The Keating 3[1], previously known as the Keating 5 and also the Keating 4, is the collective nickname for Annalise's Law Students and main characters on How to Get Away with Murder. Currently, the group has disbanded officially as they no longer work for Annalise in a professional setting, but all of them remained in constant contact until the end of Annalise Keating's murder trial.
Description[]
The Keating 5 work with Annalise Keating at her law office as interns in order to gain extra experience in order to make them better at whatever law career they choose when they graduate law school. Some students such as Bonnie Winterbottom have remained with Annalise even after she graduated from Middleton University and became her personal secretary/assistant. To help make the students more competitive and cause them to work harder, there is a trophy which the chosen student can use to get out of any exam and instantly pass it without actually taking it.
Members[]
Current[]
In the academic year of the first season, Annalise chose five students to join her law clinic as opposed to the usual four. They were:
- Laurel Castillo
- Asher Millstone †
- Michaela Pratt
- Connor Walsh
- Oliver Hampton is an "unofficial" member due to involvement with numerous deaths involving the Keating 5. As a result, many fans refer to the post-Wes group as the Keating 4.5 or 3.5.
- Wes Gibbins †
The first four students (Laurel Castillo, Asher Millstone, Michaela Pratt and Connor Walsh) were chosen because of their work on the trial case in class. The additional student (Wes Gibbins) was chosen because of what had happened to the his mother. Annalise felt it necessary to include him in the group for the part that she played in Wes's mother's death.
In "Who's Dead?" Wes Gibbins was murdered, and the group was renamed the Keating 4. Not long after, the group disbanded after they were essentially fired by Annalise as they weren't good people while they were together. To tell them the news, she invited them to a dinner where she handed each one of them letters which contained letters of recommendations. The remaining 4 then went on to get other internships at other law firms. Michaela got a job working for Caplan & Gold and Laurel got a job working for the D.A.'s office with Bonnie. Connor decided to drop out of law school after deciding that it wasn't the right fit for him. ("I'm Going Away", "I'm Not Her", "It's for the Greater Good")
In the series finale, the Keating 3 have lost touch with one another. Two of them, Laurel and Connor (who is still with Oliver), see each other again at Annalise's funeral. Michaela, who was largely shunned after her actions at Annalise's trial, is cut off by Laurel, written off by Oliver (and by extension Connor) and does not attend the funeral.
The show does not depict Annalise having chosen another set of law students after this academic year, which suggests that another Keating 4 was never created after this group was disbanded in season four.
Former[]
Original "Keating 4" ("She Hates Us") |
The only Keating 4 we know of in addition to the current ones are the Keating 4 of 2005. Annalise chose Bonnie, Kennedy, Xavier, and Noah from her Criminal Law class to work with her in her personal cases. Bonnie Winterbottom had therapy with the husband of Annalise, Sam to help her deal with her problems in childhood. Of the 4 bright students who helped her in cases, Annalize decided to stay with Bonnie as her right hand. In addition to this, Sam helped Frank Delfino by managing to convince Annalise that he will hire him as an assistant. When Frank was hired, he had a tendency to flirt with the other students and even sleep with them from time to time. It was later revealed that Bonnie was chosen to be part of the Keating 4 because of her complicated history with Annalise. Bonnie's becoming part of the "Keating 4" was one of the ways that Annalise tried to make up to what she did to her in court. It was also because of Annalise that Bonnie made it into law school in the first place. ("She Hates Us", "I Love Her")