Warning: This story contains major spoilers from Thursdays episode ofHow to Get Away with Murder.
Read at your own risk!
Of course, there was still a twist along the way: He was actually deadbeforethe house fire.
Credit: ABC/Nicole Wilder
In the meantime, executive producer Pete Nowalk talks his decision to kill off Wes and whats coming next.
(Read our postmortem with Alfred Enochhere.)
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: What came with the decision to kill off Wes?
PETE NOWALK:I have to take all the responsibility for it.
It wasnt easy to make.
It was the least fun aspect of this job that Ive had so far.
I love how Alfie portrays Wes.
It makes me either really lazy or its my creative process, I cant tell.
Oh, someones under a sheet.
I really put it off.
Its like having homework.
Its really hard because its sad.
Were there other possibilities that you leaned into?
Everyone was a possibility except for Annalise.
Still people are like, Maybe shes a ghost looking down at herself.
Everyone was a possibility.
Its been kind of mean, I think.
He was the most gracious, lovely person ever.
Because, you know, on this show, everyone comes back in one form or another.
I dont know, maybe well show a flashback five years next season.
Did you have the cast bugging you for an answer?
The second half of the season will include flashbacks with Wes, correct?
So, were going to see Wes for sure, alive, in the rest of the season sporadically.
Obviously the big mystery is who killed him?
What happened to Wes?
But moving forward, he likely would not be a series regular next season?
Betsy [Beers] is always like, You dont know in your show.
Its crazy with your timeline.
And thats the truth.
Who knows if well have a next season?
I dont really even think about it beyond this season.
I was open to it not being someone big.
Obviously, it needed to be someone who impacted Annalise emotionally.
I didnt want that to be a performance that she was giving.
Weve seen her murder people and get away with it and perform, right?
So, I wanted that to be an authentic moment.
I watched it the first time, the season premiere, and I was like, Whoa.
I dont think you want to just lead people on for nine episodes of Whos under the sheet?
and then give them Simon, who is a new character.
I would throw my remote at the TV if that was me watching.
Other people have said that to me.
I would question whether Wes has the biggest moral compass at this point.
He did kill Sam in defense of Rebecca.
There are other pure characters on the show like Oliver.
I think Nates pretty pure at this point.
So, it depends how you look at it.
Annalise had invited everyone to the house before it exploded.
Are some of the characters going to suspect that she had a hand in this?
Obviously well answer that question for our characters really early after the fact.
Wes is basically the closest thing that Annalise has to family.
Is this going to cause her to spiral?
Shes worked really hard to have a go at keep Wes safe.
I think shes projected a lot of her healing onto him.
What weve watched is that the two of them really helped heal each other.
I dont want to give away how shes going to react.
Is she going to fall apart and grieve and lie in bed or in her jail cell?
Or how is she going to fight this, especially when shes been completely stripped of all her power?
Will her mom (Cicely Tyson) need to come to town?
I think her mom will need to come to town.
Is there anything it’s possible for you to tease about whos responsible for Wes death?
Thats the fun of the six episodes.
Youre not going to have to wait that long to find out, but we will show it.
Its very similar to who killed Lila.
There will be surprises about whos done it, and there will be elements that arent surprising.
How much does that scare you losing one half of that dynamic?
I think its one of the things that Im excited about.
In real life, if you lose the people closest to you, how do you fill that void?
Im fascinated to delve into Annalises personal relationship with everyone else as well.
Does it bond them in a way that we havent seen yet?
Shes desperate and shes drunk and shes alone.
So, yes, theres a kiss between her and Bonnie.
Laurel is pregnant and it seems like Wes may be the baby daddy.
How will his death affect her?
This makes Laurel grow up in a major way.
I think shes devastated.
She has a real dilemma now being pregnant with what is probably his baby.
She feels like she has to be the keeper of his integrity.
I dont know if she trusts anyone.
I dont know if she thinks Frank did this.
Does she think Bonnie does it?
Does she think Annalise did it?
I think she knows that shes the keeper of his purity in a way and needs to avenge it.
IsWes the father of her child?
In the midseason premiere?
Were not doingBridget Joness Baby.
Each season has followed a different structure.
We tried to keep them simpler this year.
How we end the ninth episode always tells me where the back half of the season has to go.
So, this back half of the season wont have as many flashbacks as last year did.
Or did they like this and not like that?
I think its like a mob show.
I dont worry about it that much, because I have no control over it.
Im not trying to wait to do anything.
Im not going to be like, You know what?
Season 5 well put someone under the sheet!
If I have an idea, I just have to do it now.
Id rather us burn out bright than just linger on and dwindle into boringness.
If you had carte blanche and could do anything, what would you want to do?
Make like five episodes a year.
Im not handcuffed at all by my actors.
Instead, its kind of terrifying, because youre like, Oh, I can do anything.
Am I going to make the right decisions?
So, I can do anything.
Sometimes you wish you could make less.
Its the question youve been asking me since the beginning.
How long can this go on?
Someone else will make that decision, which is nice.
How to Get Away with Murderwill return Thursday, Jan. 19 at 10 p.m.
