Saturday, July 14, 2012

Suits makes a "Discovery"

Last night's Suits on USA was called "Discovery." Mike (Patrick J. Adams) mouths off to Harvey (Gabriel Macht), and in retaliation, Harvey assigns Mike to Louis (Rick Hoffman). Working a case together, Mike actually comes to respect Louis, forming a pleasant bond. That is, until Louis plants a recorder in Harvey's office and hears the pair calling him pathetic. Meanwhile, Harvey asks Donna (Sarah Rafferty) to dig into an old case when he is accused of forgery by Tanner (Eric Close, Without a Trace).

"Discovery" has some of the best Louis scenes of the series so far. Here he is, exposed and raw, and at his best, professionally. Mike gets to see how talented he is, and also how much it hurts Louis to always be put down, never getting his due. It opens up a vein of sympathy, really making Louis a sympathetic character in a way that he has never been. He may be a dick, but he's good a reason for being that way.

Sadly, Mike's relationship with Louis is over almost before it begins. This isn't really Mike's fault. Mike is smart enough to know that Harvey isn't going to listen to a flat out defense of Louis. Thus, Mike finds himself agreeing with Harvey's negative comments just to get a little bit of a good word in. Louis doesn't realize this, focusing just on the bad stuff Harvey and Mike say.

The thing is, Harvey doesn't trust Louis for a reason. While viewers get to see Louis as a good man, Harvey knows the depths that Louis can sink to, and also his limits. I mean, Mike does, too, confronting Louis about his bad behavior. But while Mike still tries to look past that, Harvey has no patience left for that. In this, Louis has made his own bed, and has no one to blame but himself for the way he is treated.

Louis isn't the only one with insecurity, though. Harvey feels pretty righteous standing up for himself against Tanner, but he is vulnerable. Whether he purposely acted in the wrong or not, there is something here that seems to be Harvey's fault. And with Tanner determined to bring Harvey down, viewers certainly haven't seen the last of this story. Which is fine, because it's cool to see a less confident, not quite so smooth, version of Harvey.

The question is, how much support does Harvey have? Because he's going to need all he can get. Jessica (Gina Torres) is with him, of course, but now Hardman (David Costabile) is in the loop, too, because Louis tells him everything he overheard to get even. Hardman claims that he will be working on Harvey's behalf. And he may, if only to protect the firm. But by showing this weakness to Hardman, especially is Hardman helps beat it, leaves Harvey, and by extension, Jessica, vulnerable to further manipulation from the returned partner.

Hardman is the possible bad good who is seemingly on the good side, for now, while Donna is currently the good girl who did wrong. She discovers an incriminating paper in the files, and her name is signed to the document. This might mean that Harvey is culpable for fraud, and it's Donna that left him exposed. This is her worst nightmare, and she will do anything to make up for it. But how will she tell Harvey this, knowing how bad it looks, and is there anything she can do to protect him and herself?

Despite the seriousness of this discovery, the file search does lead to a wonderfully funny moment featuring Donna and Mike. As Harold (Max Topplin) catches them, they pretend they have had sex to cover for it. While amusing, this opens up an interesting pairing. Any chance Suits might ever consider going there? Donna may be a bit older than Mike, but she's still extremely attractive, and he would be lucky to have her. Then again, this would seem a bit wrong, so it's probably not a good idea.

Equally disturbing is Harold's worship of Rachel (Meghan Markle). There is a very sweet moment when Harold hits on Rachel in "Discovery," but the two are so mismatched that everyone knows it will never happen. Well, everyone but Harold. His earnestness is charming. Hopefully he will find love. Just not with Rachel.

Another excellent entry for one of the best shows running this summer! Catch Suits Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET on USA.

Check out my new website, JeromeWetzel.com! If you like my reviews, please follow me on Twitter! Click here for all of my Suits articles! First published as Suits makes a "Discovery" on TheTVKing.com

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