~Leonie~

Erin9

Interesting episode.

I was thinking the whole episode how perfect it was that the firm had an outside threat that needed them to work as a team. They needed it. So, I should have seen it coming much sooner that Jessica pulled those strings. I hope Harvey's going to have more faith in himself soon though.

It was predictable last week when Harvey had Mike sign that sheet of paper that Mike was going to go back on his word. And he's doing it behind Harvey's back. I won't sympathize with Mike when this blows up in his face. Not at all. And it will. Harvey even went so far as to give Mike a third pro bono case- because he didn't get to finish his second case in a row.

I really don't like all of his pro bono work. I was excited when he came back to PSL because then he'd interact with the main cast more, be a part of things. Suits, at heart, is about a crazy, dysfunctional family imo. But, really, he's not back. His attention is 90% pro bono, maybe 10% the firm. And I think I'm being generous. The firm was in a major fight and Mike gave it about 30 seconds of his time. And now he's breaking his word to his friend and boss.

Oliver's morals sure are convenient. I guess as long as he gets what he wants, the ends justify the means after all.

I did love Louis and Harvey working together to confront Bratton and Harvey noting that Louis' name is on the wall too. Nice moment between them. I think because Louis and Harvey fight so much, I really appreciate their good moments.

Alex and Louis bonding over their desire for recognition- also nice.

I can't decide if I like or really buy Donna as COO or not. But I do like that she's showing more vulnerability and lacks some confidence. Lovely scene between her and Harvey where she apologizes for letting him down and he says she hadn't yet.

Rachel's scenes with her dad were so touching. What I liked best was not what he said at the end, but that when she called, he closed his laptop and gave her his full, undivided attention. That said more than any words. I wonder if Rachel will stay at the firm.

I wonder what Alex and Bratton's secret is. Must be huge if he doesn't want Harvey to know. I guess if we can't get much Mike/Harvey banter, Alex/Harvey is a nice substitute.

Next week looks....interesting. lol

DiamondGirl5

Indeed an interesting episode...

Harvey thinks he's got matters in hand with Bratton Gould well enough to control the beast, but whatever secret Alex is holding back from Harvey sounds ominous...Alex, for me, is an unknown. Everyone, even Louis, seems fine with Alex being part of the team but secrets are always revealed eventually....Alex's willingness to take one for the team is admirable, and may be what ultimately redeems him, depending on the secret and the impact of its revelation.

Alex and Louis bonding over shared feelings of being underappreciated was nice. What I liked even more, later in the episode, was Harvey and Louis bonding, and facing Tommy Bratton together.

And now Mike has gone behind Harvey's back to work with Oliver on the prison case that represents a conflict of interest with a PSL client I understand why the prison case is so important to Mike, and for the sake of the clients he and Oliver are trying to help I hope they expose the responsible parties, but he, of all people, should understand this could backfire--not just on himself but his firm, the legal clinic, and the very people he's trying to help.

In a way, I feel like the audience was thrown a bone in 701 when promised the Dream Team was back. Mike is back at PSL but not really integrated into the firm's relationship dynamics. When was the last time he spoke more than a few words with Donna, or had a real on-screen conversation with Louis. I don't mind the pro bono cases in theory, and I don't even want Mike to eschew them altogether, but I'd prefer more balance between the pro bono work and the corporate cases. Maybe balance will be achieved in future, but right now it's more distraction...but, then again, maybe that's the point. Harvey and Mike entered impulsively into this one-for-you, one-for-me deal, without much thought given to the consequences for either side.

Mike lying to Harvey risks their friendship, which is more troublesome to me than even the impact his doing pro bono work might have on the firm. Yes, Mike has a history of lying, even to Rachel, but not to Harvey. It's too late to turn back on the prison case now, but he needs to tell Harvey asap. Despite the seeming brevity of his connection to PSL's current firestorm, Mike did drop everything to help Harvey stave off the attack from Bratton Gould. He may not have spent much time on it, but he apparently didn't need to.

I'm still not sure exactly what Donna does as COO, but I do like that she's trying to stand on her own two feet, despite a few wobbles. As Awesome as Donna can be, struggles allow for growth, which means, Donna will become only more Awesome once she feels confident about her place in the firm.

Jessica will always have Harvey's back. True, her actions could've easily blown up and created even more problems, but since they had the desired effect, she's showing why her name is still on the wall. I was caught off-guard by the revelation she was the one who manipulated the entire situation with Bratton Gould, but seeing the bigger picture was always Jessica's strength. Having said that, Harvey's becoming a bit too dependent on Jessica. I hope Jessica's right when she says Harvey is ready to be managing partner, because I'm sitting on the fence. He needs to have more faith in himself (and that's not something I thought I'd ever day about Harvey) but he also needs to get his house in order.

Rachel's scenes with her father were lovely, and indicative of how far this relationship has progressed. Maybe one day Rachel will go work with her father, but I'm starting to wonder if a merger with Robert Zane's firm isn't such a bad idea, for several reasons. PSL definitely needs the manpower, not to mention the clients. And, Robert Zane is a friend, sort of.

