Mike Ross, meet Samantha Wheeler.
Patrick J. Adams' homecoming on Suits is about to hit a bit of a snag.
The 37-year-old actor returns as attorney Mike Ross for the final season of USA Network's legal drama in Wednesday's episode. Thinking he'll be facing off against his former mentor, Harvey Specter (Gabriel Macht) on a new case, Mike learns that a last-minute switcheroo means he'll instead be going up against name partner Samantha Wheeler (Katherine Heigl) as ET's exclusive sneak peek reveals.
"Mike is the protege, Samantha is very competitive. She's heard a lot about this kid and she already knows so much about him that I think him coming on to the scene, it's absolutely her No. 1 goal to knock him down a few pegs," Heigl told ET of Mike and Samantha's dynamic during a June set visit.
"I worked with [Patrick] and Gabriel yesterday. I got to bear witness, like a fly on the wall, to their dynamic, their friendship, their easy rapport, the wit between them, and go, 'See, that's where all that on-camera magic comes from,'" she praised. "These two guys have this great chemistry, have this fun relationship and that's what created Mike and Harvey."
In the scene, Samantha confronts Harvey over keeping Mike's surprise return to Manhattan from her, especially since she's the one who's technically tasked with winning the case. But, as Harvey explains, it's rather... complicated, since he's already gone ahead and scheduled a deposition without her knowledge.
"Hmm, the protege," she snarls, clearly unimpressed by Mike's unexpected arrival when Harvey introduces the two.
"Why did she just say it like that?" Mike asks, taken aback by Samantha's nonchalant response.
"If I had to take a guess, it's because she thought you'd be taller," Harvey quips, prompting him and Mike to banter about their respective heights. But we digress.
"It's because I'm less concerned with meeting you than kicking your a**, since I'm the one you'll be going up against, not him," Samantha says matter-of-factly.
But really, is Harvey trying to steal his old client back so he can have one last go against Mike? All signs point to yes. Watch ET's exclusive sneak peek from Wednesday's episode below.
For Heigl, a self-proclaimed Suits superfan, getting to work with Adams for an episode in the final season was satisfying.
"It's been awesome. I remember the table read, he was calling in because he was still in California with his family and I didn't get to meet him in person yet, but I was on the phone going, 'I can't wait to meet you! This is going to be so exciting!'" Heigl said. "I stepped in when a big part of the show shifted and changed and some of those beloved characters were no longer here, [Gina Torres], Patrick and Meghan [Markle]. It was like missing the boat just by that much, but still getting the great ride because everybody else that I love so much is here. It was wonderful."
Suits airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on USA Network.
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