Well, as much as I didn’t want to get here, there’s no avoiding it. Wednesday night saw Suits fans around the globe spend one final episode with these characters, as they bid us farewell with One Last Con; an episode crammed with content that it’d be impossible for me to pick a favourite moment!
Suits has never been a legal drama to me. Sure, it’s set in a law firm, but the law has never been its focus and what pulled me in 8 years ago and has kept me coming back, season after season, was the relationships; how these work colleagues were so much more to one another; how they’d do anything for each other. That sense of loyalty, respect and love was Suits’ biggest hook for me and is the reason I feel so sad to say goodbye to this world. Few shows have a heart like Suits does.
I’m not quite ready to stop writing about the series yet, so expect a couple of reflective posts in the near future, but first, after writing about my favourite series since season 6B, it’s time to dive in to the detail, one last time……
Good riddance to Faye Richardson!
She’s gone! Finally! It’s a testament to the impact of the character of Faye that it feels as though she has been around a lot longer than ten episodes, but it was such a relief to finally see her ousted from a position making everyone’s lives miserable. Yes, when she arrived I quite liked her approach and she was right in everything she was saying.
Yet, as the season went on, she became more and more of a villain, seemingly enjoying all the hurt she was causing. Also, even when she’d witnessed first hand the morals of this family and how they cared about people and weren’t as ruthless as she claimed (when they chose not to hand her in to the Bar so it wouldn’t hurt her daughter), she still seemed hellbent on seeing things as black and white. I mean did she seriously call Harvey a snake oil salesman this week?! That’s so far from who he is, it made me want to throw something at my screen.
In Suits style, the team banded together to try and finally come out on top against Faye, first in court and then through the One Last Con of the title, which saw Harvey, Mike, Donna, Louis, Alex, Samantha, Katrina and Gretchen join together to try and force her out, admittedly using the very methods that she was there to put an end to! The staged conference room scene was great fun, especially when Samantha punched Harvey and Donna’s supposedly shocked reaction to it! Plus, seeing Gretchen (Aloma Wright has always been fabulous in this role) so enthusiastically getting behind the plan was fun too.
Yet, in the end, the only way to save the firm was for Harvey to fall on his sword for the good of his work family. I admit, I’d been worried about this, that the show would end with Harvey leaving in disgrace, so it was at least a relief to see that he left on his own terms, while also finally sacrificing something for those he loves. It was his turn, after all. Mike went to jail, Jessica and Robert lost their licences. Heck, even Donna once lost her job doing something that has since been used to try and tarnish her character, in order to protect him. It made sense that before the series ended, Harvey would finally do something for the firm, guaranteeing Faye was out, Louis gets his title back and Samantha and Katrina get to return. I’m just pleased he was happy with that choice (more on Harvey later).
Finally a happy (if somewhat bittersweet) ending for Louis Litt
We’ve certainly been on quite a journey with Louis, but I’ll save that for my reflective post. For now, I’ll say it was lovely to see him finally happy after all his ups and downs and 9.10 saw him get married, become a father to a gorgeous little girl (welcome to the world Lucy Litt!) and regain his title as managing partner.
It’s funny, but a few years ago I’d never have imagined him as someone capable of being the calming head of the firm, but in recent years he really proved that he was capable of such a role and I’m pretty confident that the future for Litt Wheeler Williams Bennett is bright. Plus, after all the jokes over the years about his name coming last on the firm’s name, Litt no longer comes last! Litt comes first and seeing him standing by the new name on the wall was quite lovely.
Yet, the end was bittersweet for him too, perhaps more so than for Harvey and Donna, as despite all he gained this week, Louis also had to accept he was losing his two closest friends and the scene in which he hears that news made me cry, for all of them (actors included), but especially Louis and Rick Hoffman really nailed his sense of loss here (especially as this episode had also seen these three acknowledging how they were the last left from Pearson Hardman), as Hoffman also did as Louis stared at the new firm name, with a mix of pride and sadness on his face.
Thankfully, Louis being Louis, we were still treated to some comedic moments in the finale. Seeing Harvey wind him up at the top of the aisle was classic Suits (Mr Peanut! You’re not the Prince of England – I see what you did there Mr Korsh)! The washing your back comment to Stan and his continued nutty relationship with Rachael Harris’ Sheila. There was a little bit of everything. Plus the Cinderella moment during the brief ceremony cracked me up. And that’s the beauty of Louis Litt – he can make you laugh and cry (I mean who didn’t, when he was told he had a daughter?!) in mere minutes. Rick Hoffman has helped create such a uniquely quirky character and I’ll miss him dearly.
Katrina gets a promotion as the firm changes name…again!
