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How 'Suits' Said Goodbye to Meghan Markle and Patrick J. Adams

How 'Suits' Said Goodbye to Meghan Markle and Patrick J. Adams
Credit: USA Network

Warning: Spoiler alert! Do not proceed if you have not watched Wednesday's two-hour season finale of Suits. If you have, read our exclusive interview with star Gabriel Macht on what's to come.

Bon voyage, Meghan Markle and Patrick J. Adams.

The longtime Suits stars bid farewell to the USA Network legal drama after seven seasons in Wednesday's two-hour season seven finale, which culminated in Rachel Zane and Mike Ross' long-awaited wedding. But how did Markle and Adams -- whose exits were made official in November and January, respectively -- get written off the show?

Over the last several episodes, hints had been sprinkled throughout at possible ways their characters could leave Suits. There was the clue that Rachel and Mike were ready to work together professionally on a much more regular basis. Then there was the option of the couple moving out of New York City altogether, either abroad (Iceland) or to the West Coast (Portland, Oregon). Both ended up being true, but with a Suits twist. We'll explain.

During the final season seven installment, Mike was presented with a job offer to relocate to Seattle, Washington, and open up a legal clinic with financial backing with the intention of helping the people who needed it the most with their cases. At first, Mike thought the offer was a ruse, but after Rachel did some digging, everything checked out. Suddenly, the possibility of moving to Seattle and helping people became a very real option. The kicker? If they agreed to lead the clinic, they'd have to leave the Big Apple sooner rather than later.

The decision wasn't difficult for Mike and Rachel to make. The couple decide to take the leap during a bedroom conversation about the unexpected career (and life) opportunity that has landed on their laps. "We're young. We don't have any kids yet. If we're ever going to do something like this in our lives, now's the time," Rachel argues, presenting a strong argument to Mike for them to start a new chapter in their lives. "If we do this, we'd have to leave within days," Mike says, the reality of such a drastic move beginning to settle in. "I know," Rachel replies.

Then, the issue of their upcoming nuptials becomes the topic of conversation. Would it really make sense for them to fly back to New York City in six weeks for the wedding if they moved out West? What if they delayed it? "I don't want to delay it," Mike says, suggesting that they move up the ceremony. "Whoever can make it, makes it, whoever can't, can't." And so they magically pull off a simplistic yet glam wedding, thanks to the "miracle worker" that is Donna. 

"From the first second I met you, I knew I wanted to be here with you someday, walking down the aisle arm in arm. I've learned one thing, it's that we never know what the future holds and that could be a scary thing. But I know that that there is nothing that I can't handle when I have you by my side," Mike says during his vows.

"I know that I fought it at first, but now, Mike, I can't imagine living alongside anyone else for the rest of my life. You are the strongest  man I have ever met and you make me stronger. You're the husband I've always wanted and I can't wait to begin our adventure together," Rachel says during her vows, before the pair say their "I dos" in front of Rachel's parents, Louis, Sheila, Donna and Harvey.

Later, at the reception, Harvey admits to Mike that he was wrong about him not being ready to take that next step in the Specter Litt corporate ladder, telling Mike that he was ready to be senior partner at the firm after all. But Mike cuts Harvey off -- and that's when he breaks the news that he and Rachel aren't coming back to the firm. "We're not coming back, Harvey," Mike says to a stunned Harvey. "Rachel and I were offered a chance to run a firm in Seattle. It's a place that only takes class-action cases against Fortune 500 companies. We decided to go for it." Harvey attempts to persuade Mike to stay, telling him that he could do more pro bono cases -- a last-ditch effort to get his right-hand man to remain under his wing, knowing full well Mike wasn't going to go for it. The Seattle job, after all, ia the perfect opportunity. 

"This is who I am. It's who I've always been," Mike says, rejecting Harvey's proposal. "It's time, Harvey. It's time," pulling his mentor into a hug. And with that, the Harvey and Mike era is officially over.

Tonight my last episode of #Suits ever is airing. Weird. Hope it doesn't disappoint. Thank you to everyone who turned an audition into 7 surreal years of my life. Hope you enjoy it. I know I have. Peace.

While Markle's real-life royal wedding to Prince Harry is only weeks away, her TV nuptials still had an air of glamour to them. For the ceremony, the 36-year-old actress -- opting for simplicity with pin-straight hair -- wore a romantic, princess-line Versailles wedding gown accentuated by a full floor-length tulle skirt by Anne Barge.

“We are truly honored to have such a radiant and empowering woman like Meghan Markle wear our Versailles wedding gown in the season seven finale of Suits and wish her every happiness as she prepares to marry her dashing prince," Shawne Jacobs, creative director and president of Anne Barge, said in a statement to ET.

The wedding dress should look quite familiar to fans of Suits, as it is is a modified version of what Markle wore in season five, when her character was left at the altar by Mike. The only differences to the gown for the season seven finale is the new see-through back and a thin black belt for an added boost of color. See Markle in the original Anne Barge design from season five of Suits in the Instagram below.

Earlier this month, Adams spoke to ET's Keltie Knight about filming Mike and Rachel's wedding ceremony, calling the whole experience "surreal."

“I know it was one of the most surreal days ever," Adams said of the nuptials. "Meghan and I have been so close from the beginning of the show, so to finally get to that moment was really great. And to have the rest of the cast there and supporting, and I think we shot -- I think the only tease is that we were shooting it until about seven in the morning. So if you see some bleary-eyed people, that’s probably why.”

Suits returns for season eight this July on USA Network.

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Meghan Markle and Patrick J. Adams' 'Suits' Exits Have Left a 'Void,' Says Gabriel Macht (Exclusive)

First Look at Meghan Markle's 'Suits' Nuptials Ahead of Her Real-Life Royal Wedding

'Suits' Reveals Two Major Clues for Meghan Markle and Patrick J. Adams' Exits

'Suits' Sneak Peek: Rachel and Mike Entertain Their Future (Exclusive)

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