Suits: Right-Hand Man (8x01)

I miss Mike so much. This is gonna be rough, guys. I'm going to be honest, here - Mike and Harvey's relationship was about 90% of why I watched this show. And if I'm being even more honest, Gina Torres was most of the other 10%. Now that I've lost that, I'm not sure what's left. But I'm not a quitter - I'll commit myself to Season Eight of Suits, at the very least. If this show gets renewed again, I might be hanging up my hat at the end of Season Eight. But my heart is open to the possibilities. Let's talk about this.

Cons:

Katherine Heigl. It's a little hard for me to evaluate her without taking into account everything I know about her as a person. The rumors are rampant - she's a diva. And this character? Well, thus far Samantha Wheeler seems... fine? Kind of generic? She's a bad-ass woman that doesn't take shit from anyone and is loyal to Robert Zane. I think about the other women in this show, though, and I just don't know what she adds. We had Rachel, who was this kind, gentle, compassionate person who didn't fall in to the cliches of the "professional" woman who has to be cold to get to the top. You have Katrina, who wants to be that cold professional woman, but has a problem with her confidence. You have Donna, the sassy assistant-turned-COO character. What is Samantha going to be? I'm not saying I dislike her, but I certainly wasn't grabbed by her in week one. She seemed pretty unoriginal to me.

I know this show is ridiculously unrealistic all of the time when it comes to how a law firm would actually operate, and usually I'd be fine with that. But it's driving me crazy that everyone is throwing around the promise of name partner as an incentive. There's no way this firm survives so many name changes in the past few years. Let things settle down with Zane Specter Litt for like a SECOND before you start talking about Alex and Samantha getting tossed up on the wall. It's just silly, and it feels like an increasingly contrived way to get the drama going.

Oh, also - did I mention that I miss Mike? A lot? Like, a lot, a lot? I seriously don't know how I'm going to get through this season. It'll be too sad if they don't drop hints that Mike and Harvey are still in touch. Just an occasional one-sided phone conversation would be cool with me. Just... something. PLEASE.

Pros:

Okay. So in order to keep going with this show, sans the epic bromance, I'm going to have to let go of some old grudges against Louis Litt, and accept him into my heart. They did a pretty good job of showing his growth last season, and even if I still get twitchy when I think about him hurting Mike, I'm choosing to forgive and forget. Truth is, the stuff with Louis and Katrina in this episode was by far the most interesting thing going on here. Katrina deciding which associates to fire, Louis getting pissed when Brian gets thrown into the mix, Donna stepping in to help smooth things over... it was all golden.

See, one thing that happens sometimes with Donna is that she steps in to espouse her "wisdom," and it feels pointless, like she's just saying what everybody already knows, but in a sassy, witty way. This time, when she stepped in and explained Brian's value to the firm, she really taught Katrina something, and helped smooth the tension between Katrina and Louis. It was a shining moment for her in this season premiere. I like the fact that Donna acknowledges her role as a "supporting player," and says how important that can be. It was a good way to frame this conversation.

Katrina is one of those surprise characters - I certainly didn't think much of her when she first showed up on the scene years ago, but now I really like her. She's funny and she really gets Louis in a way maybe nobody else does. Harvey had something special with Mike (*sob*), and Louis gets to have that special partner-associate bond with Katrina. I think that's something he really needs, and I'm glad he gets to have it. Also, their comic relief is just too good. Katrina telling Louis that she cares for him deeply in a completely asexual way, and Louis' response that he cares for Katrina and sees her as neither man nor woman? That's freakin' hilarious. Those two are so weird, and I'm all for it.

While the jury is still out on Samantha, I am excited to see Alex get some more screen-time. I don't have a problem with him as a character, but thus far he hasn't really clicked in for me as someone particularly interesting. He feels a little generic. But I like the camaraderie between him and Harvey, and I like the way that he and Louis seem to have reached a peaceful relationship at last. I think he could be a really interesting piece of the puzzle, so I'm excited to see how that works. I've got to say, for all that this show lost three of its original cast members last season (including Jessica), the show doesn't feel empty. They did a smart thing elevating existing players like Alex, Katrina, and Robert to the front lines, so that only Samantha comes in as a completely fresh face.

There is something else I'm kind of excited about for this season, and that's the Robert and Harvey relationship. I've got to say, for all his bluster, Robert Zane is an incredibly understanding and patient guy. Dude has been through some shit over the years because of Harvey Specter, Mike Ross, and frankly the whole gang over at their firm. I think it only makes sense for him to be managing partner, and I'm glad that Harvey saw it that way too, with a little assistance from Donna. I can't wait to see these two butt heads, but keep it professional all at the same time.

Lastly, let me do a legacy "Mike and Harvey" corner... I always used to save the two of them for last in my reviews because they're my favorite part. We did get a little bit of content about them, as Donna shows Robert a picture that Rachel left of the newlyweds for Robert to decorate his new office. We also have Donna asking Harvey if maybe he's being a little touchy because he's reacting to Mike leaving. This is one of those "no duh" moments that Donna sometimes has, but I appreciated the fact that Harvey didn't brush her off or get defensive. He's not interested in lying about the fact that he's going to miss Mike. That's a given.

And I'm going to miss him toooo! So much! Literally I wish this show had just ended. But that doesn't mean there's nothing to enjoy... I guess. I'll keep plugging away, and I'll have my eagle eyes out for any little tidbits of Mike Ross that they choose to give us.

7/10