How To Get Away With Murder Spoilers: When Did Writers Decide Wes Would Be The Killer? Were Others Considered?

Spoilers

In a recent interview, How To Get Away With Murder showrunner Peter Nowalk revealed that the initial plan was to have Laurel kill Sam, but that this was changed to Wes after the writers developed the story arc for ‘Wait List.’

“Before the season started, I met with the writers the first time and said, ‘Guys, I think the puppy has to do it,'” Nowalk said. “It just made so much sense to me in terms of it feeling right. But I didn’t know when we wrote the pilot who did it. In the pitch, I was like, “Oh, it should be the quiet girl, Laurel.” But then you write the pilot and you discover what the characters are like, and you see he’s the heart and soul of the show. He’s the most innocent coming into it, so to have him commit the deed felt the most concrete. It just felt right in terms of his arc and my initial impulse for the show, which is how do you take normal people and show them do something really bad in a way that feels relatable? That tells that story, to me. Take your most innocent, pure character and show how easily they could commit something so violent and horrible. That’s what happens in life sometimes.”

Nowalk also revealed that after it was decided that Wes would be the one to hit Sam in the head with the trophy, no one else was really considered.

“It made a lot of sense for me based on how he feels about Rebecca, how his love for her is inexplicable. To me, that’s the greatest type of love, where it’s not logical, rational or explained. Why else would you ever do that? Why else would you ever kill someone? It’s usually a crime of passion. It’s also in keeping with his character. It’s very protective.”

To read the entire interview, visit EW.com