Suits: Stalking Horse (8x15)

This was a pretty great episode of Suits, but I do have a couple of things I need to discuss.

Cons:

I'm rapidly becoming super irritated with the Donna/Harvey back-and-forth. I wish they would just put a bow on that and end it, or else just let them be together if that's the direction we're going. All of the drama of this situation could have been achieved without the faint hints of unresolved romantic tension between these two characters.

Also, this wasn't just a matter of Donna choosing herself over the firm. It wasn't some personal victory she achieved by making the right call for her. She broke privilege. She used her privileged information to help her boyfriend, and not only did Harvey lose a client over it, he's also being sued by Daniel Hardman. Like, it's hard to think of a more serious consequence for Donna's actions in this case. This was a big, big screw-up and it feels like the kind of thing that should honestly get Donna fired.

I thought the flashbacks with Donna and her mom were fine, but they didn't really add anything to the story or to my understanding of the characters. The choice that Donna had to make wasn't informed by her mother's decision years ago, even though that's what the episode was trying to push.

There's also the fact that the entire scenario of this main plot thread doesn't make a lick of sense. This show has this hilarious tendency to talk about "waiving privilege" as if that means that suddenly it's cool to represent both sides in a deal. What it really means is something a lot more complicated and restrictive than that. An actual law firm would never find itself in this position in the first place. It's not a big deal in the grand scheme of things, and I know this show has never been concerned with accuracy, but still. I can't help but notice these things.

Pros:

You'll notice that all of my "cons" are about the main plot. Before I jump to the subplots, I will say that I still like the idea of Donna and Thomas, and I still find myself hoping that we're not just going to jump right in to a Harvey/Donna romance. It feels really forced at this point, and I'd just as soon not go there. Even though the specific situation makes Donna seem incompetent, I do like the concept of her standing up for herself instead of putting Harvey first like she always does. If there's one central theme for Donna's character, that's it.

Also, seeing Daniel Hardman walk through the door at the end was a serious punch to the gut, in the best possible way. He's the only Big Bad that Suits is ever going to have, and bringing him back now is the perfect way to up the stakes before next week's finale. I'm stoked!

In subplot news, we've got Louis taking the stand against the man who mugged him back at the start of this season. I had sort of forgotten about that, so it was interesting to see that plot element come back in such an interesting way. We think of Samantha as someone who's willing to cross lines, but it's important to notice the reasoning behind her occasionally ruthless behavior. She crosses those lines in defense of people she cares about, and this week, we see how much Samantha cares about Louis. I'm glad that she didn't do the sketchy thing she was planning on, but blackmailing someone is still pretty hardcore. I'm wondering if Samantha and Louis are going to have to pay for their behavior later, or if this really will put the whole thing to rest.

I like the way this episode framed Louis in terms of his love for his family, and his fear over what had happened to him. He did a good service by identifying his attacker in a lineup, and by taking the stand against him, but it's clear that it took some bravery to do so. When things backfire, it makes sense that Louis would want to bury his head in the sand, but I think Samantha was right at least about one thing: he needed some closure, some peace, after everything he went through. I'm curious if we'll find out more about some of the sketchy stuff that Samantha and Robert got up to back in the day. There was an odd reference to some past shenanigans and I'm honestly not sure if I'm supposed to know what that's about yet or not... but I'm definitely curious!

Brian and Katrina are breaking my heart. This story has been such a highlight for me this season. Turns out, surprise surprise, that Brian and Katrina just can't keep working together, for the sake of Brian's marriage. This was a decision that they already made, but this time Brian is ready to make a clean break and leave the firm entirely. I love the tension here, because if Brian made a different choice and kept working with Katrina, it would be hard to respect him. He's absolutely doing the right thing for his marriage. But Katrina is the woman we've seen him with. We don't know Brian's wife. I'm rooting so much for Katrina's happiness that I'm sad that Brian did the right thing, even though I know he had to. I can't imagine that's the last we'll see of Brian, or at least I hope it's not. Their love story feels very real to me, despite the inherent difficulties.

There are two moments that I want to praise in particular from this subplot. The first is when Brian is telling Katrina that he's leaving. You can just see how much he despairs at giving her the news, and how heartbroken she is to receive it. I love how Katrina squares her shoulders and tells Brian that she respects his decision, even though you know how much pain she's in. The other moment that I really loved was when Louis already knew that Brian was giving his notice, and offered to let him take his first solo client with him when he relocated. Louis can still be his own worst enemy sometimes, but we are seeing how he's growing as a leader. I liked how gentle and understanding he was of Brian in this moment.

And that's that! I had some problems with the main plot of this episode, but to be honest, I still greatly enjoyed the whole thing. Usually I find myself disappointed if we don't get any mentions of Mike (his name did come up once), but this week there was enough to distract me that I didn't even miss him that badly! That's a good sign.

8/10