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9 'How To Get Away With Murder' Season 5 Theories That Are So Wild They May Just Be True

by Megan Walsh

Compared to the usual chaos that ends a season of How to Get Away with Murder, the finale of Season 4 was positively pleasant. Laurel was reunited with her baby. Annalise had rehabilitated her public image. Connor and Oliver were well on their way to wedded bliss. But everything wasn't perfect, and these HTGAWM Season 5 theories try to tie up any loose ends while figuring how where the show will go from here.

The biggest question mark of "Nobody Else Is Dying" involved the introduction of a new, unknown character named Gabriel Maddox who might be related to one of the main protagonists. But he wasn't the only mystery introduced in the last episode. There are several threads that look like they'll be continuing into the fifth season, disrupting the careful peace that some of the characters have found. Things might be looking up for the Keating crew right now, but it's unlikely that will last for long. It never does on this show.

Fans of the series have tried to figure out some of the more puzzling aspects of the finale, and in doing so have come up with the following speculation. Without further ado, here are some theories that explore the possibilities of HTGAWM Season 5.

Gabriel Is Annalise's Son

Some fans have wondered if the newly arrived Gabriel is actually Annalise's son. That seems unlikely since Annalise held her deceased child after he was stillborn, but Reddit user endakrabapple wondered if it was possible that she had a child before her son with Sam. There may be things the audience doesn't know about Annalise's past.

Gabriel Is Actually Bonnie's Son

The obvious assumption is that Gabriel is the child Bonnie thought she lost when she was only 15 years old. The episode cut from Nate perusing Denver's file on Bonnie (which contained DNA results and the scrawled note "CHILD ALIVE") to Gabriel signing up at Middleton. It may be a red herring, but the show seemed to be leading things in that direction.

Just Kidding — Gabriel Is Sam's Son

HTGAWM might avoid all the obvious answers about Gabriel's parentage and serve its audience an explanation from way out in left field. Redditor tracyrcatlady put forth the idea that Gabriel is actually Sam's son from an extramarital affair, and when Frank announce "her son's here" on the phone to someone, he was referring to the mistress.

Nope, Gabriel Is Wes' Brother

Reddit user agoddess23 thought Gabriel had more than a passing resemblance to the dearly departed Wes, which could mean they have a family connection. It's possible he could be Wes' younger brother, either by Wes' mother or by someone in his father's family. Wes' family tree is complex enough to make it more than plausible.

Laurel's Mysterious Scratches

No one knows what happened to Laurel's mother Sandrine at the end of Season 4. She and Laurel had a fight before Sandrine disappeared, and Laurel had scratches all over her arms to prove it. Laurel insisted over and over that she hadn't hurt her mom, but perhaps (according to a thread on Reddit) Laurel did actually kill Sandrine — or just has her tied up somewhere. Either way, that altercation caused Laurel's injuries.

Laurel's Scratches: Part 2

However, the Laurel Hurt Her Mom theory is a tad too obvious for some fans, like Redditor Itsjustme_girl. They wondered if Laurel had actually been the one to tamper with Denver's car, resulting in her wounds and his death.

Laurel's Past

Reddit user agoddess23 had a more complicated theory about Laurel. According to them, Laurel might have Dissociative Identity Disorder, which is causing her to have blackouts or commit actions she later has no memory of. They cited numerous references to Laurel's mental health, as well as Jorge's ominous indications that people don't know the real Laurel. Agoddess23 even wondered if Laurel was the one who actually killed Wes while having an episode. It would be a potentially offensive and very soap opera twist, but it's not out of the realm of possibility for this show.

Frank & Nate Are In It Together

When Frank was signing in at Middleton and spotted Gabriel, he announced the kid's arrival to someone on the phone. However, the episode didn't reveal who was on the line. Reddit user alien_she__ theorized that it was Nate, and the scene was actually a flash forward. Maybe Nate saw the note about Bonnie's living child and sent Frank to track him down. On the phone, Frank was telling Nate that he'd found him.

Connor & Oliver's Wedding Theme Is Murder

HTGAWM has always played fast and loose with time, jumping between the present storyline and the future to raise the tension throughout the season. Evl217 speculated that the flash forwards of Season 5 will revolve around Connor and Oliver's wedding, which might be interrupted by another murder. Considering how much crime has bound them together, it's not a bad choice for a wedding theme on this show.

As you can clearly see, there are a lot of different directions HTGAWM Season 5 could go, but we won't know for sure how it'll all play out until the series returns. Is it fall yet?