Suits: Bad Man (7x12)

Ugh Louis whyyyy.

Cons:

I've never loved the flashback episodes of Suits, because I'm much more interested in the relationships between the characters as they stand now. Sometimes the flashbacks can give us some good insights, but other times I feel like it would have been just as easy to convey the backstory with a few lines of dialogue instead of going in to full scenes. That was the case with Louis here. We learn that in high school, he dated a girl who was basically using him to appease her parents. He found out, but kept dating her anyway. Louis discusses this with his therapist, in light of Sheila's continued offers to sleep with him despite her pending marriage. His therapist says that he craves what he can't have. Pretty basic stuff. And despite the time-waste-y feel of these flashbacks, I didn't hate what this plot thread was teaching us about Louis.

Until, that is, the end of the episode. See, he had a perfectly reasonable arc. We saw his conflicted feelings about Sheila, we saw his high school girlfriend and how that relationship informs his relationships to this day. But then, as the episode ends, he makes the wrong choice. Now, there's nothing wrong with characters making the wrong choice every now and then, but this is Louis. And Louis makes the wrong choice almost always. I want him to be accountable for his actions. I want him to actually make progress. It's just not interesting to watch this guy backslide for the ten millionth time.

I see how they're setting Mike and Rachel up to leave the show, and I actually think, from a narrative standpoint, it's working quite well. But selfishly, I'm a little miffed by the lack of Mike and Harvey interactions in these past two episodes. They get a couple of brief scenes, but if this is the last we're going to see of Mike, I want to milk that for all it's worth!

Pros:

That said, the plot thread with Mike and Oliver was actually pretty great. I like that Mike made a rash decision, it almost screwed him over, but he managed to win in the end. It's a simple story, but the layers going on here are what make it more interesting. You've got Mike's internal moral compass, as he tries to do a solid for Oliver's food bank client, but has to represent his own client as well. You've also got the fact that Oliver = Mike, and Mike = Harvey in this particular case. Oliver has a bleeding heart, and he's a little bit righteous about his opinions. And while Mike sympathizes, he can't be "100%" for the little guy, when he has to be 100% for the client he currently represents. He teaches Oliver a good lesson that will hopefully help him to grow as a lawyer. At the same time, Mike fighting against people doing good deeds is another moment for him to realize that he might need to make a serious life change.

I liked the moments we did have with Harvey and Mike, even if they were brief. Harvey tells Mike off when everything gets started, and in the end Mike goes to Harvey to admit that he's right. He realizes how hard it can be to crush somebody for their own good, and has a new appreciation for all of the help Harvey has given him over the years. This is the perfect mirror for Oliver and Mike's later scene, where Oliver, like Mike, has learned to appreciate the tough love he's receiving from his mentor. There's also the fact that Harvey tells Mike his name was thrown in for consideration for senior partner, but Harvey decided he wasn't ready. Another moment telegraphing Mike's forthcoming departure: Mike is okay with being passed over. He says that if Harvey feels like he's worth a shot in a couple of months, then they can go ahead and promote him. I love that Harvey decided to tell Mike about all of this, and I like that there was a complete lack of drama concerning Mike's promotion.

Turning to Harvey's plot: I do have one question - what does Jessica need with two million dollars all of a sudden? I'm hoping we get a satisfying explanation for this, otherwise it's just weird. But as to what it provided in this episode, I really enjoyed it. Harvey needs to get the money in a way that's not super illegal, and to do so he needs to find money that isn't already on the books. This involves going to a client he's been doing free legal work for. This guy apparently owns Harvey's father's music, and Harvey was keeping him in business by working for free. Lots of interesting topics come out of this. Obviously, Harvey's relationship to his father is one of hero worship, and his efforts to hold on to the past can end up hurting his present circumstances. There's also the fact that this is yet another example of Harvey hurting "the little guy" to help somebody well-off. It rubbed me the wrong way that Jessica wouldn't fess up as to why she needed the money, but the reason this isn't going in the "cons" section is because I think it will probably be addressed later.

The love triangle with Harvey, Paula, and Donna is... surprisingly still pretty compelling. I loved the way this episode pulled something of a trick on me. There's a moment where Donna sees that Harvey is upset, and the two decide to sit together and reminisce about Harvey's father. In the moment, the scene is framed a little bit like a mistake - Harvey is trying to let Paula process what she has just learned about Harvey and Donna's past, and in a moment of weakness he turns yet again to Donna for reassurance. But later, he goes to Paula and he tells her - 'Donna is a part of my life. I like that she's a part of my life, and I was grateful to her for being there when I needed a shoulder to lean on. But, I wanted that shoulder to be yours, Paula.' Okay, I'm paraphrasing, but that's essentially what Harvey is getting at, and it's such an amazing moment for him. I actually like Harvey and Paula, and I'm surprised by how compelling I'm finding their relationship, given that I still think Harvey and Donna are likely to be endgame.

There you have it. I'm annoyed about the resolution of the Louis plot thread, for sure. And I'm frustrated by the lack of Mike and Harvey interaction. But in all, this was still a solid installment!

8/10