight and that was cuckoo for cocoa puffs.  Bye, Frank and Bonnie.  In some ways, they were going to be together forever.  

At least most people got their happy or deserved ending, though someone will happen if Michaela got what she wanted.  

Viola's BIG SPEECH in the courtroom was predictable, but damn, she made it everything at the same time. 

 

Good bye show. At least you kept us on our toes and I'm lucky I'm walking out with all 10 of them. 

[Annber03]

Ha, okay, I really liked that ending. I actually got a bit teary during the whole montage of Annalise's life post-trial. I like that she went on to find some peace and happiness in the following years. 

Also glad to see Connor and Oliver together again at the funeral, 'cause the whole divorce thing, while not surprising, was still heartbreaking. Don't remember seeing Michaela there, though, unless I just missed seeing her. 

Not surprised the trial turned out as it did. Yes, Annalise was involved in a lot of shady stuff, but little tip for prosecutors: best to make sure your own hands are clean before going after someone else for their awful deeds. 

And I'm not surprised that Frank died-it seemed a logical end for somebody like him. I am sad that Bonnie died, though. I wanted her to find some peace, too. 

So. That's a wrap, then. It's been a crazy, wild six seasons, HTGAWM-thanks for the ride. Look forward to seeing what the cast does next. 

[TimWil]

Well, how very Six Feet Under of them. It was just OK. I think Annalise’s courtroom monologue would have sufficed.

[SunnyBeBe]

Well, I saw it, but what happened? So, Frank is shooting, but who at? How does he end up shot and Bonnie?

[stonehaven]

Viola's speech was the best part...Teegan declaring her love and Connor being the only one of the K5 having true remorse really was a surprise over the series.

Can't say I loved this finale but it was a LOT better than How I Met Your Mother's finale...

[mtlchick]

1 minute ago, SunnyBeBe said:

Well, I saw it, but what happened? So, Frank is shooting, but who at? How does he end up shot and Bonnie?

He shot and killed the governor,  so I'm assuming her detail and possibly police returned gunfire.  

[LadyOracle]

11 minutes ago, katycat74 said:

Ok, confused here. What was with the final shot.? Show was pretty good up until then, but I got lost there

Yeah that was a little confusing. But Christophe said something about his mentor. So I assumed Annalise was in his and Laurels life, as his mentor. And her spirit was in the room.

[Lady Calypso]

..you know, I have a LOT of feelings about this finale. Not a lot of them are good.

I just don't feel like it felt like a series finale. There was also a lot of "WTF is this?" moments. For example, the atrocious old age makeup. Like, Laurel, Connor, and Oliver shouldn't look like they're 75-80 years old. Eve probably looks a little too young for the future scenes which, I presume, are 30 years later (I'm guessing Christopher is about 30 there if he's a professor? Because if he's older and Laurel/Connor/Oliver ARE supposed to be 75-80, then Eve looks damn good for someone who should be DEAD).

It depresses me that Michaela has nobody by the end of the series. Yes, I've disagreed with her actions, but come the FUCK on if she gets nothing but her career at the end. 

Connor goes to jail but still gets Oliver in the end. I'm gonna pretend that Oliver never showed up because Oliver was being frustrating. I get it; he loves Connor or whatever...but he was absolutely guilting Connor into doing what he wanted, but only because Oliver didn't want to be alone. He never respected Connor's wishes. Not necessarily about not signing the divorce papers, but all the other shit he's also done.

It does suck that Connor still went to jail in the end, though.

Now, Annalise's closing statement to the jury was the best part. What a fantastic scene overall. Tegan confessing her love was fantastic as well.

Bonnie and Frank...die in a shoot-out after Frank kills Birkhead? Not exactly what I expected and I'm not thrilled that Bonnie got caught in the crossfire. But still, if it was Birkhead's security detail who opened fire...they probably should have made sure to not catch anyone in the crossfire as well.

Nate did something good! The first, and last, time I'll EVER like Nate! So the finale did something right!

Overall...a pretty ok series finale. Some good things and some bad things. I guess it could have turned out worse. I'm still kind of deciding how I truly feel about it.

[LadyOracle]

11 minutes ago, TimWil said:

Well, how very Six Feet Under of them. It was just OK. I think Annalise’s courtroom monologue would have sufficed.

Yes!!! That's exactly what I thought about. Six Feet Under was the most hauntingly sad series finale ever. HTGAWM didnt quite reach that level, but almost. Lol It was pretty sad.

[SunnyBeBe]

9 minutes ago, mtlchick said:

He shot and killed the governor,  so I'm assuming her detail and possibly police returned gunfire.  

Oh!  I guess I need to watch it again. Lol Makes sense. My favorite part was Laurels dad getting shanked. Finally.  
 

So, who built the legal center...Nate, Laurel and Tegan.....?

Edited May 15, 2020 by SunnyBeBe

[wanderingstar]

Well, at least Tegan and Annalise got together. So that's something. 

