Suits: 25th Hour (5x16)

Well... that was emotional. I'm really pleased that this show isn't pulling punches in terms of its further development. There's no crazy last-minute save. Mike goes to prison. Wow. Let's dive in!

Cons:

A big chunk of this episode is focused on Harvey frantically trying to find a way to save Mike, while Robert Zane threatens to tear the firm apart, with the help of Katrina Roberts. A lot of this material seemed like the kind of stuff that would have served a Season Six premiere better than a Season Five finale. I didn't have a problem with it in and of itself, but what with the return of Evan Smith, Katrina Roberts, and other players, the episode started to feel a bit crowded. I wanted this finale to focus on slower character moments as everybody adjusted to Mike's inevitable prison time.

Gloria, the mother of the man Mike once helped, tries to convince Mike that prison is going to ruin him. She even goes to Harvey and asks Harvey to toughen Mike up for his life on the inside. I appreciate the attempt to address the corruption of the prison system, but it felt a little shoehorned to have Gloria come in and tell everybody that Mike was doomed. All of this was just a way of forcing the stakes up even higher so that we're properly scared for Mike as he goes inside. I don't know... I'm still sitting here thinking that a white collar prison is going to be okay. I can't imagine next season featuring Mike in prison getting shanked by hardened criminals.

Pros:

Literally everything else about this episode was golden, though. Every scene was very intense and I really felt the emotional and professional stakes for everybody. Let's briefly go through what happens with all of our characters.

Mike takes the deal to go to prison for two years, even making sure to write in a stipulation that Gibbs can't renegotiate with Harvey once the deal has been signed. Harvey and Rachel are both furious with Mike for not waiting for the verdict. Harvey finds the jury foreman and learns that Mike was going to be declared not guilty. He's going to prison for no reason! Harvey lies to Mike and says that he would have been found guilty, which allows Mike and Rachel to reconcile. They decide to get married before Mike goes to prison.

Harvey still wants to find a way to get Mike out of this. He and Donna figure that if they offer Gibbs something even bigger than Mike or Harvey, she'll trade. Harvey goes to Evan Smith and asks her to hand over evidence against Liberty Rail. She only agrees to do this if she gets rights to poach any staff members or clients from Pearson Specter Litt that she wants. Harvey and Louis convince Jessica to allow this, since Mike is family and they need to do whatever it takes to try and save him. Unfortunately, even with the Liberty Rails evidence, Gibbs doesn't take the deal. This means that Smith has rights to gut the firm, and Mike isn't getting out. The only way that Gibbs will let Mike go is if Harvey convinces Mike to let him take his place in prison.

Harvey indeed tries to convince Mike of this, antagonizing Mike by telling him the truth about the would-be verdict. He gets Mike to hit him, but even after Mike collapses in tears, Mike refuses to let Harvey fall on his sword. At the wedding, Mike sees Rachel's parents, who came to support their daughter despite their dislike of the situation. Mike tells Rachel that they should wait and get married in two years, so that Mike won't be able to hold Rachel back. Harvey takes Mike to prison so he can turn himself in. Donna, Jessica, and Louis go back to the offices and find them totally empty. Everybody has left.

Where to even start?

The Rachel/Mike stuff was pretty sweet. I've never been super drawn to their romance, but I was getting pretty emotional seeing how upset Rachel was by all of this. The scene when they agree to not get married was appropriately sappy. I also liked that Jessica was the one to convince Robert Zane to be there for his daughter's wedding. No matter what Robert thinks of Mike, Rachel is his daughter and he needs to be there for her. I thought that was rather sweet. Jessica and Robert's professional competition coupled with their mutual respect for each other is a really interest aspect of this show.

Then there's the stuff with Louis and Katrina. We were expecting the firm to fall on hard times no matter what happened with Mike, but it's interesting that the source of the poaching comes from Robert Zane and Katrina. Louis is heartbroken that Katrina found a loophole in the non-compete so that Zane can go after PSL's clients. Katrina says that she was just trying to make a name for herself, like Louis would do. But Louis has learned that it's not worth the prestige to hurt the people around you. It's so important for Louis' development that he's the one to support Harvey in his crazy bid to waive the non-compete for Evan Smith. Louis has done some bad stuff over the years, but he ultimately stands by his people.

The state of the firm as the episode ends is really not so good. It was rather intense to watch Jessica walk through the empty halls, knowing that her entire career is likely over. Mike sacrificed himself to keep Harvey and the others out of prison, but as for the firm... that might be dead in the water. I'll be curious to see if any of it is salvageable. I've always said the only realistic end to Mike's time as a lawyer would be him in prison and the firm destroyed. And... that's what we've got! Wow.

And then of course there's Harvey and Mike's journey through this episode. So, so heartbreaking. Ultimately this whole thing started with them, and it comes back around and ends with them too. Harvey is furious and scared about Mike's decision to plead guilty. He really would have fallen on the sword for Mike if he could, but Mike stops him from doing it. The scene with the two of them fighting was so, so heartbreaking. Harvey is dying inside, thinking of Mike going to prison. He even says as much when he lies to Mike about the verdict. He tells him that the thought of Mike going to prison was killing him. Killing him. These two, I swear to God. This episode was so full of their amazing relationship that a detail like Mike asking Harvey to be his best man doesn't even rank near the top of the list of awesomeness. But it was awesome. These two are family, and it warms my heart.

The final scene between them was really excellently understated. At first I wanted to be miffed that they didn't hug or anything. They just sat on the hood of the car as Mike prepared himself to turn himself in. Mike says that he'd do it all again, even knowing how it turned out. Harvey says the same. He tells Mike to watch his back in prison, and Mike walks in. That's it. It's quiet, but it correctly portrays the mix of despair and acceptance that Mike and Harvey are both feeling in this moment.

I seriously admire this show for pushing its limits. Kudos to all the actors for their powerful performances, and to the writers and show-runners for not resting on their laurels. Usually, when a show goes through a big overhaul like this, it's due to some extra-diegetic reason like a show-runner being replaced, an actor leaving the show, etc. But here, we see the show challenging itself to rise beyond its original premise and try something completely new. I'll be curious to see if the next season starts with a time jump, or if we're actually going to see any of Mike's time in prison. I can't wait!

9/10