Although it is difficult to pick the best Suits scenes, some moments stand out and will forever be remembered by how they changed the trajectory of the legal drama. The story of Harvey Specter hiring Mike Ross as his junior associate despite the latter not having a law degree evolved into a show about power struggles, family fights, and complicated relationships. Suits could be very repetitive, which doesn’t mean the show wouldn’t find exciting ways to raise the stakes from time to time.
Every season of Suits had a least a couple of instant classic moments in which long-running storylines were paid off or major secrets were revealed. From Jessica having dinner with Mike after learning the truth about him to Harvey and Donna finally getting together, some Suits scenes are impossible to forget regardless of how long the show is.
10 Jessica Makes Harvey Senior Partner
It Set The Events Of The Show In Motion
Suits season 1, episode 1 opens with Jessica Pearson officially making Harvey Specter senior partner over Louis Litt, officially introducing us to the complicated relationships among the partners at Pearson Hardman. Suits cleverly made the characters and their ambitions more important than whatever cases they were working on, which is essential for a legal drama to be interesting enough. Louis’ reaction to Harvey’s promotion combined with how nonchalantly Specter received the news perfectly established who those characters were and what we could expect from them.
Louis Litt becomes a senior partner in season 2, episode 9.
Louis getting mad about Harvey becoming senior partner before him was the first of many power struggles in Suits. Louis was defined by his ambition to have his name on the door, but other Suits characters also went to surprising lengths to climb up the firm’s hierarchy. Harvey making senior partner is also what set the events of the show in motion, as he was now required to bring in a junior associate to work under him.
9 Harvey Specter Interviews Mike Ross
The Beginning Of Mike And Harvey’s Friendship
One of Suits’ most iconic scenes, Harvey Specter interviewing Mike Ross is the beginning of a friendship that would define the rest of the show. Suits’ 90-minute-long pilot is told from the perspective of two characters – Harvey and Mike – until their radically different worlds eventually collide at a hotel room where Harvey is conducting job interviews. A young man who hadn’t gone to college and was carrying drugs he was supposed to sell didn’t seem like a great candidate, but Mike was exactly what Harvey was looking for.
Harvey and Mike’s conversation escalated quickly, going from drugs falling from Mike’s briefcase to Harvey testing this stranger’s legal knowledge. Mike Ross impressed Harvey Specter to such a degree that the latter decided to offer the former a job. “I’ll take it,” said Mike when Harvey mentioned the signing bonus, even though hiring someone who didn’t have a law degree made no sense. Harvey was looking for someone like him, and Mike was just that person.
8 Jessica Pearson Has Dinner With Mike Ross
The First Time Mike Ross Was Exposed
Suits season 1 ends with Trevor finding out that Mike and Janny are dating, causing him to decide to expose his friend. Season 1’s massive cliffhanger saw Trevor going to Pearson Hardman to tell someone that Mike Ross was a fraud. He runs into Jessica Pearson, but the payoff of that scene is only revealed at the beginning of the next season. Suits season 2 opens with Jessica and Mike having dinner in one of the best scenes in the show.
The way Jessica handled the Mike Ross situation was fascinating but not surprising considering how good she was at navigating crisis. Rather than going nuclear from the start against Harvey, Jessica “interviewed” Mike to understand more about him and how that situation came to be without ever revealing she knew the truth. It takes a while before we understand what is happening at that dinner, which is why this scene is so memorable.
7 Louis Tells Donna & Jessica He Found Out About Mike
The Beginning Of Louis’ Brief Villain Arc
Louis Litt had been somewhat of an antagonist in Suits from the start, but it was in season 4, episode 10, that the show truly painted him as a villain who would stop at nothing to get what he wanted. The scene where Louis patiently tells Donna about Order of the Coif’s golden key that Mike couldn’t recognize is incredibly tense and causes us to have a “Are they really doing this?” realization.
Louis does not seem suspicious when talking to Mike about the golden key earlier in the episode, which is why the reveal later on is so impactful. After fighting against Jessica and his former firm over the non-compete and which clients he could bring with him, Louis now had the ultimate weapon against his enemies. Louis’ villain arc did not last long, and he eventually recognized Mike as a peer, but everything about the golden key is memorable regardless.