[helenamonster]

Everybody who predicted that Alfie would be actually be playing a grown-up Christopher and that Annalises' funeral took place in the far future, please come to the front to collect your prize!

That funeral scene was bizarre though. Why were Laurel, Connor, and Oliver made up to look as old as Eve, who's got at least 25 years on them? And did none of them really ever reconcile with Michaela after all these years? There was a woman next to Connor that I thought would be revealed to be her, but it wasn't. Was that a mistake in editing, or did Aja see the terrible old age makeup her cast mates were in and say (rightly), "I'm a L'Oreal spokeswoman, you can't do that to me"?

The house of cards falling down around them didn't quite have the satisfying payoff that I think we were owed, but at least Viola got one last big speech in at the end.

I cannot BELIEVE they killed off Bonnie. The one thing I very specifically asked them NOT to do.

But of course, the true victim here is Oliver. Who cares what literally anybody else wants? He, a grown ass man, was going to be alone. Oh the horror! Hey guess what dude? Connor wanted to get away from it all, and you stopped him when you declined his acceptance to Stanford. I hate him. I hate him I hate him I hate him.

It is a kind of cruel irony, that this show can excel at, that Connor--the most reluctant participant of the bunch--is the only one who served prison time. But he did it with integrity, and took responsibility for his actions. He probably came out the best.

So now Christopher Castillo is a lawyer himself and back at Middleton to impart Annalise's wisdom to the next generation. They'll all compete for five coveted spots in his internship program. He'll pick a wallflower, a prom queen, a doucheface, a playboy, and the poor waitlist puppy he feels a strange kinship with. As it ever was.

[KaveDweller]

I am not really happy with anyone's ending except Annalise.

I didn't totally care that Frank got killed, since he was a terrible person, but it sucks that he was so messed up at the end and that Bonnie got caught up in the crossfire.

I HATED that Connor went to jail. He was the least evil of them all, and he is the only one to do time? Then were they saying he and Oliver actually stayed together?

I know she brought it on herself, but I didn't like seeing Michaela all alone at the end, but in her future shot it looked like there were kids next to her. So I guess she had a family? But I feel like it is so sad that she never reconciled with Connor or Laurel. Since she was not at the funeral, I assume that she didn't.

Nate did not deserve to get any money or success.

Everyone looked way to old in the future for only being 50-something (assuming it is 30 years in the future). This show is following This Is Us with over-aging people for shock value.

[wanderingstar]

I cannot believe that Nate  - of all people - survived this finale. WTF!

[choclatechip45]

I really hated the fact Connor went to jail. Also, not sure how I feel about Laurel letting her son become a protege of Annalise. I like to think that Michaela became a Supreme Court Justice. Glad Connor and Oliver stayed together all those years later.

[Annber03]

Regarding the aging, I will say that the makeup people sure managed to make Viola Davis look very much like Cicely Tyson in the "old age" flashforwards.

As for the students looking as aged as they did...chalk it up to the crazy stress they experienced in their younger days, perhaps ;p?

[Milaxx]

46 minutes ago, katycat74 said:

Ok, confused here. What was with the final shot.? Show was pretty good up until then, but I got lost there

Flash forward like everyone predicted.

45 minutes ago, Annber03 said:

Ha, okay, I really liked that ending. I actually got a bit teary during the whole montage of Annalise's life post-trial. I like that she went on to find some peace and happiness in the following years. 

Also glad to see Connor and Oliver together again at the funeral, 'cause the whole divorce thing, while not surprising, was still heartbreaking. Don't remember seeing Michaela there, though, unless I just missed seeing her. 

So. That's a wrap, then. It's been a crazy, wild six seasons, HTGAWM-thanks for the ride. Look forward to seeing what the cast does next. 

Michaela was sworn in as a judge

43 minutes ago, SunnyBeBe said:

Well, I saw it, but what happened? So, Frank is shooting, but who at? How does he end up shot and Bonnie?

Frank is going to shoot the gov, Bonnie runs to stop him. Gov's security shoots them both.

39 minutes ago, Lady Calypso said:

..you know, I have a LOT of feelings about this finale. Not a lot of them are good.

I just don't feel like it felt like a series finale. There was also a lot of "WTF is this?" moments. For example, the atrocious old age makeup. Like, Laurel, Connor, and Oliver shouldn't look like they're 75-80 years old. Eve probably looks a little too young for the future scenes which, I presume, are 30 years later (I'm guessing Christopher is about 30 there if he's a professor? Because if he's older and Laurel/Connor/Oliver ARE supposed to be 75-80, then Eve looks damn good for someone who should be DEAD).

It depresses me that Michaela has nobody by the end of the series. Yes, I've disagreed with her actions, but come the FUCK on if she gets nothing but her career at the end. 

