Suits s05e14 Episode Script
Self Defense
1 Previously on "Suits" What do you mean you can't take the case? Jessica won't lay out the money for the man-hours.
One of the victims was my uncle Keith.
Please.
These people need your help.
I didn't come forward.
They found me.
And I'm not pulling any associate shit.
Then what do you call this pathetic excuse of a candidates list? I call it inevitable, because our students can read.
Our future is slipping away, and offering Jack name partner or praying to God that Harvey just gets Mike off the hook isn't gonna stop it from happening.
Then you get your ass back up to Harvard, and you make sure Sheila doesn't show up to that trial.
It's a ticket to Argentina.
I need you to go there until the trial's over.
Court's not about bullshit like this; it's about facts.
And the fact is, you're not a goddamn lawyer.
Are you saying what I think you're saying? Because if you're thinking it, you're a fool.
You heard her.
She said the fact is, is that I'm not a goddamn lawyer.
Well, the only way to change that fact is for a jury to see me be a goddamn lawyer.
You try that, all they're gonna see is someone going to prison.
It's my call, and I'm making it.
We have a problem.
They found Trevor.
Please raise your right hand.
Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God? I do.
You may be seated.
Mr.
Evans, how long have you known Mr.
Ross? Since we were kids.
Almost 20 years.
So you were close to him? Yeah, he was my best friend.
Are you still close to him? Well, I doubt we will be after this.
After what? After you ask me about the series of events that have led us all to be here today.
Well, we'll get to your history in a minute, but first, I want to ask you a question about current events.
Did Mike Ross approach you three days ago in an attempt to get you not to testify against him? [dramatic music.]
Yes, he did.
How exactly did that conversation go? [cars rumbling, horn blares.]
What are you doing here? You know exactly what I'm doing here.
You said you would not testify.
Yeah, well, that was before Anita Gibbs dragged me in and told me she was gonna put me away for ten years.
I don't give a shit what she told you.
You said you were gonna call a lawyer.
Yeah, well, before I had a chance to do that, they showed me what they had, which is names, dates, witnesses, and everything else they need to put me away for as long as they want.
Wait, wait, how would they have-- You think I want to do this? I don't.
But I cannot risk prison for you.
And I am telling you that whatever they have, Harvey can get you out of this.
And from what she told me, Gibbs can get you out of this.
She offered you a deal that can make this whole thing stop.
Now, instead of telling me not to testify against you, why don't you think about testifying against Harvey? Because unlike you, I would never do that to a friend! Yeah, well, unlike you, when they put me away, I'm not going to a white-collar prison.
So if I don't rip you to shreds up there on the stand, they're gonna rip me to shreds behind bars.
Harvey, it's late.
I've had a long day.
So if you don't mind We have a problem.
What now? My condo's on fire? Mike wants to represent himself.
Is he crazy? He can't do that.
That's what I tried to tell him.
You don't try; you just tell him.
Yeah, the only problem with that is, he knows it's his decision.
Not to mention, the only thing that's stopping him from going to Gibbs and pointing his finger at you or me is his loyalty to us.
So that's it? He's representing himself? I'm not saying that.
Then what exactly are you saying? I'm saying I have a plan, but I need you to sign off on it.
Oh, whatever it is, I'm in.
Because if that kid handles his own defense, you and I are going to be the next ones on trial.
[knocking.]
If you're here to find out if Trevor's testifying, he is.
I can handle Trevor.
Harvey, we've been over this.
And I said we're not done being over it.
Listen to me, I know that fool-for-a-client bullshit.
But the thing I'm being accused of is not being a lawyer.
So if I represent myself, every second I'm up there, they're gonna see me as a lawyer.
And if she rattles you for one of those goddamn seconds, they're gonna see you as a fraud, and they're never gonna see you as anything else.
Okay.
I got it.
You said your piece.
It's my call.
I'm done talking about it.
Then we'll do a trial run to get you ready.
Are you crazy? You want to waste my time, not to mention air our dirty laundry, in front of the whole firm? Mike, in a week and a half, our dirty laundry is gonna be aired in front of the whole world.
And Gibbs is gonna come at you in ways you've never even thought about.
Oh, so I get it.
You don't want a trial run to get me ready; you want a trial run to show me that I'm outmatched.
You are outmatched by me and Gibbs, and you're afraid to find out.
I'm not afraid of Gibbs, and I am not afraid of you.
Then you won't mind agreeing, if I beat you, you let me represent you in court.
[laughs.]
Okay, Harvey, you want to go? Let's go.
But you better bring your A game.
Because you might be the best closer in the city, but I'm the one fighting for my life.
See the money, wanna stay for your meal Get another piece of pie for your wife Everybody wanna know how it feel Everybody wanna see what it's like I'll even eat a bean pie, I don't mind Me and Missy is so busy, busy making money All right All step back, I'm 'bout to dance Suits 5x14 Self Defense The greenback boogie @elderman Thank you.
There he is.
Harold.
What are you doing here? I know what's going on, okay? I know about the trial coming up.
Then you know I'm pretty busy right now.
Right, which is why I wanted to talk to you.
Listen, you're gonna need someone to testify that you went to Harvard.
I want to be that guy.
Harold, that's an amazing offer, but-- Mike, come on, man.
We both know that you didn't go to Harvard.
But honestly, if anyone would have asked me up until this point, I would have sworn that you did.
I would have sworn that I saw you at that--that party with Gilcrest or those pizza nights at Pinocchio's or pretty much any other memory I have of that time, which means, if they put me up there on that stand, I'd basically be telling the truth.
I can't tell you how much that means to me, Harold, but Mike, I want to do this for you, please.
I know you do.
But I got myself into this mess, and I got to get myself out of it.
Okay.
But listen, if you change your mind, you know where to find me.
Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, you're gonna be hearing a lot of things over the next several days, but the truth is, this case is about nothing more than cold, hard-- Innuendo.
And the fact is, I'm capable of reciting every element of jurisprudence in the state of New York.
And yet despite that, the prosecution is gonna try to convince you that I am a-- Fraud, who not only didn't pass the bar or go to law school, he didn't even graduate college.
There isn't one piece of hard evidence proving that I didn't go to Harvard Law.
There's no record of tuition being paid.
No record of a Boston address.
There isn't even a simple picture in the yearbook.
Let's talk about the yearbook.
As he told you, I'm not in the yearbook.
Where is Mike Ross? Though what he didn't tell you is that 25 other students are also not in this yearbook.
Are those other students being charged with fraud? Of course not, because we don't put people on trial for being sick on picture day, and no matter-- What he says, the fact is, Mike Ross is not a lawyer.
He's a fraud.
And we will prove that beyond a shadow of a doubt.
The defense would like to call its first witness.
Right there-- he's such a non-lawyer, he doesn't even know the prosecution goes first.
And you obviously don't know Jarvis v.
the State of New York, 1937, when calling of the first witness is of such special nature as to disrupt the flow of the trial once it's started.
What the hell special nature are you talking about? When the defense wants to call the prosecutor as its first witness.
Harvey, unless you have something to overturn this, I'm gonna need you to have a seat.
Mr.
Specter, you said there's no record of me ever having an apartment in Boston.
Can you explain to the jury why there's no record of you ever having lived there? I'm not the one on trial here.
No, you're not.
You're the one in that chair, so why don't you answer the question, or we can stop this whole thing right now.
There's no record of me living there because I sublet up there when I had my place down here.
So it is possible that a person not have a Boston address without it meaning that they didn't attend Harvard.
Great.
Thank you so much.
This witness is excused.
And what, exactly, is your reason for not having an address up there? Unless you're too afraid to answer my questions.
No, I'm not afraid of you at all.
My reason is that I chose to live with my friend Trevor during that time.
The only problem with that is, your friend Trevor has lived in Brooklyn his entire life.
Exactly a 3 hour and 20 minute drive from Harvard.
So you're saying you made that drive every day? No, I only went up for tests because that's all I had to do.
I guess you needed some extra tutoring, huh? You expect these people to believe that you graduated from the most competitive law school in the world without ever going to class? See, that's funny, because you actually expect these people to believe that I never went to law school at all and yet still somehow managed to convince the smartest lawyers in the world to make me their youngest partner ever.
Whose story is looking more far-fetched now? Oh, no answer? Great.
No more questions, Your Honor.
I don't know if you've noticed this or not, but he's kicking your ass.
And I'm about to kick back.
Are you two discussing something that defense should be made aware of? Just talking about the Knicks.
Now is the prosecution ready to call their first witness? The prosecution's first witness is this affidavit from every single member of the defendant's supposed graduating class.
Objection, Your Honor.
I haven't seen that.
Well, then let me read it to you.
