Suits: Everything's Changed (9x01)

Ah Suits. What a ride it has been. I'm feeling super nostalgic about this last season. Let's dive right in!

Cons:

There has been so much in-fighting at this ridiculously long-named firm over the past several years, and I know that's what drives the drama for the show, but it can get a bit tiresome and repetitive, all at the same time. As I'll discuss below, I actually appreciate the way they're turning the fighting on its head, and showing these people band together... but there's still something wearying about the moment when Sam says she'll reveal the truth about Harvey and Donna breaking privilege, if Louis and Harvey and Alex vote to take Robert's name off the wall. It's another threat, another ultimatum. These people are children sometimes.

There were also a few moments that were just a little too silly for me to handle, plot-wise. Once is Donna telling Harvey to go fight Sam in the boxing ring. She makes this idle suggestion, and then in the next instant she's convincing Harvey that it's what Samantha "needs," and that if Harvey doesn't go and fight her, he'll be disrespecting her in some way. This is just such a plot contrivance. Donna tries to make it like a gender equality thing, and it just does not work. So much silliness.

Also, why do Sheila and Katrina automatically hate each other? They've never met before. I felt like that was a weird decision to make. I'm not saying I wouldn't understand it if these two rubbed each other the wrong way... but why decide to start off their relationship in that way? Sheila seems to come around to Katrina very quickly, so it's even more strange that she walks into the room declaring "we don't like each other." That felt like an odd choice.

Pros:

As I mentioned above, in some ways I don't mind all the crazy drama about Robert's name coming off the door, and who's poaching clients from who, and the factions going on among the partners. Why? Because at the end of the episode, they stand by each other. Harvey takes the hit, giving some of his clients away to Rand Kaldor. Zane's name stays on the wall. Alex doesn't take the opportunity to stab Louis in the back. Harvey keeps his word to Samantha. As the episode ends, it's only the outside influence of the New York Bar coming in that might ruin things for them. Their internal loyalties manage to stand the test of a lot of stress and trauma.

At one point, I was inclined to be annoyed by the fact that Robert wasn't in this episode to speak his own mind. I don't know if that was an actor availability thing or what, but actually I think it ended up working out well that Robert couldn't be in this episode. Everyone was talking about him kind of like he'd died, even though he'd just stepped down. But it goes to show how important reputation and legacy is to these people. It was why Jessica's name coming off the wall was such a big deal. It's why all the squabbling about name partner, and managing partner, has taken so long to untangle. It might get kind of frustrating sometimes, but this show has made a good case for why it matters to these characters.

I've never been all that in to the idea of Harvey and Donna, and I thought that their big getting-together scene at the end of last season was kind of underwhelming. So I was nervous to see how they were going to pull that off. I'm happy to say, I actually found them very cute and charming and romantic here, much more-so than before. They both acknowledge how momentous this is, but at the same time, they're instantly comfortable, like they've been together all along. That's exactly the right balance to strike.

I also appreciate that the difficulties and realities of life don't just go away because the two of them have finally gotten their act together. For example, Harvey is distressed to discover that Donna and Thomas technically hadn't broken up yet when he went over there that night. Donna is quick to reassure him that he didn't do anything wrong, but it's still a conversation they probably should have had. I like that things feel easy and natural for them right away, but that doesn't mean there's no room to grow.

As is always the case with this review, I'm saving the Mike mentions for the end. Because even though the guy hasn't been on the show in a full season, he's still my favorite thing about it. And knowing that he's coming back for at least one precious episode this season? Man, my heart is ready to explode. And we got a glut of cute Mike Ross material this week. First of all, how adorable is it that Donna and Harvey each call their besties (Rachel and Mike, respectively) to tell them the news? It's like they're a bunch of kids, eager to share in their joy. It's a very stereotypical thing to do, to immediately want to share news about one's love life. But just the thought of Harvey leaving a giddy voicemail for Mike is like the cutest thing of all time.

Later, Harvey has a great bonding moment with Samantha. I really like their relationship, and how it echoes the mentor/mentee thing that Harvey and Mike had, without being just an echo of it. In this episode, we get that comparison directly, as Harvey invokes Mike's name to tell Samantha how similar they are. The way he's able to talk to her and work with her is similar to how he could work with Mike. It makes me sad, it makes me long for the good ol' days, but I'm also happy for Harvey that he's finding valuable relationships in his life, even when important people like Mike and Jessica have moved on.

And then we get that romantic Donna/Harvey scene at the end, which was just lovely and cheesy and perfect, and made all the more-so by the setting. Apparently Mike asked Harvey to rent out Mike and Rachel's apartment in New York, but he didn't do it, paying the rent on it with a fake name (Rick Sorkin) and leaving it empty. Why? IN CASE THEY CAME BACK. Which is adorable and also so sad and perfect. But Harvey feels differently about the apartment now. It used to remind him of what he'd lost, but now it reminds him of how he's learned to let things go and live his life. He can miss having Mike around without it being a horrible negative aspect to his life. I just... can't believe that even in this romantic couple moment, all about Donna and Harvey, Harvey still manages to make it about Mike. I'm living for it.

So that's where I'll stop for now. This show will never again capture the joy and chemistry that it had in its earlier seasons, but I still find plenty to enjoy. Notice how I managed to write three whole paragraphs about a character who's not even on the show anymore? Yeah. I may have a problem.

8/10