Suits: One Last Con (9x10)

Okay, so then what happens next is that Harvey and Donna move to Seattle, and they become closer than ever to Rachel and Mike. At least once a week, Harvey and Mike have a "guy's night" while Donna and Rachel have a "girl's night." And then, gradually, they realize they've ended up with the wrong people. So they all get divorced and then Donna and Rachel become a couple, and Mike and Harvey become a couple. Someone please tell me they're writing that fic.

Oh, sorry. Was I supposed to talk about the episode? Let's get to it.

Cons:

I predicted last week that this episode would be overcrowded, and I wasn't wrong, exactly. I'm grateful that the conflict with Faye was over before the midpoint, so we could have a nice long goodbye with all of the characters. But while I do enjoy that, I also must admit it doesn't make a lot of sense. Faye was a season-long threat, and she's dispatched a third of the way through the finale. It just goes to show that as interesting of a villain as she might have been in the beginning, she didn't really matter. She was a figurehead. She didn't really change anything about these people and their perspectives on their lives. It all felt pretty pointless in the end.

Suits: Thunder Away (9x09)

Katrina! Oh no!

Cons:

I am officially Extremely Worried about this finale. Here are some things that need to happen: Louis and Sheila get married. And have their baby, probably. Harvey proposes to Donna. They defeat Faye, get Samantha and Katrina their jobs back, and settle the question of Managing Partner once and for all. Mike and Harvey patch up their latest feud. Also, something big and Finale-ish needs to happen - something that's unexpected. Mike and Rachel moving back to New York? Harvey leaving the firm? Donna pregnant? Who knows, but you know it'll be something. And also Alex needs to have something to do in this finale because right now he is majorly on the sidelines. How is all of that supposed to fit into one hour? I wish this episode could have dialed back on the Samantha and Mike vs. Harvey and Louis stuff, because I really don't want to spend my last few hours with these characters watching them at odds with each other. It sucks.

I know it's ultimately silly to complain about the inaccuracies of this show when it comes to the legal stuff, but it just cracks me up. This idea that Faye could basically coerce Harvey and Louis into representing her... that's not how it works. And basically it doesn't matter if they win or lose, their goal is met either way. Either they win, and Faye leaves as she agreed. Or they lose, and Faye is gone because she is guilty of wrongful termination. So the stakes are poor, and the scenario doesn't make logical sense, and it's all so we can have Harvey vs. Mike because the writers can't come up with another compelling reason for Mike to be here. It's annoying.

Suits: Prisoner's Dilemma (9x08)

I guess I'm just feeling antsy for this show to end, so I can spend some more time with Mike in the final two episodes. This episode should have been great, what with returning villains and allies from the past, and a connection to Mike's prison story-line, but something about it didn't totally click into place for me. It was good, not great.

Cons:

This episode is called "Prisoner's Dilemma," and that references the way that Malik pits Cahill and Harvey against each other. Harvey stays loyal, but Cahill flips. But then Harvey finds a piece of information, with Donna's help, and the two men are able to leverage Malik and both get away free. There are a few things that annoy me here - the first is that Cahill has every right to save his own ass in this situation. Harvey is all about loyalty or whatever, but Cahill isn't one of his people. He has manipulated and pressured Cahill over and over again. Sure, he was doing it for Mike, and so as a viewer of this show, I'm on Harvey's side. But Cahill feeling guilty, Cahill trying to help Harvey however he can... none of that really makes a lot of sense to me in the context of their characters. I guess the idea is that they've been through a lot together, but even that doesn't really justify the pseudo-friendship they're trying to show here.

I did not at all hate the subplot with Esther. There were many good things about it. I'm always a fan of TV shows shedding light on the real issues that women face when it comes to sexual assault and coming forward about their experiences. I will say, though, it felt a little shoe-horned in, especially at this late stage - this entire subplot could have been lifted and put anywhere in the season, and it could have remained the same. With just two episodes left after this one, why was this how Louis, Katrina, and Samantha all spent the episode? On a more specific note, I found it odd that Louis was motivated by this experience to want to marry Sheila before the baby comes. How are these two stories connected, other than by "family is important"? I feel like this is just an excuse to have a wedding in the finale.

Suits: Scenic Route (9x07)

I laughed out loud at Louis in this episode. There was actually quite a bit that I enjoyed here.

