Suits: Tick Tock (5x15)

People are scared. And when people are scared, they do things they shouldn't necessarily be proud of. This episode was full of difficult decisions and heartbreaking revelations. I'm positively terrified for next week's finale. Also I can't wait.

Cons:

There was a subplot in this episode about Mike helping a man with his trial while he was waiting for the jury to come back and announce his fate. The purpose of this part of the plot was to show that Mike really wants to help people and be a good lawyer. In the end, the person he was trying to help turns on his friends in order to go free, which was meant to be a parallel to Mike's own situation, since Gibbs still wants him to turn on Harvey, Jessica, and Louis. While I admired the purpose behind this plot thread, it was far too much on the nose. I was very indignant for Rachel's sake, because she just wanted to spend some time with Mike before the verdict came down, and Mike is off playing altruistic-puppy-lawyer instead. Maybe it was just me, but this same message probably could have been presented with a bit more nuance and subtlety.

Pros:

Other than that, I don't think I have a single thing to complain about. As is often the case with this show, boundaries are being pushed, exciting events are mixing things up, and I'm never quite sure what we're going to get.

This week, Mike represents himself in court, to Anita's displeasure. He calls forth the mother of a recently deceased former client and has her testify that Mike is an amazing lawyer who did everything he could for her son. In Mike's closing statement, he apologizes to the jury and to everybody else for being the kind of lawyer who puts money in the hands of the rich, instead of trying to help people. He vows that no matter what the jury decides, he'll be a better person from this point forward. Anita Gibbs' closing testimony is pretty convincing, though, and Mike thinks he's going to lose.

Harvey and Jessica decide they should try and get a mistrial so that their fates don't rest solely with the jury. Harvey tries to blackmail somebody into tampering with the jury, but the guy doesn't go through with it, and it looks like a mistrial is out of the question. Donna, who hadn't wanted Harvey to meddle in the first place, is glad about this, but then Harvey comes over in the middle of the night wanting to turn himself in to save Mike. Donna convinces him not to, telling him to go sit with Mike and show his faith in him when the jury's verdict comes in.

But while all of this is going on, Louis is freaking out as well. He agrees to make a deal with Anita Gibbs, and testify that Harvey knew about Mike all along. Gibbs says she needs hard proof, so Louis gets a recording of Harvey admitting to hiring a fraud. However, when Louis goes to Jessica and tries to convince her that they should turn on Harvey, Jessica says no. Louis decides not to go through with the backstabbing. He tells Gretchen that he's not giving Gibbs what she wants.

But Gibbs is playing multiple fronts - she goes to Mike and offers him two different deals. Option #1 has him pleading guilty and going to prison for two years, as long as she promises not to go after any of the other people involved. Option #2 has him walking free and agreeing to never practice law again, but only if he turns on one of the name partners from Pearson Specter Litt. Mike is thinking about taking the deal and going to prison, but Rachel begs him to think about her, and their relationship. She asks Mike to have faith in himself and believe that the jury will free him. At the last moment, however, Mike sees the client he was trying to help turn on his friends at the drop of a hat, claiming that his friends were going to go to jail anyway. Mike makes a decision. He goes to Gibbs' office and agrees to take a deal. Which one? Well, we didn't get to see his answer. Harvey, meanwhile, realizes what Mike is about to do and runs to try and stop him, but he doesn't get there in time.

Okay... where to even start with all of the awesomeness? Every scene was tense and dramatic and showed us so much about these characters.

First of all, Louis. Of course he had a crisis. Of course he got scared and thought about himself and how best to get out of this mess. But when it came down to it, he wasn't willing to turn on Jessica. And since Jessica wasn't willing to turn on Harvey, that was the end of it. I loved the fact that Louis had this moment of doubt, but he didn't go through with it because ultimately he is a team player. Who wouldn't have doubts in this situation? Gretchen got to be a small part of this plot thread, as she gleefully sauntered off to tell Gibbs to get lost, after Louis made the decision to stay loyal. I like how Gretchen, who isn't as intimately implicated in all of this as the rest of them, is still willing to be part of the team.