6 Harvey Punches Louis After A Heated Argument
Harvey And Louis’ Strange Friendship Was Tested
Suits had a very odd storyline about Harvey promising Louis he would not date his sister, only for Harvey and Esther to have a thing anyway. The conclusion of this storyline was Harvey punching Louis in the face after a heated argument in which Louis confronted Harvey about Esther. Louis went all out on Harvey, almost as if he was saying all the things he had been wanting to say since they were both junior associates at the firm.
Harvey ending an argument with a punch was nothing new for Suits, but the fact it happened between him and Louis was big. For a while, it seemed like Harvey punching Louis was a point of no return for their relationship. However, as it happened more often than not in Suits, an event that should have had longstanding repercussions was forgotten quite easily. Harvey and Louis eventually became friends again.
5 Mike Ross Is Arrested For Fraud
A Scene Five Seasons In The Making
After five seasons in which Suits asked us to have a high level of suspension of disbelief about how long could a lawyer without a law degree maintain his cover, Mike Ross was finally exposed. The fact that Mike was ready to leave Pearson Specter Litt and his attorney days behind him to start a new life with Rachel when he was arrested made this moment even more impactful.
Things were too good to be true, and that’s exactly when the truth about Mike was revealed.
Harvey and Mike had gone through a lot together, including an occasion in which Mike was arrested in an entirely different investigation. The “Batman and Robin” of Suits had won dozens of cases by that point, which may have made everyone forget that Mike was a liability to his friends and could be exposed at any time. Things were too good to be true, and that’s exactly when the truth about Mike was revealed.
4 Harvey Specter Finally Forgives His Mother
The Conclusion To Suits’ Most Controversial Story
Harvey’s relationship with his mother is one of the most controversial aspects of Suits, especially because the show arguably pained Harvey as being in the wrong a few times. Harvey was a child when found out his mother was cheating on his father and was told not to say anything. He kept that secret for years over the threat of ruining his family, even though his mother continued to cheat on her husband. Once Harvey’s dad discovered what was happening, their family fell apart.
Harvey cut his mother out of his life and never reconnected with her until the events of Suits season 6. After failing to have a sincere conversation with her a couple of times, Harvey finally admitted that he was ready to forgive her. The only issue with this moment is that it seems like Harvey was asking for forgiveness, which wasn’t fair considering the situation he was put on because of the mistakes made by his mother.
3 Mike And Rachel Get Married
A Deserved Happy Ending For Mike And Rachel
Mike and Rachel’s marriage was Suits’ first “series finale” ahead of the exits of Patrick J. Adams and Meghan Markle from the show. Mike had been released from prison after working a deal with Sean Cahill and had also passed the bar to become a real lawyer with the help of Jessica Pearson. With his professional life finally sorted out and no more secrets or lies behind him, Mike was ready to marry Rachel.
Mike and Rachel getting married at the end of Suits season 7 was a natural conclusion to their characters’ arcs and served as a great send-off for them. Whether Suits should have continued after season 7 is open for debate, but seeing Mike and Rachel get a happy ending after all they went through was a very special moment.
2 Harvey And Donna Finally Get Together
Their “Will-They-Won’t-They” Lasted 8 Seasons
Harvey and Donna’s relationship was a classic example of the will-they-won’t-day trope. It was clear from the first episode of Suits that something was going on between Harvey and Donna, yet neither of them was ready to embrace it. As the show went on, we learned that Harvey and Donna had once slept together, after which they agreed they would never be together as long as they were coworkers.
Both Harvey and Donna entered several relationships before they finally made it work. The scene in which Harvey knocked on Donna’s door and kissed her was the culmination of eight seasons in which both characters kept trying to ignore how much they meant to each other. The fact that it took so long for Donna and Harvey made them a rather divisive couple, with some arguing that it should have never happened. Regardless, their first “official” kiss is an iconic Suits moment.
1 Mike Ross Interviews Harvey Specter
Suits Went Full Circle In The Finale
Suits’ series finale brought the show full circle by having Mike Ross, now founding partner of his legal clinic, interviewing Harvey Specter for a job. After spending most of his adult life as a corporate lawyer working for the richest, most powerful clients in New York, Harvey decided it was time for something different. He and Donna would move to Seattle to work with Mike and Rachel.
Mike and Harvey playfully recreated their first interaction, this time with the roles switched. Not only was this a very nostalgic scene, but it also illustrated how much those two characters had changed and learned from each other. Mike was now big enough to run his own practice, whereas Harvey was humble and sensible enough to use his skills to help the little guy. Suits season 9’s finale was mostly dedicated to Harvey, but Mike’s final scene was perfect.
