Suits: 100 (7x08)

There are a few pretty big things going on in this episode, and some of them really did not work for me. However, there were lots of other elements that brought this episode closer to the Suits I used to love so much in the early seasons. Kind of difficult to decide what to think.

Cons:

Frank Gallow dies off-screen. And apparently he gets a redemption arc because he loves his daughter or whatever. I mean... okay, maybe it was unrealistic to hope for some big soap-opera-y drama where Frank actually tries to have Mike killed, but I was kind of hoping for that. Suits is a show about moral ambiguity in a lot of ways, but sometimes I feel like there's too much time spent on attempting to nuance characters we really don't need to be nuanced. It's okay for Frank to just be a bad dude. Mike telling Frank's daughter that he was a "decent man" felt particularly forced to me. Frank threatened Mike's life, made threats against Harvey and Rachel, and the scummy things he did to get into prison in the first place were pretty reprehensible. It's not that I'm celebrating the death of a man, but... to call him a decent man? Really, Mike?

For the most part I really loved Rachel getting to assert some power in this episode. On the other hand, though, after she makes a plan to screw over her father, she spends the remainder of the episode playing emotional support for Louis and Donna instead of getting her own stuff to do. She's really been pushed to the side this season, and it's bumming me out.

Suits: Full Disclosure (7x07)

I'm a little sick of Harvey and Mike being at odds, but it's hard not to find the situation a little compelling. Let's get started.

Cons:

Flashback episodes are a staple on Suits, and sometimes they feel a little slow and unnecessary. This was another case where the information imparted in the flashbacks could have been explained in just a few lines of dialogue. The only reason to really show it all play out was that Jessica got to come in and be in yet another episode of this TV show she's supposedly not on anymore. For example, we rehash the rivalry with Louis and Harvey again, and we see how Donna puts Harvey before her personal relationships again, and we see how Harvey is brash and hotheaded sometimes but ultimately Jessica keeps him in line, again. The only new pieces of this puzzle were the stuff with Alex, which I'll get to in a second.

We also see, in flashback, the origins of Louis' relationship with his therapist. And this rubbed me the wrong way SO hard. Louis walks in, hears the therapist's German accent, and immediately calls him a Nazi. When the guy explains that he's actually Jewish, Louis later actually doubts that, and calls him a "supposed Jew" and then throws the word "Nazi" around again. Calling a Jewish man, whose parents were in Germany during the War, a literal Nazi is a shitty, horrible thing to do. I get that Louis, as a Jewish man himself, has a lot of traumatic baggage associated with the Germans and the Nazis. But this exchange felt very blunt, and frankly out of touch with our current political and social climate. I could have done without it.

Suits: Home to Roost (7x06)

I mean, what the heck did you expect, Mike? This whole thing is so stupid. Harvey, Rachel, Alex, and Oscar are all right, and Mike is completely wrong. Getting a little frustrated.

Cons:

The drama with Mike staying on the prison case is resting on a foundation of sand. As the episode ends, Alex has come in and blown up the case, and the court has kicked the clinic - and Mike - off of it. Oscar Reyes is hurt and angry, but Mike says that it's not over - somebody else can take the case. And, yeah. That's the whole problem with this damn plot thread. Of course someone else can take the case. Someone else should have been taking the case from the beginning! Mike getting involved is the exact reason why things are as bad as they are now. It's aggravating. He's not the only do-gooder with resources in the legal world. I'm not saying any old attorney could have taken this case and run with it, but I'm sure there's somebody else in the world who could have handled it, for pete's sake.

I have mixed feelings about Louis' subplot. Stephanie sues him for sexual harassment because of all the horrible things he said to her, and because she doesn't want anybody to think she can't hack it as a lawyer. It takes Louis a while to get there, but eventually he realizes the right thing to do and he goes to apologize to Stephanie sincerely. He explains to her what happened with Tara, and how he took it out on her. She then reveals that the real reason she's been upset is because Louis said that no one would ever want a baby with her, and Stephanie is insecure about that very thing because she's thirty-four years old and a workaholic.

Suits: Brooklyn Housing (7x05)

There are so many things that I'm feeling frustrated about, but I'm still sort of enjoying the ride. Let's take a look, and I apologize in advance for my brevity.

Cons:

Mike is being an idiot in continuing to work on this case. It's going to break Harvey's heart when he finds out, and there's really not a good reason for it. Oliver and Mike should have come clean to Nathan earlier, and then Nathan could have devoted other resources to it. Rachel is completely in the right on this one. And bringing Frank back felt a little cheap. He just doesn't seem nearly as threatening as he used to. Does Mike have any PTSD associated with this guy trying to kill him? I don't know, it doesn't really seem to bug him at all. Pretty annoying.

I liked Donna standing up for herself and taking a firmer role in the firm, but I will admit I was a bit confused by the whole Holly subplot... what was the point there? I don't dislike her or anything, but I was sort of like... Holly who?

Suits: Divide and Conquer (7x04)

Uh... Mike? Mike? What the heck are you doing? Are you for serious? What? No. Nope. Bad job. Let's take a look.

Cons:

So, Mike is going behind everybody's back and helping Oliver with the deceased prisoner case. This is horrendous. Mike has talked long and hard about how having a secret has weighed so heavily on his mind, and now that he's finally free, and a part of the bar, he lasts only a handful of weeks before he starts breaking the ethical rules of being a lawyer? He could get disbarred for what he's doing, and at this point I'm very sure he doesn't deserve another chance. Like... what the heck. After everything Harvey has done for him, and after everything he's been through, and after all this time of Rachel being so patient with him, and he's about to risk it all? Again? The part of this that kills me is that it's not like it's a black and white choice. If Mike keeps to his word and stays out of the case, that doesn't mean the client is going to lose everything. Mike could perhaps recommend another attorney to Oliver, or, as I mentioned last week, he could just do a waiver letter and PSL could legitimately represent both clients. This whole thing is such unnecessary and manufactured bullshit, and I'm pretty disappointed in it.

Speaking of manufactured bullshit: Harvey tells Jessica that he's having a hard time being in charge, and that Louis is angry with him. So, Jessica basically goes behind Harvey's back and helps a competing law firm (Alex's old firm) to go after them. This forces Harvey, Mike, Louis, Donna, and Alex to all work together to save the day, bringing the firm closer together. I have two problems. First of all, Jessica gave privileged information to another firm, which is, as discussed above, a horrible and illegal thing to do. Secondly, Jessica is great and all... but why has she appeared so much in this season? If she's gone, she's gone. Save her for the spin-off, please and thank you. Gina Torres is amazing, and it was great as always to see her. She looked particularly stunning in that dress. But at this point she's become something of a crutch for the story. We need to let the show grow and separate from her at this point.