Connor goes to jail but still gets Oliver in the end. I'm gonna pretend that Oliver never showed up because Oliver was being frustrating. I get it; he loves Connor or whatever...but he was absolutely guilting Connor into doing what he wanted, but only because Oliver didn't want to be alone. He never respected Connor's wishes. Not necessarily about not signing the divorce papers, but all the other shit he's also done.

It does suck that Connor still went to jail in the end, though.

Now, Annalise's closing statement to the jury was the best part. What a fantastic scene overall. Tegan confessing her love was fantastic as well.

Bonnie and Frank...die in a shoot-out after Frank kills Birkhead? Not exactly what I expected and I'm not thrilled that Bonnie got caught in the crossfire. But still, if it was Birkhead's security detail who opened fire...they probably should have made sure to not catch anyone in the crossfire as well.

Nate did something good! The first, and last, time I'll EVER like Nate! So the finale did something right!

Overall...a pretty ok series finale. Some good things and some bad things. I guess it could have turned out worse. I'm still kind of deciding how I truly feel about it.

I expected bonkers, so I didn't mind.

Yes aging makeup was a bit much fr some. Connor/Oliver, etc... are 30 in present day, so 60 in flashforward.  Eve would be 75/80, but I like to think in true Eve fashion, she would have had a bit of tasteful work done.

 

 

[Dancingjaneway]

Tegan not dying and ending up with Annalise was a shock to me. I didn't expect to get the outcome I wanted. Sad that Bonnie didn't survive but I think without Frank she would have suffered. Michaela becoming a judge was an absolute joke! The girl was willing to send an innocent woman to her death almost just to avoid facing punishment for her own misdeeds. Oliver became trash in this last season and that was sad. Connor ended up being the only student I didn't truly hate. He actually did the right thing in the end. I'm glad he survived his years in prison. Nate opening up the justice center was nice but I still cannot believe he made it to the end. Also I had to laugh seeing as how he killed two people. The writers totally trolled the viewers by making them think that it was Wes when really he was just playing Christophe. They knew it was going to cause a frenzy. They need to just give Viola the Emmy now because she NAILED it. So happy to see the governor & Jorge get what they deserved. I wish the FBI guy had gotten his as well. His stupid smug face pissed me off. All in all I wasn't mad at this finale. Was it perfect? No. But it made me cry, shocked the hell out of me & made me happy. I can definitely live with this. 

[possibilities]

The thing is... the people who did the murdering did not get out alive-- except for Nate. The ones who survived were not the ones who did any murdering. And the ones who did the murdering didn't really get away with it, other than legally.

Did we find out for sure who killed Hannah? I know they said suicide, and it's certainly possible, but I thought that was ambiguous.

This show was sad. It didn't play itself as sad all along, but it was. So the sad tone of the ending was a bit unexpected, but also in another way it makes sense.

Are we to think Laurel paid Tegan to arrange the Lahey Center, plus a nice well-funded life after trial for Annalise?

Were adult Christophe's lines dubbed?

 

[HollyG]

This series had started to exhaust me a couple years ago, but I couldn't stop watching. . I was sad that Bonnie died (& Frank & Asher too). But I still thought the series ended well. I'm happy that the other characters were able to go on and live full lives and find happiness. 

[Cranberry]

I wanted Bonnie to make it through, but otherwise I was okay with the finale. I don't think Michaela was all that awful, so I was disappointed to see her (apparently) ostracized from the group, but I'm glad she got to become a judge in the end. The finale made me like Nate more and Oliver less. Connor looked okay at the end and I hope he got some peace. I'm glad Annalise publicly came out and that she ended up with Tegan, one of the best characters this show has ever given us. I'm okay with Christopher becoming a law prof; that classroom scene was a nice callback to the premiere. I didn't love the finale, but I didn't hate it, either, so... yeah, I'm content enough.

[bobbyjoe]

Quote

Were adult Christophe's lines dubbed?

I don’t know but Christophe’s accent weirdly reminded me of The Princess Bride.  I half-expected him to write the word “Murder” on the board, turn to the class and say “I do not think that word means what you think it means.”

[Joimiaroxeu]

$87,000. That seems like chump change compared to what Nate was offered. And way more than Walmart Wes deserved.

Ugh, Oliver. Me, me, me! I must get what I want!

Time and place, Tegan. Anna was still facing life in prison at that point.

So Michaela just got to walk away?

Whee, did Laurel put that hit on her father or was it the governor cleaning up loose ends?

Aw, Christopher all grown up. Gucci Wes would've been proud.

Both Bonnie and Frank ended up dead but Nate skipped? Meh. How to get away with murder and get $20M for your trouble.

Yeah, that Spanish accent dubbed over Christopher speaking at the end was not great. (Though apparently the actor is fluent in Portuguese so maybe it was his own voice after all. 🤔)

It wasn't the worst finale I've ever seen. Thanks, fellow fans. It's been real.

