As much as things change at the Pearson Specter Litt law firm, the more they stay the same. The case of the week may change, but Mike still has a secret and the fashion is still impeccable.

When Season 4 ended, the characters of Suits were professing their love. After receiving her father’s blessing, Mike Ross (Patrick J. Adams) proposes to Rachel Zane (Meghan Markle). Thankfully for viewers, she says yes. At the same time, Donna Paulsen (Sarah Raferty) confesses to her boss Harvey Specter (Gabriel Macht) that she’s in love with him — and leaving him. He can’t admit his feelings for her, so it’s too hard for her to be around him. She’s not leaving the firm entirely, but she has plans to go work for Louis.

Drama isn’t new in the office, but this certainly makes things tense in the Suits Season 5 premiere. Read on to see how everything plays out, including how Mike’s secret finally gets revealed.

Let’s get into it: What happens in Suits Season 5?

To no one’s surprise, Harvey doesn’t handle Donna’s absence well. It was clear to everyone (except him) that she was much more than his legal secretary. When she first turns in her notice, he’s in denial and won’t even let her look for a replacement. But when it’s clear she’s not returning, he begins seeing a therapist, Dr. Paula Agard (Christina Cole). The doctor quickly deduces that the always polished Harvey is covering up panic attacks, which stem from his fear of inadequacy without Donna by his side and issues of abandonment from his mother. 

Early in the season, we’re introduced to Jack Soloff (John Pyper-Ferguson), a senior partner at the firm who wants to make changes to the compensation package. Louis Litt (Rick Hoffman) gets wind of the plan and finds out it would negatively impact Harvey. As he tends to do, Louis wavers between siding with Harvey and siding with Jack.

Meanwhile, Mike is getting to know his future father-in-law better — both personally and professionally. Robert Zane (Wendell Pierce) wants Mike to sign a prenup before he marries his daughter, and when they discuss the pros and cons, they end up working together on a case. They have some ups and downs, but end up building a better relationship. However, that’s all put at risk by Jack — but not for the reasons you might think.

Jack is very impressed by Mike and puts him up for promotion to junior partner, which Jessica Pearson (Gina Torres) tells Mike he has to turn down. The announcement would put his name (and his fake Harvard education) in the spotlight. But when Jack puts the pressure on, Jessica  goes along with it and Mike receives the promotion. Meanwhile, as Mike plans his wedding with Rachel, he worries that he’s going to be saddling her to his life of lies.

Jack isn’t the only villain of the season, though. Daniel Hardman (David Costabile) is back in New York City. He gives Jessica an ultimatum: Let him back into the firm with a new billion-dollar client or he’ll start poaching all of their existing ones. Rounding out the trio of bad guys is Charles Forstman (Eric Roberts), who Harvey previously helped put behind bars. Harvey learns that Forstman, from prison, is helping fund Hardman’s hostile takeover of the firm.

In the end, Harvey is able to stop them from taking over the firm — just in time for the police to show up and arrest Mike for fraud. 

Wait! But who turned Mike in?

After Mike is arrested and ADA Anita Gibbs (Leslie Hope) begins building her case against him, he learns that someone from Harvard sent her an anonymous email. At first he believes it’s Henry Gerard, an ethics professor who knows Mike’s secret. Later, the firm gets their hands on the letter and Louis recognizes the language. Sheila Sazs wrote it.

Louis dated Sheila (Rachael Harris), a Harvard employee, off and on. After Mike’s promotion, she saw an article about him attending Harvard. When she couldn’t find records to prove that, she sent in the tip.

And how does Suits Season 5 end?

With Mike’s secret out, the entire firm of Pearson Specter Litt gets to work defending him. ADA Gibbs plays in moral gray areas just like they do. She threatens Donna’s fathers, promises Mike and Rachel entrance to Columbia Law School if they turn on Harvey and Jessica, and convinces a judge to give them only two weeks to prepare a defense. 

Harvey, Mike, and the rest of the team have their own tricks up their sleeves, though… all of which are about as legal as the ADA’s. At one point Louis sends Sheila to Argentina, where she can’t be subpoenaed. Mike ends up defending himself, but after closing arguments, Gibbs says if he pleads guilty and does two years in prison, she won’t prosecute the rest of the firm. Instead of waiting for the jury to come back, Mike takes the deal and has 72 hours to report to prison.

With little time left together, Rachel and Mike decide to get married before he goes to jail — but at the last minute, he calls it off and says they should wait until he’s out. He doesn’t want his mistakes to hold her back for the next two years.

Which guest stars appear in Suits Season 5?

The fifth season of Suits drama featured a number of guest stars, including: 

• Charles Barkley as himself
• Amy Acker as Louis’ sister, Esther Litt-Edelstein, who needs help from Harvey in her divorce case
• J.R. Bourne as Samuel Tull, a day trader who hires Harvey
• Titus Welliver as Dominic Parone, a client of Harvey’s
• Troian Bellisario, Patrick J. Adam’s real-life wife (at the time fiancée), as Claire Bowden, who first appeared in Season 4
• Megan Gallagher as Laura Zane, Rachel’s mother
• Abigail Spencer as Dana Scott, aka “Scottie,” Harvey’s former girlfriend and legal rival 
• D.B. Woodside as Jeff Malone, Jessica’s former boyfriend
• Tricia Helfer as Evan Smith, opposing counsel

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