"We collectively come forward to swear "the following regarding Michael James Ross: "We never saw him.
We never knew him.
"We never heard of him.
"And it makes us sick that he's taking the good name "of Harvard Law School and throwing it down the toilet.
Please find him guilty on all counts.
" Your Honor, I move to strike that document right now.
On what grounds? On the grounds that it's completely fabricated.
Where's your proof? Besides the fact that I actually went to Harvard, there's no way you could have contacted all of those people since last night.
Then I suggest you call every one of these people and put them on the stand.
But when you do, every single one of them is gonna look you in the eye and say, "Who the hell are you?" What? No snappy comeback? You can try to trick these people all you want.
But the fact is, you didn't go to Harvard, and this proves it.
Objection.
He's testifying.
What I'm doing is winning.
All right, that's enough.
I think this is a good time to take a break.
[gavel thuds.]
Louis Litt.
I'm Anita Gibbs.
Yeah, I know who you are.
Question is, what are you doing here? And the answer is, I don't give a shit.
I came here to compliment you on getting rid of Sheila's ass.
I have no idea what you're talking about.
Really? You think I don't know what's going on here? You two were in a relationship, and when you found out that it was her that wrote that email, you went up to Cambridge and convinced her to go to Argentina for the duration of the trial.
[laughs.]
You're out of your mind.
Am I? You flew to Boston three times in the last two weeks.
You took two cabs to her house and another to within 100 feet of the admissions office.
You have no proof of anything.
I don't need proof.
Because while she may be in Argentina now, she's not gonna stay there forever, which means when she gets back, I get you for witness tampering.
Do me a favor and leave me the hell alone.
I will.
For now.
But if she's not back by the start of trial, I'm gonna assume that you want to be brought up on charges.
[dramatic music.]
You son of a bitch.
This isn't real.
I don't give a shit whether it's real or not.
You think Gibbs isn't gonna do things like that? She is not gonna enter false evidence, and you know it.
But she is gonna set up traps for you to bungle into like I just did.
This is such bullshit.
You are just pissed because I was kicking your ass so now you're cheating.
Me? You're the one who testified in your opening statement and every chance you get.
Because that's exactly what me being my own lawyer gives us.
I don't care.
If I represent you and it turns out that you need to testify, we can call you up to the stand.
And if we do that, then Gibbs gets to cross-examine me and make me look like a liar.
Well, I don't know if you've noticed, but you're looking like a liar right now.
And I'm trying to keep you from looking like a fool.
You know what? I'm getting pretty tired of you using that word with me.
Too bad, because for all your bullshit up there, you still can't produce one person who remembers you from Harvard.
So if you want to have a chance at representing yourself, get out of my face and go work on your defense 'cause I got a lot more where that came from.
[dramatic music.]
What can I do for you, Louis? - Gibbs knows what I did.
- What? She knows I got Sheila out of the country.
She was waiting for me this morning, and she threatened to bring charges against me.
- Did you admit that to her? - No.
Then she's not gonna charge you with anything.
Did you hear what I just said? She knows I went to Sheila's place the same night she went to Argentina.
And what does that prove? It proves that I knowingly bought a witness a ticket out of the country in the middle of an ongoing investigation.
All it proves is, you rewarded a Harvard employee who's been steering lawyers towards this firm for the last ten years.
Okay, Jessica, Gibbs can easily go down to Argentina and ask Sheila-- Louis, listen to yourself.
She's not going to do that.
And even if she did, it's not witness tampering if a subpoena was never issued.
Then Gibbs is gonna say that I had knowledge of an impending subpoena; therefore it is tampering.
You know what, Louis? I don't give a shit what Gibbs says.
Where are you going? Give that woman a taste of her own goddamn medicine.
Where the hell are you going? We've got Mike on the ropes; we have to put him away.
Sorry, Harvey.
Something more pressing just came up.
What the hell could be more pressing than this? You worry about your shit, and I'll worry about mine.
Oh, I've got my shit taken care of.
Well, maybe you do, and maybe you don't.
But what I've learned from recent history is, if you really were Anita Gibbs, no matter what you had planned, you'd be planning something else.
Donna, please, not right now.
I'm so busy.
That's fine.
I just came by to let you know that Jessica had to go out, so the trial is done for the rest of the day.
And Harvey wasn't gonna tell me because he's playing dirty.
He's not your enemy, Mike.
He's just doing what he thinks is best.
Then I'm gonna do what I think is best.
And what exactly is that? Look, Donna, he may not be my enemy, and you may not be my enemy, but as long as we're in this trial run, I'm not trusting you with anything.
That's my boy.
Jessica Pearson, I wasn't aware we had an appointment today.
We don't.
I just stopped by to give you this restraining order, preventing you from contacting Louis Litt without his attorney present.
And let me guess-- his attorney is you.
Bingo.
So unless you're going to arrest him, you so much as text him without me present, and you're in violation of a court order.
You're done driving a wedge between me and my people.
We'll see how strong your bond is with your people when I parade every one of them on the stand and ask them point-blank, "Did you know Mike Ross was a fraud?" You think we're gonna have different answers to that? No, I think you're all gonna take the Fifth.
And you're gonna tell yourselves it implies no guilt, but in the eyes of the jury, you might as well all just stand up there and say he did it.
So you tell your client he's off the hook for now.
But the next time I talk to him, it will be on the stand.
Hey, I got your message.
So here I am.
But let me tell you something, Mike, if you're here to ask what I think you're gonna ask, gonna be a short conversation.
I need you to say you remember me from Harvard.
There's just one small problem, Mike.
I don't remember you.
'Cause you didn't go there, did you? Look me in the eye and tell me that I'm wrong.
God damn you, Mike.
I--I knew it.
Jimmy--Jimmy! When we first started, you begged me to help you save your career.
No, no, no, no, Mike.
This is not the same thing.
I-I could have gotten you disbarred.
But it couldn't have got me sent to jail, and you know it.
I don't care! All right? I need your help.
Mike, you are asking me to perjure myself, and I don't even know who you are.
Yes, you do.
I am the same guy you came to when your aunt needed help.
Wow.
What? So I owe you for that too? Yeah, you do.
You and I both know if I get convicted, that settlement's gonna get reopened.
Then why the hell did you take it, Mike? Why? Jimmy, I took a shortcut, man.
Just like you took a shortcut once.
Now, if I could take it all back, I would, but I can't.
And just like you begged me once, I am coming to you and begging you right now.
Please.
Please help me.
No one in their right mind would do what you're asking me to.
That's not true.
- Harold come to you? - Mm-hmm.
But you know Harold won't hold up on the stand and I would.
Right? - Jimmy, I need you-- - Michael.
[sighs.]
Look, brother, I'm sorry.
I really wish I could help, but I cannot risk going to prison for you.
I can't.
[cell phone buzzing.]
Hello? Louis, it's me.
Sheila, I explicitly told you, "Do not call me until after the trial is over.
" We can't take any chances-- Someone approached me, Louis.
What do you mean someone approached you? At my hotel.
I was in the lobby.
A man came up to me and started talking.
He said he was from New York.
He wanted to know how long I'd been planning a trip to Argentina.
Then he asked how long I was planning on staying and, finally, did anyone pay for my ticket to come down here? W-what did you tell him? That it was none of his business.
Good.
That was smart.
You didn't show them that they got to you.
Louis, they did get to me.
Listen to me.
They did not subpoena you, so you did nothing wrong.
You just took a trip.
Now, if Gibbs can prove anyone did anything, it is me.
And I will do anything to protect you, okay? I'm sorry, Louis.
I have to go.
[dramatic music.]
I don't believe you.
You're calling Rachel as your first witness? I sure as hell am.
Gibbs can't call Rachel.
We took care of that.
We took care of her going out of bounds to get Rachel to turn on you.
We didn't do anything to stop her calling Rachel to the stand, and you know it.
Fine, then I'm stipulating right now Rachel's taking the Fifth to any questions.
Oh, bullshit.
You know as well as I do, she can't take the Fifth to personal questions.
So you're just gonna humiliate her so you can rattle me? You're damn right I am.
Gibbs is gonna do the exact same thing.
She is not gonna do that to Rachel in front of a jury, because it will make her look like shit.
She doesn't care about that.
No, you're the one that doesn't care about that.
'Cause this is no longer about what's best for my case; it's because you don't want to lose to me.
I'm not going to lose to you.
You know what, Harvey? I am-- That's enough.
While you two have been having your pissing contest, I've been poring over discovery, and I came across the class rankings from Mike's first year.
Don't tell me-- he's not on it.
- No, he's not.
- Doesn't make any sense.
Yes, it does.
Lola must not have covered all the bases.
