Suits: Unfinished Business (3x03)

Okay. I'm freaking out a little bit. I. Loved. This. Episode. Loved it. I had this huge smile on my face the whole time I was watching, and it just kept getting better and better as I watched. When it comes to Suits, any bromantic interaction between Harvey and Mike is like crack to me. Now, I don't particularly ship them in the romantic sense, but if I did, this episode would give me material up the wazoo. And as a girl who loves the brotherly dynamic between the two of them, this episode was so extremely exciting. And there were other exciting things too, including the case with Ava really heating up, and Rachel and Mike's continuously adorable interactions.

That being said, I'll start off this review with a few things that I didn't love. That way, the bulk of the review can just be an uninterrupted rant about all the awesome. But first, the not-so-awesome.

Katrina. I just do not have any clue what they're doing with this character. I haven't liked her from the second she was introduced. And I know you're not supposed to like her exactly, but that's not what I mean. Her character just feels out of place in this world. Whenever she's in an episode, I have to remind myself why I'm supposed to care at all. Her plot in this episode was just more of the same... she isn't considered important in the firm, and she tries to weasel her way in using whatever means necessary. 

The fact that she and Louis are now working together makes me mad, but at least I have hope that Katrina is only Louis' rebound associate. It could potentially be interesting to see how these two conniving minds work together in the future, but I hope we get to see Louis being the good guy here. He didn't have much of a plot this week, but I was actually okay with that because there were just so many other things to focus on in this episode. As we move forward, I hope to see something new come out of Katrina's character, or otherwise I just want her gone.

Suits: I Want You to Want Me (3x02)

Okay! In general, I found this episode to be a stronger installment than the premiere. It wasn't flawless, but I got a lot more of the intense interactions I was missing from the first one. Most importantly, perhaps, Louis' character took a big and important step in this installment, which was refreshing after his comic relief gig from last week. I'm going to look at this episode through a simple pro/con list. I apologize if I'm a bit less eloquent than is usual, but I'm writing this on less than two hours of sleep and I want to get it out quickly.

So.

PROS:

- The case. I find myself interested in the plight of Ava Hessington (and not just because I like the actress portraying her.) I like to see a case centered around a female client who is getting in trouble for something that a male client would potentially get in trouble for. She also seems pretty guilty, which is an interesting angle to take. It forces Harvey and the others to take a look at what is legally right and what is morally right. I hope to see even more of this in the future.

- The oh-so-obvious parallels between Ava/Nick and Harvey/Mike. I'm listing this under the "pros" section, even though the comparison was a bit heavy-handed. I was okay with it because it wasn't a direct comparison. No one ever told Harvey that Nick and Mike were in similar situations. It was just obvious through the narrative and the acting. I also think it helped advance the Harvey/Mike tension in a realistic way. What Nick did to Ava was a lot more unforgivable than what Mike did to Harvey, and I think it helped him to see that, and to see how Ava was still going to miss her right hand man, even after he had made a mistake.

Suits: The Arrangement (3x01)

Suits! This is one of those shows that I've loved from the very beginning. I'm always so impressed by the complexity of the characters, the fine acting, and the interesting conflicts. This show knows not to stick its characters in a rut for too long. The central premise, the fact that Mike is a fraud, has now been revealed to every single main character other than Louis and our new British characters. They know not to keep the same gimmick going for too long, unlike some other shows with similar "big secret" ideas. *cough Merlin cough*

I really enjoyed this show, and I was very excited for the third season to premiere. What did I think? Well... actually I have some mixed feelings. Overall the episode felt like a set-up to me. Like it was just setting the stage for (hopefully) better things to come. That's fine, as sometimes episodes like this are necessary, but I'll admit I was hoping for something a bit stronger, given that this is a premiere of a season. Let's take a closer look:

Mike is dealing with the fallout from revealing his secret to Rachel. The opening scene of the episode was fantastic - I was totally pulled in to the dream sequence and it wasn't until pretty late that I caught on. Mike walks in to Harvey's office, and Harvey immediately acts like a mature adult and forgives him. He then invites Mike to be part of an important meeting, but before it can get underway, Rachel walks into the room and exposes his secret to everyone. Mike wakes up in a panic because of the dream.