DiamondGirl5

A very emotional episode, and I agree Cyndie57--Gabriel does "badass yet vulnerable" better than almost any actor I can think of. His scene with Paul Shulze, who plays Frank Gallo, was just...wow. Hopefully, we'll see more of that.

I love the Mike-in-prison storyline, for several reasons. Yes, I miss Mike in the PSL offices and interacting with his family there, but taking the story through its logical progression required that Mike face the legal consequences of his crime, and I think the writers have so far done a fantastic job of using Mike's prison sentence to re-invent the show and throw the door wide open for new storytelling possibilities.

Frank (Paul Schulze) is a convincing villain/adversary for both Mike and Harvey. Mike's prison counselor, played by Malcolm-Jamal Warner, should infuse that story with a strong character element that will hopefully allow Mike to truly accept responsibility for his life choices. Technically, he got off easy with a two-year sentence, but being forced to deal with a violent inmate who shares history with Harvey tips the scale in the opposite direction. It will be exciting to see how Mike and Harvey work together in their new circumstances, able only to make a game plan within the constraints of time and place (meeting only in that little room in the prison) to keep Mike safe and ultimately get him out of prison.

We can't forget that Harvey is as guilty as Mike (and I would argue that greater responsibility for committing the crime lay with him, because he was the professional whose explicit task was to hire an individual qualified, with the proper credentials, for the job). Harvey isn't going to prison, but he still faces consequences--the demise of PSL, but also the collateral emotional price of losing his partner, protegee, and younger brother who not only loved him enough to go to prison for him but now faces the possibility of physical harm at the hands of someone with a serious ax to grind against him (Harvey). Harvey has always taken his professional and personal responsibilities seriously, and I think the guilt is consuming him.

Jessica is a smart AND wise woman, and she understands that humility and kindness will go further in maintaining her, and her firm's, standing, shaky as it currently is. I was happy to see both Robert Zane (Wendell Pierce) and Jack Soloff (John Pyper-Ferguson) again. Wendell Pierce just makes any project he's involved with that much better, and although he's working on another show, I hope he returns for scenes with Meghan later this season.

One of the relationships that doesn't get enough attention is Jessica's with Harvey. She's more than a mentor to him, she's a genuine friend, almost an older sister. They know each other well, aren't afraid to call each other out, and are intimate enough to share personal details of their lives--such as, Harvey telling Jessica why that painting meant so much to him.

And that painting...I was emotionally unprepared for that scene in which that weasel Stemple took Harvey's painting simply out of meanness and spite, and to see the effect on Harvey. Harvey's got to get that painting back. This series cannot end until Harvey gets that ugly duck painting back. I always love the callbacks to Harvey's father (and I wish whatever music is supposed to be Harvey's dad's was given a credit--usually, Amazon Prime provides a music credit icon, but it didn't for that scene), and I hope we eventually meet Harvey's mother. I'm sure I won't like her, but I do want Harvey to find peace.

Looks like Louis will be bringing the humor this season. Hiring movie extras as fake associates is practically an inside joke that everyone's in on. Too funny.

Loved seeing Gretchen again, and sharing scenes with Donna and Jessica! I also loved Rachel continuing to stand up for herself, even if it didn't get her anywhere when she tried to see Mike. I also really like how Rachel is connecting with Harvey, simply because they both miss Mike so much. Their relationship is probably the most unexplored among the six--theirs and Rachel's with Jessica, though that started to change in season 5.

This episode is, like 601 "To Trouble" the number 1 download on iTunes this week. Not only is 602 "Accounts Payable" number 1, but 601 "To Trouble" is still in the top 10, at number 9. That's an impressive accomplishment for a series in its 6th season. And it was also Wednesday night's highest rated scripted cable series, still drawing strong numbers for USA Network.