Cons:

Samantha Wheeler has been a surprising character over these last two seasons, in that I didn't totally hate her, and I actually found some of the character development stuff with her to be quite interesting. But they maybe waited a little too long to get in to what makes her tick? Here we are, with just three episodes of the show left, and we're getting these flashbacks of her as a kid with an abusive foster father, and we're seeing her as a younger lawyer, having an affair with Kaldor. These insights into her character aren't bad or useless, it's just that there are a lot of other things I wish we could be focusing on in the final weeks of the show, and it doesn't really seem like we have the time to unpack everything we're still learning about Samantha.

I really admire Harvey's character growth, and the way he can call his mom and apologize for his role in their strained relationship, even now that things are better between them. But that said, the phone call at the end was maybe a little too cheesy? There was the "I love you" thing, which is nice, but then they just sit in silence together? On the phone? That seems weird to me.

Pros:

Okay, Louis accidentally pretends to be Harvey, and it's hilarious. This is pretty stupid, all things considered, but I was cracking up the whole time it was happening. The meal, where there's a crowd of adoring people just watching him eat, as he charms and delights everyone in the room... it's so funny. I love that we can't tell how much of this is totally in Louis' head, and how much is reality. It's also fun to see Louis with that level of confidence, even if it's coming from a questionable place. And then he learns the lesson that characters have to learn in body-swap-made-for-TV movies, that at the end of the day he'd rather just be himself. I don't know what about this plot thread did it for me, but I was cracking up from start to finish. That wig, the lunch, Harold, Donna's reaction, Samantha and Harvey pulling a prank on him... it was just so funny and light-hearted and Louis.

Suits: Whatever It Takes (9x06)

I'm having a problem, and that problem is... I don't care?

Cons:

I talked about this in last week's review, but it's really hitting home for me here... now that I've had a tantalizing taste of Mike being back, nothing else about this show is really holding my interest. And even setting aside my personal obsession with Mike Ross, I felt like this episode failed on a fundamental level to deal with the fall-out of what happened last week. Sure, the episode focused on Samantha getting fired, but other than one biting comment from Robert (who still calls his son-in-law "Mike Ross" with a contempt that I find really troubling), nobody really bothered to address the Mike and Harvey fight. You would think that Donna would at least check in with Harvey, make sure he's okay, considering that one of his best friends in the world just yelled at him and stormed out of his house. But apparently not.

And my apathy for this episode extends over most of what was going on in the main plot. I didn't hate the stuff with Faye, and her ex-husband, and the debate about crossing lines. It was all fine. But it was also a little bit formulaic. Louis, Donna, Harvey, and Alex agree to do "whatever it takes" to get Samantha her job back. They find dirt on Faye, but when it becomes morally really awful to turn on Faye because of family reasons, they do the right thing and take the high road. Hopefully this means there will be a bridge between Faye and the others and that progress can be made, but at the same time, it all felt very by-the-numbers. Samantha is the kind of person who never takes this crap lying down. And now, because the plot needs her to, she's decided she's benevolently okay with Harvey giving up a chance to save her career. I know the episode provided explanations, but the explanations are a little lukewarm in my opinion.

Suits: If the Shoe Fits (9x05)

The status of Mike and Harvey's friendship was left way too vague for my tastes at the end of this episode. Please, please tell me Mike will be back for the finale!

Cons:

One thing about Mike being here is that it brought to focus how much better the show was when he was there. I'm serious. The banter in that opening scene between Mike and Harvey brought Harvey's character to life in a way I haven't seen since Mike left. Nothing in the chemistry between Harvey and Donna, or Harvey and Louis, or Harvey and Samantha, can compare to it. Mike and Harvey were the heart and soul of this show, and without one half of that dynamic, the energy just drops way down. It's like a frog in a pot of boiling water, though - you don't notice how much the show has gone downhill because you're kind of lulled into not noticing it. But then bam, Mike is back, and you remember how amazing this show was, once upon a time. Heavy sigh.