[MorbidPet]

I just finished the last episode minutes ago and I'm too upset that Bonnie died to say anything right now. I need to get a life cause it is not normal to cry this much over a fictional character. 

[Annber03]

7 minutes ago, MorbidPet said:

I just finished the last episode minutes ago and I'm too upset that Bonnie died to say anything right now. I need to get a life cause it is not normal to cry this much over a fictional character. 

Aw, hey, nothing wrong with that. I think we've all been there at some point. I'm sad about her, too. 

[NUguy514]

For what it's worth, Alfred Enoch graduated from Oxford with a degree in Portuguese and Spanish and speaks Portuguese fluently (I believe his mother is Brazilian), so he's probably nearly fluent in Spanish as well; his weird accent sounded like Spanish with a Portuguese accent to me.

Aaaaaanyway, this didn't totally ruin my birthday, but I can't say that I liked it either.  Connor actually going to jail felt so completely unjust to me, as did him and Oliver staying together; Oliver is a toxic, clingy, manipulative asshole.  When he yelled at Connor that Connor was the reason Oliver was so messed up with all the AK business, I yelled at a fictional character who can't hear me my television, "Connor tried a million times to keep you out of this shit, but YOU, cupcake, YOU just had to force yourself in because...why, because you thought it was cool?  Because you wanted to be cool?  No, you brought this entirely on yourself, you fucking sociopath!!"

Honestly, I find it so incredibly unfair that Connor, the one who frankly did the least damage of anyone, served jail time (and to have that sacrifice be read as a noble absolution, baaaaaarf) AND was saddled with an emotionally abusive husband for the rest of his life.  If Peter Nowalk was aiming for the survival of the Connor/Oliver marriage to come across as some sort of triumph or victory, he failed spectacularly since he and his writers wrote Oliver as a psycho for the last two seasons.

Also, what the fuck was with Oliver turning on Michaela there at the end.  Seriously,

And Michaela just..never spoke to any of them ever again?  Like, Connor didn't seem resentful of Michaela at all, and she was devastated by his incarceration, so why did they apparently never talk again?  They had the best friendship on the show, so of course that was vaporized in the last ten minutes with no apparent justification.

Laurel, who is a borderline sociopath, suffers not at all?  Gabriel is just gifted with $87,000 and leaves?  And I suppose we're left to assume Hannah was either killed at Governor Laura Innes' orders or committed suicide.

Nate made a bit of sense in his final scene with Annalise, and the flashback to his nakedness was probably the best moment of the episode for me personally.  However, he killed two people and gets absolutely no punishment, while someone who killed zero people went to jail for five years?

I sure didn't expect both Frank and Bonnie to die.  I'm not sad about the former and am sad about the latter, but I ultimately didn't care much because it happened approximately two and a half minutes before the end, had no time to be impactful, and was completely ridiculous in the way it happened.  Those two murderers do not get away with it, but Nate does.  Blech.

Tegan and Annalise end up together until Tegan dies.  Yay?  Yay!  It would've been nicer if Annalise had seemed into Tegan when the latter professed her love and if their relationship had not been confirmed in the final two minutes or whatever of the show.

So, overall, a pretty disappointing end, but I've been over it since Asher's death.  Thank god it's over because I am

Edited May 15, 2020 by NUguy514
I said Connor but meant Oliver, not that it really matters. Whatever.

[Empress1]

8 hours ago, Lady Calypso said:

Eve probably looks a little too young for the future scenes which, I presume, are 30 years later (I'm guessing Christopher is about 30 there if he's a professor? Because if he's older and Laurel/Connor/Oliver ARE supposed to be 75-80, then Eve looks damn good for someone who should be DEAD).

I thought that too. Famke Janssen also didn't age her voice or mannerisms. 

8 hours ago, KaveDweller said:

I know she brought it on herself, but I didn't like seeing Michaela all alone at the end, but in her future shot it looked like there were kids next to her. So I guess she had a family? But I feel like it is so sad that she never reconciled with Connor or Laurel. Since she was not at the funeral, I assume that she didn't.

I didn't mind it because as you say, she brought it on herself. I actually liked seeing her genuinely rattled by Connor going to prison and Oliver turning on her, because she's someone who can compartmentalize everything and convince herself that she deserves everything good that happens to her, or hat everything bad that she does is justified, so it was surprising that she'd be rattled by the idea of having no friends. When she said she wouldn't feel any guilt, I believed her ... and that is fucked up. I would stay far away from Michaela; if she went the BigLaw route, she was probably fucking ruthless, leaving terrified associates in her wake.

7 hours ago, Dancingjaneway said:

I wish the FBI guy had gotten his as well. His stupid smug face pissed me off.

I kept thinking, don't they teach you poker faces in the academy? Every time anything happened at trial that revealed his corruption, he'd make this "Oh shit" face. Stop giving away the game, dude.