Then we need to get her to cover all the bases.
Are you out of your mind? You go to Lola, you lead Gibbs right to her, and this thing is over before it even gets started.
Okay, then we get Benjamin to do it.
We are not letting another person in on your secret.
Well, then what do you suggest we do? What we were gonna do with every other piece of evidence that makes us look like shit.
We find a way to make it look like shit.
There is no way that Harvard accidentally forgets to put a student on this list.
I say we go to Benjamin.
And I say I'll lock you in a room until this trial starts if you say that again.
Then I guess whoever wins makes the call.
You go to Benjamin behind my back before we're done, and you going to prison is gonna be the least of your problems.
Mike, you like you've been through the wringer.
I have to ask you a question, and I want you to tell me the truth.
Well, of course.
Do you really think I should be the one up there fighting for my life, or do you think Harvey should be? I think that you're the best person to make that call, and that whatever you decide, I'm with you 100%.
Well, then I need to ask Benjamin to do something for us, and Harvey is really not gonna like it.
Whatever it is, if you think we need to do it, I'm with you.
It's done? Yes.
It won't hold up forever, but it will hold up for now.
Thank you, Benjamin.
I-- I didn't expect it for a couple of hours.
I-I haven't had a chance to get you any bacon.
That's quite all right, Michael.
This one is on the house.
You know, you never asked if what they're saying about me is true.
I didn't need to.
I knew it was true the second I heard it.
I don't understand.
All these kids who went to Harvard, they never gave me the time of day.
All they cared about was letting me know where they went to school and I didn't.
You've never done that to me.
Not one time.
[sighs.]
I--I don't know what to say.
Say that when you're done and you've beaten this thing, you won't start acting like some asshole who went to Harvard.
Well, I mean, can't really promise you that, Benjamin.
I'll have gone to Harvard.
That's not funny, Michael.
[solemn music.]
[envelope slaps.]
Is the prosecution ready to call its next witness? Prosecution calls Rachel Zane.
Objection.
Your Honor, the witness cannot object to testifying simply because she intends to take the Fifth.
The witness doesn't have to testify because she's my wife.
What? I have a marriage certificate here from the state of Nevada showing that the witness and I were married in Las Vegas six weeks after we started dating.
Both of you up here, now.
Where the hell did you get that? What do you mean? You didn't marry her, and you know it.
Then why do I have everything I need proving I did? Because you did some bullshit to get out of this.
Oh, look who's crying about it now.
Keep your voices down.
You think this is a joke? You try this in court, Gibbs is gonna prove you're not married, and Rachel's gonna go to jail for perjury.
He's right; you better know what the hell you're doing.
Who said that I was gonna use this in the real trial? I get it.
This is a fake, just like you.
I said keep your goddamn voice down.
This is as real as that affidavit was, okay? Now, you wanted to rattle me; I've rattled you.
What are you gonna do about it? Prosecution calls Rachel Zane to the stand.
Objection.
We just went over this.
When spousal privilege is invoked in the moment, prosecution has the right to challenge the validity of the marriage.
- This is ridiculous.
- Objection overruled.
Ms.
Zane, take the stand.
We can skip swearing her in since she's just gonna lie about it, anyway.
Objection! Ms.
Zane, if you got married six weeks after dating the defendant, why are you engaged to him right now? Because we did it on a whim.
And we had planned to have an annulment, but once we fell more in love, we thought that it might be wonderful to reveal it to our families after we were married again.
And how, exactly, did it go when you got married the first time? We were in Las Vegas-- Yeah, yeah, I don't give a shit where you were.
What color was your dress? What color was the cake? - Objection.
- Who was there? Were there any witnesses? Your Honor, he's badgering-- Who were the witnesses? And what goddamn time was it? Your Honor, get him off of her! - Harvey - Tell me right now.
Let the witness answer.
The dress was white.
And the cake was vanilla with a buttercream frosting.
It was a small ceremony at around 10:00 p.
m.
And I remember the man who married us like it was yesterday because it was the most special day of my life.
And when you came up with this story, did Mr.
Ross at least give you the courtesy of letting you make up your own memories of your supposedly sacred day? Objection.
Since, if he represents himself at trial, you won't have a real wedding for at least two to five years.
Harvey.
And I've got one more question: did you vow to remain faithful to Mr.
Ross throughout your marriage? Yes, I did.
Yeah, then I guess when you cheated on him with Logan Sanders, it means you lied to him at that non-existent ceremony, just like you're lying to all of us right now.
That's enough.
If you want to bring more outside information to dispute this marriage, feel free, but for right now this witness is excused.
[gavel thuds.]
[dramatic music.]
Louis, whatever it is, it's going to have to wait.
No, it's not gonna wait, because you said you'd take care of Gibbs.
I did take care of Gibbs.
Well, then why the hell did someone from her office contact Sheila in Argentina? Louis, they're just trying to scare you.
And even if she tells them everything, you did nothing wrong with Sheila.
What about what we did with Mike? The only proof they'll ever have that we knew about Mike is if we tell them.
And when they ask me, I'm going to take the Fifth, and you are going to do the same thing.
That is not good enough.
I don't want to take the Fifth.
- Excuse me? - You heard me.
You get called first, you get up there, and you look them straight in the eye, and you tell them Mike went to Harvard.
It was your decision to hire him, and you stand by it 100%.
What's going on? What's going on is that Jessica's happy asking me to witness tamper, but when it comes to her getting on the stand, she won't-- Witness tamper? What did you have him do? She had me move Sheila out of the country.
Are you crazy? Look, I did what I had to do.
Then why won't you do what you have to do for me? Because if I did that, it would open me up to perjury.
If Mike gets convicted, what does it matter if you perjure yourself? Both of you be quiet.
Look who's coming.
Look who it is.
The Three Musketeers.
And we happen to be in the middle of a meeting.
That's okay; I just dropped by to let you know it looks like the trial's been moved up till tomorrow.
What the hell did you do? I went to the judge, and I said, "Your Honor, "I'd like to start this thing before every single witness I have disappears.
" No way she granted this without us present.
Oh, you can fight it, if you want.
We'll wait for Ms.
Sazs to finish her trip.
Oh, Mr.
Litt seems upset about that.
Looks like the wedge I'm driving between you is starting to work.
Your wedge hasn't done shit.
[dramatic music.]
And I'm gonna tell you something else.
You put me on that stand, and I will look the jury straight in the eye and tell them that Mike Ross is the best goddamn Harvard-educated attorney I have ever met.
I hired him.
It was my decision, and I stand by it 100%.
And everyone that comes after me will say the same thing.
You think she bought that? I don't care if she bought it or not.
I wasn't bluffing.
And you and Mike better figure out what the hell you're going to do because the trial starts tomorrow.
What a coincidence running into you here twice in one week.
You can skip trying to cheer me up, because it's not gonna work.
- Rachel-- - I don't want to hear it.
He humiliated me in front of the entire firm.
Yeah, he did.
But you weren't sure if Mike could handle this or not.
And at least now, if he can't, you won't have to be the one to tell him.
That is so easy for you to say, because you have no idea what it felt like to go through that.
You're wrong.
I know exactly what it feels like.
What are you talking about? Try to imagine how he treated me when I left him for Louis.
Maybe you do know.
Yeah.
I do.
And I also know that, like nobody else, Harvey has this ability to just shut off and not see you as a person anymore.
Well, that ability makes me sick.
It's also probably one of the things that makes him such a great lawyer.
[knocking.]
- What are you doing here? - We got a problem.
You mean besides what you did today? - Mike, listen to me.
- No, you listen to me.
That was over the line-- The trial starts tomorrow.
What? No.
Gibbs can't do that.
Technically she can't, but trust me, we don't have a leg to stand on.
Fine.
Then I'm filing the motion to be my own attorney.
- Mike-- - No, I don't want to hear it.
You didn't beat me, all right? So you can be second chair or no chair, but I am first chair.
God damn it, Mike.
You don't know what you're doing.
Do you really think I'm gonna let you protect me after what you did to Rachel today? I did that to Rachel for you, and if you can't see that, you can't win this trial.
I can, and I will! That's enough! Rachel, it's fine.
I can handle this.
I don't care.
I don't want you to handle this.
What? You said you were with me 100%.
Was that a lie? No, but what Harvey had to do to me today was brutal, and whoever ends up representing you has to do the same thing to Trevor.
You don't think I can do the same thing to Trevor? I know you can.
But I hated Harvey while he was doing it to me, and they're going to hate you while you're doing it to Trevor.
And, Mike, we can't have the jury hating you, but we can let them hate Harvey.
Mr.
Evans, is it true that you were living with Mr.
