How to Get Away with Murder never shied away from big twists, and I still can’t believe the series went through with killing off a member of the Keating 5. How to Get Away with Murder worked well since each season had a central mystery focusing on a murder. By the time season 3 hit the air, the storylines started to stall, and I recall wondering how the show could bounce back creatively. TV shows are often afraid of alienating audiences by killing off beloved characters, but How to Get Away with Murder was not one of those shows.

As a result, How to Get Away with Murder season 3, episode 9 remains one of the most shocking hours of TV. The prior two seasons featured flashforwards to the aftermath of the crime to tease who survived and who could be the killer. However, the series switched that up by showing the deceased in what I assumed was a flashforward to remove them from the victim list. It reignited my passion for the show because pulling off such an intricate plot increased the stakes for the rest of the series.

Wes Gibbins Was Killed Off During How To Get Away With Murder Season 3

Wes Was One Of The Most Important Characters

Killing off Alfred Enoch’s Wes in HTGAWM season 3 came during an era of TV in which cast exits rarely leaked before they departed on-screen. Wes was the second most crucial character, next to Annalise, seeing as the show was told mainly from his perspective. Even if How to Get Away with Murder implied that he would die as part of the resolution of the biggest mystery, I would never have believed it. I’ll never forget my spine-tingling reaction to Annalise unzipping the body bag to reveal that Wes had perished after being caught up in a fire.

Given Wes’ importance to the narrative, I remember questioning whether there was any possibility it was a fake-out. With so many questions still lingering about the night of Wes’ death going into a lengthy hiatus, it crossed my mind that maybe Annalise and her students had to find a way to make him look dead. When that wasn’t the case, I couldn’t help but wonder whether the show was in jeopardy.

How To Get Away With Murder’s Wes Death Probably Saved The Show

How To Get Away With Murder Season 3 Was Frustrating

It takes guts to pull off such a significant death. It also came at a great time due to the show’s creative woes. The showrunner clearly saw a chance to reinvigorate How to Get Away with Murder and rolled with it. Ultimately, the risky decision forced the narrative in a different direction. Without significant deaths on a show about murder, I wouldn’t have looked back so fondly on the series today if it hadn’t taken this big swing.

Wes was such a big part of How to Get Away with Murder that even when his storyline started wearing thin, the show focused on him instead of some of the better characters like Michaela and Bonnie. Following his death, How to Get Away with Murder was free to focus more on the other key players and devote more time to getting to the root of their wants and needs. Without killing off Wes in season 3, How to Get Away with Murder would probably not have remained as popular as it did for so long.