‘Suits’ Series Finale Review: That Was When I Ruled the World

One last con indeed.

In the end, the most revolutionary thing Suits did, the most groundbreaking, and the most radical, was give us not just the ending we wanted, but the ending we deserved.

Let’s call a spade a spade: “One Last Con” was the perfect ending for a show that, at times (*cough* season 7 and most of 8 *cough), tried to be too edgy, and one that played the “we know what the viewers want more than they do” game for way too long. In fact, during those long and mostly lackluster seasons, it felt like the show was being contrary just for the sake of being contrary.

Unlike Chris Carter, the original white dude who thought it was cute to keep a feisty and brilliant redhead away from the man who loved her just for shits and giggles, in the end, though, Suits absolutely delivered.

They could have killed Sheila. They could have tried to drive home the point that life isn’t always perfect, and that bad shit happens to everyone. But we didn’t need that, and frankly, we didn’t want that either. We don’t always watch TV to see reality, we watch it to escape.

And we especially don’t want shitty endings, not to shows we’ve invested a decade of our lives into. We have enough with trying to exist in this shitty world in the year of our Lord 2019.

So, before I dive deep into what this episode was, I want to say thank you, Suits. Thank you for staying true to the relationships you built, to the people we loved. You might have taken some detours along the way to this happily ever after, but in the end, you hit not just a home run, but a grand slam, and trust me, we’re all cheering.

For the last time, join me was we discuss the Marvey, the Darvey, the Shouis, and the Larvey of it all, as we talk “One Last Con”:

YOU ARE MY EVERYTHING

It’s taken so long to get here. They were just kids when they fell in love, as their “Perfect” first song so clearly stated. And no, they didn’t know what it was, which meant they lived for many years as two people who loved each other, two people who, at times, acted more married than actual married people, and never, ever realized it.

Sometimes I look at these slow-burn romances on TV and think …how can these characters be so oblivious? It’s right there, staring you in the face! But the thing about Harvey and Donna is that, despite the fact that I will argue till I’m blue in the face that this all took a couple more seasons than it should have, the rest sort of …makes sense.

They had a lot of growing up to do before they could stand there, look into each other’s eyes, and say vows to each other.

Not just growing up as a couple, strangely enough, Harvey and Donna have been an unit for so long that they had less growing pains as a couple that they had as individuals. If anything, Harvey had to learn to let go of his fear of intimacy, and his anger at his mom, which colored everything in his life for so long; and Donna had to learn to let go of the idea that she wasn’t good enough. But once they did, the rest was pretty smooth sailing.

Because they didn’t have to learn to mean it. They didn’t have to learn to love each other. They had to learn, if anything, that they could be open with that love, that they could trust that life wasn’t about to screw them over because they admitted what they felt, and that taking that final step wasn’t a prelude to disaster, but the beginning of the rest of their lives together.

And that’s what this final episode was about, reassurance. It wasn’t the wedding either of them dreamed about, and I hope they get to do it again with all their loved ones, but this moment wasn’t about the rest of the world celebrating their love. This was about Harvey and Donna vowing, not just to love each other, which they’ve done for many years, or to support each other, or even to trust each other and to rely on each other, but to do all that out loud.

In public.

Proudly.

The way we always wanted to see them.

So here’s to the newlyweds, and their eternal happiness. They do, indeed, look perfect tonight, and I couldn’t be happier for them.

ONE LAST CON

After getting poetic while talking about Darvey, how can I do any less while talking about Marvey? This is, after all, the relationship that really and truly started it all, the thing that has us coming back for more – the notion that these two very different men, from wildly different backgrounds and with very different views of life could somehow come together, and not just learn from each other, but change each other for the better.

But that’s the way of relationships, not just romantic ones. The people who you let into your life, the ones you really allow in, change you, sometimes for the worst, but more often than not, for the better. And this holds true not just for Mike regarding Harvey, but the other way around too.

Mike and Harvey are better for knowing each other. And of course, they’re better for having Rachel and Donna in their lives, but so often TV tends to make romantic relationships the be all and end all of everything, and in reality, that just isn’t so. You spend so much of your time with the people you work with, and if Suits did something right throughout the whole of its run, it’s show how, in the best of circumstances, those people can become your people.