Ross in and around the time he claims to have attended Harvard? Yes, we shared an apartment at 5307 Huntington Boulevard in Brooklyn.
And how exactly did he pay his rent? He worked as a bike messenger and made money on the side taking the LSATs for people.
Oh, wait, I'm confused.
Why would he have to resort to that if he were a college graduate? Because he wasn't a college graduate.
What? You mean he never graduated from college? No, he was kicked out of college for cheating on a test.
Well, isn't it possible that while he was living with you, he went back to school and completed his degree? Well, I don't see how, since most of his spare time was spent sitting around smoking weed with me.
Well, let me get this straight.
Before he was employed at Pearson Specter, to the best of your knowledge, he worked as a bike messenger and a part-time LSAT imposter? Yes.
One last question, Mr.
Evans.
Is it at all possible that Mike Ross ever attended Harvard Law School? Not unless they had a satellite campus at 5307 Huntington Boulevard in Brooklyn.
No more questions, Your Honor.
Given that you smoked all this pot, Mr.
Evans, isn't it possible that if Mike Ross commuted one day a week to Harvard Law that you might not remember that? I'd remember.
Yeah, maybe you would, but you'd lie through your teeth about it anyway, wouldn't you? Objection.
Mr.
Evans, isn't it true that you're a long-time drug dealer and your testimony today is only happening because you signed a deal with Ms.
Gibbs giving you immunity? Doesn't mean I'm lying.
Because you wouldn't lie just to get out of going to prison? No, I would not.
Well, how about if the other reason was to get back at someone you've been jealous of your entire life? I've never been jealous of Mike Ross in my entire life.
And I just caught you in a lie.
Objection, Your Honor.
Mr.
Evans, my next move is gonna be to call Jenny Griffith to the stand, and she's gonna testify that you lied to her for years about dealing, and when she found out about it, she left you for Mike Ross.
Objection.
Badgering.
She's also gonna say that you were jealous of his mind your entire life, and when you found out that she left you for him, you were as jealous as a human being can be.
Now, is that true or not? Your Honor.
Let me rephrase.
Is Ms.
Griffith going to be perjuring herself or are you? Yeah, I was jealous of him.
And if he lied about all of that, what's to make us believe that he wasn't lying about everything else? No further questions, Your Honor.
Your Honor, prosecution calls Donna Paulsen to the stand.
Don't worry, Donna.
She won't ask you point-blank if you knew Mike was a fraud.
What if she does? If you lie, they'll never know.
Ms.
Paulsen, it's my understanding that you arranged Mr.
Specter's interviews for the position currently filled by Michael Ross.
Is that correct? I assisted in the process, yes.
Did you find it suspicious that Mr.
Ross wasn't listed on the Harvard class ranking from his first year? - No, I didn't.
- And why is that? Because I've never been on any class ranking, and I'm the best legal secretary in the city.
Wow, that's a quippy response, Ms.
Paulsen.
But if you were so good at your job, how would you allow someone who wasn't even on the interview list to get in a room alone with Harvey Specter? I'm sure you'll recognize this list.
After all, you typed it up.
And it looks like his name isn't on this one either.
No, he wasn't on the list, but he was smart enough to talk to his way in, which is what a good lawyer does and exactly what I was looking for.
How exactly did he talk his way in? Answer the question, Ms.
Paulsen.
He took someone else's spot.
You mean he said he was someone else.
You're under oath, Ms.
Paulsen.
May I remind you that perjury carries a sentence of up to five years? Did he say he was someone else? - He said he was Rick Sorkin.
- Ha.
So your first introduction to Mr.
Ross was as an imposter? I didn't say that.
You said he lied about what his name was.
That makes him an imposter.
Are you going to recant your testimony? Don't look at him.
[dramatic music.]
No, I'm not recanting.
All right.
So now we've established that Mr.
Ross is a liar.
And now we're gonna find out if you're a liar.
So, Ms.
Paulsen, to the best of your knowledge, did Mike Ross go to Harvard Law School or not? I'd like to assert my Fifth Amendment right.
[crowd murmuring.]
Don't feel bad, Ms.
Paulsen.
I'm sure others will do the same thing too because the defense cannot produce one person who can place Mike Ross at Harvard Law.
The witness could be excused, Your Honor.
I think we've heard all we need to hear.
Defense would like to call Jimmy Kirkwood to the stand.
Objection.
His name was not on the witness list.
Rebuttal witness.
She just said we can't produce someone who places Mike at Harvard, and I say we can.
Your Honor-- Mr.
Specter is within his rights.
Mr.
Kirkwood can take the stand.
How did you know he'd testify? I didn't until just now.
Well, when I first met Mike, I thought, "Who is this asshole who only ever shows up for tests?" Cockiest son of a bitch I ever saw.
But then I really got to know Mike when we were arguing over an ethics question in Professor Gerard's class.
Should a lawyer who's crossed a line be given a second chance? I didn't think so, but Mike did, and that's when I realized that Mike Ross has more integrity and compassion in his little finger than any other lawyer I've ever met.
And if I was on trial for my life, there's no one I'd rather have on my side than my fellow Harvard alum Mike Ross.
Just so we're 100% clear, was Mike Ross a student at Harvard Law School with you? Yes, he was.
No further questions, Your Honor.
Now we've heard enough.
Ms.
Gibbs, I'll give you 24 hours to prepare for cross.
Oh, I don't need 24 hours, Your Honor.
Mr.
Kirkwood, isn't it true that two days ago, Mr.
Ross contacted you on the street outside of your office and the two of you got into a heated argument? I have the pictures.
Would you like to see them? Yes, it's true.
And isn't it also true that Mike Ross got your aunt a large settlement several months ago, and if he gets convicted, it's likely that that settlement gets overturned? Objection.
Calls for speculation.
He's a Harvard lawyer.
He's qualified to speculate.
- Overruled.
- No, you're right.
It'd probably get overturned, but if you think that's why I said what I said, then obviously you don't know me.
So Trevor Evans could lie because he's jealous, but you wouldn't lie for your aunt? I'm not lying for my aunt.
But you are lying, because a person who's telling the truth wouldn't say they're lying at all.
Objection.
Testifying.
You Honor, I've had enough of this witness.
He's excused.
And the prosecution rests.
Donna.
Come in.
What can I do for you? I'm actually here to see Mike.
Mike's not here.
He went to go and see Harvey.
[sighs.]
- Look, is this about-- - It is about today.
Donna, I-- You know, I always talk like nothing can get to me.
Well, it did today.
I crumbled up there, and I hurt Mike's case.
And I'm ashamed of myself, and I don't know what to do.
Okay.
Here's what you're gonna do.
It's okay.
You are going to sit down with me and have a glass of wine and relax.
Because juries aren't stupid, and they aren't allowed to infer anything from what you said, so they won't.
Harvey, I got to tell you, I think we got 'em.
Mike, sit down.
What's going on? We had a good day, but it wasn't enough.
What are you talking about? Jimmy came through.
Mike-- Look, I know she landed a punch with him.
And I'm telling you, he wasn't enough.
Harvey, all we need is reasonable doubt.
And if I was on that jury, I wouldn't have it.
I'd find you guilty.
[scoffs.]
That's great.
So you just called me over here to make me want to kill myself? I called you here because this is not about doubt.
We need to give them a reason to want to let you go.
And how exactly are we gonna do that? By doing what you wanted to do in the first place.
[foreboding music.]
No.
Now? Are you kidding me? It's the only way to get you to testify without taking the stand.
And you said if we had to, we'd put me on the stand.
And you were right.
She's too good at crossing.
Well, it's a great idea, Harvey; I wish I'd had it.
The only problem is, they're not gonna let me change my goddamn lawyer in the middle of a trial! And I'm telling you we need to figure out a way to make them.
Because if we don't We're gonna lose.
You're not allowed to talk to me.
That's true, but if you don't tell anyone, then no one's gonna know, and I don't think you're gonna want to tell anyone.
Okay.
What do you want? I have to admit that until you got rid of Sheila, I honestly thought you weren't part of this whole thing, but then I did a little checking, and I think I can pinpoint the exact day you found out about Mike Ross.
I'm calling Jessica.
They let you resign, you found out about Mike, and you used it to return as a name partner.
And you know what that makes me think about you? You're resourceful, maybe a little sleazy, but you didn't hire that kid in the first place.
I'm not turning on my partners.
You had to blackmail them to get what you deserve.
That's got to stick in your craw.
- Go.
- I will go, Louis.
But you know what else I found out when I was looking into you? You like the ballet.
You like to go mudding.
You enjoy the creature comforts in life, but they don't have comforts like that in prison.
They're gonna lose this trial.
You know it, I know it, and they know it.
You have one last chance to save yourself.