Turning to some more specific notes, I got flashbacks to Mike's time in prison when I was watching the final Mike and Harvey scene in this episode. Harvey was unimpeachable in his honesty, taking the loss gracefully and telling Samantha to back down. But then Mike doesn't get what he wants, and he blames Harvey for it and says Harvey has changed and is a bad person now or something. Mike has always had this moral high ground over Harvey and some of the other characters, but it's a really bad look to have him lording it over Harvey when in fact Harvey is not to blame, and is furious with Samantha for hurting Mike. Sometimes Mike Ross can't see the forest for the trees.

Suits: Cairo (9x04)

This episode felt a little bit "after school special" to me. It was about respect in relationships, and all of the characters kept talking about it in this kind of simplistic and unrealistic way. That's not to say I hated everything in the episode, but it just wasn't my favorite.

Cons:

The biggest problem for me was embodied in the moment when Harvey, Louis, Samantha, and Alex all did their dramatic slow-motion walk into Faye's office. They found a way to stop her from taking away Donna's vote, which is something she wanted to do because of the conflict of interest between Donna and Harvey. So they're all marching towards her office, they go in there, and as a united front, explain to her that Donna will be keeping her vote, because they've waived the conflict, and she can't stop them. This is all very nice and everything, but during the scene I was distracted by the fact that Donna wasn't there. If Donna gets a vote, if Donna is a part of the leadership of the firm, why does she sit back and let other people save her? Why doesn't she even get a say at all? It felt very counter-intuitive to me, like it went against the message, to have Donna be absent for this pivotal scene.

Donna and Harvey's romance just feels so... performative to me. I'm trying to give it a fair shake. I'm trying to get to a place where I can think it's cute, and leave it at that. But honestly, I'm still feeling pretty underwhelmed. Donna is upset about potentially losing her vote, but instead of telling Harvey about it, she blows up at him about his strained relationship with her father. I know she was covering up for something else, but I still felt like Donna was being really unfair in this instance. After all, Harvey hadn't done anything wrong. Her dad was the one who was hesitant. Why is it only Harvey's job to fix it?

Suits: Windmills (9x03)

I had some issues, but they were mostly little things. I still over-all enjoyed the episode.

Cons:

I'm flip-flopping on Donna and Harvey week to week. I want to be happy in the way I know the Darvey shippers are... I want to think that they're just so cute and perfect together. But their banter just seems performative for me, in a way that Harvey and Mike's never did. And in a way that Donna and Harvey usually don't. They were good at flirting with each other before they were together, but now? It feels unnatural. For example, when they're out to dinner together they fall silent when they realize they have nothing to talk about outside of work, which makes them both anxious. But then Harvey saves the day by telling Donna that she reminds him of the mother of a friend he had growing up, who he always had such a crush on. Donna thinks it's romantic, and nice to know they can still learn new things about each other. I think it's kind of creepy and weird, and feeds way too much into the idea of Harvey thinking of Donna like a caretaker. She's been looking after him for way too long, and the power imbalance is still there.

I get trying to make Faye into a bad guy by showing her pushing people around, but I thought it was ridiculous of her to ask Donna to be her temporary secretary. That's not a realistic thing that someone would ask. She could have asked Donna to help her find a secretary, sure. But to ask the COO of the company? It's completely stupid and contrived.

Suits: Special Master (9x02)

I like Faye. Because she's right. And that's interesting!

Cons:

There was virtually no mention of Mike this week, so that was a bummer.

No, but seriously. I thought this episode was pretty strong at balancing a lot of moving parts. The one thing I didn't super love was Louis going off on Benjamin like that. What Louis has been up to in trying to protect his firm from Faye is pretty sketchy. There was plenty of behavior that crossed the line already. For the most part, Louis seemed pretty level-headed about everything going on. So to have him go crazy and try to fire someone for no good reason? That was crossing a line. I'm always on the lookout for Louis' inconsistent characterization, because I need him to have grown into a more reasonable person than he was in the earlier seasons of the show. Otherwise, we slip right back onto that merry-go-round, and I have no interest in watching that again. I don't think we're at that point, but I want to make sure we don't get there, if that makes sense.

Oh boy. Thomas Kessler. I enjoyed Harvey and Donna's banter last week, and this week too, for sure. Really cute and great. But seeing Donna and Thomas interacting reminded me that they actually made a really good couple. It brought back to the front of my mind all of the complaints I had about last season's finale. Donna and Thomas were too good together to be a failed branch of a love triangle. Donna honestly deserves better than Harvey, if we're going to base this on all of his past behavior.

