Entertainment

ABC/Kelsey McNeal
Hold Up: Did Emmett Actually Kill Nate Sr. On 'HTGAWM'?

With only two new episodes away from the How to Get Away With Murder Season 5 finale, there's still plenty to unpack. In "Where Are Your Parents," Gov. Birkhead told Annalise that she had nothing to do with Miller's or Nate Senior's deaths. She also claimed that Emmett Crawford killed Nate Sr. But can Birkhead be trusted when Annalise was going to pin the murder on the governor just a few moments earlier? Naturally, the fans took it to the internet to spell out their disbelief, forming theories on who murdered Nate Sr. in HTGAWM. While not every theory will spell out what Annalise discovers in "Make Me the Enemy," at least one is bound to be close enough.

The reason why Emmett's involvement in the murder seems so unlikely is because Emmett has proven himself to be a strong ally to Annalise. He offered Annalise a job at Caplan & Gold. He did everything he could to keep her at the firm. He then continued to believe in and support her throughout the season. So, what would be Emmett's motive for killing Nate's father, who was also close to Annalise? Why would he want blood of an innocent man on his hands? What would Emmett have to gain?

While it can be difficult to believe that Emmett was involved with the murder, then there is still a chance that Gov. Birkhead is telling the truth. In a discussion on Reddit, user SaltyBac0n claimed that while there still needs to be some background on the story between Emmett and Birkhead, it's possible that he did it to get Annalise to come back to Caplan & Gold. After all, he was notably upset when Annalise left.

"When Annalise left C&G to work for Birkhead, Emmett was p*issed and called security," the Reddit user wrote. "He may have gotten Nate Sr. killed to get back at Annalise to make her believe that the governor set her up ultimately sending Annalise back to working for Emmett, and throwing the blame to someone he dislikes very much so."

While this theory could potentially explain Emmett's motive, osterlay, another Reddit user, posed an important counterpoint: "Why would Emmett launch a hit on Nate Sr. over a partner quitting? Sure he was angry but that’s because Annalise leaving made him look like a fool to the other partners and the board."

Not convinced that Emmett did the deed? These theories explain who else might be responsible.

Birkhead Killed Nate Sr.

ABC/Mitch Haaseth

Like Annalise, most fans are suspicious of Birkhead. If Emmett wasn't the one responsible, then all the signs seem to point directly at Birkhead. Reddit user allij0ne explained that Birkhead has plenty to gain from the death of Nate Sr. now that she is the prime suspect behind Miller's death. If Birkhead can manage to make people believe that Emmett and Miller worked together to kill Nate Sr., then they might also suspect that Emmett killed Miller, too. Thus, putting Birkhead in the clear.

Jorge Castillo Is Responsible For Nate Sr.'s Death

ABC/Nicole WIlder

While many fans believe that Birkhead is still not to be trusted, there's also one other major candidate: Jorge Castillo. While Castillo has been in jail since Season 4, allij0ne pointed out that Laurel's father could have hired someone to kill Nate Sr., including Emmett.

Meanwhile, another Reddit user, htgawmfreak, believes that Castillo is involved in the murder. However, for a much bigger reason. They claim that Castillo is "likely responsible for the hit on Nate's father," adding that Emmett is a red herring. Rather, the writers could be cooking up something else coming in the finale, as the Redditor noted that even if the writers reveal that Emmett did it, "they never reveal anything earlier then a finale unless it has a twist or introduces a new storyline."

Nate Sr. Was Killed By Someone Out Of The Blue

ABC/Mitch Haaseth

Ultimately, fans seem divided on who killed Nate Sr. That being said, the killer could be none of the above. A few months ago, a few fans believed that Bonnie put the hit on Nate's father. Some guessed that a long-shot would be Gabriel or even the possibility that Nate's father killed himself with an officer's gun. Who knows? Maybe the murderer is even Laurel's mom and we'll finally get to see what happened to her.

Regardless of what fans find out in "Make Me the Enemy," it's going to shock everyone. This is HTGAWM — anything could happen.