Suits Series Finale Ending Explained & How It Sets Up The L.A. Spinoff

Summary

• Harvey and Donna leave the firm at the end of Suits.
• The emotional scene between Mike and Harvey during their “job interview” highlights their character development and the impact they had on each other’s lives.
• The finale sets up a steady future for the firm.

Suits season 9, episode 10 concluded the show with an emotional finale in which Harvey Specter and Mike Ross performed one final con. After Faye fired Samantha and hired Harvey to defend the firm in the wrongful termination lawsuit set up by Mike, the Suits characters realized how delicate their situation was. Saving Samantha could mean the end of the firm, yet protecting Faye meant exposing someone they all cared about. Suits’ finale saw Harvey and Mike on opposite sides of a lawsuit until they realized they were one con away from beating Faye.

Suits’ final episode also featured the long-awaited marriage of Louis and Sheila, the latter of which was pregnant and entered labor during the ceremony. Harvey, who had just lost his mother, decided to not waste any more time and proposed to Donna. Harvey and Donna got married in the same ceremony as Louis and Sheila, with the new couple later going to the hospital to meet the newest member of the family. This is when Harvey and Donna told Louis about their decision to leave the firm and join Mike and Rachel in Seattle.

Why Harvey & Donna Leave The Firm At The End Of Suits

Harvey was inspired by Mike and wanted to change.

Harvey Specter and Donna Paulsen decided to leave the firm and move to Seattle to work with Mike and Rachel. They make this decision shortly after their wedding, which happened to be celebrated right after Louis’ wedding. Earlier in the episode, Harvey worked a deal with Faye that included him getting out of the firm. While Harvey and his partners cornered Faye and threatened to sue her for tampering with a witness, Faye was not going to go down without a fight. Harvey took one for the whole team and left the firm on his own terms.

Mike showed Harvey that there were other battles worth fighting for, which is why the latter decided to work for the former at the end.

Whether Harvey would have left the firm had the Faye situation not happened is difficult to say, but the fact is that the character changed a lot between the pilot and the series finale. The best closer in the city, Harvey Specter dedicated most of his career to corporate law and was often on the “wrong side of things.” Harvey used to perceive law as nothing but a game, and he got to play in the Major League for several years. However, after spending time with Mike Ross, Harvey realized there was more to their craft than making the rich richer.

Suits
season 9, episode 10 was titled “One Last Con.”

Although Harvey never admitted it, working with Mike Ross changed him deeply. The old Harvey Specter would have never exited a major law firm from New York to work on “the B League” as part of a legal clinic in Seattle, yet the current version of the character was mature enough to realize he had already accomplished everything a corporate lawyer could dream of. Mike showed Harvey that there were other battles worth fighting for, which is why the latter decided to work for the former at the end. Donna shared Harvey’s feelings and supported his decision.

Litt Wheeler Williams Bennett – Suits’ Final Firm Name Explained

Louis Litt will lead the firm into a new era.

Suits’ firm went through many names throughout the show, from Gordon Schmidt Van Dyke in the flashbacks to Litt Wheeler Williams Bennet in the finale. Following Gina Torres’ exit from the show and the storyline about Jessica being disbarred, the only names that appeared to be safe on that wall were those of Specter and Litt. The name of the firm was the main focus of Suits season 8’s first half, during which Alex Williams and Samantha Wheeler fought for a place on the wall. Both eventually became name partners, and Robert Zane’s name came and went within a season.

After Faye fired Samantha at the beginning of the season, Suits’ firm was renamed Specter Litt Wheeler Williams. In the finale, following Harvey’s sacrifice, Samantha was brought back into the firm. Additionally, Katrina Bennett, who had been fired by Faye shortly after fighting with Harvey, eventually helped her partners take down their enemy and was brought in as a name partner as well. Now that Harvey was on his way out, “Specter” was removed from the wall, leading to the firm’s final name on the show – Litt Wheeler Williams Bennett.

