‘HTGAWM’ Reveals Major Character Is ‘Dead’ in Final Season Premiere

How to Get Away With Murder is back for one final mystery, and it seems one main character will not have a happy ending. The ABC drama series kicked off its final season with a mystery surrounding the possible death of a main character, as many gathered for their future funeral in the final moments of the premiere.

Spoilers ahead for How to Get Away With Murder Season 6 Premiere: “Say Goodbye”

Rather than starting the season with a flash-forward, the series changed up the format in Thursday’s premiere with a dream sequence in which Annalise Keating (Viola Davis) visualized her funeral. The moment saw as Bonnie (Liza Weil) told Frank (Charlie Weber) they were finally free, before an older Christopher — Laurel’s (Karla Souza) son with Wes — opens her casket and aims a gun at her body.

Annalise snaps out of the moment and is revealed to be in a rehab facility. The episode reveals that after Laurel and baby Christopher’s mysterious disappearance in the Season 5 finale, Annalise relapsed and went on a life-threatening bender that landed her in the hospital. The scary situation motivated her to leave town and head to rehab for treatment to finally get her demons under control. The premiere episode also revealed that Tegan (Amirah Vann) was promoted to managing partner at Caplan & Gold following Emmett’s (Timothy Hutton) death. While there was clear foul play in his death, an ME in England declares his official cause of death a heart attack.

With Annalise in treatment, the Keating 4, Bonnie and Frank are stuck on what to do next with Laurel. There is no indication on if she was taken or if she packed her bags, took her baby and skipped town. Oliver (Conrad Ricamora) tries to pinpoint her cell phone but her family’s company ensures her location remains a mystery with her phone showing up in different cities around the world every few seconds.

The crew also struggles with the reveal that Annalise had defended Michaela’s (Aja Naomi King) biological father many years before, connecting the student to her professor even before the drama from the series first started.

In rehab, Annalise struggles to open up at first and hides her identity. A conversation with her roommate, however, causes her to break down and admit to all the crimes she committed with the Keating 4. The roommate promises to keep her secret, though we are not sure we trust her. Sharing the secrets, however, helps Annalise finally forgive herself for many of her mistakes and she shows signs of improvement for the first time.

After the breakthrough, Annalise decides to return home after just a week and gathers the Keating 4. At the same time, Frank has the police investigate Laurel’s disappearance but finds a hidden key in her room he keeps to himself. Nate (Billy Brown) begins to suspect Tegan might be involved with their enemies, as she is seen taking over Emmett’s office at the firm and celebrating his death with a “boy bye.”

Annalise tells her students it’s time to bury all their secrets — including letting Laurel’s disappearance go — and move on. They take turns letting out their frustrations and guilt and it seems that they are ready to start fresh.

The peace doesn’t last long, however, as Asher (Matt McGorry) takes the opportunity to call Annalise out about knowing Michaela’s biological father in that moment. Michaela says that if that’s true, she will kill Annalise before the show shifts to a not-so-distant future to a real funeral this time.

The episode as the camera pans through a large crowd gathered at a church and someone giving a eulogy. The camera arrives at a photo of the deceased and it is none other than Annalise Keating.

Is she really dead? Who killed her? Will everyone go down for their crimes? How to Get Away With Murder airs Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET on ABC.