Suits: Privilege (5x06)

Another very solid episode. Good drama, good fluff. I do have a few complaints, but let's start with a plot summary first. For this episode, I think I'm going to divide the three plots and talk about each in turn, since they don't really intersect much.

Harvey and Rachel are working on a case to defend a man falsely accused of illegal activity on the stock market. Harvey feels confident that he can save the man from prison - that is, until he sees that Dr. Agard is being deposed to talk about what the accused person talked about during their sessions together. Turns out, Agard works for this guy's company. Harvey tells Agard to lie to protect his client, but she won't. She shows up the next day and says that her patient said he felt guilty about the money he lost. Harvey knows he has a way to discredit her testimony, but he is loathe to do it. He has no choice: Harvey brings up the fact that Agard lied because she cared about a patient, and that her patient died as a result. Harvey makes it seem like Agard has a history of lying because of her affection for her patients. Agard is livid, insisting that Harvey did what he did in order to get back at her for bringing up his mother. Harvey avidly insists that he did it to help his client.

At this point, Rachel talks to Harvey, revealing that she knows he's been having panic attacks. She has an idea that could help save their client from jail - Dr. Agard's files could contain information from other company employees that would prove his innocence. Harvey goes to Agard to ask for her help. He feels terrible about what he did, but this isn't about them - it's about Dr. Agard's patient - Harvey's client. Agard hands over the files, even though they don't have the information Harvey needs. Harvey uses the files to bluff the opposition, and he is successful.

In the end, Harvey brings Agard flowers from the recently saved client, and he also tells her he's ready to talk about his mother.

So. This plot thread was amazing. I have only one nitpick. The client, Sam, was actually a pre-existing character from a previous episode. I found that to be a little strange. It didn't really add anything to the episode, other than to make Harvey not trust Sam initially because of their past dealings. But Harvey got over it and it didn't seem to matter anymore.

But that's a nitpick. I love seeing Rachel and Harvey working together. It's as it should be. Rachel handles the situation admirably - she doesn't butt in, but she doesn't back down either. When she feels she needs to say something, she does.

Then there's Harvey and Dr. Agard. I was pretty devastated when Harvey ripped her apart in that deposition. I understood exactly why he did it, but still. Ouch. I like the fact that Dr. Agard is more than just a sounding board for Harvey's problems. She's her own person, and she has her own stuff going on. She has every right to be livid with Harvey, and we're not shying away from that here. But, at the same time, we understand Harvey's feelings, and his motivations for his actions. It's a thin line, but I think the navigation of said line was pretty flawless. I loved the scene where Harvey confronted Agard about helping him to help Sam. He didn't exactly apologize, because he knows he would have done the same thing again if he had to. But he does make Dr. Agard understand how much he regrets hurting her. He wouldn't have done that if he could have avoided it.

Let's move on to the best plot thread of the night, which, oddly enough, also had the biggest flaw.

Mike and Louis are working on a new matter for McKernan Motors. Louis is angry that Mike got the phone call from the client instead of him, but Donna tells him to put his pettiness aside. Louis takes this to heart, working peacefully with Mike on the case. It's tricky - at one point, Louis and Mike realize they will need Jack Soloff's help. Mike asks him, because Louis knows Jack won't say yes if he's the one to bring it up. Jack is a total asshole, saying he'll only help them if he gets 100% of the origination credit. When Mike tells Louis, Louis says they should give in to Jack's demands. He is determined to put aside all pettiness as soon as possible.

This plan blows up in their faces. Jack turns on them. Louis and Mike got fired from McKernan Motors. They do manage to get the client back, but not before Jack brings in a competing car manufacturing company. Louis and Mike know how upset Harvey would be if he knew they had lost his very first client. Jessica swoops in to save the day. She tells Jack to drop his new client. Jack threatens to tell all the partners that Jessica gave up a big client for a smaller one, just because she has a soft spot for Harvey. Jessica reveals that she knows Soloff has been talking with Daniel Hardman. She warns him to pick a side.

So. The biggest flaw in this episode, and arguably in this whole season, is Jack Soloff. Basically, he is as boring as they come. He's Daniel Hardman lite. I guess it's interesting to learn that he is actually working with Hardman, but even that isn't enough to take him out of generic-villain stereotype-land. He just doesn't seem like a truly threatening adversary next to the likes of Jessica Pearson.

But beyond that, I did think this plot thread was exceptionally strong. Let me make sure to say that my distaste for Louis Litt knows no bounds, and I'll never forgive him for hurting Mike - even though Mike (and Harvey) seem to have put it behind them. That being said, it gets boring watching Louis make the same mistakes again and again. Here, finally, Louis is the one who does everything right. He sets aside his pettiness, he concedes to Jack's demands, even his seemingly ridiculous stunt with the Japanese business pays off perfectly. As Mike tells Jessica, Louis truly was not the problem this time. It was all Jack.

Louis and Mike's relationship is a fascinating one, to be sure. They have been through a lot. I like watching them navigate the power play between them. Louis obviously has more immediate and obvious power than Mike, but Mike's relationship to Harvey, and his cool-headed demeanor in the face of trouble, makes him in some ways a superior lawyer. Mike can get a little cocky when he's working with Louis, which is probably a product of his closeness with Harvey. But here, we saw Mike respect Louis and let him make the decisions, once Louis had proved that he really wanted to do the right thing.

And, it bears repeating, Jessica Pearson is my queen. I worship her. I love everything about her, and I can't wait to see her take on Hardman once again.

The last plot of the night is rather fluffy, but I still liked it a lot.

Mike asks Donna for her help in getting him the Plaza on Rachel's birthday for their wedding. Donna gets to work, manipulating the situation until she gets what she wants. She runs in to a couple of snags, and actually gets into it with Gretchen, who can sense that she doesn't know what to do. Ultimately, Donna is successful in getting the Plaza. She finds the couple getting married on the day in question, and threatens the groom-to-be that she'll expose the truth about his mistress to his bride-to-be. Donna apologizes to Gretchen, finally welcoming her to the firm. Mike gets to tell Rachel the good news, and she embraces him happily.

Mostly fluff, but in a good way. Donna is pretty bad ass, the way she tracks that couple down. I feel so terrible for that poor woman who's about to get married to a total scumbag. And she can't even have her wedding where she wanted to! The best part of this thread was the stuff with Gretchen and Donna. I love Gretchen. I really do. I love the fact that she can see through Donna, but not in a way that makes Donna feel weak or anything. These two would make an incredibly powerful team.

I think that's all I've got for this one. A very solid episode. I'm hoping that Jack Soloff can become more interesting moving forward... if not, he may need to just get out of the way.

8.5/10