Louis Litt became managing partner once more and asked Samantha to be his Harvey. While Samantha said that she could not be his Harvey, she is ready to be his Samantha. The dynamic between Louis and Samantha at the end of Suits mirrors that of Jessica and Harvey at the beginning of the show – the managing partner and their most trustworthy lawyer. Suits’ series finale confirmed Louis’ character development, going from someone who needed validation and only thought about himself to a great leader who was ready to guide the firm even without Harvey and Donna at his side.

The Meaning Of Mike And Harvey’s Final Scene In Suits

Mike hired Harvey and brought Suits full circle.

Perhaps the most emotional scene of Suits’ final episode was Mike and Harvey’s “job interview,” which mirrored how they first met back in the pilot. Harvey is joining Mike’s legal clinic, meaning that Mike is now technically Harvey’s boss. Mike jokes that Harvey has not been hired yet and has to prove himself in a job interview. Harvey says that he forgot “a briefcase full of weed,” which is what Mike was carrying the day Harvey hired him. Mike gives Harvey the same speech the latter gave in the pilot when describing what he would expect from an associate.

Harvey understands what Mike is doing and asks his former protégé to open the law handbook on any page and ask him anything, which is also something that Mike did in the first episode to prove himself. Just like Mike did all those years ago, Harvey promises that he will show those lawyers from Harvard the best attorney they have ever seen in Seattle. It is a sweet moment that highlights how much things have changed since Harvey and Mike first met. In addition to the humor of it all, there is also a deeper meaning in this interaction.

Harvey changed Mike’s life by giving him an opportunity no one else would. While working with Harvey, Mike learned how to stand up for himself and fight those who were more powerful and more experienced than him. Without Harvey’s guidance during the first seven seasons of Suits, Mike would have never been able to run a firm of his own. However, Harvey also learned a lot from Mike, which is why their final scene switches their dynamic. Harvey Specter is now the one whose life is about to take a turn because of Mike Ross.

How Harvey Specter Got Faye Out Of The Firm In Suits’ Series Finale

Harvey and the partners tricked Faye and won.

Suits season 9’s main antagonist was Faye Richardson, a Special Master appointed by the New York State Bar. Her goal was to oversee things at the firm and essentially clean up the mass following the disbarment of Robert Zane. By that point, the firm had been involved in way too many scandals, the biggest of which were Mike Ross’ fraud, Jessica Pearson’s disbarment, and Robert Zane’s disbarment. On the one hand, it made perfect sense for the Bar to send Faye to watch over Specter Litt Wheeler Williams after they had been involved in so many shady situations.

On the other hand, Harvey and his partners always perceived the firm as a family, a dynamic that Faye disrupted. Things became even worse after she fired Samantha for fabricating evidence in a case against Mike. Although Mike was willing to help Samantha with a lawsuit for wrongful termination against Faye, the Special Master worked a deal with Harvey and Louis. If Harvey and Louis represented Faye in the wrongful termination lawsuit and won, she was going to leave the firm. If they helped Mike in any way or form, she was going to expose Samantha’s crime.

The partners orchestrated a scheme that ended with Faye being framed by tampering with a witness, Katrina.

This is why Harvey and Louis could not simply tell Mike and Samantha about the deal and ask them to thank the case. Regardless, by the end of the season, it was clear that they could not play by Faye’s rules. The partners orchestrated a scheme that ended with Faye being framed by tampering with a witness, Katrina. This should have been enough to save the firm once and for all, but Faye would have found ways of hurting them in the long term. This is why, despite beating Faye in her own game, Harvey compromised and sacrificed himself.

Why Jessica & Rachel Were Not In Suits’ Series Finale

Two major characters were missing from the finale.