Think about it.
And, uh call me.
Before it's too late.
@elderman
One of the victims was my uncle Keith.
Please.
These people need your help.
I didn't come forward.
They found me.
And I'm not pulling any associate shit.
Then what do you call this pathetic excuse of a candidates list? I call it inevitable, because our students can read.
Our future is slipping away, and offering Jack name partner or praying to God that Harvey just gets Mike off the hook isn't gonna stop it from happening.
Then you get your ass back up to Harvard, and you make sure Sheila doesn't show up to that trial.
It's a ticket to Argentina.
I need you to go there until the trial's over.
Court's not about bullshit like this; it's about facts.
And the fact is, you're not a goddamn lawyer.
Are you saying what I think you're saying? Because if you're thinking it, you're a fool.
You heard her.
She said the fact is, is that I'm not a goddamn lawyer.
Well, the only way to change that fact is for a jury to see me be a goddamn lawyer.
You try that, all they're gonna see is someone going to prison.
It's my call, and I'm making it.
We have a problem.
They found Trevor.
Please raise your right hand.
Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God? I do.
You may be seated.
Mr.
Evans, how long have you known Mr.
Ross? Since we were kids.
Almost 20 years.
So you were close to him? Yeah, he was my best friend.
Are you still close to him? Well, I doubt we will be after this.
After what? After you ask me about the series of events that have led us all to be here today.
Well, we'll get to your history in a minute, but first, I want to ask you a question about current events.
Did Mike Ross approach you three days ago in an attempt to get you not to testify against him? [dramatic music.]
Yes, he did.
How exactly did that conversation go? [cars rumbling, horn blares.]
What are you doing here? You know exactly what I'm doing here.
You said you would not testify.
Yeah, well, that was before Anita Gibbs dragged me in and told me she was gonna put me away for ten years.
I don't give a shit what she told you.
You said you were gonna call a lawyer.
Yeah, well, before I had a chance to do that, they showed me what they had, which is names, dates, witnesses, and everything else they need to put me away for as long as they want.
Wait, wait, how would they have-- You think I want to do this? I don't.
But I cannot risk prison for you.
And I am telling you that whatever they have, Harvey can get you out of this.
And from what she told me, Gibbs can get you out of this.
She offered you a deal that can make this whole thing stop.
Now, instead of telling me not to testify against you, why don't you think about testifying against Harvey? Because unlike you, I would never do that to a friend! Yeah, well, unlike you, when they put me away, I'm not going to a white-collar prison.
So if I don't rip you to shreds up there on the stand, they're gonna rip me to shreds behind bars.
Harvey, it's late.
I've had a long day.
So if you don't mind We have a problem.
What now? My condo's on fire? Mike wants to represent himself.
Is he crazy? He can't do that.
That's what I tried to tell him.
You don't try; you just tell him.
Yeah, the only problem with that is, he knows it's his decision.
Not to mention, the only thing that's stopping him from going to Gibbs and pointing his finger at you or me is his loyalty to us.
So that's it? He's representing himself? I'm not saying that.
Then what exactly are you saying? I'm saying I have a plan, but I need you to sign off on it.
Oh, whatever it is, I'm in.
Because if that kid handles his own defense, you and I are going to be the next ones on trial.
[knocking.]
If you're here to find out if Trevor's testifying, he is.
I can handle Trevor.
Harvey, we've been over this.
And I said we're not done being over it.
Listen to me, I know that fool-for-a-client bullshit.
But the thing I'm being accused of is not being a lawyer.
So if I represent myself, every second I'm up there, they're gonna see me as a lawyer.
And if she rattles you for one of those goddamn seconds, they're gonna see you as a fraud, and they're never gonna see you as anything else.
Okay.
I got it.
You said your piece.
It's my call.
I'm done talking about it.
Then we'll do a trial run to get you ready.
Are you crazy? You want to waste my time, not to mention air our dirty laundry, in front of the whole firm? Mike, in a week and a half, our dirty laundry is gonna be aired in front of the whole world.
And Gibbs is gonna come at you in ways you've never even thought about.
Oh, so I get it.
You don't want a trial run to get me ready; you want a trial run to show me that I'm outmatched.
You are outmatched by me and Gibbs, and you're afraid to find out.
I'm not afraid of Gibbs, and I am not afraid of you.
Then you won't mind agreeing, if I beat you, you let me represent you in court.
[laughs.]
Okay, Harvey, you want to go? Let's go.
But you better bring your A game.
Because you might be the best closer in the city, but I'm the one fighting for my life.
See the money, wanna stay for your meal Get another piece of pie for your wife Everybody wanna know how it feel Everybody wanna see what it's like I'll even eat a bean pie, I don't mind Me and Missy is so busy, busy making money All right All step back, I'm 'bout to dance Suits 5x14 Self Defense The greenback boogie @elderman Thank you.
There he is.
Harold.
What are you doing here? I know what's going on, okay? I know about the trial coming up.
Then you know I'm pretty busy right now.
Right, which is why I wanted to talk to you.
Listen, you're gonna need someone to testify that you went to Harvard.
I want to be that guy.
Harold, that's an amazing offer, but-- Mike, come on, man.
We both know that you didn't go to Harvard.
But honestly, if anyone would have asked me up until this point, I would have sworn that you did.
I would have sworn that I saw you at that--that party with Gilcrest or those pizza nights at Pinocchio's or pretty much any other memory I have of that time, which means, if they put me up there on that stand, I'd basically be telling the truth.
I can't tell you how much that means to me, Harold, but Mike, I want to do this for you, please.
I know you do.
But I got myself into this mess, and I got to get myself out of it.
Okay.
But listen, if you change your mind, you know where to find me.
Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, you're gonna be hearing a lot of things over the next several days, but the truth is, this case is about nothing more than cold, hard-- Innuendo.
And the fact is, I'm capable of reciting every element of jurisprudence in the state of New York.
And yet despite that, the prosecution is gonna try to convince you that I am a-- Fraud, who not only didn't pass the bar or go to law school, he didn't even graduate college.
There isn't one piece of hard evidence proving that I didn't go to Harvard Law.
There's no record of tuition being paid.
No record of a Boston address.
There isn't even a simple picture in the yearbook.
Let's talk about the yearbook.
As he told you, I'm not in the yearbook.
Where is Mike Ross? Though what he didn't tell you is that 25 other students are also not in this yearbook.
Are those other students being charged with fraud? Of course not, because we don't put people on trial for being sick on picture day, and no matter-- What he says, the fact is, Mike Ross is not a lawyer.
He's a fraud.
And we will prove that beyond a shadow of a doubt.
The defense would like to call its first witness.
Right there-- he's such a non-lawyer, he doesn't even know the prosecution goes first.
And you obviously don't know Jarvis v.
the State of New York, 1937, when calling of the first witness is of such special nature as to disrupt the flow of the trial once it's started.
What the hell special nature are you talking about? When the defense wants to call the prosecutor as its first witness.
Harvey, unless you have something to overturn this, I'm gonna need you to have a seat.
Mr.
Specter, you said there's no record of me ever having an apartment in Boston.
Can you explain to the jury why there's no record of you ever having lived there? I'm not the one on trial here.
No, you're not.
You're the one in that chair, so why don't you answer the question, or we can stop this whole thing right now.
There's no record of me living there because I sublet up there when I had my place down here.
So it is possible that a person not have a Boston address without it meaning that they didn't attend Harvard.
Great.
Thank you so much.
This witness is excused.
And what, exactly, is your reason for not having an address up there? Unless you're too afraid to answer my questions.
No, I'm not afraid of you at all.
My reason is that I chose to live with my friend Trevor during that time.
The only problem with that is, your friend Trevor has lived in Brooklyn his entire life.
Exactly a 3 hour and 20 minute drive from Harvard.
So you're saying you made that drive every day? No, I only went up for tests because that's all I had to do.
I guess you needed some extra tutoring, huh? You expect these people to believe that you graduated from the most competitive law school in the world without ever going to class? See, that's funny, because you actually expect these people to believe that I never went to law school at all and yet still somehow managed to convince the smartest lawyers in the world to make me their youngest partner ever.
Whose story is looking more far-fetched now? Oh, no answer? Great.
No more questions, Your Honor.
I don't know if you've noticed this or not, but he's kicking your ass.
And I'm about to kick back.
Are you two discussing something that defense should be made aware of? Just talking about the Knicks.
Now is the prosecution ready to call their first witness? The prosecution's first witness is this affidavit from every single member of the defendant's supposed graduating class.
Objection, Your Honor.
I haven't seen that.
Well, then let me read it to you.
"We collectively come forward to swear "the following regarding Michael James Ross: "We never saw him.