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.

Suits: Harvey (8x16)

Wow, okay, I'm sorry... I'm not convinced. I feel bad, but that just did not work for me.

Cons:

I'm talking about Donna and Harvey. I'm sure there were plenty of people watching that episode who were overjoyed that their ship had finally set sail, but I was just completely underwhelmed. I promise you, this isn't just about me shipping Marvey, either. On its own merits, Harvey and Donna hooking up just does not work for me on a fundamental level. I'm going to break down some of the reasons why.

First of all, on a superficial level, I just didn't buy their chemistry in that final scene. It wasn't embarrassingly bad or anything, but I found Donna and Thomas much more compelling in terms of chemistry, so that's a bummer.

Then, there's the hit-you-over-the-head-with-a-hammer script. As the episode ends, Robert makes this big declaration about how going through something difficult makes you realize what's important in life - and for him, that's his wife. Then, Alex repeats the same thing, saying he needs to get home to his wife. So here's the problem with this - Harvey had just asked first Robert, and then Alex, to go grab a burger with him, and they both turned him down to go be with their wives. This doesn't read like Harvey is secretly pining for a specific woman, it reads like he's just generally lonely.

Suits: Stalking Horse (8x15)

This was a pretty great episode of Suits, but I do have a couple of things I need to discuss.

Cons:

I'm rapidly becoming super irritated with the Donna/Harvey back-and-forth. I wish they would just put a bow on that and end it, or else just let them be together if that's the direction we're going. All of the drama of this situation could have been achieved without the faint hints of unresolved romantic tension between these two characters.

Also, this wasn't just a matter of Donna choosing herself over the firm. It wasn't some personal victory she achieved by making the right call for her. She broke privilege. She used her privileged information to help her boyfriend, and not only did Harvey lose a client over it, he's also being sued by Daniel Hardman. Like, it's hard to think of a more serious consequence for Donna's actions in this case. This was a big, big screw-up and it feels like the kind of thing that should honestly get Donna fired.

I thought the flashbacks with Donna and her mom were fine, but they didn't really add anything to the story or to my understanding of the characters. The choice that Donna had to make wasn't informed by her mother's decision years ago, even though that's what the episode was trying to push.

Suits: Peas in a Pod (8x14)

This is one of those episodes that didn't totally fail, but just felt kind of bland.

Cons:

Scottie has always been an interesting character, but this return for her felt kind of pointless. She was a prop so that we could have some interesting interactions between Sam and Harvey, and push the Donna/Harvey question further once more. I wanted more with her. I don't think she and Harvey made for a good couple, but still. I think the character deserved better.

There were plenty of story lines and character beats in this episode that were just fine, and I'll talk about some good stuff in a minute, but a lot of this stuff felt watered down and predictable. Louis' therapist is in trouble, Louis considers crossing a line, he doesn't cross a line, and at the end of the episode we're back to status quo. Scottie potentially stirs stuff up in regards to Harvey and Donna, but then Thomas conveniently comes out of the elevator just as Harvey was maybe going to say something, and nothing progresses. Both Sam and Alex had cases where they had to make compromises, and while I think it's good to go for something in between an all-out lose and an all-out win sometimes, I'd be lying if I said it didn't occasionally make for lackluster conclusions.

Suits: The Greater Good (8x13)

You get one guess as to what my favorite part of this episode was. I'm predictable.

Cons:

There was a lot to like, hypothetically, about Samantha's story this week. I'll talk about that below. I honestly think the one thing that stopped me from really liking this plot thread was Katherine Heigl's performance. I've liked Sam fine so far, but I've never loved her or felt super invested in her. The closest I get is when she's interacting with Robert, because I like that mentor/mentee dynamic. The thing is, though, when she's playing off of her old foster mom, I just don't feel the connection there. I don't get a sense of the relationship that they had, or what they really meant to each other. It was all tell, no show. I wish I could pinpoint it a little better than that, but all I can say is that all of the pieces were there to make me like this plot thread, and it just didn't come together for me.