I admit, I’d seen the spoiler online, so Katrina getting to be named partner didn’t come as a surprise, but it was still a wonderfully satisfying moment in the finale, recognising all her hard work and loyalty to the firm. With Katrina, Suits yet again demonstrated how good it was at developing its characters in an organic way that sometimes took them in directions we didn’t expect. I mean, Katrina was not hugely likeable in the beginning was she?! Yet, here we are at the end, cheering her on!
With Alex and Samantha by her side, great things are sure to be ahead. They have all become a work team in their own right this season, which has been lovely to watch, seeing Alex develops bonds with both women and Samantha and Katrina work side by side in 9.08. Dule Hill, Katherine Heigl and Amanda Schull have truly been a pleasure to watch (and maybe the firm’s name will actually stay the same for five years)!
……right, that covers everything doesn’t it? Oh wait…..I missed something……!
Congratulations to Mr & Mrs Paulsen Specter! The greatest television couple ever!
Well, again I knew this spoiler too (I honestly hope the Suits USA promo team apologised to Aaron Korsh for that huge blunder, revealing both Darvey’s possible engagement and marriage in their promo photos), but in a way, knowing it would have an ending I would love made watching the finale a little easier.
And did I still enjoy the conclusion to what is easily, in my opinion, the greatest television couple ever created (on the page and the screen)? Of course I did! I rarely say something was perfect on TV, but this storyline in 9.10 was the perfect way to have us leave Donna and Harvey. It didn’t feel like an end. It was the beginning of a new chapter that we simply won’t get to see.
Taking it step by step, we had that incredibly sexy scene when Harvey returned home after drinks with Mike! I mean, that was hot! Then there was the subtlety between them as the plan against Faye unfolded. It was clear to me what Harvey’s ace in the hole was (I knew his name was off the wall at the end too don’t forget) and knowing they talked it through as partners was a testament to their relationship. Don’t forget, the last time Harvey was planning to leave the firm when Jessica refused to back him for partner, he simply expected Donna to follow him. This week, as Harvey realised he had no other choice left, I loved the expression on Gabriel Macht’s face and also on Sarah Rafferty’s, as he glances to her and she gives a very small smile to say she’s with him, before he gave the smallest of nods back. Details like this make me long to see these two on stage too. I have no doubt they’d be fantastic.
And then there was a proposal AND a wedding! All in one episode! I admit, I’d always assumed the writers would put them together at the very end, something I’d have been frustrated by, when you have actors as talented as Sarah Rafferty and Gabriel Macht. I’m so pleased Aaron Korsh and the team were brave enough to go for it with season nine. Sure there will always be little things I still wish we’d got to see, but when you get so much more than you could have hoped for, then what can I really complain about?!
And 9.10 truly delivered for these characters and the fans who love them. We got to see them, yet again, walk down the aisle over another couple’s vows that seemed written to describe them, before we were treated to the most beautiful proposal I’ve watched on screen. It’s hard to pick just one scene in the finale, but I adored this proposal – the way Harvey said he loved her and had deep down always wanted to marry her, calling her beautiful (something fans have wanted ever since season 2, when he says it to Jessica and we, alongside Donna, for a minute thought he was talking to her), giving her the ring that was his grandmother’s (just like Mike!) and the way he asks, his tone dropping as he does so. I mean, it was simply perfect.
I’d have been satisfied by just a proposal, but yet we also had a beautiful wedding in a gorgeous setting, officiated by one of the best guest characters on Suits, Dr. Lipschitz (Ray Proscia, is now even cooler – he married Darvey!), with their vows tracing through so much of their history. Harvey talks about being a gambler, which was exactly the first image we had of him in the pilot and Donna highlights all the facets of their relationship – he’s made her laugh, cry, crazy, but crucially, happy. Let’s face it, there could never have been anyone else for these two and hearing Harvey say he wanted to dance with his wife with such joy, before seeing them happily dancing together in each other’s arms, something we’ve seen before, but now comfortable in knowing their future is together, was wonderfully acted and shot (bravo to first time director Aaron Korsh).
Yes, I’d have loved to see Jessica there, but I understand why that wasn’t able to happen due to Gina Torres’ Pearson publicity schedule, so I choose to believe she did call Harvey and / or Louis to give her thoughts on the last con and to wish them well. And as for Meghan Markle? Rachel not being there for Louis’ wedding felt stranger to me than Jessica not being there, due to their close bond, but we knew it’d never happen under the circumstances. We did at least have Wendell Pierce back one last time (and he still has the photo of her on his desk). I never expected to get everything.
