Even with just one more episode of How to Get Away with Murder left to air in 2019, the ABC drama is still introducing more questions than answers. The newest mystery, following the Thursday, Nov. 14 "I Want to Be Free" episode: Why is Annalise leaving in HTGAWM Season 6? In the final moments, the law professor pulled out her burner phone and seemingly dialed her way to a new identity as "Justine." A man's voice guided her through beginning "the process," and, after stuffing her fake passport into a go-bag, she ultimately climbed into the back of a waiting car to take her to an undisclosed location.
After all the drama that's gone down over the course of the series' six-season run, the reason why Annalise would decide to disappear now seems to be one of the many missing puzzle pieces. The HTGAWM writers did leave some breadcrumbs — though they're famous for their red herrings, so take them with a grain of salt, as always.
Right before an emotional Annalise makes the call in her apartment, viewers can see the same fireplace poker on the floor next to shattered glass. In the scene immediately prior to the one where Annalise begins to assume the identity of Justine, she had also just scrawled the words "faked death" on her iconic classroom chalkboard. Add in some flashes of Annalise's funeral that viewers have been seeing all season, and it would be easy to draw the conclusion that Annalise faked her death in order to finally escape . . . something.
"I should have left a long time ago," Annalise says in ABC's promo for the Nov. 21 midseason finale, which the network promises will be "insane." And, from what the sneak peek would lead you to believe, her relationships have gone from bad to worse, as she's placed at the center of a murder conspiracy. Even Nate seemingly tells Annalise it's time she "finally paid," with a sort of scuffle possibly ensuing. (There were some clever camera tricks here.)
By episode's end, he'd had plenty of fresh reasons to feel she'd betrayed him all over again. Annalise finally decided to let the public hear that it was Xavier Castillo — not the late DA Ronald Miller — who ordered the hit on Nate Sr. But more than letting the court room learn the truth, she was letting Nate Jr. and Bonnie finally hear the fact she'd been trying to protect them from. Upon learning the devastating news, Bonnie had Frank escorted from her hospital room, so it seems safe to say her attitude toward Annalise would be about the same. Did Annalise push one or both of them too far this time? Seems unlikely, but, more shocking things have happened (RIP Wes Gibbins).
Then there's the theory that maybe Annalise isn't the "dead informant" who's been alluded to all season. Maybe she was actually the killer — after all, she has been keeping that handgun pretty close lately. (She's also seen holding it in the trailer for next week's episode.) Either way, it doesn't seem likely her potential escape from Philly will have been precipitated by anything like that. After all, Annalise had already secured Justine's paperwork (via Solomon's connection) and claimed during her restraining order hearing it was because she feared if she didn't escape the Castillos, she would be killed.
Now, it seems, HTGAWM is leading you to believe that either scenario is equally plausible. Here's hoping the fall finale will give some insight one way or the other.