We never knew him.
"We never heard of him.
"And it makes us sick that he's taking the good name "of Harvard Law School and throwing it down the toilet.
Please find him guilty on all counts.
" Your Honor, I move to strike that document right now.
On what grounds? On the grounds that it's completely fabricated.
Where's your proof? Besides the fact that I actually went to Harvard, there's no way you could have contacted all of those people since last night.
Then I suggest you call every one of these people and put them on the stand.
But when you do, every single one of them is gonna look you in the eye and say, "Who the hell are you?" What? No snappy comeback? You can try to trick these people all you want.
But the fact is, you didn't go to Harvard, and this proves it.
Objection.
He's testifying.
What I'm doing is winning.
All right, that's enough.
I think this is a good time to take a break.
[gavel thuds.]
Louis Litt.
I'm Anita Gibbs.
Yeah, I know who you are.
Question is, what are you doing here? And the answer is, I don't give a shit.
I came here to compliment you on getting rid of Sheila's ass.
I have no idea what you're talking about.
Really? You think I don't know what's going on here? You two were in a relationship, and when you found out that it was her that wrote that email, you went up to Cambridge and convinced her to go to Argentina for the duration of the trial.
[laughs.]
You're out of your mind.
Am I? You flew to Boston three times in the last two weeks.
You took two cabs to her house and another to within 100 feet of the admissions office.
You have no proof of anything.
I don't need proof.
Because while she may be in Argentina now, she's not gonna stay there forever, which means when she gets back, I get you for witness tampering.
Do me a favor and leave me the hell alone.
I will.
For now.
But if she's not back by the start of trial, I'm gonna assume that you want to be brought up on charges.
[dramatic music.]
You son of a bitch.
This isn't real.
I don't give a shit whether it's real or not.
You think Gibbs isn't gonna do things like that? She is not gonna enter false evidence, and you know it.
But she is gonna set up traps for you to bungle into like I just did.
This is such bullshit.
You are just pissed because I was kicking your ass so now you're cheating.
Me? You're the one who testified in your opening statement and every chance you get.
Because that's exactly what me being my own lawyer gives us.
I don't care.
If I represent you and it turns out that you need to testify, we can call you up to the stand.
And if we do that, then Gibbs gets to cross-examine me and make me look like a liar.
Well, I don't know if you've noticed, but you're looking like a liar right now.
And I'm trying to keep you from looking like a fool.
You know what? I'm getting pretty tired of you using that word with me.
Too bad, because for all your bullshit up there, you still can't produce one person who remembers you from Harvard.
So if you want to have a chance at representing yourself, get out of my face and go work on your defense 'cause I got a lot more where that came from.
[dramatic music.]
What can I do for you, Louis? - Gibbs knows what I did.
- What? She knows I got Sheila out of the country.
She was waiting for me this morning, and she threatened to bring charges against me.
- Did you admit that to her? - No.
Then she's not gonna charge you with anything.
Did you hear what I just said? She knows I went to Sheila's place the same night she went to Argentina.
And what does that prove? It proves that I knowingly bought a witness a ticket out of the country in the middle of an ongoing investigation.
All it proves is, you rewarded a Harvard employee who's been steering lawyers towards this firm for the last ten years.
Okay, Jessica, Gibbs can easily go down to Argentina and ask Sheila-- Louis, listen to yourself.
She's not going to do that.
And even if she did, it's not witness tampering if a subpoena was never issued.
Then Gibbs is gonna say that I had knowledge of an impending subpoena; therefore it is tampering.
You know what, Louis? I don't give a shit what Gibbs says.
Where are you going? Give that woman a taste of her own goddamn medicine.
Where the hell are you going? We've got Mike on the ropes; we have to put him away.
Sorry, Harvey.
Something more pressing just came up.
What the hell could be more pressing than this? You worry about your shit, and I'll worry about mine.
Oh, I've got my shit taken care of.
Well, maybe you do, and maybe you don't.
But what I've learned from recent history is, if you really were Anita Gibbs, no matter what you had planned, you'd be planning something else.
Donna, please, not right now.
I'm so busy.
That's fine.
I just came by to let you know that Jessica had to go out, so the trial is done for the rest of the day.
And Harvey wasn't gonna tell me because he's playing dirty.
He's not your enemy, Mike.
He's just doing what he thinks is best.
Then I'm gonna do what I think is best.
And what exactly is that? Look, Donna, he may not be my enemy, and you may not be my enemy, but as long as we're in this trial run, I'm not trusting you with anything.
That's my boy.
Jessica Pearson, I wasn't aware we had an appointment today.
We don't.
I just stopped by to give you this restraining order, preventing you from contacting Louis Litt without his attorney present.
And let me guess-- his attorney is you.
Bingo.
So unless you're going to arrest him, you so much as text him without me present, and you're in violation of a court order.
You're done driving a wedge between me and my people.
We'll see how strong your bond is with your people when I parade every one of them on the stand and ask them point-blank, "Did you know Mike Ross was a fraud?" You think we're gonna have different answers to that? No, I think you're all gonna take the Fifth.
And you're gonna tell yourselves it implies no guilt, but in the eyes of the jury, you might as well all just stand up there and say he did it.
So you tell your client he's off the hook for now.
But the next time I talk to him, it will be on the stand.
Hey, I got your message.
So here I am.
But let me tell you something, Mike, if you're here to ask what I think you're gonna ask, gonna be a short conversation.
I need you to say you remember me from Harvard.
There's just one small problem, Mike.
I don't remember you.
'Cause you didn't go there, did you? Look me in the eye and tell me that I'm wrong.
God damn you, Mike.
I--I knew it.
Jimmy--Jimmy! When we first started, you begged me to help you save your career.
No, no, no, no, Mike.
This is not the same thing.
I-I could have gotten you disbarred.
But it couldn't have got me sent to jail, and you know it.
I don't care! All right? I need your help.
Mike, you are asking me to perjure myself, and I don't even know who you are.
Yes, you do.
I am the same guy you came to when your aunt needed help.
Wow.
What? So I owe you for that too? Yeah, you do.
You and I both know if I get convicted, that settlement's gonna get reopened.
Then why the hell did you take it, Mike? Why? Jimmy, I took a shortcut, man.
Just like you took a shortcut once.
Now, if I could take it all back, I would, but I can't.
And just like you begged me once, I am coming to you and begging you right now.
Please.
Please help me.
No one in their right mind would do what you're asking me to.
That's not true.
- Harold come to you? - Mm-hmm.
But you know Harold won't hold up on the stand and I would.
Right? - Jimmy, I need you-- - Michael.
[sighs.]
Look, brother, I'm sorry.
I really wish I could help, but I cannot risk going to prison for you.
I can't.
[cell phone buzzing.]
Hello? Louis, it's me.
Sheila, I explicitly told you, "Do not call me until after the trial is over.
" We can't take any chances-- Someone approached me, Louis.
What do you mean someone approached you? At my hotel.
I was in the lobby.
A man came up to me and started talking.
He said he was from New York.
He wanted to know how long I'd been planning a trip to Argentina.
Then he asked how long I was planning on staying and, finally, did anyone pay for my ticket to come down here? W-what did you tell him? That it was none of his business.
Good.
That was smart.
You didn't show them that they got to you.
Louis, they did get to me.
Listen to me.
They did not subpoena you, so you did nothing wrong.
You just took a trip.
Now, if Gibbs can prove anyone did anything, it is me.
And I will do anything to protect you, okay? I'm sorry, Louis.
I have to go.
[dramatic music.]
I don't believe you.
You're calling Rachel as your first witness? I sure as hell am.
Gibbs can't call Rachel.
We took care of that.
We took care of her going out of bounds to get Rachel to turn on you.
We didn't do anything to stop her calling Rachel to the stand, and you know it.
Fine, then I'm stipulating right now Rachel's taking the Fifth to any questions.
Oh, bullshit.
You know as well as I do, she can't take the Fifth to personal questions.
So you're just gonna humiliate her so you can rattle me? You're damn right I am.
Gibbs is gonna do the exact same thing.
She is not gonna do that to Rachel in front of a jury, because it will make her look like shit.
She doesn't care about that.
No, you're the one that doesn't care about that.
'Cause this is no longer about what's best for my case; it's because you don't want to lose to me.
I'm not going to lose to you.
You know what, Harvey? I am-- That's enough.
While you two have been having your pissing contest, I've been poring over discovery, and I came across the class rankings from Mike's first year.
Don't tell me-- he's not on it.
- No, he's not.
- Doesn't make any sense.
Yes, it does.
Lola must not have covered all the bases.
Then we need to get her to cover all the bases.
