‘How To Get Away With Murder’ Season 6 Episode 10: Why did Connor and Michaela take the plea deal?
Spoilers for ‘How To Get Away With Murder’ Season 6 Episode 10
The first of the final few episodes of the hit legal thriller saw the most unexpected turn of events. Picking up from where we left before the midseason break, episode 10 continued with Connor Walsh and Michaela Pratt’s arrest. The FBI charged them with the murder of Asher Millstone. We know that they couldn’t have done it since Asher left for Bonnie’s house while Connor and Michaela were at their home. But somehow, the fire poker which was used to kill Asher had Michaela’s fingerprints on it. It’s logical because it does belong to them and Oliver did hit Asher the first time, but of course, that blow wasn’t fatal.
But, as luck would have it (or let’s say as the twists and turns of law would have it), the police found enough evidence to incriminate them both. It might look like a straight investigation, but it’s not. If you try to read between the lines, you would see that the FBI has a bigger picture in mind; to incriminate Annalise Keating. The reasons could be plenty. While she has never murdered anyone per se, she has helped her students and others get away with it. Also, while fighting for her class-action suit, she had surely ruffled a lot of feathers in the legal and political circuit. This is quite evident from how the AUSA (Assistant United States Attorney) reacted the moment the FBI handed her the signed plea deal.
The question that we want to raise here is why did the kids sign the plea deal? Yes, it may seem like the most instinctive reaction when their life is on the line and they see that signing up for federal immunity is the only way out. Not really, though; they still get a five-year sentence, but come to think of it, it’s just a slap-on-the-wrist for their criminal involvement.
What raises an eyebrow here, is that somehow, by some miraculous, telepathic connection, both end up setting the exact same terms and conditions for the deal. On the face of it, it’s beautiful to see the evolution of these two friends and how well they are connected to each other. But when have the plots of HTGAWM ever been so simple and linear? Their decision is not only unexpected but also leaves us with the burning question- why did they do it?
For lack of any solid answers, we come up with these possibilities.
One: Connor was under a lot of pressure from Oliver and his mother. Earlier he might have been all heroic, but now, he has a home and husband to lose. So, taking a plea deal and throwing Annalise under the bus seemed like the safest bet at this point. On the other hand, Michaela will not leave any chance to save herself first and seeing that now she has the support of her influential and rich father, which could be the ultimate ticket to her dream life.
Also, they both are done with the stressful events that have happened in the last five years, ever since they became a part of Annalise’s group.
This reaction, is probably stemming from their frustration over the years.
Two: They know that it’s too late to deny any of the crimes that FBI listed out to them. And the best way to save themselves, however little they can, is to find the minimum sentence time.
Three: There’s a wild chance and a far-fetched possibility that Michaela and Connor KNOW what’s going on with Annalise and that they had prepared for this situation long ago. So, what if this was a plan all along to take the plea deal, put it all on Annalise, so later, when Annalise would fake her death, they all would get away with it, just like they pinned Sam’s murder on Wes after he died.
Tell us what you think of these reasons, and stay tuned for more theories and discussions on the hottest legal drama of the year!
‘How To Get Away With Murder’ Season 6 airs every Thursday 10pm/9c only on ABC.