Pros:

But I did like the way that Sam felt betrayed, and decided to help this woman out anyway. It was a good moment of growth for her character, and I like the way that Robert helped her to come to that realization. Robert actually played a really interesting role this week, as he also helped Louis in a mentoring way. Louis gets frustrated about Sam, and about Katrina, but Robert helps him to see that as Managing Partner, he needs to be considerate of problems going on among his colleagues.

Suits: Whale Hunt (8x12)

Aww poor Katrina!

Cons:

Nobody mentioned Mike this week and that makes me grumpy.

On a more serious note, I don't like the way that Gretchen has basically just taken over Donna's old role of fixing everybody else's emotional problems. I like seeing her put Harvey in his place, I guess, but the power dynamic is the same as it's always been, and it really shouldn't be the job of a secretary to tell name partners of a big law firm to stop being babies. It bothers me that she has to do that.

Pros:

Mostly, though, I thought this episode was outstanding. Let's start with Harvey and Louis, who both behaved really poorly this week. The thing is, though, this is still a big improvement from Louis' past screw-ups, or Harvey's past cocky machinations. They both got a little too heated, and they very well may have lost the opportunity to secure a new client. But you know what? The fate of a current client, or the firm, wasn't at stake here. And both Harvey and Louis were partially wrong, and partially right. They got steamed, they were harsh with each other, and then after only a little outside prodding, they cooled down and made it right. This is the type of conflict that makes me believe that these two could realistically be good attorneys. They have personalities that are always going to clash, but Harvey has learned to respect Louis' authority, and Louis has learned not to treat everything with Harvey as a competition. I loved that.

Suits: Rocky 8 (8x11)

There are still some things to enjoy about this show, although I'll admit I heard the news that Season Nine will be its last with a great sense of relief.

Cons:

I understand that this show is never going to be realistic to the way an actual law firm runs, but there are just some things that stick out to me as being really funny, unintentionally, about the way Louis is supposed to act as managing partner. At the firm I work at, the position is something passed between partners, and it's certainly a position of honor, but it's more like being the person who sets the message. Here, it's like Louis is supposed to be a babysitter and interfere with the specific clients that Harvey and Robert choose to take. That's... not what Louis' job should be. It makes no sense at all. And Donna trying to push him into taking more responsibility fell really flat for me. It's been only a couple of days, and already Donna is telling him he's a failure because Harvey and Robert are taking on a difficult case? Sheesh.

Also, I know this ultimately isn't a big deal in the grand scheme of things, but Zane Specter Litt Wheeler Williams is a mouthful and it's still dumb that people can just fight to get their name on the wall. What happens in a couple of years when Katrina wants that honor? It's getting silly.

Pros:

Harvey and Robert's case has to do with someone throwing a boxing match. I liked all the ups and downs, and how Louis steps in and comes up with a solution that gets their client mostly off the hook, and also humiliates their rival, as revenge for what he did to Jessica. I like it when we can get a solid win, but this win was complex. Harvey finds out the truth, but almost lets a struggling boxer take the fall, when the guy was just trying to do what's best for his family. His client gets what he wants, for the most part, but still has to take a small hit, and while the humiliation does come through, it doesn't change the fact that Jessica has been disbarred in New York.

Suits: Managing Partner (8x10)

I was a little bit underwhelmed by some aspects of this finale, but if this is what the show is about now, I can't exactly complain when this is what I get. Let's dive in!

Cons:

This isn't a "con" so much as it is just... a statement. I don't care about this show nearly as much as I used to. Also, I've never been a fan of flashback stuff as it is, and this was a flashback episode about Robert and Samantha, the two characters I care about the least. So this episode was not designed to be a winner for me personally. I don't think the episode itself did a bad job with the material, it's just not my preferred material.

The problem with flashback episodes in Suits is that they almost always spend a lot of time showing us something that could have been told very easily. We learn in this episode that back when Sam was an associate and Robert was a partner, Samantha saved Robert from allegations of collusion and got the current name partners ousted. Samantha was instrumental in making Rand Caldor Zane a reality. That's why Robert is so loyal to her. We see this revelation come out through a series of scenes in the past between the two of them. But the same information might have been imparted through a conversation in the present day. Maybe Samantha tells Harvey, or Robert tells Harvey, or the two of them discuss it, or Samantha confides in Donna... all of these scenarios would allow for the characters, as we know them today, to develop further.