Are you out of your mind? You go to Lola, you lead Gibbs right to her, and this thing is over before it even gets started.
Okay, then we get Benjamin to do it.
We are not letting another person in on your secret.
Well, then what do you suggest we do? What we were gonna do with every other piece of evidence that makes us look like shit.
We find a way to make it look like shit.
There is no way that Harvard accidentally forgets to put a student on this list.
I say we go to Benjamin.
And I say I'll lock you in a room until this trial starts if you say that again.
Then I guess whoever wins makes the call.
You go to Benjamin behind my back before we're done, and you going to prison is gonna be the least of your problems.
Mike, you like you've been through the wringer.
I have to ask you a question, and I want you to tell me the truth.
Well, of course.
Do you really think I should be the one up there fighting for my life, or do you think Harvey should be? I think that you're the best person to make that call, and that whatever you decide, I'm with you 100%.
Well, then I need to ask Benjamin to do something for us, and Harvey is really not gonna like it.
Whatever it is, if you think we need to do it, I'm with you.
It's done? Yes.
It won't hold up forever, but it will hold up for now.
Thank you, Benjamin.
I-- I didn't expect it for a couple of hours.
I-I haven't had a chance to get you any bacon.
That's quite all right, Michael.
This one is on the house.
You know, you never asked if what they're saying about me is true.
I didn't need to.
I knew it was true the second I heard it.
I don't understand.
All these kids who went to Harvard, they never gave me the time of day.
All they cared about was letting me know where they went to school and I didn't.
You've never done that to me.
Not one time.
[sighs.]
I--I don't know what to say.
Say that when you're done and you've beaten this thing, you won't start acting like some asshole who went to Harvard.
Well, I mean, can't really promise you that, Benjamin.
I'll have gone to Harvard.
That's not funny, Michael.
[solemn music.]
[envelope slaps.]
Is the prosecution ready to call its next witness? Prosecution calls Rachel Zane.
Objection.
Your Honor, the witness cannot object to testifying simply because she intends to take the Fifth.
The witness doesn't have to testify because she's my wife.
What? I have a marriage certificate here from the state of Nevada showing that the witness and I were married in Las Vegas six weeks after we started dating.
Both of you up here, now.
Where the hell did you get that? What do you mean? You didn't marry her, and you know it.
Then why do I have everything I need proving I did? Because you did some bullshit to get out of this.
Oh, look who's crying about it now.
Keep your voices down.
You think this is a joke? You try this in court, Gibbs is gonna prove you're not married, and Rachel's gonna go to jail for perjury.
He's right; you better know what the hell you're doing.
Who said that I was gonna use this in the real trial? I get it.
This is a fake, just like you.
I said keep your goddamn voice down.
This is as real as that affidavit was, okay? Now, you wanted to rattle me; I've rattled you.
What are you gonna do about it? Prosecution calls Rachel Zane to the stand.
Objection.
We just went over this.
When spousal privilege is invoked in the moment, prosecution has the right to challenge the validity of the marriage.
- This is ridiculous.
- Objection overruled.
Ms.
Zane, take the stand.
We can skip swearing her in since she's just gonna lie about it, anyway.
Objection! Ms.
Zane, if you got married six weeks after dating the defendant, why are you engaged to him right now? Because we did it on a whim.
And we had planned to have an annulment, but once we fell more in love, we thought that it might be wonderful to reveal it to our families after we were married again.
And how, exactly, did it go when you got married the first time? We were in Las Vegas-- Yeah, yeah, I don't give a shit where you were.
What color was your dress? What color was the cake? - Objection.
- Who was there? Were there any witnesses? Your Honor, he's badgering-- Who were the witnesses? And what goddamn time was it? Your Honor, get him off of her! - Harvey - Tell me right now.
Let the witness answer.
The dress was white.
And the cake was vanilla with a buttercream frosting.
It was a small ceremony at around 10:00 p.
m.
And I remember the man who married us like it was yesterday because it was the most special day of my life.
And when you came up with this story, did Mr.
Ross at least give you the courtesy of letting you make up your own memories of your supposedly sacred day? Objection.
Since, if he represents himself at trial, you won't have a real wedding for at least two to five years.
Harvey.
And I've got one more question: did you vow to remain faithful to Mr.
Ross throughout your marriage? Yes, I did.
Yeah, then I guess when you cheated on him with Logan Sanders, it means you lied to him at that non-existent ceremony, just like you're lying to all of us right now.
That's enough.
If you want to bring more outside information to dispute this marriage, feel free, but for right now this witness is excused.
[gavel thuds.]
[dramatic music.]
Louis, whatever it is, it's going to have to wait.
No, it's not gonna wait, because you said you'd take care of Gibbs.
I did take care of Gibbs.
Well, then why the hell did someone from her office contact Sheila in Argentina? Louis, they're just trying to scare you.
And even if she tells them everything, you did nothing wrong with Sheila.
What about what we did with Mike? The only proof they'll ever have that we knew about Mike is if we tell them.
And when they ask me, I'm going to take the Fifth, and you are going to do the same thing.
That is not good enough.
I don't want to take the Fifth.
- Excuse me? - You heard me.
You get called first, you get up there, and you look them straight in the eye, and you tell them Mike went to Harvard.
It was your decision to hire him, and you stand by it 100%.
What's going on? What's going on is that Jessica's happy asking me to witness tamper, but when it comes to her getting on the stand, she won't-- Witness tamper? What did you have him do? She had me move Sheila out of the country.
Are you crazy? Look, I did what I had to do.
Then why won't you do what you have to do for me? Because if I did that, it would open me up to perjury.
If Mike gets convicted, what does it matter if you perjure yourself? Both of you be quiet.
Look who's coming.
Look who it is.
The Three Musketeers.
And we happen to be in the middle of a meeting.
That's okay; I just dropped by to let you know it looks like the trial's been moved up till tomorrow.
What the hell did you do? I went to the judge, and I said, "Your Honor, "I'd like to start this thing before every single witness I have disappears.
" No way she granted this without us present.
Oh, you can fight it, if you want.
We'll wait for Ms.
Sazs to finish her trip.
Oh, Mr.
Litt seems upset about that.
Looks like the wedge I'm driving between you is starting to work.
Your wedge hasn't done shit.
[dramatic music.]
And I'm gonna tell you something else.
You put me on that stand, and I will look the jury straight in the eye and tell them that Mike Ross is the best goddamn Harvard-educated attorney I have ever met.
I hired him.
It was my decision, and I stand by it 100%.
And everyone that comes after me will say the same thing.
You think she bought that? I don't care if she bought it or not.
I wasn't bluffing.
And you and Mike better figure out what the hell you're going to do because the trial starts tomorrow.
What a coincidence running into you here twice in one week.
You can skip trying to cheer me up, because it's not gonna work.
- Rachel-- - I don't want to hear it.
He humiliated me in front of the entire firm.
Yeah, he did.
But you weren't sure if Mike could handle this or not.
And at least now, if he can't, you won't have to be the one to tell him.
That is so easy for you to say, because you have no idea what it felt like to go through that.
You're wrong.
I know exactly what it feels like.
What are you talking about? Try to imagine how he treated me when I left him for Louis.
Maybe you do know.
Yeah.
I do.
And I also know that, like nobody else, Harvey has this ability to just shut off and not see you as a person anymore.
Well, that ability makes me sick.
It's also probably one of the things that makes him such a great lawyer.
[knocking.]
- What are you doing here? - We got a problem.
You mean besides what you did today? - Mike, listen to me.
- No, you listen to me.
That was over the line-- The trial starts tomorrow.
What? No.
Gibbs can't do that.
Technically she can't, but trust me, we don't have a leg to stand on.
Fine.
Then I'm filing the motion to be my own attorney.
- Mike-- - No, I don't want to hear it.
You didn't beat me, all right? So you can be second chair or no chair, but I am first chair.
God damn it, Mike.
You don't know what you're doing.
Do you really think I'm gonna let you protect me after what you did to Rachel today? I did that to Rachel for you, and if you can't see that, you can't win this trial.
I can, and I will! That's enough! Rachel, it's fine.
I can handle this.
I don't care.
I don't want you to handle this.
What? You said you were with me 100%.
Was that a lie? No, but what Harvey had to do to me today was brutal, and whoever ends up representing you has to do the same thing to Trevor.
You don't think I can do the same thing to Trevor? I know you can.
But I hated Harvey while he was doing it to me, and they're going to hate you while you're doing it to Trevor.
And, Mike, we can't have the jury hating you, but we can let them hate Harvey.
Mr.
Evans, is it true that you were living with Mr.
Ross in and around the time he claims to have attended Harvard? Yes, we shared an apartment at 5307 Huntington Boulevard in Brooklyn.