Gina Torres left Suits after the first half of season 6 and would then make a couple of special appearances on the show. The actress later starred in her own spinoff series, Pearson, which was canceled after one season. Speaking to EW about the finale, Suits creator Aaron Korsh explained that the sets for Pearson season 1 had already been put away by the time Suits’ series finale was shot. Torres was traveling to promote Pearson, which made it impossible for Jessica to be included in the finale, although a scene was written for the character.

Despite Mike’s return in Suits season 9, Rachel was not in the finale. Meghan Markle exited the series alongside Patrick J. Adams after season 7, after which she retired from acting and focused on her royal duties as the Duchess of Sussex. Speaking to Deadline, Korsh explained that he “thought about asking” Markle to return for the finale and even considered using old footage of the character but ultimately decided to “respect her new life.” Rachel is brought up a couple of times in Suits season 9, which establishes that she is back in Seattle running her and Mike’s firm.

What Happens To Every Suits Character After The End Of The Show

Everyone got a happy ending in Suits.

Although there was never a Suits movie or any type of scripted reunion after season 9, there were enough clues in the final episode to infer what happened to each character after the finale. Louis Litt, now managing partner of Litt Wheeler Williams Bennett, finally built the family he always dreamed of. Louis is married to Sheila and they have a daughter, Lucy Litt. Harvey and Donna are married as well and will now be living in Seattle close to Mike and Rachel. The four of them will be working in the clinic founded by Ross and Zane.

Samantha Wheeler got her name back on the wall and will likely be Louis’ go-to lawyer for the biggest, toughest cases. Considering that Louis changed the firm’s bylaws to make sure its name could not be changed in the next five years, it is safe to say Litt Wheeler Williams Bennett remained stable and had no major changes after the finale. Following years of turbulence, Suits’ series finale suggested that the firm was finally going to have a steady future at the hands of Louis, Samantha, Alex, and Katrina.

How Suits’ Finale Sets Up Suits: L.A.

Will any Suits characters return in Suits: L.A.?

Suits ended in 2019 and recently found a new life on streaming. The Suits resurgence saw the legal drama become the most streamed show of 2023, even breaking The Office’s 2020 record for most streamed minutes in the same year. Following Suits’ unprecedented success on Netflix and Peacock, it seemed likely that the franchise was going to return in some form. Suits season 10 is not happening, but a new Suits spinoff series is in the works.Suits: L.A.’s pilot stars names like Stephen Amell and Josh McDermitt and will take place in an entertainment law firm from Los Angeles.

Amell’s Ted Black was once a federal prosecutor in NY, just like Harvey.

Considering that Suits: L.A. only entered development recently, there is not any direct setup in Suits’ series finale for the spinoff. That said, the fact that Suits’ final episode wrapped up the stories of all main characters and gave each of them a happy ending explains why a spinoff is happening instead of a reboot. Suits already had a great finale and does not necessarily need to come back, especially not for a new series. There is an interesting connection between Suits and Suits: L.A., though. Amell’s Ted Black was once a federal prosecutor in NY, just like Harvey.

What The End Of Suits Really Means

Suits’ finale highlighted how much Harvey had changed.

Suits may be described as a legal drama, but the show was always about the characters and their relationships. Sometimes, the power dynamics defined Suits, whereas, in other episodes, it was all about family. The finale went with the family approach and highlighted what those characters meant to each other. Faye had a point and was arguably in the right for most of the season, but she came for Harvey’s family. Taking Faye out of the firm was about restoring this family dynamic and bringing the firm back to its roots.

Suits’ ending was also about how much Harvey changed. Considering that Suits season 7 focused on Mike and Rachel’s imminent exit, it made sense for Suits season 9’s finale to focus on Harvey and Donna instead. The two seasons in which Harvey did not have Mike at his side made it obvious how much the “fraud” impacted Harvey’s life and made him a better person. By choosing to abandon the major league and fight for the little guy, Harvey confirmed he was no longer the same person from the start of the series. Suits’ finale brought everything full circle.

Sources: EW, Deadline.