Suits: Tiny Violin/Good-Bye (7x15/16)

I'm... disappointed.

Cons:

This episode should have accomplished two things. It had to set up pieces for the future, what with Zane coming over to Specter Litt, and setting up Jessica's spin-off. And it also had to be a proper sendoff for two of this show's main characters. I didn't hate the setup for the future, but I'm feeling really, really let down by the sendoff for Mike and Rachel. This show was built on a concept - Mike Ross is a fraud, hired by Harvey Specter, and the two of them keep Mike's secret together. The entire show, every scrap of marketing material, is built around these two guys as the headliners. I was pleasantly surprised to find the show willing to move past its original premise and in to new territory, and I even understand that the Mike Ross chapter is coming to an end. But if this is really the end of that chapter, why do Mike and Harvey get virtually no screen-time together?

Why spend so much time on Jessica? Won't we have plenty of time for that on her own damn show? Harvey picks up and rushes off to Chicago for almost the entire second part of this two-part finale. Mike nearly gets married without him, which is just crazy! We see tiny little moments with Louis and Mike, or with Donna and Mike, but we didn't get any good Rachel and Louis scenes, which is a crying shame, considering this was the last chance. We get no sense of wrapping-up for Mike, we don't get any allusions to his brilliant memory, we don't even get a goodbye between him and Oliver, after all the buildup of their friendship. It felt rushed. It felt like emphasis was placed on the stuff that we'll have plenty of time for in Season Eight, instead of on the stuff that we're saying goodbye to forever.

Pros:

I'm going to try and set aside the fact that this was a farewell episode for Mike and Rachel, and try to look at it on its own merits. The Jessica stuff was pretty good. I can see where they're going with this spin-off. A more activist-centered show, slightly more grit, Jessica warring with her morals and her integrity. I'm sure it'll be great. I probably won't be watching, but if it gets enough buzz maybe I'll check it out. There's something undeniably powerful about Gina Torres telling the network that she wanted to move back home, so they make her an entire spin-off so she can keep playing Jessica Pearson in the city of her choosing. I love her. She's a goddess.

I'm pretty happy with the idea of Robert Zane joining the firm and merging their assets. Zane Specter Litt? Specter Litt Zane? I think that's going to be a big question. It's interesting because this move feels almost inevitable, what with all of the help Zane has given to them over the years. It's interesting that what would once have been a failure is now a success. Harvey and Louis get an influx of talent and a new partner, and we get to keep Zane around in a more permanent fashion. I'm all for it! I like that while Harvey was off helping Jessica, we got to see Louis take the reigns on this, with Mike's vital assistance.

Mike's clinic case involved children with lead poisoning. I'll admit I was less interested in this story, because I knew it was only going to serve as a jumping off point to justify Mike and Rachel leaving the firm. That said, I thought the case was okay, and it was fun to see the clinic characters one final time before Mike and Rachel bow out. I like that we got to see Mike in court one more time, being an improbable bad-ass and saving the day, getting these poor families enough money to help with their burdens, even if nothing could ever make up for what was taken from them.

The wedding scene at the end was extremely brief, but I thought it was pretty perfect. Sure, I would have loved more time. I would have loved to see a scene with Robert and Mike. I would have loved to see Louis congratulating Mike and Rachel. But what we got is the two of them reciting their vows, love shining in their eyes. We got to see them dance, we saw Harvey and Donna dance as well. We saw Louis and Sheila together. In all, it was a great final scene to what I wish could have been a better final episode for Mike and Rachel.

Of course, there's the Mike and Harvey scene. As I already complained about, their interactions in this episode were far too brief, but I will say that Gabriel Macht acted the hell out of their moments together. He's just so gentle and soft and happy for Mike at the wedding, and then he tells him that he'll make Mike senior partner when he gets back from his honeymoon... and Mike breaks the news that he and Rachel are moving to Seattle. You can just watch Harvey's heart break right in front of your eyes. He gives Mike a hug, and the next we see him he's sitting at the bar, a look of desolation on his face. Donna comes up to him, and the two go to the dance floor. It's not enough. It's not nearly enough of a goodbye for these two best friends. But I have hope that we're going to keep Mike in the show in some way, even if it's only a mention from Harvey now and then. After everything they went through together, I can't imagine these two allowing themselves to drift apart. It's like Jessica says - Harvey is the closest thing Mike has to family.

So... I'm feeling let down. I wanted more of a "one last time" vibe to this episode, with lots of Mike and Harvey being the best of friends. Instead, they spent almost the whole episode apart, then had a couple of cute little moments there at the end, and that was it. Still, while we know that the illustrious Ms. Markle will not be returning to this show, for obvious reasons, there's every chance that Mr. Adams could come back and grace us with a guest appearance or two. Fingers crossed?

7/10