Suits Season 9’s Ending: Why Harvey Specter Was The Show’s True Main Character
The final moments of Suits season 9’s finale were dedicated to Harvey Specter and his memories, revealing one harsh truth about the character. The show’s final scene was a reminder of how much Suits had changed since its pilot, particularly regarding Harvey’s role in the story.
Suits struggled a lot after the exits of Gina Torres, Patrick J. Adams, and Meghan Markle, but the series ended on a high note thanks to an arguably perfect finale. Suits season 9’s ending concluded the battle for the soul of the firm in which Harvey and his partners had to get Faye out of the building while also having to protect Samantha.
Suits’ Final Scene Proved Harvey Specter Was The Show’s Main Character
Suits’ final scene saw Harvey Specter saying goodbye to his old office as he and Donna were about to leave New York and move to Seattle to work with Mike and Rachel at their legal clinic. Although there was an incredible scene between Harvey and Mike just before that, the show chose to end with a shot of Harvey Specter.
Suits’ closing minutes are dedicated entirely to Harvey, who looks around his office and remembers all the things he has been through. It all plays out as if Harvey had been the main character all along. Even though Mike was around for three episodes, Suits’ final season was still mostly told from Harvey’s perspective.
As a show whose premise was that of an experienced lawyer mentoring a fraud but that also included an ensemble cast of protagonists like Louis and Jessica, it is difficult to define exactly who was Suits’ main characters. Of course, Suits’ original intro makes it clear that the series will be about Mike Ross and Harvey Specter. The first seasons of Suits do focus a lot on Mike, especially because the show’s main hook is the idea of a lawyer who was not a lawyer but had an almost supernatural photographic memory that helped make him into a genius.
However, as the show went on, Mike’s photographic memory gimmick became the least interesting thing about Suits. Likewise, every time one of the Suits characters found the truth about Mike, the Harvard lie became less and less interesting. By the time Mike was arrested for fraud, virtually every main character on the show already knew he had not gone to law school.
Whereas Mike’s character became repetitive and less compelling with each season, Harvey went from a stereotypical hotshot attorney to a layered character with fears and insecurities that made him more interesting.
Why It Made Sense For Suits’ Series Finale To Focus On Harvey
Not only did Suits’ Series Finale focus on Harvey quite a lot, but the entire final batch of episodes put Harvey front and center. Even though Mike was around for three episodes, Suits’ final season was still mostly told from Harvey’s perspective.
Although it would have been cool to see more of Mike in the final two episodes of the series, Harvey was currently the show’s protagonist. Gabriel Macht’s character became the face of the show after season 7, and while Suits still had a lot of great characters, Harvey became the heart and soul of the series.
Additionally, Mike’s story had already come to an end in Suits season 7. By the time Patrick J. Adams left the show, Mike had already paid for his crimes, become a real lawyer, and started his own firm to help those in need. The Mike Ross who appears in Suits season 9 is what he had always dreamed of being – a lawyer who uses his talents to help those who could not afford the best closers in the city.
Mike and Rachel’s marriage was Suits’ “first Series Finale” in a sense.
Harvey Specter “Saved” Suits After Jessica, Rachel, & Mike Left
Not many shows can continue for two seasons after losing three cast members, but Suits did. In addition to the introduction of Mike Ross' replacement Samantha Wheeler and the fact that previous supporting characters like Alex, Katrina, and Robert became more important, Suits was only able to continue because Harvey had already become the face of the show.
Harvey had arguably become more important than Mike from a story perspective even before season 7, which became even more clear in season 8. Suits’ final two seasons may not have been as good as the other seven, but they were still enjoyable.
From Harvey’s relationship with his mother to whether he and Donna were going to become a thing, there were enough storylines centered around Harvey Specter for Suits to continue despite Mike’s exit. Suits did give a lot of characters their time in the spotlight for the final two seasons, but Harvey was at the center of it all. His rivalry with Samantha, for example, set the tone for most of Suits season 8. It must be noted that other long-time Suits characters, namely Louis and Donna, were also essential in this new phase of the show.
Suits Was At Its Best When It Was About Mike & Harvey
Harvey Specter may have been a fantastic character who managed to get the show going after so many protagonists had already left, but he was always more fun to watch whenever he was interacting with Mike and vice versa. The same applies to the entire show – Suits was at its best when both Mike and Harvey were around.
The best thing about Suits was not the legal cases or Mike’s photographic memory gimmick, it was the dynamic between these two lawyers (sort of) from completely different worlds who learned a lot from each other.
Harvey was Suits’ main character in hindsight, especially in the latter half of the show, but the series shined the most when he and Mike were together.
The fact that Suits’ final two seasons are widely considered the show’s worst is no coincidence. Remarkably, Suits managed to go on for two more seasons after Mike left, but the series never achieved the same level of quality as when both Harvey and Mike were around. It was also not surprising that Suits season 9’s best episodes were the ones featuring Mike, including the series finale.
Harvey was Suits’ main character in hindsight, especially in the latter half of the show, but the series shined the most when he and Mike were together.
Suits follows Mike Ross (Patrick J. Adams), who, despite never attending law school, is able to use his photographic memory to become a lawyer. The legal drama ran from 2011 to 2019 for a total of nine seasons and also starred Gabriel Macht, Meghan Markle, Sarah Rafferty, and Rick Hoffman.
