Suits: The Painting (6x12)

Harvey Specter's emotional arc is one of the most impressive things this show has ever done. It's one of the most impressive character arcs on any of the shows I'm watching right now, actually. But before we talk about that, I should complain about some other stuff first:

Cons:

Mike's plot was less successful than Harvey's, although it did still have a lot of promise. Basically, Mike gets the job working at a legal clinic, despite his criminal history. The catch is that he's getting paid pennies on the dollar, even though he has partner-level experience. I don't exactly object to this development, because I think it's going to add a lot of good material going forward, but I do object to Mike getting this job right away, and without a lot of struggle. It seems contrived that he'd get a job literally a day after losing one as a teacher. It seems silly that his obstacle now is that he's not making a lot of money, because based on the apartment Rachel and Mike live in, they've been rolling in dough for a while now. Now, if going forward, money becomes an actual concern in Mike and Rachel's lives, I'd like to see that. But as it is, the downside of Mike's situation seems pretty much nonexistent. It seems like he got the perfect job handed to him way too quickly.

I guess what I'm saying is that maybe the plot is accelerating a little too quickly, here. Not only does Mike start this job, he also has a confrontation with one of his new underlings, tells the truth to all his co-workers about his time in prison, and helps save a woman from eviction. I almost wish Mike had kept the truth of his past a secret for a while. I mean, not from his employers, but from all the people he's supervising. There was some great tension and complexity to explore, and it all happened too fast.

I suppose I should also lodge my formal complaint that Donna and Rachel are too often relegated to supportive roles only. Rachel is just there to cheer Mike on as he gets another job, and Donna encourages Harvey to reconnect with his mother. I'm not saying these roles aren't vitally important, but I still crave my Donna-centric story-line. I still crave something for her to do other than serve the male leads.

Pros:

Like I said above, I do like the setup for Mike's story. It offers a lot of cool potential for the future. I like his new friends, his boss, the general atmosphere. I like that Mike dove headfirst into an unfamiliar situation, got involved, and kicked ass. I love that he's working at something he feels really proud of. I anticipate some interesting contrasts between the legal clinic's clients, the poor and downtrodden, with PSL's wealthy clientele. This could be a really intriguing avenue to explore.

I think the best moment here was when Mike is in court, and can't stand up to help a woman about to be evicted unfairly. He's not an attorney, so he has no right to speak for a client in front of a judge. It's a heartrending moment, because Mike really does want to help, and he knows much more about this than the actual lawyer who's trying his best. Mike has to hold himself to a different standard now, and I'm enjoying watching him struggle with that.

Briefly, Louis didn't have a ton to do this week, but what we did see showed that he really is growing up. Donna tells him to help Harvey out with one of his clients, since Harvey has flown off to see his mother. Louis is petulant at first, but by the end of the episode he's realized that all of Harvey's clients are the firm's clients, and that he can't let himself get overwhelmed with jealousies. Basically, Harvey and Louis decide to be co-managing partners for the time being, and they decide to keep the firm's name exactly the same. It was a lovely moment of reconciliation for them. I hope the show can find new ways to challenge Harvey and Louis as characters, instead of just having them butt heads for the millionth time. A united front will make for more interesting stories going forward.

Harvey's plot is where the real heart and soul of this episode rests. I'm not going to go too much into the details of what happens. Basically, we see flashbacks to Harvey's father's funeral, and we also see the current story-line, where Harvey is trying to move past his anger with his mom. I love that this episode showed the other side of the story. Harvey is livid when his mom has the nerve to "forgive" him for being absent all of these years, but his brother Marcus knocks some sense into him. Harvey has been neglecting his family. In the end, Harvey and his mother share a hug, and it looks like this might be a new start for them.

There are so many things going on here. It's delicious and complex and I love every second. Harvey, as we know, is a character who values loyalty and family above all else. This is partially because of his experiences growing up, and the pain his mother put him through. So to hear Lily accuse Harvey of neglecting his family was a real low blow. And yet, she's right. What's so brilliant about this setup is that it's not a simple question of Lily doing something wrong. Because she did do something wrong, and Harvey has every right to be furious with her. However...

It's Marcus who points out to Harvey that while Lily and her new husband might be monsters to Harvey, to Marcus's kids, they're just Grandma and Grandpa. Harvey learns, to his horror, that Marcus got sick again, and didn't even feel like he could tell his big brother, because of all the inter-family drama. Marcus was a great character in this episode. He's happy to see his big brother, and happy to think that the family might be healing a rift, but he's not on Harvey's side in all this. As he points out, there's a whole life going on here. It's been going on for years, and Harvey hasn't been a part of it. His anger, while justified, isn't going to change that reality.

Great acting from Gabriel Macht. He has to pull out all the angst, and he does so with aplomb. The shot of him crying at his father's funeral comes full circle when he cries looking at a picture of his mom painting the famous duck painting. Donna helps him hang up the photo, which he bought, in his office where the old painting went. The emotional catharsis felt earned, and needed. I do hope, moving forward, that Harvey can feel more integrated into the firm's plot thread. What with his desperation to get Mike out of prison, and now his anxiety about Jessica leaving, he hasn't actually felt much like an attorney working at a top law firm in quite a while.

That's where I'll stop. This half of Season Six is feeling a tad bit disjointed to me thus far. I'm not thrilled at the yelling between Mike and Harvey last week. I'm not thrilled with how easy Mike found getting back into working with the law. But I have hopes that we'll get some cohesion as the season continues. This episode was worth it just for Harvey's story!

7.5/10