Suits Episode 5.15 Tick Tock

It's time for Mike to take control of his defense, and he starts by putting the mother of his recently-deceased former client Clifford Danner on the stand. In an emotionally-charged moment, Clifford's mother talks about how Mike was the only lawyer who would help someone like Clifford. Later, Mike ups the emotional stakes, baring his soul to the jury by expressing his shame that he's only helped rich people and promising to fight for the Clifford Danners of the world. He swears that, if given the chance, he won't waste his gift again. But will he get that chance? From where Mike is sitting, Anita's closing arguments seem equally effective, and she has the benefit of being backed up by the facts.

With Anita Gibbs's card burning a hole in his pocket, Louis frets about the possible outcome of the trial. And when he learns that things are dire enough that Harvey is gunning for a mistrial, Louis's fear sends him running straight to Gibbs. The problem is, Gibbs can't just take his word; she needs actual proof of Mike's wrongdoing. Distraught, Louis confronts Harvey, laying all the blame at his feet and demanding he take the fall. But this is no emotional outburst - it turns out Louis has recorded their conversation. Will he give the recording to Gibbs? Louis tells Jessica they need to go to Gibbs together, but Jessica won't hear of it. With no where else to turn, Louis finally accepts his own role in the whole affair and decides not to cut a deal.

Mike overhears a man being bullied by a prosecutor into taking a plea deal and steps in to defend him. It isn't long before Mike is running circles around the prosecutor at trial, and when Anita Gibbs tries to put a stop to things only to be rebuffed by the judge, Mike thinks he sees an opening to get Gibbs to cut a deal. Will she back off of his friends if he promises never to practice law again? Mike claims it would help Gibbs save face at the U.S. Attorney's office, but she's not biting.

Though Mike may have made a good showing in the courtroom, Jessica remains uneasy with her fate in the hands of 12 jurors. Harvey thinks he can get the case called a mistrial, but in order to do so, he'll have to do something illegal. When Donna puts her foot down and refuses to help, Harvey approaches David Green and tries to blackmail him into jury tampering. But Green refuses to go through with it, and Harvey is left questioning their chances.

With seemingly no more cards left to play, both Mike and Harvey contemplate taking bold action. When Anita Gibbs visits Mike at home with a counter offer on his proposed deal, he finds himself seriously considering it, and that just doesn't sit well with Rachel. Meanwhile, Harvey reveals to Donna that he's thinking of turning himself in. She begs him not to fall on his sword, and manages to persuade him to wait until the verdict comes in. But while Harvey has found new strength, Mike is still unsure. It's only when his new client takes a deal to testify against his friends that Mike realizes that the only way to truly protect those he cares about is to accept Gibbs' deal. When Harvey shows up at the courthouse and Mike is nowhere to be found, he realizes what has happened and runs to stop him, but it's too late! Say it ain't so, Mike!