Suits Season Finale - “25th Hour” Recap. Faith in the System.

Season 5, Episode 15

Air Date: March 2, 2016, 10/9c on USA

Rating: ★★★★★

“They haven’t finalized shit.” – Harvey

Going it alone?

The moment of truth finally comes for Mike (Patrick J. Adams) after he agrees to the terms of a plea deal offered by AUSA Anita Gibbs (Leslie Hope). It’s a somber moment as Judge Ralls (Suzanne McKenney) tells Mike, “You have 72 hours to report to Danbury Federal Prison.” Surely Harvey (Gabriel Macht) will find a way to save Mike, right?

Wow, what an episode! What makes “25th Hour” so fascinating is while the episode follows two different paths, there can be only one outcome. On one hand, you have Mike accepting responsibility for his actions and preparing to serve his two-year sentence. There’s a real ‘dead man walking’ tone to Mike’s scenes, making them feel almost realistic.

Then there’s Harvey and his efforts to save Mike. After all, this is Harvey Specter and 72 hours seems like more than enough time for him to work his magic to get the plea deal tossed out, and still have time left to grab a cup of coffee. Moments like Harvey confronting the jury foreman (Tony De Santis) and Louis (Rick Hoffman) reminding Jessica (Gina Torres), “Mike’s family” appear to hint that the troops will rally and everything will be ok.

Watching “25th Hour” is like getting ready to attend a funeral, as each character grieves in their own way. Gloria Danner (Donzaleigh Abernathy), who testified on Mike’s behalf in an earlier episode, knows all too well how prison can change someone. It’s hard not to get emotional as Gloria raises her concerns with both Mike and Harvey. Despite having appeared in only the last two episodes, I absolutely love Abernathy’s performance. Perhaps it’s because Gloria’s motherly wisdom reminds me of Mike’s late grandma Edith (Rebecca Schull). Suits creator Aaron Korsh is masterful when it comes to creating strong characters regardless of the actor’s sex or size of the role.

Speaking of strong female characters, as much as I enjoy Megan Markle as an actress, I simply haven’t been feeling it for Rachel. I was surprised by how little Rachel’s scenes registered with me emotionally during Mike’s arrest and trial. With the exception of her confrontation with Robert (Wendell Pierce), her father, during “25th Hour,” Rachel’s scenes fall flat. I’m curious what the writers will do with her now that Mike is out of the picture.

Loyal at the end.

While Harvey tries to figure out how to keep Mike out of jail, Louis and Jessica scramble to find a way to save what’s left of Pearson Specter Litt. It’s no surprise one of the biggest sharks smelling blood at the firm is Robert, who is looking to pick off a few of Jessica’s top lawyers and associates. As much as I’ve been annoyed by how easily Louis’ loyalty has been called into question in the past, I now realize it all led up to “25th Hour.” There is a real maturity on display when Louis tells his former mentee, Katrina (Amanda Schull), “If there’s one thing that I’ve learned, it’s not worth being willing to do anything to make a name for yourself.” I gained huge respect for Louis in this episode; I hope the leadership he displays in “25th Hour” is a sign of things to come.

With Mike sidelined, I’m curious to see what the future has in store for Harvey, Jessica, and Louis. As much as Mike’s secret was a burden, in a Suits world that is known for backstabbing and shady deals, loyalty was always hard to come by. Regardless of the position Mike’s secret put Jessica, Louis, and Harvey in, he makes a huge sacrifice to protect them. This wan’t an easy decision and the toll it takes on Mike leads to an epic confrontation between Mike and Harvey as emotions boil over. The clash is one of the rawest moments of the series. How will that weigh on Jessica and Harvey as Mike serves his time?

Not goodbye.

I can’t think of the last time a series fundamentally changed the original premise of the story—a fraud posing as a lawyer. To be honest, I never thought Korsh and the writers had it in them to pull the trigger and actually send Mike to prison. It would be one thing had “25th Hour” been a series finale, but with the filming of season six set to begin on April 5, it will be fascinating to see how the show evolves now that Mike is in jail. According to various interviews with Korch, season six will pick up right where season five leaves off. I’ll admit, I am a bit surprised Korch isn’t going the usual route most TV series take by starting the new season with “Two years later…”

Tweet me @staffaroadtrip or leave a comment below to let me know what you think about “25th Hour.”

For more on the show, go to http://www.usanetwork.com/series/suits/.

Follow Suits on Twitter, as well as some of the cast: <Mike> Patrick J Adams, <Harvey> Gabriel Macht, <Rachel> Meghan Markle, and <Louis> Rick Hoffman.

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Greg Staffa

I provide testosterone to the site. You won’t be reading about how nice a actress looks in a dress or how much of a hunk Matt Bomer is in my reviews. I describe colors using words like brown, not taupe. My twitter name is @staffaroadtrip because I love road trips and have done two different 48-state road trips since 2008. My favorite show is White Collar.