And how exactly did he pay his rent? He worked as a bike messenger and made money on the side taking the LSATs for people.
Oh, wait, I'm confused.
Why would he have to resort to that if he were a college graduate? Because he wasn't a college graduate.
What? You mean he never graduated from college? No, he was kicked out of college for cheating on a test.
Well, isn't it possible that while he was living with you, he went back to school and completed his degree? Well, I don't see how, since most of his spare time was spent sitting around smoking weed with me.
Well, let me get this straight.
Before he was employed at Pearson Specter, to the best of your knowledge, he worked as a bike messenger and a part-time LSAT imposter? Yes.
One last question, Mr.
Evans.
Is it at all possible that Mike Ross ever attended Harvard Law School? Not unless they had a satellite campus at 5307 Huntington Boulevard in Brooklyn.
No more questions, Your Honor.
Given that you smoked all this pot, Mr.
Evans, isn't it possible that if Mike Ross commuted one day a week to Harvard Law that you might not remember that? I'd remember.
Yeah, maybe you would, but you'd lie through your teeth about it anyway, wouldn't you? Objection.
Mr.
Evans, isn't it true that you're a long-time drug dealer and your testimony today is only happening because you signed a deal with Ms.
Gibbs giving you immunity? Doesn't mean I'm lying.
Because you wouldn't lie just to get out of going to prison? No, I would not.
Well, how about if the other reason was to get back at someone you've been jealous of your entire life? I've never been jealous of Mike Ross in my entire life.
And I just caught you in a lie.
Objection, Your Honor.
Mr.
Evans, my next move is gonna be to call Jenny Griffith to the stand, and she's gonna testify that you lied to her for years about dealing, and when she found out about it, she left you for Mike Ross.
Objection.
Badgering.
She's also gonna say that you were jealous of his mind your entire life, and when you found out that she left you for him, you were as jealous as a human being can be.
Now, is that true or not? Your Honor.
Let me rephrase.
Is Ms.
Griffith going to be perjuring herself or are you? Yeah, I was jealous of him.
And if he lied about all of that, what's to make us believe that he wasn't lying about everything else? No further questions, Your Honor.
Your Honor, prosecution calls Donna Paulsen to the stand.
Don't worry, Donna.
She won't ask you point-blank if you knew Mike was a fraud.
What if she does? If you lie, they'll never know.
Ms.
Paulsen, it's my understanding that you arranged Mr.
Specter's interviews for the position currently filled by Michael Ross.
Is that correct? I assisted in the process, yes.
Did you find it suspicious that Mr.
Ross wasn't listed on the Harvard class ranking from his first year? - No, I didn't.
- And why is that? Because I've never been on any class ranking, and I'm the best legal secretary in the city.
Wow, that's a quippy response, Ms.
Paulsen.
But if you were so good at your job, how would you allow someone who wasn't even on the interview list to get in a room alone with Harvey Specter? I'm sure you'll recognize this list.
After all, you typed it up.
And it looks like his name isn't on this one either.
No, he wasn't on the list, but he was smart enough to talk to his way in, which is what a good lawyer does and exactly what I was looking for.
How exactly did he talk his way in? Answer the question, Ms.
Paulsen.
He took someone else's spot.
You mean he said he was someone else.
You're under oath, Ms.
Paulsen.
May I remind you that perjury carries a sentence of up to five years? Did he say he was someone else? - He said he was Rick Sorkin.
- Ha.
So your first introduction to Mr.
Ross was as an imposter? I didn't say that.
You said he lied about what his name was.
That makes him an imposter.
Are you going to recant your testimony? Don't look at him.
[dramatic music.]
No, I'm not recanting.
All right.
So now we've established that Mr.
Ross is a liar.
And now we're gonna find out if you're a liar.
So, Ms.
Paulsen, to the best of your knowledge, did Mike Ross go to Harvard Law School or not? I'd like to assert my Fifth Amendment right.
[crowd murmuring.]
Don't feel bad, Ms.
Paulsen.
I'm sure others will do the same thing too because the defense cannot produce one person who can place Mike Ross at Harvard Law.
The witness could be excused, Your Honor.
I think we've heard all we need to hear.
Defense would like to call Jimmy Kirkwood to the stand.
Objection.
His name was not on the witness list.
Rebuttal witness.
She just said we can't produce someone who places Mike at Harvard, and I say we can.
Your Honor-- Mr.
Specter is within his rights.
Mr.
Kirkwood can take the stand.
How did you know he'd testify? I didn't until just now.
Well, when I first met Mike, I thought, "Who is this asshole who only ever shows up for tests?" Cockiest son of a bitch I ever saw.
But then I really got to know Mike when we were arguing over an ethics question in Professor Gerard's class.
Should a lawyer who's crossed a line be given a second chance? I didn't think so, but Mike did, and that's when I realized that Mike Ross has more integrity and compassion in his little finger than any other lawyer I've ever met.
And if I was on trial for my life, there's no one I'd rather have on my side than my fellow Harvard alum Mike Ross.
Just so we're 100% clear, was Mike Ross a student at Harvard Law School with you? Yes, he was.
No further questions, Your Honor.
Now we've heard enough.
Ms.
Gibbs, I'll give you 24 hours to prepare for cross.
Oh, I don't need 24 hours, Your Honor.
Mr.
Kirkwood, isn't it true that two days ago, Mr.
Ross contacted you on the street outside of your office and the two of you got into a heated argument? I have the pictures.
Would you like to see them? Yes, it's true.
And isn't it also true that Mike Ross got your aunt a large settlement several months ago, and if he gets convicted, it's likely that that settlement gets overturned? Objection.
Calls for speculation.
He's a Harvard lawyer.
He's qualified to speculate.
- Overruled.
- No, you're right.
It'd probably get overturned, but if you think that's why I said what I said, then obviously you don't know me.
So Trevor Evans could lie because he's jealous, but you wouldn't lie for your aunt? I'm not lying for my aunt.
But you are lying, because a person who's telling the truth wouldn't say they're lying at all.
Objection.
Testifying.
You Honor, I've had enough of this witness.
He's excused.
And the prosecution rests.
Donna.
Come in.
What can I do for you? I'm actually here to see Mike.
Mike's not here.
He went to go and see Harvey.
[sighs.]
- Look, is this about-- - It is about today.
Donna, I-- You know, I always talk like nothing can get to me.
Well, it did today.
I crumbled up there, and I hurt Mike's case.
And I'm ashamed of myself, and I don't know what to do.
Okay.
Here's what you're gonna do.
It's okay.
You are going to sit down with me and have a glass of wine and relax.
Because juries aren't stupid, and they aren't allowed to infer anything from what you said, so they won't.
Harvey, I got to tell you, I think we got 'em.
Mike, sit down.
What's going on? We had a good day, but it wasn't enough.
What are you talking about? Jimmy came through.
Mike-- Look, I know she landed a punch with him.
And I'm telling you, he wasn't enough.
Harvey, all we need is reasonable doubt.
And if I was on that jury, I wouldn't have it.
I'd find you guilty.
[scoffs.]
That's great.
So you just called me over here to make me want to kill myself? I called you here because this is not about doubt.
We need to give them a reason to want to let you go.
And how exactly are we gonna do that? By doing what you wanted to do in the first place.
[foreboding music.]
No.
Now? Are you kidding me? It's the only way to get you to testify without taking the stand.
And you said if we had to, we'd put me on the stand.
And you were right.
She's too good at crossing.
Well, it's a great idea, Harvey; I wish I'd had it.
The only problem is, they're not gonna let me change my goddamn lawyer in the middle of a trial! And I'm telling you we need to figure out a way to make them.
Because if we don't We're gonna lose.
You're not allowed to talk to me.
That's true, but if you don't tell anyone, then no one's gonna know, and I don't think you're gonna want to tell anyone.
Okay.
What do you want? I have to admit that until you got rid of Sheila, I honestly thought you weren't part of this whole thing, but then I did a little checking, and I think I can pinpoint the exact day you found out about Mike Ross.
I'm calling Jessica.
They let you resign, you found out about Mike, and you used it to return as a name partner.
And you know what that makes me think about you? You're resourceful, maybe a little sleazy, but you didn't hire that kid in the first place.
I'm not turning on my partners.
You had to blackmail them to get what you deserve.
That's got to stick in your craw.
- Go.
- I will go, Louis.
But you know what else I found out when I was looking into you? You like the ballet.
You like to go mudding.
You enjoy the creature comforts in life, but they don't have comforts like that in prison.
They're gonna lose this trial.
You know it, I know it, and they know it.
You have one last chance to save yourself.
Think about it.
And, uh call me.
Before it's too late.
@elderman