Suits: Admission of Guilt (6x14)

I mean, there were some things in this episode that ordinarily would have pissed me off, but actually worked quite well. And then there are other things that I've been asking for for a while that just do not work. In all, I'm feeling conflicted.

Cons:

Donna's current plot thread has got to be the stupidest thing this show has ever done. It's like something out of a completely different show. Benjamin continues to work on "The Donna," trying to give this AI the ability to feel compassion. He gets frustrated because he can't do it, and Donna tells him it's okay, he's only human. Later, however, "The Donna" makes actual Donna feel better about something, and Donna realizes that her robot self is learning to feel compassion.

I mean... what? First off, this has nothing to do with the rest of the show, and feels totally disconnected from the reality of this world. And Benjamin at one point has a crisis about how he's not good enough, while I'm sitting here thinking... dude, you've basically created life. The Donna is way more sophisticated than any artificial interface that actually exists today. And also, what's the point of The Donna? I thought the idea was to make a computerized assistant, but The Donna doesn't do anything that could be construed as helpful in the workplace. She makes quippy comments and tries to comfort people who are upset. It's stupid.

Also, I'm just a tad conflicted about Mike and Harvey lying to people and engaging in more unethical behavior, because it feels like we're just going in a circle. I don't want to belabor this point too much, because within the premise, I quite enjoy what happens in this episode. But still. At some point you've got to contend with the fact that Harvey and Mike are actually not good people.

Pros:

The other subplot was about Rachel, Katrina, and Louis, and I quite liked it. Harvey is so busy dealing with the A-plot that he's not able to meet with an important client with Louis. The two of them were supposed to get together for a sort of yearly report, to make the client feel important. Instead, Louis recruits Rachel and Katrina to help. They discover that the client is a foodie, so they prepare a fancy meal with wine parings to go along with their legal presentation. They all think it went great, but Louis then gets a call from the client, who is angry that Harvey wasn't there. Louis defends Rachel and Katrina, and the client fires him.

Obviously, this plot thread requires some suspension of disbelief. What client is so entitled that they think they deserve the attention of both managing partners of a top-tier New York law firm? But whatever. This plot thread was chalk full of jokes, and also managed to be heartwarming and insightful.

Louis actually doesn't mess up, despite the fact that Harvey leaves him in a lurch. He does his best work, and gets his brightest minds to help him out. The client firing him is a shame, but Louis doesn't go all crazy and start blaming everybody else. He just goes home and allows Tara to comfort him after a bad day at work.

Meanwhile, Rachel and Katrina bond, and Katrina tells Rachel what a pleasure it was to work with Robert Zane, and how proud Robert is of his daughter. Seeing these two women bond was great. When Katrina is utilized properly, she can be a real treasure.

Some humor highlights: Louis refers to Rachel and Katrina as "chocolate and vanilla" and then clarifies that Rachel is his white swan, and Katrina is his black swan. Louis also says something about Rachel and Katrina filling Jessica's "size 13's." When Louis leaves the room, Rachel says "Do you think Jessica really wears size 13's?" and Katrina replies "that's exactly what I was thinking." I don't know what it was, but Katrina's line delivery was just perfection.

So. The main plot. In short, Mike enlists Oliver's help in finding a way to take down Velocity, the big client that Craig Seidel wants to take down, in exchange for getting both Rachel and Mike through the bar. Mike is forced to have PSL sign on as co-counsel when Velocity's legal representation threatens to bury the legal clinic in paperwork to quash the case. In the end, Harvey learns that Seidel was originally in on Velocity's sneaky behavior, and Harvey is able to use this secret as leverage. It looks like Mike might be passing the bar after all.

That was obviously a very truncated summary, but you get the point. Mike and Harvey are acting sketchy to get what they want, and while things don't work out at first, it now looks like they have a good chance. I liked how many different avenues and relationships we were able to explore with this relatively simple premise.

Mike and Harvey: they are having way too much fun now that they're working together again, but there's this wonderful underlying tension. Harvey talks to Louis about how helping Mike pass the bar means that Mike can come back to work at PSL. Meanwhile, Mike is insistent that he's doing this to help people, and plans to continue to work at the clinic. You can tell that they're both getting a natural high from working together on a risky case, but the fact that it can't last is what really gives this plot thread some stakes.

Harvey and Rachel: Rachel asks Harvey to pull the plug if things go too far. She can't lose Mike again. We don't see nearly enough of these two on screen together. Considering they are the closest two people in the world to Mike, they really should hang out more. But I liked that Rachel pulled a Mike and just showed up unannounced at Harvey's apartment. And I like that they both want the same thing: Mike, happy and safe.

Oliver is a really interesting character, one I feel really bad for. He's competent, or even excellent, at certain aspects of his job, but he fails in other regards. It feels right to have a likable character who isn't just automatically the best at what they do. Seeing Mike coach somebody else through a crisis of confidence is excellent. I also like that Oliver stands up for himself. He can tell that something isn't quite right with this whole Velocity case, and he doesn't just toe the line and do as he's told.

Mike and his boss: What's this guy's name? I can never remember. Regardless, he's kind of an asshole. But in a way where you can't quite blame him because, I mean, come on. Mike is crossing him at every turn. I'm excited to see how this dynamic plays out. On the one hand, you've got Harvey wanting Mike to come back to work for him, while Mike wants to stay at the clinic. But on the other hand, Mike's boss isn't exactly thrilled with what he's been up to lately. Is Mike going to be able to make the choice that's best for him, or will that choice be taken out of his hands?

I guess that's where I'll stop. Things are heating up in a serious way for our leads. I like this new even-tempered Louis, and I like Mike and Harvey together against the world. The Donna is the worst thing ever, though, and I have to factor that in to my final score.

7/10