How Does Mike Get Out Of Prison In Suits Season 6?

Mike Ross has been causing drama ever since he burst onto television screens — and into the offices of Pearson Specter — in 2011. The long-running legal series "Suits," which ended in 2019, follows the budding law associate and subsequent junior partner played by Patrick J. Adams as he climbs the ranks at the firm all without a law degree, or any degree for that matter. Only Mike's boss, Harvey Specter (Gabriel Macht), and Harvey's assistant, Donna Paulson (Sarah Rafferty), know the truth in the beginning, though that circle of confidentiality grows as the show goes on.

As the series progresses, Mike's secret becomes more and more like a noose hanging over his head, until, in Season 5, it finally drops around his neck. Even though Mike had already made the decision to quit being a lawyer, in a sad turn of events he's arrested for conspiracy to commit fraud, a crime he then goes to prison for. Of course, as with any good drama, there's a twist, and Mike doesn't remain in prison for long. In fact, he is back working for Harvey at the firm, now named Pearson Specter Litt, before Season 6 is done.

The events surrounding his arrest, sentencing, early release, and eventual return to work are quite complicated, though. It involves multiple concurrent plotlines that all affect each other and, of course, lots of legal jargon, which can be hard to follow at times. So if you're a bit confused about how Mike's jailbreak all went down or just want a recap of events, then keep reading for a full breakdown of his arrest and how he gets out of prison in "Suits" Season 6.

After four and a half seasons of close calls and a number of people finding out his secret, including his fiancée Rachel Zane (Meghan Markle) and the firm's managing partner Jessica Pearson (Gina Torres), Mike is arrested by the Feds for practicing law without a license. They were tipped off by an incriminating email, which is later revealed to have been sent by Louis Litt's (Rick Hoffman) ex-girlfriend Sheila Sazs (Rachael Harris).

What's interesting about the timing of Mike's arrest is that it came after an emotional episode that was filled with a series of flashbacks that see both Mike and Harvey working through past trauma, leading to both of them independently deciding to leave the firm. Mike is the first to follow through with this, though, and is arrested moments after handing in his letter of resignation.

The shocking arrest takes place at the end of Season 5's tenth episode, and the season's six remaining episodes present a series of twists and turns that keep viewers guessing what Mike's fate will be. He actually gets very close to securing a "not guilty" verdict from the jury, but when Assistant District Attorney Antia Gibbs (Leslie Hope) threatens to go after Harvey and Jessica, Mike agrees to take a plea deal that comes with a two-year jail sentence. Using his legal smarts one more time, Mike builds in a clause that blocks her from striking a new deal with Harvey, which is who she's really gunning for. At the end of Season 5, Harvey takes Mike to prison, but before he goes in, they reflect on recent events and both admit that no matter the outcome, they would do it all again.

Season 6 of "Suits" picks up with Mike in prison as he begins to serve his two-year sentence. But after a series of dramatic — and life-threatening — events over the course of three months, Mike gets an early release from prison, and it's his law skills, criminal or not, that help to get him out. This is because he essentially continues working as a lawyer and a go-between for Harvey while on the inside.

First, Mike gets caught up in a feud between Harvey and prisoner Frank Gallo (Paul Schulze), someone Harvey prosecuted for racketeering a long time ago. It's not long before things get physical between the pair, which results in Harvey reaching out to their frenemy prosecutor, Sean Cahill (Neil McDonagh), to get Gallo moved to another prison. However, Cahill will only do this favor if Mike informs on his cellmate Kevin Miller (Erik Palladino) so that he can eventually prosecute Kevin's father-in-law, William Sutter (Alan Rosenberg). Sean sweetens the deal by offering Mike early parole as a reward, so he agrees.

However, this deal falls through because Mike objects to Sean's methods, leading him to strike up a deal of his own with Gallo, offering to help him get parole. However, he goes back on this when Harvey's old mentor Cameron Dennis (Gary Cole) agrees to get Kevin out of prison if Mike testifies against Gallo at his parole hearing. While all of this is unfolding, Kevin agrees to testify against Sutter, which puts Mike's deal for early release from Sean back on the table.

There's one loose end that Mike has to tie up before he can walk out of prison with a clean conscience, though, and that's Frank Gallo. Having gone against him at his parole hearing, Mike knows that Gallo will stop at nothing to hurt everyone he loves if he doesn't do something about it. Since Gallo didn't know about Mike's deal with Sean Cahill, he just returned to his cell after the trial like normal, having made another deal to delay his release by one day. When Gallo tries to kill him in his cell later that night, as he predicted, Mike is one step ahead. He rigs up a camera up in the cell and records the whole thing, catching Gallo and his corrupt guards in the act. Harvey then negotiates a new deal with Gallo that tacks five more years onto his sentence. But in exchange for Sean keeping him out of a supermax prison, he agrees to leave Harvey and Mike alone for good or risk going back. This makes Mike free to leave prison and return home to Rachel for good.

Acknowledging that this move against Gallo was a hugely dangerous sacrifice on Mike's part, actor Patrick J. Adams acknowledges that this is proof of how much the character changes over the course of the show. "Of all the characters on Suits, maybe I'm biased, but I feel like Mike has undergone the biggest transformation from day one to [Season 6]," he told TVLine after Season 6, Episode 9, the episode where Mike is released, aired. At this point, Mike has a very strong moral character, and he will do anything for the people he cares about, even if that means going to prison.

The whole premise of "Suits" for the first five seasons is based around Mike's secret and the people who help him to keep it, so everything changes once he gets out of prison and has to go on the straight and narrow. Patrick J. Adams looks at it as a newfound freedom, both literal and metaphorical, for his character. "He's finally shaken off the weight of this secret that he's been holding onto," he told TVLine. "He's finally paid the price, done his time, and he's back to the business of figuring out who he wants to be and what his life looks like."

Mike does eventually figure out what he wants to do and starts working as a supervisor at a legal clinic, the same one he worked with while posing as a lawyer in Season 4. His time here ultimately gives Mike another shot at being a lawyer when he gets a hearing with the New York State Bar that will determine his fate. However, his former prosecutor, Anita Gibbs, is on the panel and only agrees to vote in his favor if he finally turns Harvey in for knowing about his fraud. Of course, Mike won't do this, but in a surprising twist, Jessica appears in front of the Bar and admits she knew the truth all along, leading to her getting disbarred instead.

Viewers are forced to suspend their disbelief a bit later in Season 6 when Mike gets into the Bar, but because "Suits" fans are rooting for Mike to succeed, it's easy to celebrate his return to Pearson Specter Litt in the Season 6 finale. He then works there as a lawyer until his departure at the end of Season 7.