Summary
- Laurel Castillo isn't missing, she ran away from her dangerous family to protect her son Christopher. She goes to extreme lengths to ensure their safety.
- Karla Souza's reduced role in season 6 of How To Get Away With Murder was because she was filming another TV series called El Presidente.
- Laurel's journey in the series shows her growth as a character, from someone focused on her own goals to a devoted and protective mother. Her storyline concludes with bittersweet farewells and the loss of loved ones.
Karla Souza's How To Get Away With Murder character, Laurel Castillo, is an intelligent and mysterious member of the Keating Five, but what happened to Laurel Castillo when she disappeared in season 6? Laurel seems cold and quiet at first, but her backstory reveals that her wealthy criminal father Jorge (Esai Morales) has made her tough, passionate, and determined to make it on her own. She becomes forever bonded to her classmates at Middleton University's law school when Annalise Keating's (Viola Davis) husband Sam (Tom Verica) is found dead, and they work together to figure out the truth while competing for Annalise's praise and attention.
The storyline of Laurel's disappearance occurs in season 5, episode 15, "Please Say No One Else Is Dead" and is explained in How To Get Away With Murder's season 6. Because Laurel brings Christopher, her child whom she shares with Wes Gibbons (Alfred Enoch), there are intense questions surrounding what happens to her. Since Laurel's brother, Xavier (Gerardo Celasco) murdered Nathaniel Lahey, Sr. (Glynn Turman) and her family also killed Wes, this ups the stakes and makes Laurel realize that she couldn't trust them at all. After Laurel's memorable plot line was wrapped up in season 6, the actor returned for the shocking series finale.
Laurel Isn't Missing - She Runs Away Because She Is Afraid Her Family Will Take Christopher
What happened to Laurel Castillo is initially presumed to be a kidnapping by fans and characters in the series. That isn't the case. Laurel goes missing because she wants to hide from her dangerous father and brother. In season 6, episode 14, "Annalise Keating Is Dead," she shares that Tegan Price (Amirah Vann), who used to work for Jorge, assisted her so that she could run away to Brooklyn. The other characters thought Jorge kidnapped Christopher and Laurel's worries made sense, given that her family has Asher (Matt McGorry) killed in HTGAWM season 6. Laurel is strong and capable and will do whatever is necessary to keep her child safe. She gives Tegan money to murder her father, and he is beaten so badly that he dies in season 6, episode 15, "Stay."
The fact that Laurel ensures that her own father is killed speaks to the terror that she feels and the unique position that she is in. This storyline also shows the growth that she has experienced. In the series premiere, Laurel doesn't appear to care about becoming close to anyone, and she is focused on her academic goals and career ambitions. What happens to Laurel Castillo after she has a mother is that she realizes how much her world needs to change. When she becomes a mother, she wants to fix the wrongs of her past and be a present parent for her child. Laurel will never repeat the pattern that her father has shown her and goes to extreme lengths to protect her son.
Karla Souza Couldn't Be In Season 6 Because She Was Filming Another TV Series
Of course, what really happened to Laurel Castillo in season 6 of the series is that the actress playing her had other work to complete. Karla Souza returned for the How To Get Away With Murder series finale but her role was reduced in season 6 because she was filming the TV series, El Presidente, which began streaming on Prime Video in 2020. Souza played Rosario, an agent who works for the FBI and uncovers the FIFA corruption scandal from 2015. Souza said that she was glad that she could come back for HTGAWM's conclusion (via Metro.co.uk), explaining:
I was able to be in the last two episodes quite prominently and be a part of the ending. Which was a gift because I would have definitely felt sad if I wouldn’t have been able to have that.
While an official explanation for Souza's reduced role in How To Get Away With Murder wasn't given to the press at the time, her role in El Presidente was announced by Hollywood trades like Deadline when season 6 of HTGAWM was filming. In mid-2019, Souza even shared that announcement as a throwback on her Instagram account, commenting that, "Being a Latina storyteller and actress is all about telling the stories that matter from our perspectives." The new project gave her the opportunity to do just that.
Laurel's return as How To Get Away With Murder wraps up is just as emotional as her previous storylines. While it's satisfying that Laurel Castillo is able to raise her son Christopher without looking over her shoulder and wondering if her father is stalking her, her arc has a tragic conclusion as she grieves the loss of Frank Delfino (Charlie Weber), who is shot along with Bonnie Winterbottom (Liza Weil). The end of the series wouldn't have the same impact if Souza wasn't able to appear in at least one episode, and Laurel is given a bittersweet farewell, a proud mother who will carry around these losses forever.
Since appearing in El Presidente and HTGAWM, Souza has appeared in a variety of projects that showcase her range as an actress. She appeared in the family action-comedy The Sleepover, the sitcom Home Economics, and the sports drama Dive, the latter also for Prime Video. She also appears in Netflix's vampire movie Day Shift with Jamie Foxx and Dave Franco. Souza is busy showcasing all the talent fans saw on display in How To Get Away With Murder with projects that are all very different from one another.