That could have been enough of an end for them, but having them decide to leave to go and work alongside Mike and Rachel in Seattle felt like another natural progression. My biggest worry for the finale was seeing Harvey disgraced, or forced out and although they’d have maybe stayed had he not needed to play his ace in the hole, it didn’t feel forced, which was emphasised as they told Louis the news. Harvey looked excited and happy. As he said to Sean Cahill in 9.08, he’s good with what’s in his soul. Their involvement with Faye didn’t make him want to change who he is, but over time, largely thanks to Mike, he’s realised he could be using his skills to help those less able to help themselves.
Also, the Harvey of season nine is no longer the man who relishes ruling the world of New York law. I think he may have started realising this when he knew managing partner wasn’t for him in season 7, but it’s only now that he has more than work success in his life that he understands that his happiness lies in another direction. It’s less clear to me what Donna’s role will be. COO again? Maybe, or maybe she’ll support the new firm, while also exploring other avenues for herself, but she’s mentioned how much she misses Rachel a few times these last two seasons, so knowing they’ll be reunited is lovely. What we can be sure of is that these two have a happy future ahead (and maybe the scene of Donna holding little Lucy was a way of suggesting another possible event for them in time – honestly, them being with Louis to see his little girl, was a scene I never thought we’d get, but it was just gorgeous).
I’ve had my share of TV couples I’ve enjoyed watching and rooted for and one I dearly loved in a Mulder & Scully, but what Suits has proven with Donna and Harvey, is that you can shift a slow burn, to a relationship and continue to tell interesting stories, if you have strong writers / creators who care about their characters and talented actors like Rafferty and Macht, who bring them so vividly to life, that you feel as if you know them. I’m so grateful with how satisfying their resolution on the series was, but I’m so sad we won’t get to continue the journey with them. What isn’t in doubt though – they are the finest couple created for television and I’ll dearly miss spending time with them.
One last montage before we end with the foundation of Suits – Harvey Specter
The end of Suits. No matter how many times I watch this finale, if I haven’t teared up already, the last few minutes get to me every time. Harvey and Donna watching the everyday life of the firm continue in the bullpen. I didn’t need the reminder from Harvey to recognise the call back to Louis and Jessica in season five and it’s those little touches that help make Suits special, especially for those who’ve watched and rewatched since the show began.
Then there was the last scene for Mike & Harvey. I’m so pleased Mike came back for the end. I didn’t love him in 9.05, but the series couldn’t have ended without him (and Patrick J. Adams) and having him and Harvey hatch one last plan, have him get to witness the proposal and marriage of his friends after all his matchmaking efforts and then have him welcome Harvey on board the team in Seattle was so satisfying. And what better way than through an interview, mirroring exactly his first meeting with his mentor and friend. We know Mike has an incredible memory, but seeing Harvey remember too was lovely (and him admitting he wouldn’t know anything from the book made me chuckle).
And then the end. The last scene of Darvey in Harvey’s office and him saying how he couldn’t have done any of it without her. Knowing this was the last scene these two actors filmed together only added to the emotional impact of it for me. Then we saw Donna make a last walk through the halls, where she’s risen from Harvey’s secretary to COO, proving how important it is to believe in yourself, before leaving one last time with Louis (the elevator has seen many a moment between these two after all). It was such an emotional few minutes, until those elevator doors closed for the last time.
Yes, initially I was surprised her and Harvey didn’t leave together, but it made sense to give that final moment to the character who has been the centre of the series – Harvey. It’s been his journey, from a guarded, emotionally closed off man, to the man who now understands work success isn’t everything and that caring doesn’t make you weak, but strong. Seeing him spend his last few moments looking at his mother and the past he found so hard for so long, while letting the memories of the last nine seasons go through his mind was lovely. Some may dislike the montage, but it added to the nostalgia for me, although I did question including moments Harvey wouldn’t have witnessed, but hey, I’m nitpicking. Finally, what better end than Harvey picking up the never to be touched basketballs, glancing around his beloved office, before finishing a final scotch and striding out in to his new future. It was hugely emotional to watch and I think it always will be.
He’s the reason I fell for this series, due to his complexity as a character and what the writers and the incredibly talented Gabriel Macht have achieved over nine seasons is a feat few shows achieve. It’s probably the most satisfying character development I’ve ever watched and I say thank you to all involved in bringing him to life.
…….and I suppose that’s it. No looking ahead section. Yet, as I’ve already said, with such a satisfying, happy and hopeful finale, it almost doesn’t feel like the end. They’re continuing on somewhere and we can tag along in our imaginations. This series has seen me through many ups and downs since I started watching all those years ago (thanks to a friend who watched the pilot on a plane and told me this new series would be starting soon on UK television) and I’ll miss it very very much, but I wouldn’t have missed the experience for the world. It’s brought my comfort, escapism, laughter, tears and some incredible friends who I’d have never met without joining the show’s fandom.
It’s more than a show to those who helped make it and to those who’ve watched it – it’s a family and I’ll be forever grateful I was a part of it.