To be fair, we spend so much time highlighting the well-done romantic relationships because those are way more uncommon on TV than friendships are, but I still think Suits deserves some kudos for nine years of …well, Mike and Harvey, of two men who built a relationship of equals, one that never really intended to be a father-son kind of bond, but that, if anything, always relied on a brotherly kind of vibe.

It’s easier to do father-son than it is to have two men just be …well, friends. Even if Harvey was a mentor to Mike for a lot of the show’s run, this isn’t a Tony Stark and Peter Parker situation, where you just wanted Harvey to adopt Mike and protect him from the world. No, by definition this was always meant to be a more balanced relationship – Mike was there to learn something from Harvey, and viceversa.

That’s what that end conversation is about – a callback to who they were, while at the same time, a nod to who they are, and who they will go on to be, together. Brothers, walking into this new life together, always having each other’s backs.

I’m kinda sad we don’t get to see what kind of shit they will get into next, but I’m glad whatever it is, they’ll be doing it together.

YOU DON’T NEED US ANYMORE

I’ll be the first to say Louis Litt took a while. And I don’t mean a few episodes, or even a season or two, no, getting to this point where, despite the fact that I still very literally could care less about every second of him and Sheila, I’m insanely happy for his happiness, for the chance he’s got to finally shine on his own, and also just so …proud.

He’s come a long way, Louis. In fact, he’s come farther than I think any of us had a right to expect, back in season one. He’s developed into a kind man, a ruthless lawyer and a great friend, all in one. And I will absolutely miss his friendship with Harvey and Donna. I’m sure they will too.

But the Louis that needed Harvey and Donna around to be, well, Louis, is long gone. Just like, at one point, Harvey thought he couldn’t survive without Jessica, and then without Mike, Louis will go on without Harvey and Donna, because that’s the way of life. And also because, as Harvey and Donna said, they won’t stop being family just because they’re not a couple of offices away from each other.

Family is forever.

And that’s why Louis gets a section in this review, because this show has always been about family. Mike and Harvey found family in each other, yes, but they also found family in the people around them. It wasn’t easy, or straightforward, family never is, but in the end, nine seasons later, I think they would both agree it was worth it.

Just as they would both agree that, sometimes, the only thing you can do for family is continue to love them and let them spread their wings. You’re not losing them, you’re just expanding your horizons to where they go next.

THE REST

So, the firm with the ever-evolving name has had another name change – one I wholeheartedly approve of, and they’re off to newer, hopefully less chaotic adventures. Louis will still be Louis, Samantha will still be Samantha, and Alex and Katrina will be there, to rein them in, like they always have.

It’s an interesting idea, a new beginning for these characters, and one they wholeheartedly deserve. And yet, for all I will miss some moments with all of these people, it feels like the days of peeling back the curtain on the firm-whose-name-no-one-can-keep-track-of are over. I love them, and I will miss them, but I don’t actually need to see more of them, if that makes any sense.

This part of the story is over.

Of course, they’re welcome to pop by and say hi to Jessica every once in a while, just as Harvey and Mike (and Donna and hey, Rachel, even if that will never happen) are. This story continues on, even without us.

Just as the story of Harvey and Donna does. Though I wouldn’t say no to more of that. I never would.

For now, I just hope someone out there is already sitting down to plan that fanfic. I will still need Rachel’s reaction to Darvey finally getting together, and of course, Rachel getting to be there with Donna on Wedding 2.0, as well as these four working together, kicking ass, taking names and getting to save the world.

Oh, and there’s a new show on parent network NBC with a group of lawyers trying to look out for the little guy, too. Why not come visit Memphis and Bluff City Law, Harvey? Now that’d be a hell of a crossover.

