Suits: No Way Out (3x16)

I'm so sad the season is over. I want... I want more. I want my weekly fix. It's odd - I watch a lot of shows that should be more compelling than this one... I watch a lot of shows with bigger fandoms... and yet somehow Suits always becomes the show I'm most excited about when it's on. It just... the characters are so dynamic. Every single one of them has complexities. Even the bad guys are well rounded. And that's not to mention that the Harvey/Mike bromance is one of the most understated and beautiful relationships I have ever seen on TV. Let's talk about the plot.

Mike is staying, which is good news... but only to an extent. Harvey is glad that his protégé is staying, but he still wishes he could tell Scottie the truth about what's going on. Mike gets to stay in the job he loves, but Rachel is mad at him for choosing to remain a fraud. Things get even more complicated when US Attorney Eric Woodall brings Mike in for questioning. At first, Harvey panics and thinks Mike has been caught for being a fraud, but it turns out it's about the Hessington Oil case instead.

Mike and Harvey quickly learn that this Eric Woodall guy is actually after Harvey - he wants Mike to turn on Harvey, which of course Mike would never do. Things keep getting worse - since Harold Gunderson was in on the Hessington thing, he's a major liability for them. As Harvey and Jessica start to question what they've become and how much bending of the law they've done recently, Mike and Harold get arrested.

Now, it's all down to Mike and Harold holding out - as long as they stick to their story, Woodall won't have any hard evidence against them. Mike is holding strong, but Harold is getting ready to cave. Harvey and Louis burst in on the scene. Harvey is Mike's lawyer, and Louis is Harold's. Louis goes in to convince Harold to stay quiet, while Mike and Harvey wait it out in the other room.

Harvey tells Mike that if it comes down to it, Mike should turn him in. Mike gets angry, insisting that he would never turn on Harvey, no matter what happened. Things escalate between them, and Harvey demands that Mike let him take the fall if necessary. Luckily, it looks like it won't come to that, as Louis convinces Harold to hold his tongue.

Scottie is increasingly upset that no one will tell her the truth about what's going on. She asks to be let out of her non-compete, and Harvey sadly agrees. He tells Scottie the truth about Mike, but she says she has to leave anyway. Harvey says he understands - he's just tired of lying to the people he loves.

Mike has realized exactly how much Harvey has had to sacrifice since hiring him, and how many times Harvey has twisted things around to help protect Mike's secret. Mike knows that he has to do the right thing to protect the people he cares about, so he tells Harvey that he's taking the job with Jonathan Sidwell. Although Harvey doesn't like it, he understands. This isn't going to be the end of their friendship, though - now, Mike is Harvey's client, which sort of makes him the boss!

I don't even know if I have anything to complain about. I guess if I were going to be picky, I'd say I really don't understand why Scottie was even here to begin with. Finally, Harvey tells her the truth, but she's just going to leave anyway? Was all of that just to give Harvey the opportunity to learn to open up? I think we've already seen that with him and Mike! I felt like it was a bit too casual of a reaction. Harvey says that he's committed a serious crime, and Scottie just shrugs it off. Also, did Harvey tell Mike that he was going to tell Scottie the secret? I feel like Mike should have been in on that decision.

But honestly. Let's not waste time on a few nitpicks. Let's talk about all the things that made this episode AWESOME.

First of all, Jessica and Harvey realizing how far they've fallen. What an interesting dynamic to explore. Both of them have done some very questionable stuff. Even some downright illegal stuff. And it was very satisfying to see them come to terms with it and make a conscious decision to try harder and do better.

Donna telling it like it is! I still hope we can give her another story line to herself in the future, but her role as Harvey's conscience is just so interesting and well done. She's honest with him, but she's not perfect - when Harvey asks her if she wants him and Scottie to succeed, she can't say yes... all she knows is that she wants Harvey to be happy. I know we didn't get to see it, but I hope that Mike came and told Donna that he was leaving, but that he had talked it all out with Harvey and that things are going to be okay. I think that Mike would want to go to Donna and tell her to look after Harvey now that he won't be around all the time.

Also, one of my favorite insights in this whole episode was when Donna and Jessica talked about Harvey and Mike. Donna says that she was okay with Harvey hiring a fraud because it meant that Harvey had found a protégé that he would be forced to look after and protect. It's what made Harvey into the man he is today.

Rachel getting mad at Mike. I'm sure some people thought she was being unreasonable, but you have to give the girl a break, here. She fell in love with a criminal. She has to live with the knowledge that if Mike gets caught, she could lose him. It's a tricky situation. Also, it was so sweet when the two of them hugged after Mike got released from the Attorney's office. She was just so relieved to see him and know that he was okay! I think their relationship will vastly improve now that Mike's not in constant danger of being discovered. But seriously, how awesome was it when Rachel called Mike out on the fact that he seems to prioritize his relationship with Harvey over his relationship with her? You tell it like it is, girl! (But for real, can we push forward with the whole "Rachel goes to law school" thing soon? I'd love to give her some more non-Mike related screen time).

Another great scene was the one between Jessica and Rachel. After all the turmoil they've been through together, it was nice to have a reminder that they're on the same side, and that they're going to be family soon, since Rachel will soon be a lawyer working for their firm.

Louis gets to be a bad ass! I just love the fact that Harvey tells Louis that they messed up, and Louis is all - okay, time to dig my firm out of the mud. Again. He just buckles down and goes to work. The fact that he and Harold have such a rocky relationship means that we, as an audience, were really unsure if Louis was going to be able to talk Harold down off the wall. I'm so glad Louis was able to succeed. Also - we have that awesome slow-motion moment where they all get out of the car. I'm so glad that Louis was there with Mike and Harvey! It adds legitimacy to the idea that Louis is really on an even playing field with these two. I'm happy for him. (Although... I will admit I'm slightly annoyed that we didn't deal more with how awful Louis was to Rachel in regards to paying for her law school.)

And you all knew I was going to save the Mike and Harvey stuff for last... let's just talk about how awesome this all was.

First of all, when Harvey finds out that Mike has been taken in to the Attorney's office, he just rushes down there right away, trying his hardest not to show how freaked out he is. So that was adorable. And then when he finds out Mike has been arrested... damn, I really would not want to be this Woodall guy.

The best thing ever was their conversation in the holding room. Harvey telling Mike to turn on him... Mike saying he never would - Harvey throwing a chair into the camera... yikes. That whole scene was just so intense and beautiful and Harvey is willing to go to jail to protect Mike and Mike will do anything to stop that from happening and Mike telling Harvey he cares about him and ahhhh.

At the end, when Mike tells Harvey he took the job with Sidwell, Harvey's reaction is to say "we just got out!" It's so cute-slash-really-depressing how Harvey frames his relationship with Mike as a "we." They're in this together. It's always been that way. But now, they're not going to be a unit anymore. We can tell that Harvey has really grown up since meeting Mike, though. He's sad that Mike is leaving, but he shakes his hand and says he wants to take him out to dinner. And then we get the very last bit, where Mike says that he's not exactly leaving - he's a client, now!

This was the perfect ending to an amazing episode. It's bittersweet, because everything is going to change now. But the very last moment of the season is some good ol' Harvey and Mike bantering, and we know that these two are going to be a part of each other's lives for a long time to come.

9.5/10