I liked that Frank was basically "WTF, Bonnie?" about telling him about his parentage, because she really didn't need to do that. Not everybody needs to know everything - as he pointed out, she just forced him to live with the burden of it. I honestly don't know how I could walk around every day knowing that I was the product of sibling incest without a lot of therapy, and Frank isn't the sort to go to therapy. I could buy Frank committing "suicide by security detail," and I could also buy that he'd be willing to die for Annalise. Bonnie being caught in the crossfire is unfortunate - she had a sad life - but there's something kind of poetic about them dying together.

Tegan is one of the best secondary characters I can remember. I will miss her, her makeup, and her fashions.

[Chicago Redshirt]

Frank, who has literally gotten away with at least 4 murders that we know about from the last 3 chronological years of the show (Lila, Papa Mahoney, Papa Bonnie, Castillo henchman Dominick) and possibly others that I'm forgetting, plus numerous other shady schemes, decides he spontaneously must murder the governor in a crowd in broad daylight? Are we supposed to think that learning he's an incest baby made him go both crazy, suicidal and stupid? I know the powers that be probably wanted him to pay for his crimes, but couldn't there have been a smarter way to make him do it? One that didn't also cost us Bonnie?

Other than AK's closing argument, the trial was again ridiculous. No sane prosecutor would subpoena the governor and humor AK's theory of the case. And AK's cross of the governor should have been awesome but was mostly meh. And maybe I missed it, but did the prosecution previously accuse AK of killing Asher too? How is it possible that they floated that theory when Agent Mole was apparently arrested for the killing? 

The professional writers who worked on this show should have either just had AK stand trial for Sam's murder, put her on trial for the coverups that AK actually did, or spent some time to make the prosecutor's case more compelling. Because "AK killed Sam because she was boning Wes. Our evidence is strictly people who helped cover up the murder who we gave sweet deals to and who will be easily exposed as liars. Oh and a lot of other people somewhat connected to her too also are dead and even though we're not going to articulate her means, motive or opportunity for any of those deaths, she's the mastermind behind all of them." does not cut it.

Happy that Teagan got a happy ending. For all of Viola's gift as an actor, though, she didn't make seem that AK was as into Teagan as vice versa. 

A little sad that Generic Brand Wes was involved at all, but he mostly kept quiet.

I am surprised it was actually AK dying a peaceful death of old age and Wes: the Next Generation. because that seemed obvious. I did like the coda of Wes:TNG becoming a professor like AK. I think the youngest one could reasonably be a law school professor at a place like Middleton would be 35.  

I also see that there was not an explicit mention of "My pops" as a bright side, although I wish that Nate was the one who took a bullet instead of Bonnie. 

I must have blinked and missed the bit about Michaela becoming a judge. Good for her, I guess. I know that she had the sweet plea deal, but it seems like admitting that you were part of a long-running murder-conspiracy might harm your chances of getting on the bench, no matter how much money your estranged daddy has.

Anyway, farewell show. Best of luck to Viola and the others involved in whatever new gigs.

[alexvillage]

1 hour ago, NUguy514 said:

For what it's worth, Alfred Enoch graduated from Oxford with a degree in Portuguese and Spanish and speaks Portuguese fluently (I believe his mother is Brazilian), so he's probably nearly fluent in Spanish as well; his weird accent sounded like Spanish with a Portuguese accent to me.

Portuguese is my first language. Spanish is not necessarily easier for Portuguese speaking people. I became fluent in English faster than I could babble in Spanish.

[Artsda]

Frank being killed, should have expected after Bonnie told him the truth. He didn't have much to go from there after learning that. I was hoping he'd go off with Laurel since Bonnie never should have told him.

I wish Michela would have went to jail, but she and Conner both committed perjury. Good for Laurel for changing her mind. 

Bonnie had a lot happen to her, wish she could have had a happier of an ending.

[Lady Calypso]

1 hour ago, Chicago Redshirt said:

Are we supposed to think that learning he's an incest baby made him go both crazy, suicidal and stupid? I know the powers that be probably wanted him to pay for his crimes, but couldn't there have been a smarter way to make him do it? One that didn't also cost us Bonnie?

Well, this isn't the first time we've seen Frank suicidal so it's not out of character. I didn't mind it because it allowed Charlie Weber to get in some REALLY well acted scenes in the end. 

I don't mind that he went out, taking out the Governor in the process, because she was always going to be a thorn in Annalise's side and this deals with that problem. He did it for Annalise, something that is in character for him. He's protected Keatings for years so this was the perfect final act for him.

But Bonnie dying in the process? Yeah, that sucked. It was just so sudden. She was just dead, and that's just sad. 

1 hour ago, Empress1 said:

Are we supposed to think that learning he's an incest baby made him go both crazy, suicidal and stupid? I know the powers that be probably wanted him to pay for his crimes, but couldn't there have been a smarter way to make him do it? One that didn't also cost us Bonnie?