The last things I think I think:

• I understand the reason for Faye, I just don’t think she was the foil this show required, just as I don’t think we always have to learn the lesson that life is too short because we lose someone. Of course, it happens. It happened to me. But it doesn’t need to happen to every fictional character ever.
• No matter where they’ve been in their lives, in their relationship, the one constant of Suits: Harvey doesn’t lie to Donna.
• “You gave me what I needed. Now, it’s time for me to win this thing.”
• Earn
• You
• The
• Best
• Night’s
• Sleep
• You
• Ever
• Had
• He sure moved quickly.
• That whole scene was super hot, just saying.
• I would honestly watch many more seasons of this …Mike, and Harvey.
• Also, Mike’s low blow was ALL about trying to shake Harvey up. You know it, I know it, Harvey knows it.
• Katrina looks awesome EVEN in casual clothes.
• Fuck you, Faye.
• FUCK YOU.
• Make a man betray every one, only to double cross him like that.
• You should have taken the win.
• Remember when they tried to make her semi sympathetic?
• I don’t either.
• Just want to state, for the record, Faye brought up Robin Hood and gave the man ideas.
• “Is this something we’re gonna need whiskey for?”
• Mike and Harvey working together AS THEY SHOULD HAVE FROM THE BEGINNING.
• “I just came here to tell you I never stopped trusting you.”
• This was the thing that was eating you alive, wasn’t it?
• “Harvey, you and I conned the world for years. I think it’s time for one last con.”
• I LOVE KATRINA BENNET, OKAY?
• THAT BULLPEN SCENE.
• Do you remember when we didn’t like Louis? I don’t either.
• “I know whose team I’m on.”
• AND GRETCHEN TOO.
• “I know you’ve always been my compass.”
• Basically tell him what to do, Donna.
• MY BABY KATRINA.
• “You think you’re better than everyone.” I mean, she does, but even her characterization has been wonky on that regard.
• Maybe I just don’t get the point of that episode where she was made to look human.
• The fakest argument EVER.
• THAT LOOK BETWEEN HARVEY AND DONNA THEY HAD LIKE AN ENTIRE CONVERSATION OMG.
• Byeeeeee Faye.
• Well, that was easy.
• Also, that blue looks amazing on Donna.
• WALKING DOWN THAT AISLE.
• TOGETHER.
• The voice-over as they walk.
• ARE YOU KIDDING ME?
• Anvils are falling on my head.
• He had an ambulance waiting!
• I’m not sure if that was A+ material, or a terrible joke, Donna.
• BUT I DON’T CARE.
• I DON’T CARE ABOUT ANYTHING.
• BECAUSE HARVEY IS KNEELING.
• “I’m saying I love you, and whether I knew it or not, I wanted to marry you from the moment I met you.”
• MIKE’S FACE.
• OMG.
• MIKE’S FACE.
• HE’S US. WE ARE MIKE. YES.
• MIKE MADE A FRAUD JOKE.
• OMG.
• Dude, I’m so happy Louis and Sheila actually got married if we’re at the making decisions for your wife stage.
• DON’T YOU DARE KILL SHEILA.
• I don’t even like her, but that’s not the ending I want.
• “You are my everything.”
• I’m not crying, you’re crying.
• Thank God Sheila is fine.
• “Without you I’m empty.”
• Harvey, you need to stop or I will absolutely cry.
• IT’S THAT SONG. SERIOUSLY.
• THAT SONG.
• “We were just kids when we fell in love, not knowing what it was.”
• MY FACE IS LEAKING.
• “We’re going to Seattle, to work with Mike and Rachel.”
• “You said you’d never leave.”/”I meant we’d be there for as long as you needed us. You don’t need us anymore.”
• This is so deep, and I hate it but I love it.
• “No matter where we are, we’ll always be your family.”
• The aesthetic of Harvey and Donna standing together, looking at the bullpen.
• THIS HARVEY AND MIKE CONVO.
• OMG.
• Am I enjoying it as much as I am because I’m the freak who remembers that convo from the “Pilot” almost line by line?
• I’m gonna cry with Katrina.
• “You know I couldn’t have done any of this without you?”/”Any of what?”/”Anything”
• SHE GETS THE SLOW WALK OUT
• DONNA DOES
• ONLY DONNA.
• I LOVE IT.
• Donna and Louis, holding hands. It’s perfect. PERFECT.
• It was them and Harvey, and Harvey deserves that last shot.
• And then Harvey.
• AND THAT SONG.
• AND THAT FLASHBACK.
• I’m weeping.

Agree? Disagree? What did you think of “One Last Con”? Share with us in the comments below!

Suits aired Wednesdays at 9/8c on USA Network.