How to Get Away With Murder, better known as HTGAWM, gave us soapy plotlines, humor in the middle of criminal activities, and the powerhouse character that is Annalise Keating. Not only has the show broken barriers, but it’s also become an almost guilty pleasure for many who would not normally watch a show in this format. However, even fans that obsess about the show don’t know all about the little details behind it, whether it be details about what goes into making the show, or things about the plot of the show.
From having a diverse cast to storylines that make us want the cast to get off scot-free, HTGAWM has a few elements that simply make us want to keep watching its plots unfold. Perhaps one of the reasons why we love the show so much is that we have to pay attention to its many details. We’re often presented with a series of images that show an incomplete piece of a story and have to watch it unfold as the season continues. Not only that, but we see get a lot of backstories that explain why a given character behaves a certain way.
TV is a visual medium and perhaps there may be small Easter eggs thrown into the fray that we the fans are supposed to keep track of. Regardless of the part, they play in the series, here are some small things we’ve noticed.
Here are 25 Little Details Only True Fans Know About HTGAWM.
Small Countdowns Before A Big Plot Twist
Being a TV show, it makes sense that the show’s directors come up with visual ways to add to what we’re seeing. HTGAWM is known for using subtle cues.
There’s a small countdown before a plot twist in one of the show’s episodes. One Reddit commenter mentioned that one episode featured a number 10 and then counted down all the way to 5. After this, characters had scenes with a lower number just before a plot twist occurred. There was no 1, but it’s still something.
24. Some Lines Are Repeated After Something Bad Happens
HTGAWM relies on various plots that continue intersecting as time goes along. As such, characters repeat lines whenever something bad is about to happen.
Not only that, but the episodes are named after a line one of the characters says throughout the show. The only two exceptions to this rule include the pilot episode, which is simply called “Pilot.” In season 3, the show broke its own rules and simply named one episode “Wes.” Of course, everyone says his name at one point.
Olivia Writes On A Chalkboard During The Crossover With Scandal
Fans of HTGAWM and Scandal loved the crossover. Who doesn’t love watching two of their favorite characters go head to head? One thing we notice is that Annalise isn’t teaching at the time, but Olivia Pope is.
When the episode introduces the crossover, instead of watching Annalise Keating write the name of her class in chalk, we see Olivia do this. This is a small clue that both women are teachers we can look up to and have something in common.
22. Humpr Is A Royalty-Free Version Of another social media app
When we first meet Connor, he’s playing the field and uses apps to meet potential love interests. Of course, the apps we know usually charge a fee to be featured as products on TV.
HTGAWM created Humpr so they could have something free they could use. Of course, it also shows that the show is more than just intricate plots and dark stories. At least Connor got to have some fun while using an app with a funny name, right?
There Was An Actual “Keating 5”
The Keating 5 seem untouchable, and many of them seem as if they’ll lead successful lives despite their misdeeds. However, there’s a real Keating 5. The show’s creators haven’t discussed much whether or not the characters on the show are named after the original Keating 5.
What we do know is that Senator John McCain was once a part of the original Keating 5. He was able to put the scandal behind them and lead a successful career. Maybe the reference foreshadows success for everyone?
Wes Was About To Take The Fall For Everyone
We’ve now entered Season 5 of HTGAWM and everyone is still practicing law. Now, some characters have had some very close calls. One reason they’ve been able to get by for so long is that Wes was about to take the fall for everyone before he died.
Though Laurel’s dad didn’t mean to eliminate Wes in order to help everyone else, that’s what ended up happening. In the end, evidence that Wes was about to take the blame for everyone is what helps everyone breathe easier.
Annalise Calls Wes Her “Son”
It’s easy to see that Annalise treats Wes differently from the rest of the Keating 5. At first, we think Annalise just feels an affinity to him. He seems like the type of person that has more to offer than the eye can see.
Her backstory and connection to Wes’ mom show us that she’s been committed to taking care of him for quite some time now. The thing is, she calls him her son during Season 3 when she attended a support group.
Kashchey Vodka Isn’t Real
Like other characters on TV, Annalise Keating has her drink of choice. HTGAWM took the trouble of creating a vodka brand for Annalise.
Kashchey vodka is made up and its name has a dark backstory. Turns out Kashchey is a character from a Russian opera, “Kashchey the Immortal.” Kashchey is a villainous wizard whose soul lives on in his daughter. The trick is that for his soul to continue living, she must not show emotion. Eventually, the daughter cries and Kashchey loses his immortality, so to speak.
Season 5 Explores Stuff From Season 2
There are many things HTGAWM could explore from its past seasons. Unlike other shows where this would be plot overkill, the show practically depends on flashbacks and predictions in order to make its point. It’s unique for other series in that it’s not sci-fi, yet it constantly plays with time.
Before season 5 was released, Tom Verica, who played Sam on the series, teased a few flashbacks. This meant that the characters would have to contend with things they thought were gone in Season 2.