Suits: Motion to Delay (8x09)

You know I don't usually comment on how unrealistic this show can be, but this week it was actually distracting.

Cons:

I work in a law firm, but even though I'm not a lawyer, through just general osmosis I could count several things that were very wrong with this episode. For one, Katrina and Brian never should have gone directly to confront that woman who was apparently infringing on their client's copyright. She has a lawyer, meaning they speak to the lawyer, not to her. Big no-no. Also, Brian lying about who he was to get a piece of evidence against someone? Wasn't there a whole plot thread where Donna nearly got arrested for that very action? Here, it's presented as a risky move, but neither Brian nor Katrina seem to contemplate the fact that they could get caught, and Brian could be disbarred. And the line about Brian's precedent being a "genius move" was silly. That was some first-year law school shit. Then there's Sam and Alex. Conflicts in a law firm don't exist just for litigation... it's also a big conflict even if they're trying to reach a settlement. The scenario where Alex and Sam sit in a room with their two clients to talk it out is crazy and never would have happened, what with Alex and Sam both being a part of the same firm.

There was this moment with Harvey and Robert referencing The Terminator and doing crappy Schwarzenegger impressions, and... well, it was kind of weak. The idea is that they're both in crappy moods because of what's happening with Bratton Gould, so of course their energy is a little low. But their exchange of quotes had none of the zing and pop that Harvey and Mike used to have. It doesn't even have the chemistry that Harvey and Robert usually have in a room together. It was just mildly awkward and sort of... dead.

Suits: Coral Gables (8x08)

I rather enjoyed Louis' story, and Gretchen's, but could have done without some particular elements of this episode.

Cons:

Mainly, I thought Sam's plot thread was unnecessary. It wasn't bad, but it just sort of rehashed things we already know about her. Sam tries to poach a client from her old firm, gets mixed up in some old sketchy behavior, and ultimately ends up losing a client instead of gaining one. Along the way, Harvey is there to try and keep her in line. I liked Harvey interfering and making the right call, but what I was less crazy about was Sam trying to cross a line, failing to do so, and learning apparently nothing from it. She did something really sketchy in her past, and it appears that she learned absolutely nothing from it.

Pros:

Like I said, I did enjoy Harvey being the voice of reason in Sam's plot. Despite this show's many flaws, I still maintain that Harvey's character growth is one of the more nuanced and well thought-out that I've ever seen on a TV show like this, particularly with such a cliche character to start things off with. Harvey was the kind of guy who did the reckless stuff he is now cautioning Sam against. But he's not being a hypocrite - he genuinely has grown and learned over several seasons. One of his most important lessons is that it's possible for him to lose. He can't go in to every scenario ready to battle it to the ends of the earth - sometimes he has to give in. What taught him this? Mike going to prison. It's the first Mike mention we've gotten in a few episodes, so of course I had to mention it. I miss him so much.

Suits: Sour Grapes (8x07)

I think I can see how they're shaping this season, and for the most part it's working okay.

Cons:

This is a small thing, but Sheila getting a "false positive" on a pregnancy test is a little unrealistic. From what I understand, false negatives sometimes happen, but false positives are almost impossible. This might have been a good opportunity to explore the sad but accurate fact that TONS of pregnancies end in miscarriage in the early stages, especially higher risk pregnancies. They often happen before the person even knows they were pregnant. Sheila could have taken a pregnancy test, been pregnant, and then lost the pregnancy right at the super early stages. For some reason the whole "false positive" thing bothered me.

Pros:

I did like Sheila and Louis talking about some tough topics. I am pretty much on Louis' side about raising the kids Jewish, although the reasons for that are a little difficult for me to pin down. I guess I just think of Judaism as being so much more important culturally and for community building, rather than it being just a question of religion. But then again, Sheila indicates pretty clearly that her family's ties to their Catholic faith are very strong and define their own culture and traditions. Maybe I just want Louis to get his way because I know that Jewish folks often get the short end of the stick? And honestly I think it's possible to blend both. Do the things that are important to both of you. I don't know that a hard line one way or the other is actually necessary here. I like that this dilemma made me stop and think. Even though I came down on Louis' "side," I also saw the complexities of the situation. Also, Louis getting a hug from his Jewish therapist was oddly moving. I'm actually really touched by their odd relationship.