Suits: Home to Roost (7x06)

I mean, what the heck did you expect, Mike? This whole thing is so stupid. Harvey, Rachel, Alex, and Oscar are all right, and Mike is completely wrong. Getting a little frustrated.

Cons:

The drama with Mike staying on the prison case is resting on a foundation of sand. As the episode ends, Alex has come in and blown up the case, and the court has kicked the clinic - and Mike - off of it. Oscar Reyes is hurt and angry, but Mike says that it's not over - somebody else can take the case. And, yeah. That's the whole problem with this damn plot thread. Of course someone else can take the case. Someone else should have been taking the case from the beginning! Mike getting involved is the exact reason why things are as bad as they are now. It's aggravating. He's not the only do-gooder with resources in the legal world. I'm not saying any old attorney could have taken this case and run with it, but I'm sure there's somebody else in the world who could have handled it, for pete's sake.

I have mixed feelings about Louis' subplot. Stephanie sues him for sexual harassment because of all the horrible things he said to her, and because she doesn't want anybody to think she can't hack it as a lawyer. It takes Louis a while to get there, but eventually he realizes the right thing to do and he goes to apologize to Stephanie sincerely. He explains to her what happened with Tara, and how he took it out on her. She then reveals that the real reason she's been upset is because Louis said that no one would ever want a baby with her, and Stephanie is insecure about that very thing because she's thirty-four years old and a workaholic.

Okay, so, I guess I am proud of Louis for owning up to his mistakes and acknowledging that he was wrong, and I liked the moment where Stephanie and Louis were able to sort of bond over their shared loneliness and insecurity. But on the flip side of that, Louis behaved abhorrently, and the fact that it just took an apology for Stephanie to back down seems a little cheap. And the fact that her actual anger is because she's sad that she's single, and not because her career was damaged, felt a little bit iffy to me. I'm not saying I hated the plot thread. I just think that the conclusions needed to be a tad bit more nuanced.

Pros:

One thing to like about Mike being an idiot is that we get to see Harvey step up in a major way. This was the first time all season that I feel like he struck the right balance between being an understanding friend and a firm boss. In the past, when he was yelling at people I felt like he was on a power trip. But this time, as he told Mike to back off, and then deftly interceded in the argument between Alex and Mike, taking Alex's side, I felt like Harvey was completely justified in putting Mike in his place. He did so with professionalism, and more than enough leniency. Rachel's right - what Mike is doing is a fire-able offense, and Harvey did not fire him, because he's a fair and balanced boss and friend.

Also, and this is just me projecting wildly because I'm a sucker for the bromance, I like that we got hints of Harvey worrying about Mike talking to Frank Gallow again. Notice that when Harvey goes off on Paula about his long day at work, he focuses on Mike working with a murderer, instead of Mike lying to him. He also reminds Mike that Frank is definitely the type to hold a grudge. Maybe I'm just too in to the contrived soap-opera drama stuff, but I really do hope that Frank gets out of prison and seeks revenge on Mike. I wanna see the aaaaangst.

In Rachel news, she was on fire this week, yelling at Mike for being an idiot and standing up for herself when Mike tried to justify his actions. She also came through for Donna and was a supportive friend. All around great person Rachel Zane. I hope she gets a bit of spotlight coming up before the mid-season break. Would love to see more of a focus on her.

I mentioned above that I'm happy for Louis getting his life back on track, even if I think the sexual harassment plot thread might have carried a bit more nuance. I particularly liked Louis going to Donna to say sorry and thank you. That felt like a really well-earned moment. Donna always deserves more recognition.

In subplot news, Harvey tells Paula that he's hesitant to tell Donna about their relationship, because of their complicated history and feelings. Paula helps Harvey to realize that telling Donna is the right thing to do, but later gets upset when Harvey appears to chicken out and not tell her. Harvey does finally tell Donna, who smiles and tells Harvey she's known for a while now, and congratulates him. Donna confides in Rachel that she didn't know, and was totally blindsided. She then goes to Harvey, gives him back the key to his apartment, and reveals that she hadn't already known, and that she was a little upset. Harvey says he understands, and that he's felt the same way in the past when Donna has been with other people. But just because there's a bit of weirdness there, doesn't mean anything more. We leave off with a lingering shot of Harvey and Donna each sitting alone in their respective offices.

I really like Paula. I actually like the side of Harvey that we see when he's with her. I think Harvey and Donna are pretty much destined to be endgame, and usually that would mean I'd be annoyed with whoever was acting as a placeholder for that eventuality. But I actually like this relationship and how it's unfolding. I like that Paula refuses to act as Harvey's therapist, but does continue to speak her mind about what he's going through. She can't ignore the inside information she already has into his state of mind, and maybe that's part of what makes their relationship work on a level deeper than any other Harvey has known. I like that Donna didn't magically already know about Harvey and Paula. It would have felt like one too many miraculous deductions from her. I don't know where they're going with the Donna/Harvey/Paula situation, but this is one of the very rare cases where I find myself compelled by a love triangle.

And that's all I've got for the time being. Mike's being an idiot, Harvey is being surprisingly wonderful, and I'm definitely interested to see what's next!

8/10