I get WHY they had Michaela separated at the end from Connor and Laurel. I actually didn't mind when Oliver had pulled away and it was clear that they would stop talking, because...Connor kind of foreshadowed it earlier in the episode. They were all brought together by murder and death, so once that was over, what would they have in common?

The thing that pissed me off was Connor being shown with Oliver in the future, and Connor/Laurel smiling at each other, which heavily hinted that Michaela was the only one separated from the group. She was NOT the only culprit yet she was the only one kicked out. Sure, Connor and Laurel probably haven't SPOKEN in 30 years, or however long it's been since the trial, but they were still friendly in that future scene. 

[Panopticon]

I kind of like that none of the surviving members of the K5 remained in one another’s lives at all. It’s sad, considering how close Michaela/Connor in particular were, but it fits. They absolutely had to be severed from that group connection if they were going to remake their lives. Their other option would have been the Frank/Bonnie path.

I was also surprised to enjoy the circular callback with Wes: The Sequel arriving on his bike to teach the class. It reminded me of when the show was good... and in its prime it was very, very good in its way. 

[favoriteshows]

The only thing that interested me the most was that Michaela didn't go to jail and got the career she wanted. Turns out she got the family too, all of them looked elderly so I assume those two adorable little girls were her granddaughters watching her being sworn in. 

I'm glad Anna got off, I would have been pissed, she literally never laid hands on a soul much less killed anyone.

Justice was served, cause everyone who died actually committed murder, they actually committed it and it wasn't even in self-defense as in the person was coming at them in the moment and trying to kill them.  Actually Michaela was the one person who acted in self-defense when she pushed Sam over that banister, but he didn't die until Wes finished him off. And that always pissed me off because Michaela went to Anna's house, she was the only one there on actual school business cause she wanted to talk about that trophy. She was drawn into that bullshit when Rebecca showed up then the rest started to show up and go straight upstairs into Sam and Anna's private quarters. So again, I'm happy she got what she wanted in the end.

Connor and more his husband can fuck off. Fuck him it should have been Michaela, fuck him again. It's not her fault that you and Connor are fucking stupid with your big love and tripping over yourselves to save each other. Glad Michaela listened to her father, shit, she's black those other two are not, she has no time to be thinking about their asses when it comes to the justice system, please. 

And her crying when Laurel's number has changed, please, sorry not buying it. Those mofo's were NEVER truly her ride or die friends and Micheala was always pretty much on her own. Connor was her friend until his husband needed him as it should be, that is his husband.  But she had to look out for number one cause all those mofo's had allegiance to one or more other people in that group and not her.  Anna to Wes and by extension then Laurel and Wes's son Christopher,  Connor to his husband. Bonnie/Anna/Frank that's a bonded unit....Michaela had no one who was ever going to go to bat for her first. 

Anyway, justice was served in the end for me.

 

[starri]

Surprisingly, this mostly worked for me, although this may have been because they made the smart decision to involve both Eve and Ophelia.

While I didn't necessarily like the idea of Connor going to jail--particularly since he was the one who did the least amount of bad shit--I did like that it gave him the chance to finally forgive himself.  Whether getting Oliver as the reward for being able to do that is worth it, I will leave to personal interpretation.

If I had one disappointment with the episode it was the music.  This show has helped me discover a lot of electronica and ambient artists because it's always had a killer soundtrack, and they seemed to really drop the ball with this one.

[SunnyBeBe]

Well, it took a long time, but, finally a wrap up.  Over the years, I grew from rooting for the group, to immense dislike for most of them.  Despite their sins, I never disliked Frank or Bonnie too much, except when they did stupid stuff.  So, I wasn't thrilled with their deaths.  I too find the manner of attack on the Governor suspect. I mean, it was actually suicide by cop.  (When you force police to shoot you.)  

I suppose my biggest disappointment was with Laurel.  There she was riding off safely after the shooting.....then standing up front for AK's eulogy.  UGGGHHH....I despised her in a big way and she was my LEAST favorite character, behind Wes.  A BETTER ending is that Oliver shoots the governor, dies from police gunfire and Laurel is also hit and dies. Then,  a more suitable couple raises little Wes, perhaps, a reformed Bonnie and Frank.  

What do you think the ending implied with Christopher starting the HTGAWM class?  Is he going to conduct it like AK did?  

I must add my tribute to the character of AK.  Viola Davis should be proud. She MADE that character and it was undeniable.  Is it the strongest, bravest tv character of all time?  Hmm......

Edited May 15, 2020 by SunnyBeBe

[tennisgurl]

So Bonnie is gunned down in a shoot out started by her kind of boyfriend, while Nate gets to get a happy ending and build the Pops Never Stop Popping Memorial Building. Sometimes life is truly unfair. 