Jessica wasn't faultless here either. Her insistence on having a backup plan and trying to go for a mistrial wasn't as devious as Louis contemplating a deal with Anita Gibbs, but it did clearly show that she's willing to put the good of the firm first. I don't blame her for valuing her present peace of mind over Mike's future. I feel that I might make the same decision.

Harvey's journey in this episode was perhaps my favorite. He's gentle and encouraging with Mike, telling him he did a great job. But when he's not with Mike, we can see that he's starting to come apart at the edges. He was willing to try and get a mistrial through some very shady means, all because he's scared that Mike might lose this. And the scene with Donna and Harvey? Oh my God. Basically, Harvey is brought to tears contemplating the fact that Mike might go to prison, and it will be all Harvey's fault. Donna tells him that Mike is to blame as well, but Harvey doesn't want to watch somebody he cares about take the fall for a mistake that he didn't make alone. Great, great acting from Gabriel Macht in this scene. One of the best Harvey Specter moments ever.

Meanwhile, Mike is going through the same crisis, worried that if he loses, he'll go to prison for seven years. If he takes Gibbs' offer, it's only two years, and he can protect Harvey and the others. Rachel encourages Mike to believe in his ability to win the case, just as Donna encourages Harvey to believe in Mike. I loved how these two women became mirrors of each other. They encouraged the men that they love to believe in their own goodness. It's a tricky thing to accomplish in the narrative, because a very big part of the viewer is likely thinking... well, Mike is guilty of being a fraud. He sort of does deserve to be punished. But you see the intense guilt that Mike and Harvey both feel, and you see how much they love each other and are willing to sacrifice for one another, and you can't help but want them to succeed.

The final scene was perhaps overly dramatic and even verging on silly, as you had Harvey running in slow-mo to get to Mike in time, before Mike could accept Anita's deal, and then you have the "cliffhanger" of Gibbs asking Mike which deal he was preparing to take. Let's be real - if Mike is making a deal, it's the deal that will send him to prison for two years in exchange for Harvey, Jessica, and Louis' safety. Mike has been stressed and scared during this whole process, but he's never wavered in his loyalty, and I don't think anybody believes he would now. But despite its verging into hokey territory, this ending still worked really well. The jury has come to its decision, but we don't know what it is yet. The four possibilities in front of us all have advantages and disadvantages.

Option #1 - The jury finds Mike innocent. He goes free, the case is dropped forever. Obviously, this would be the best option for our heroes, but we can't know that this result will come about until after the other options have already been decided upon.

Option #2 - The jury finds Mike guilty, and he goes to jail for seven years. There's nothing to stop Gibbs and everybody else from tearing the rest of the firm apart, going after Harvey especially, but Jessica and Louis as well. This would obviously be the worst option for everybody. More jail time for Mike, and nothing to protect the others from the full extent of the law.

Option #3 - Mike takes Gibbs' deal, goes to jail for two years, and saves his friends. This is the option that, if Option #1 is impossible, is the best for the largest number of people. Gibbs gets what she wants, Mike only loses two years of his life, and the firm is safe. But Rachel obviously doesn't want that, and it's still a risk - what if the jury was going to acquit him?

Option #4 - Mike takes Gibbs' other deal, gets off with no jail time, and the firm falls. This is the deal that Mike would never accept, but it's not impossible to understand why Rachel might want him to. Or even why Harvey might prefer it. Harvey would turn himself in if he knew it was the only way to prevent Option #2 from happening. But Donna makes a good point in asking Harvey to trust in Mikes' ability to win this thing.

What's so amazing about this episode is that I really don't know what the outcome will be. Mike will try and take Option #3, but Harvey might intervene and try and force him into Option #4. Or, the jury will acquit him. Or, they will send him to prison. At this point, I could honestly believe in any of these outcomes. That's really good television, folks. I can't wait for the finale!

9/10