Plus, get the scoop on co-star Meghan Markle!
Warning: Spoilers ahead from Wednesday's season finale of Suits!
Suits may be getting a dramatic shakeup after that bombshell of a finale.
On Wednesday's shocking season five finale, Mike Ross (Patrick J. Adams) turned himself in and decided to serve his two-year prison sentence after practicing law fraudulently without a law degree for the last five years. Mike's decision didn't come easily, directly affecting his relationship with Rachel Zane (Meghan Markle) and indirectly putting the future of Pearson Specter Litt in jeopardy.
Markle had this to say following Mike and Rachel's broken engagement and eventual split.
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"She is obviously crushed by it, but I think in her heart of hearts she knows it’s right. I had pitched a version where Rachel whispers into Mike’s ear after he says that and she softly says, 'Thank you.' We filmed it and it didn’t end up in the final take but I loved it," the actress revealed to ETonline via email. "And then after I had done a few takes that way, we moved to Patrick’s coverage of the scene and he whispered back, 'No, thank you.' That killed me."
ETonline jumped on the phone with Adams to get the lowdown on Wednesday's big finale and what this means for the world of Suits moving forward.
Mike turning himself in and going to prison is a game-changer for Suits. Is he between a rock and a hard place?
It's an interesting dichotomy because on the one hand, he's going to prison, which is the antithesis of freedom, but on another hand, for five seasons he's wrestled with the prison of this secret and having to keep it from the people he loves and the effect it'll have on all the people he's grown to really care about. In a way, he's free. I don't know how that's going to play out but for me, even in that final scene of the episode, walking into that prison, I remember feeling, "Wow this is a very different version of Mike." He doesn't have to hide anymore. He's finally free of this giant weight. While he's going to have to struggle for the next two years and figure out where he fits and how he's going to survive his time in prison and figure out where his place in the world is going to be, he gets to move past the secret that's held him prisoner for so long.
There was a feeling that everything from the past five seasons had culminated in that one final scene. Did you get that sense?
Yeah, totally. All of the pieces came into play finally and you'll finally see who Mike really is. He's a good person who did a bad thing. He gets to finally look at the situation and realizes his whole perspective the last six episodes of season five, he's been fighting so hard to keep this secret and it's unraveling all around him. He has what people refer to as a moment of clarity: "What are we doing? Why are we fighting this thing?" There is a way out and rather than dragging all of the people who are trying their hardest to help him stay out of prison, at some point he can't fight it anymore. As the guy playing him, it was so satisfying to get to a moment when you just stop fighting and put the gloves down. It's the better move for us to just accept and move on to what's on the other side.
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Now it's almost like the possibilities are endless for the show. What does this mean for Suits when it kicks back up for season six?
It's a big deal for the show. Our show has always been about more than just a law firm and lawyers, but now it's really about more than that because one of them has moved on. I'm really curious to see what it becomes after that.
In that final moment, Mike and Harvey admit to each other that they'd do this all over again if presented with a similar situation. What's your takeaway from that nice moment?
When you say something like that to each other, they're acknowledging that while this story is ending on a little bit of a sour note, it doesn't take away from the greatness along the way.
How do you think Mike would fare in prison if he did end up being behind bars for an extended period of time?
I don't know what the situation is going to be once we get in there, but Mike is really resourceful, industrious guy. He's very smart, he knows how to lay low, he knows how to be useful. He got himself in this situation in the first place and most people would not have been able to do that. He has a very particular skill set that can be of value to people. I don't imagine that he's walking into that prison thinking his life is over. It's kind of like Andy Dufresne in Shawshank Redemption -- law low and then then you see where you can be of value.
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Not only is Mike heading to prison, but he made a heartbreaking decision not to marry Rachel and instead, to let her go. Can they survive this?
I think they can survive it, but I don't think they necessarily will. What Mike says to Rachel by giving her that freedom when he says, "You need to live your life. I pray that it'll work out when I get back but I can't have you tie yourself to this sinking ship at the moment" -- anything can happen and there will definitely be struggles. I can only imagine there will be some real loneliness, regret and for her character, there will be the temptation to get on with your life. She could meet some people who could potentially be good options for her.
Does Mike's new reality force him to reassess his future?
He's going to have to. I don't know the full details of how someone could get back into law after they've gone to prison for practicing law fraudulently. I'd imagine that's very difficult. But more importantly, what Mike's learned -- whether it's law or something else -- his north star is helping people. I think, and I don't know anything where the story is going, that is a key part to his character. Whatever he does is going to be about figuring out a way to be of service to other people, people who cannot be spoken for and there are a lot of ways to do that. It'll be interesting to see how that relates to the rest of the show ... and how he reintegrates with these other characters, who are still firmly planted in the [law] world.
Suits will return for season six on USA Network.