It’s Insinuated That Simon Got Deported
We all loved to hate on Simon Drake, but his backstory was always meant to be tragic. Turns out he had an unrequited crush on Ollie. Then he went and got on the wrong side of Michaela Pratt.
Once she figured out that Simon wasn’t legally in the U.S. she did what she could to keep him quiet. Calling immigration on him sounds better than the way the show usually deals with pests, but it’s still an equally sad ending to his story.
Episode 6 On Season 3 Had Mean Girls References
In what seems totally unrelated, HTGAWM decided to use references to Mean Girls during Season 3, Episode 6, “Is Someone Really Dead?”
One reference happens when Michaela says “You can’t sit with us,” at one point. Later, we see Laurel wearing sweatpants on a Monday a là Regina George. Simon Drake later calls some characters “mean girls,” and Annalise Keating feels like such an outcast that she winds up eating lunch by herself in a cubicle. We definitely didn’t see that at first!
Annalise Only Called Wes And Connor By Their Names On Season 1
Though this only lasts a few seconds, some fans noticed that Annalise already knew Wes and Connor’s names. Later on, we realize why Annalise might have been expected to know who Wes is. The nature of Connor and Annalise’s relationship was more mysterious.
Annalise respects him enough to keep him in her inner circle, but that doesn’t mean they’ve become overly close. To this day, fans debate whether or not Connor might be special too. Maybe we’ll see this as the show continues.
Connor Asked Why He Was Chosen To Be In The K5
Connor always stood out from everyone else in the Keating 5 since the beginning. He always exuded confidence. Though we could tell he cared about his career, he also had a (seemingly) messier personal life than the rest of the characters. Still, he didn’t seem to excel in law like the others.
At one point, Connor even asked Annalise why she chose him to be a part of the Keating 5. In the end, he didn’t get an answer to his question.
Isaac Knows Frank, Laurel, And Michaela
Isaac Roa had a dark past, but he also seemed entirely well-intentioned. We saw him try to help Annalise through court-mandated therapy. Sadly, he left the show without giving us much closure or an explanation as to how his past ties in with everyone else.
One thing we do notice is that he knew Frank, Laurel, and Michaela as well. Frank updates Isaac on Laurel’s condition once he gets to the hospital. The show doesn’t mention how they all met though.
Bonnie Changed Apartments Suddenly
Bonnie had a cute apartment in Season 2, but in Season 3 we suddenly notice she’s moved into a cute house! We can’t imagine that working for Annalise means she’s suddenly rolling in the dough.
There may be a logistical reason why the showrunners had to move Bonnie’s live quarters. In a show that relies on various small moments to force us to reckon with some of its characters, you can’t blame us for wanting to theorize about what this means.
Laurel Got An Automatic A
Many characters dismiss Laurel because of her appearance. Others ridicule her because of her privileged background. However, Laurel proves herself a legal force to be reckoned with time and time again.
She won Annalise’s trophy challenge by finding a new suspect for the Duvall family’s case. The trophy gave Laurel an automatic A in Annalise’s class. Whenever anyone had a reason to doubt Laurel, she had a small trophy to wield in their faces. Yet, she rarely chose to do so.
The Trophy Loses Its Scales
After Sam, you know, exited the show the Keating 5 do their best to find any evidence of the aftermath. They forgot that the Lady Justice trophy is actually missing its scales.
Fans are still debating what this could mean for everyone else. Is it an allusion to the actual lack of justice on the show? Does it mean that someone could find these scales and use them against the cast later? Maybe we’ll find this out as time goes by.
We Never Saw Annalise’s Letter To Sam
Despite their rocky relationship, Annalise still had plenty of reasons to grieve after Sam’s passing. Fans have mentioned that she did seem to feel better after Sam was gone. She wrote him a letter.
Since it seems so important, we remembered the letter until we realized its contents was never discussed to the fans. The scene was well-done and quite cathartic. Some fans agree that not showing what Annalise wrote was for the best. Others are wondering if it will come back to haunt the Keating 5.
Frank Placed A Bug Before Annalise Got Into The Car Accident
HTGAWM isn’t just about law. It’s also about low-key espionage and snooping. That’s why it’s important to know when characters overhear another one in a corner or do something as subtle as placing a bug that lets them keep track of someone.
We all know about Annalise’s tragic car accident by now. It turns out that Frank was wire-tapping Annalise just before her accident. Later on, we realize this is why Sam complains that Frank didn’t do his best to protect her.
We Meet Julie Winterbottom Thanks To Nate
We first see a lengthy appearance of Julie Winterbottom on Season 5, Episode 6, “We Can Find Him.” Still, we actually get the first glimpse of her thanks to Nate during season 4.
Nate was looking through some documents during season 4 when he finally takes a look at Julie’s driver’s license. You’d have to take a close look at this in order to see it, but it’s unmistakable. Just goes to show that we need to pay better attention to small clues.