I have many feelings about this episode, some good and some bad, but I am glad at least that Annalise managed to find some peace and happiness. I really didn't think we would get that, so I am at least happy knowing that she had many happy years and died after living a long, and very eventful life. And Tegan got a happy ending as well! Yea Tegan! Annalise went through so much, its great to see that she really did get to have many happy years and that her reputation was saved, and that she will be remembered as the force of nature that she was. Its not too surprising that Annalise won the case, the prosecutions case was always awful, they had no real evidence, everything was based on clearly biased testimony and circumstantial evidence, and their agenda was always so obvious. 

I suspected that Connor would be the only person to actually do jail time, but that really really sucks, see above point about things being unfair. Connor was consistently probably the one who was felt the most remorse about the multiple killings and cover ups and was the least guilty of them, and actually tried to get away to someplace with less murders but got pulled back in (thanks for that Oliver) and even until the ending he was the one who felt the worst about everything and wanted to accept punishment instead of trying to weasle out of everything. I would say of "the kids" he probably came off the best this episode, so it really sucks that he had to go to jail. I hope that at least by going to jail, he can forgive himself and move on. 

Oliver throwing that "its all your fault I lost my job and did all this" made me want to throw something, are you kidding me?! Connor tried everything to keep him out of this, it was Oliver's choice to get involved in everything, Oliver was the one who kept Connor from transferring schools and getting away from this, and now that Connor (and like five other people) are looking at possible jail time, but its all about him. And was super chill about committing more purgery, and didn't even care, at least Connor and Michaela. At least he did wait for Connor while he was in jail, and I am glad for Connors sake at least that they ended up still together and that he survived prison. 

I wish we has seen more of what happened with Michaela later on, but I guess she became a judge, and thats what she really wanted, so good for her. It makes me sad that her friendship with Connor probably ended after this mess, he seemed to be the person she was closest to by the end, and she was so heartbroken when Connor was being taken to jail and Oliver wanted nothing to do with her. 

I guess you could say that karma kind of found everyone in the end. Frank and Bonnie, who probably committed most of the murders both ended up dead, Connor went to jail, Oliver was separated from his husband, and while Michaela got the sweet plea deal, she also lost everyone. Annalise, who really did the least bad, managed to walk free. The exceptions being Laurel, who things worked out pretty well for, and Nate, who totally did get away with murder. Its at least nice to know that the surviving K5 did go on to live seemingly happy, murder free lives and found some peace, hopefully after spending a LOT of time reflecting on their life choices. It sucks that Bonnie and Frank had to die though, even after everything that they did, I was hoping for them to make it out of this. Yeah, telling Frank the truth about Sam really didn't do much to help the situation, and Frank spiraling is probably what made him want to shoot the governor the way he did (in a late suicide run, going out protecting Annalise) so that was probably not Bonnie's best call. I still really hate that she died though, especially like that. 

It was great seeing Eve one last time, even if its hilarious that she looks the same age as people she has a good two decades on. I know that Eve is a beautiful women, but thats seems a bit much. 

Wes Jr. teaching Annalises class in the future was rather on the nose, but I did like the symmetry of it. Just, for the love of God, dont marry your therapist! 

For better or for worse, its certainly been a wild ride, and while this show has clearly run its course, I will miss its special brand of crazy, and I hope that the actors go on to find new projects soon, because they all really did make a lot of the most ridiculous aspects of it work, especially Viola of course, who is one of the best performers around. 

Edited May 15, 2020 by tennisgurl

[Empress1]

2 minutes ago, SunnyBeBe said:

What do you think the ending implied with Christopher starting the HTGAWM class?  Is he going to conduct it like AK did?  

Since he said Annalise had been his mentor, I would actually guess no. I could see her teaching him to learn from her mistakes - “Boy, I ended up in trial for murder. Don’t be like me!”

[possibilities]

I thought the mentor comment implied that Laurel and AK stayed in touch, which made it more surprising that Christopher didn't know who Connor and Oliver were. I guess everyone decided they were better off keeping distance, since being together had led to so much crazy.

[wanderingstar]

The Good:
-Annalise's summation speech. Viola was amazing, as always
-Tegan declaring her love for Annalise. Shoot your shot, Tegan!
-Annalise and Tegan getting together (loved seeing them dancing)
-Annalise living a long life and dying of old age (not murder!)
-Seeing Eve again.
-Wes 2.0 riding onto the Middleton campus and striding into the Crim 100 classroom. Cheesy, but also fun.

The Bad:
-Old age makeup: #makeitmakesense
-The fuckery of the trial. How on earth did the prosecution come to be charging Annalise with ALL of the murders. When Nate blithely revealed that Agent Whatshername killed Asher, I just laughed out loud. The prosecutor barely blinked. I mean, I only ever went to the University of Law & Order, but I still know that was some foolishness. I also laughed when I heard that one of the charges against Annalise was abuse of a corpse. I don't know why, but that cracked me up.
-I never really rode the Oliver hate train until these last few episodes. His selfishness was just gross. I was kind of sad for Connor that they ended up staying together.
-Re Michaela - I liked her from the first episode of this show, even though she's done some terrible shit. I was disappointed not to see her reunited with everyone at Annalise's funeral.
-Frank and Bonnie dying. Especially Bonnie. I'd have liked to see her get a happyish ending.

