The heart-stopping legal procedural/crime drama, How To Ge Away With Murder, starring the extraordinary Viola Davis was one of the most gripping Shondaland shows on ABC. The series aired its finale in mid-2020 after six years of gripping drama, more murders than anyone can remember, deceit, manipulation, lots of sex, and some power-packed performances.
Aside from the fierce defense attorney, Annalise Keating, there was a bunch of fresh faces including actors Alfred Enoch and Matt McGory who were part of the sociopathic little brood otherwise known as the Keating Five. Two other main characters were the morally dubious Frank Delfino and the even more twisted, Bonnie Winterbottom. Here's a list of ten details about Bonnie that fans might have failed to notice.
No-Nonsense Bonnie
Actress Liza Weil has stated that her first impression of Bonnie Winterbottom was a no-nonsense character who wanted to take care of everyone around her.
While Bonnie did take care of people (often by killing them, or others for them) the writers did not just stick to her motherly image and made her into one of the most complex individuals on the show, who was both morally and ethically dubious and shared a peculiar relationship with her mentor.
Bonnie's Mom Was Never Shown
Bonnie was an abuse survivor with a traumatic childhood. She was raped by her own father and she and her sister were both abused by men; in fact, Bonnie stated that her parents would make money by selling her and her sister to men and by making tapes of them having sex.
However, although Bonnie's mother was said to have been involved in this disturbing affair, she was never shown on screen, and her consequent relationship with Bonnie was never mentioned.
Bonnie's Sister Was Addicted To Drugs
It is common for writers to include new characters, major or minor, into a main character's arc to create storylines for forthcoming seasons. In season 6, Bonnie suddenly found a long-lost sister who had hardly ever been mentioned before that.
It was revealed that Bonnie's sister, Julie, had also been abused by their father while growing up, and been responsible for kidnapping Bonnie's child from the hospital where he had been abandoned by her parents. Julie herself had issues with substance abuse, although she had quit and was struggling to fight the addiction when Bonnie finally meets her in season 6.
Bonnie Had A Huge Crush On Frank From The Beginning
Bonnie had a complicated relationship with almost everybody on the show, most obviously with Annalise but also with Frank. In season 3, it was shown that Bonnie and Frank were involved in a sexual relationship but then Frank left and that was that.
However, in season 6, it was further revealed that Bonnie had had a crush on Frank much before any of the events of the show had begun. When Frank and Bonnie were both fresh and young and new to the Keating house, they had hooked up, and then Frank had ditched Bonnie after being threatened by Sam. The twisted relationship between these two highly complex individuals, both with a questionable sense of right and wrong, apparently went way back.
Bonnie Might Be Bisexual
Bonnie was mostly shown to date men. She was engaged in a sexual relationship with Asher Millstone for a brief while and then, in season 5, with the interim D.A. Ronald Miller.
However, in one very powerful and emotionally wrought moment in season 3, Bonnie and Annalise shared a kiss. Now, Annalise was clearly pansexual, she had dated Eve in the past. But Bonnie's sexual identity was never addressed after that, as the writers decided to abandon what could have been a very mature, intriguing angle between these two emotionally co-dependent women.
Connor Walsh Was Bonnie's Choice
Connor Walsh was the handsome young law student, who started out as suave and ambitious but soon evolved into a more emotionally complex individual. By season 6, Connor had realized that almost everybody on the Keating 5 had been chosen for some particular reason that wasn't necessarily related to their high exam scores.
For instance, Asher had been selected because of his influential dad, Wes had been handpicked by Annalise because of her own complicated past with his mother, Laurel had been selected by Frank who wanted to sleep with her, etc. In season 6, Connor finally finds out that he himself had been selected by none other than Bonnie, who had been impressed by his essay on shutting down a gay conversion camp during his undergrad years.
Bonnie Could Have Got Engaged
Most of season 5 revolved around who lay dying in a pool of blood on the snow during Connor and Oliver's wedding. It turned out that the victim was D.A. Ronald Miller, who had been in a relationship with Bonnie in that season.
Whoever got involved with Annalise and her borderline psychopathic underlings and colleagues were usually doomed instantly and D.A. Miller was no exception. However, what was even more heartbreaking was that Miller was truly in love with Bonnie and even planned to propose to her. Bonnie could have actually got herself a ticket out of the mess and perhaps even led a relatively peaceful life, away from the Keating drama.
Motive For Rebecca's Murder Was Never Clear
In season 1, Rebecca Sutter was being represented by Annalise when she was charged with having murdered the sorority girl, Lila Stangard. However, Rebecca soon found out that Sam Keating had been having an affair with Lila, culminating in Wes murdering Sam.
It is then that the writers dropped their first bomb regarding the otherwise shy and docile Bonnie Winterbottom. Bonnie puts a plastic bag around Rebecca's head and murders her in cold blood, presumably fearing that Rebecca would go to the police about Sam's involvement in the Stangard murder, causing Annalise's reputation to be shattered. However, apart from the shock of seeing Bonnie turn into a ruthless killer at the drop of a hat, the murder seemed unnecessary and inexplicable.
Bonnie Was A Murderer Twice Over & Then Some
One of the requisites of being part of Annalise's team was sociopathic tendencies. Jokes aside, apart from Annalise herself, and Connor and Laurel, who had been responsible for covering up murders but never actually committing them, all the rest of the gradually dwindling Keating 5, Bonnie, and of course, Frank, were killers.
However, only Frank and Bonnie were responsible for more than one murder by themselves. Bonnie had not only murdered Rebecca, but she also smothered Ron Miller on the snow, instead of helping him when he was already dying, believing that he had ordered the hit on Nate Lahey Sr. Moreover, Bonnie helped cover up other murders like that of A.D.A. Emily Sinclair.
Bonnie Set The Wheels In Motion
It was Bonnie's little jealous, twisted mind that actually set in motion the wheels for the entire series. In season 1, it is revealed that Lila Stangard had wanted to come clean to Annalise about her and Sam's affair, and her pregnancy.
However, it was Bonnie who opened the door to the Keating house when Lila came. The former was going through a phase of infatuation with Sam and refused to let Lila see Annalise, with some convoluted idea of saving both her and Sam. If Lila had been able to get through to Annalise then, she might never have been murdered at all, for the damage would have been already done. However, seeing that this is HTGAWM, somebody might still have had the bright idea of eliminating Lila, very possibly Bonnie herself.