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.

- Harvey's trust in Donna. I'm going to be talking more about Donna under the "cons" section, but I did really enjoy the exploration of their dynamic in this episode. Harvey not only trusts Donna as a subordinate, but also respects her as an equal. Harvey was supposedly completely done with Mike, but Donna suggests that Harvey forgive him, and it happens. I think Harvey was missing Mike like crazy and probably would have caved eventually, but Donna helped him get over his stubbornness and get our dream team back together sooner than would have otherwise been possible.

- Harvey and Mike. Yeah, okay, I had a goofy grin on my face all the way through that last scene. It was the perfect bromance moment. Earlier, when Harvey told Mike that they were done, I was hit by exactly how much these two men care about each other. When Harvey and Jessica were throwing thinly veiled insults at one another about past indiscretions, Harvey seemed more pissed about Jessica's manipulation of Mike than anything else. Harvey doesn't trust people easily, and Mike was a big exception to a closely followed rule. I think he acted like a jerk over what happened, but it also makes sense why he was hurting so badly. And then we see that scene at the end. Harvey managed to be both humble and cocky. Mike managed to be both contrite and confident. It was the perfect blend of their characters, and such a cute little reunion too. The high five? Oh please. I melted. Going forward, I'm excited to see what they do with these characters' dynamics. I really hope that they don't just go back to being totally fine. I want to see them struggle to reach equilibrium again.

- Rachel and Mike's relationship. Again, Rachel is someone I'll be discussing in the "cons" section, but I did really appreciate their relationship in this one. (Ahem, the joke about Mike's... size was hilarious). But anyway... they aren't simply still blissed out in the honeymoon phase, and we actually saw Mike and Rachel get into a pretty serious fight about Harvey. I was so impressed by the intensity of this scene that I find myself wishing for more of it in the future - I want Mike and Rachel to be happy, sure, but I think it would be interesting to further explore the idea that Mike continues to put Harvey first, even over Rachel. But anyways. Speculation aside, I appreciated that we saw them confront a real problem in this episode, and then (gasp) resolve it like mature adults! Mike and Rachel both actually apologize to each other like normal humans in a relationship might. I am a little disconcerted to realize how rare that is on television. It was refreshing.

- LOUIS LITT. He stole this episode for me. Last week I was complaining that he didn't have the right balance between seriousness and humor, but here they've done it right. There were still jokes abound, such as his general awkwardness with movie quotes and the memorable mud scene with Mike. But we also saw Louis as he really is - a genuine, intense man who loves the law. This episode broke my heart a bit with how happy he was to have Mike working for him. I like that they succeeded with their impossible case (a little too easily, did anyone else think so?) I like that Louis asked Donna and Harvey for permission about Mike. I'm sure all the H/M shippers went crazy over all the relationship language used in that scene. Then of course the end, where he makes a cake for Mike but Mike chooses Harvey over him... awww! I mean, I saw it coming from a mile away, but it was still really heartbreaking. The best part of Louis this week was that the show managed to make you feel really sorry for him, while not negating some of the bad things he has done in the past. Mike is willing to forgive him for the way he used to be, but he can't forget it. In general, this show impresses me with the continuity present in these characters.

Okay, now onto the

CONS:

- Jessica and Harvey's relationship. These two both need to stop acting like children, in my opinion. I like Harvey, I really do. But he's behaving so selfishly and with such immaturity that I'm having trouble respecting him at the moment. And Jessica is just being unnecessarily conniving. She just likes putting him in his place too much.

- The ladies. And by the ladies I mean Donna and Rachel. And why am I calling them "the ladies?" Because this episode showcased these two hella awesome characters as very little more than the "emotional support" for their men. Seriously. What plot points were Donna and Rachel involved in this week? They talked about Mike's penis, talked about Harvey and Mike's fight... talked more about their men... helped their men solve their problems... 

Okay. Maybe I'm being a little dramatic. If there's any show that I trust to be good about its female characters, it's Suits. I mean, just think about Jessica for a minute. She's amazing! She's had virtually no romantic subplot thus far and her character is explored dynamically throughout the show. Rachel was the same way last season. Donna... Donna has always been bad-ass, but I was hoping that in Season Three we would see her break out a little bit. Her character revolves around Harvey just a bit too much for my taste. In this episode, these two women did nothing but talk about men. Literally nothing else happened. Even the brief scenes with Donna and Harvey were all centered around Harvey's big plans and on whether or not Donna wanted to back them up. 

So. My overall impressions with this episode? Happy. Generally. And cautiously optimistic that the things I don't like will get better in the future. As we look ahead to the next episodes, my top concerns are about a) Donna and Rachel getting their own interesting stories b) Jessica and Harvey growing up and c) the navigation of Harvey and Mike's recently renewed partnership.

If these three things can be addressed well, I'll be a happy camper.

'Til next time!

8/10