The Hell?
-Nate surviving and starting the "Lahey Justice Center." I'd like to think this was the writers' nod to how shady mofos always end up prospering in American society, but I think they wanted us to view Nate as some sort of hero. Which - blech.

Finally, y'all are killing it with these nicknames

Quote

Wes: the Next Generation

Quote

Wes: The Sequel

 

Edited May 15, 2020 by Gillian Rosh

[AryasMum]

14 hours ago, Gillian Rosh said:

I cannot believe that Nate  - of all people - survived this finale. WTF!

Like a cockroach. 

[AryasMum]

9 hours ago, MorbidPet said:

I just finished the last episode minutes ago and I'm too upset that Bonnie died to say anything right now. I need to get a life cause it is not normal to cry this much over a fictional character. 

That’s because Liza knocked it out of the park, as usual. I gave up on this show two seasons ago, but read spoilers and tuned in for Bonnie’s death. It was more heartbreaking than I could have guessed. Liza took a character that could rightfully be despised, and gave her a thousand shades of gray, and an unexpected humanity. 

[NUguy514]

6 hours ago, alexvillage said:

Portuguese is my first language. Spanish is not necessarily easier for Portuguese speaking people. I became fluent in English faster than I could babble in Spanish.

My point is that Enoch majored in Spanish in college, so it's reasonable to assume he speaks it very well; you don't major in a foreign language in college without coming away with a strong degree of proficiency in that language.

Quote

I thought the mentor comment implied that Laurel and AK stayed in touch, which made it more surprising that Christopher didn't know who Connor and Oliver were.

Not to mention the fact that Connor and Oliver are Christopher's godparents.  I also had a "WTF?" reaction to Christopher not knowing his godparents.

Edited May 15, 2020 by NUguy514

[alexvillage]

33 minutes ago, NUguy514 said:

My point is that Enoch majored in Spanish in college, so it's reasonable to assume he speaks it very well; you don't major in a foreign language in college without coming away with a strong degree of proficiency in that language.

Ah! I missed the majored in Spanish part, sorry.

Edited May 15, 2020 by alexvillage

[Lovecat]

15 hours ago, Annber03 said:

As for the students looking as aged as they did...chalk it up to the crazy stress they experienced in their younger days, perhaps ;p?

Maybe they all just got out of coronaquarantine 😉

[Too soon??]

6 hours ago, Chicago Redshirt said:

I must have blinked and missed the bit about Michaela becoming a judge. Good for her, I guess. I know that she had the sweet plea deal, but it seems like admitting that you were part of a long-running murder-conspiracy might harm your chances of getting on the bench, no matter how much money your estranged daddy has.

Right?

It looked to me like there were two little girls at Michaela's swearing-in, so I'd guess she was a grandmother, so apparently she didn't wind up alone.

[bannana]

I really hoped for a happier ending.  Bonnie, Frank, Tegan and Annaliese sipping cocktails on the beach with Laurel footing the bill for their early retirement.  Something like that.  I didn't like the ultimate in flash forwards that showed everyone 30+ years later.

[Deanie87]

Damn. By the end of the series the only characters I cared about were Conner, Michaela, Frank and Bonnie.  LOL to me.

[853fisher]

I thought that was a fitting conclusion.  The past few years, I've still actively looked forward to watching, but found my interest dwindling during the episodes themselves.  Even with this finale, I admit I zoned out a little, and didn't immediately understand at whose order Jorge was killed.  I think they could have kept my interest better by spreading some of the twists introduced near the end of this season in particular over a longer arc.  Frank's spinning out didn't feel "earned" to me, for example, because we had no time to see the effect of his newfound knowledge on his life.

 

I'm disappointed by how unlikable Oliver became, and I was a little sorry to see them together at the funeral.  He's probably the character I think changed for the worst over the course of the series.  Michaela, meanwhile, remained totally herself.  She lost a lot of her integrity, but retained her ability to reason through things, however cynically at times.  Tegan was a wonderful introduction relatively late in the game, although my goodness, I certainly rolled my eyes at the profession of love with a life-or-death verdict hanging over her head.  Talk about self-absorbed!

 

Ah well.  I appreciated the way this show approached issues of identity and brought together a great cast I can look forward to seeing in other projects.  My last very long year of college was improved by the K5's adventures, as they took over after "Downton Abbey" ended as what I watched every week with dear friends who had graduated.  They did not make it to the bitter end, but we'll always have the memories!  

[SunnyBeBe]

I agree that, as someone else said upthread, this finale was reminiscent of the one for Six Feet Under.  I LOVED that series.