Rachel and Robert's first scene at Harvey's apartment was sweet and fun--I want more fun like that, please, for all the characters.

cyndie57

Tftnt Leo can you top it please ? are you still allowed to do those things ? I'm not sure^^

their friendship is sure nice but they're no Marvey well at least for me

Rachel’s father is hilarious

"Let me guess...you miss me" in your dreams Harvey love that little Darvey moment

Jessica is back

I think I like Alex more and more, especially in his scènes with Louis

Batman & Robin/Superman my babies

"Donna, you haven’t let me down in 12 years and you didn't start now"

love seeing that side of her more and more

Omg Jessica that was unexpected not so much when you remember her last conversation with Harvey but I'm so naive

Very sweet moment between Rachel and his father and I don’t even like her

Noooooooooo Mike's gonna break his promise to Harvey I'm already but this plot is really exciting I gotta say

Oops, I almost forgot Katrina's name was pronounced and Robert and Oliver’s voices in one episode= *eargasm*

Bonus point: no Paula

DiamondGirl5

Basically, I feel about Havery/Alex the same as I felt about Mike/Kevin in s6. I'm glad Harvey and Mike are able to form other friendships. The characters have nice chemistry, nice repartee, and are nice to watch for awhile, but I'm really just waiting for the next Harvey/Mike scene.

Like I said.

Harvey will be angry and hurt, and this story will test their friendship, but given how quickly circumstances change on this show, I wouldn't worry too much.

I don't know if these two will form a lasting friendship, but their conversation was more meaningful than any conversation Harvey and Alex have shared thus far, and I wasn't expecting that.

Donna is Awesome, but I admit I like seeing her more vulnerable and less self-assured. She'll find her way, but her new position as COO is unfamiliar territory (to all of us, because I still don't know what a COO does).

Well, she has let him down (impersonating a federal agent, everything that led to Jessica firing her, and the Stephen Huntley fiasco) but Harvey is capable of great empathy, understanding, and forgiveness, with everyone he loves--not just Donna, but Mike, his brother, and even Louis.

Erin9

Mike lying to Harvey is definitely my biggest problem with what he's doing, particularly with regard to the impact on the friendship- though I'm sure they'll ultimately be fine. Professionally, Stephanie just got fired for being insubordinate on something far less important. I'd like it if that was tied into this. It was hard to miss the parallels.

Secondly, I think Mike easily could have found another firm to take this on without exposing himself, the firm, and the people he's trying to help to so much liability because Mike can't keep his word. Think Erin Brockovich. Mike thinks caring makes someone a better lawyer. Sometimes. But this is a case where it has made him dangerously short-sighted. He might think he's seeing the big picture, but I don't think so. And I was pretty disgusted with him when he said he'd handle Harvey. Seriously, Mike?! Good grief. Dangerously arrogant too.

I don't mind Mike's pro bono work in theory, but I mind it the way they've written it for 3 episodes in a row. He's too isolated from everyone and everything. Maybe the writers are doing it on purpose, but it doesn't make for entertaining viewing imo. It is distracting.

I suspect Harvey will think twice before calling Jessica for help. And that may have been part of why she handled things the way she did. I love their relationship and I'm glad we still get to see it, but Harvey does need to gain some confidence in this role. I don't think Jessica would tell him he's good to go if he wasn't. And she usually sees these things clearly. This was always supposed to be a learning curve for Harvey, and that's what we're getting.

Mike and Harvey are the main relationship, but Alex and Harvey are at least fun too.

Good point- Donna has let Harvey down. It was a lovely moment between them and part of it is because they both know what he said isn't completely true, but it speaks volumes about their relationship.

Donna managing associates makes less sense to me the more I think about it. She's strong willed, but....she's not a lawyer. It really makes little sense to me. I'm not really sure what Donna's supposed to really do on a day to day basis as COO either.

DiamondGirl5

Especially with someone like Robert Zane willing to help PSL, at least to an extent. Robert seems to have let go of his anger toward Mike, happily advising Rachel about wedding plans and marriage, and while that doesn't necessarily mean he'd take on a pro bono case, Mike could/should at least ask his advice. Not only might that help prevent blowback on PSL, but it would strengthen his relationship with his future father-in-law.

I don't think Mike meant "I'll handle Harvey" the way it sounded--frankly, Mike probably doesn't have a clue what, how, when, or if to tell Harvey anything about his decision to continue working on the prison case, and he was just saying that to appease Oliver. Mike knows he's taking a professional and personal risk. But, both Harvey and Mike have taken huge risks before, suffering setbacks but ultimately winning..and Harvey held back from Jessica on several occasions...I half-expect Jessica to tell Harvey that Mike is his punishment for what he, Harvey, did to her.

Erin9

Yeah, it did occur to me that Mike is doing to Harvey what he did to Jessica. And it worked because Harvey and Jessica were personally and professionally close. No one was closer to Jessica on a personal level or professionally. She confided in him personally at times. Professionally- he was her #2. Always. He was the best closer in NYC, her fixer, the one she relied on first and last. She mentored him. Because she saw him as such a huge asset to herself and the firm, he got away with the headaches he caused her in a way others really wouldn't.

So- Mike, in the past, has functioned in a similar manner to Harvey, just in a lower level since both Harvey and Mike had lower positions in the firm. And they're personally close. I think the idea is for Mike to fill that role now too. He has Harvey's old office, they talked about the relationship shifts with Jessica becoming managing partner and now with Harvey. But- is Mike now as a big an asset to Harvey as Harvey was to Jessica that excuses the problems he causes? I have a hard time saying yes right now. It was going to be different anyway with the pro bono aspect. But, still, so far, I don't see Mike being as integral to the firm or Harvey as he was to Jessica. Mike's been 90% pro bono since that one last case- that started as a complaint from him about wanting to do his pro bono work. I kinda expect this to come up at some point because Mike's focus on pro bono and general disconnect from the firm has been glaringly obvious. I haven't enjoyed watching it, but it is clearly there.

You're right- Mike probably didn't mean that the way it sounded. But I was pretty annoyed by the end with the pro bono story!

piyushchugh14

good show. Thanks a lot!