I will be spoiling Suits in this recap so if you have not seen the latest episode then I would recommend that you do not read.
The writers for Suits can pretty much do whatever they want at this stage, especially now Mike is a fully fledged lawyer in the eyes of the law. I guess that was always the plan, but I still find it oddly weird that I do not sense that dark, muggy cloud hanging over the characters anymore. There is a freedom to take the story wherever they feel, so the gloves are off and I think “Mudmare” confirmed that.
Growing pains. Yes, that’s what they are all suffering. By rebuilding what was practically a dead firm after Jessica left, the lawyers and Donna find themselves in an unusual situation where they are not at all sure what stance to take at Pearson Spectre Litt. Where for a few series’ it was all about covering for a fraudulent lawyer and getting your name on the wall, the goalposts are different now. Jessica is not giving out the big calls anymore. It is Harvey, and he is quite obviously struggling to make the top decisions against people he considers family.
“Mudmare” also confirms that the dynamics between the characters have reset. Anything can happen at this stage. I mean who would have thought that Donna would become COO of the firm? It feels outlandish in her first episode carrying out her role with a blatantly immature involvement in Rachel’s affairs. Luckily, the show understands that Donna is pretty much a character that speaks for herself, but I kind of hope they do not cross the line and make it silly. I mean, with no disrespect, she was a secretary to Harvey before this huge shift, and although that is a role to be respected, to suddenly become COO of a money-heavy law firm seems a little nonsense to me. What crossed my mind is is it really a drama about a corporate law firm anymore? I guess it has always been more about the characters than the fact of law, but the law seems such a smaller narrative in recent plot points.
Mike Ross. Ah, Mike. This character has had so many extreme changes since the beginning that I would not be surprised if he decided to become something else entirely. The good thing is that he has to adjust to Harvey leading the firm, and with the two being pretty much “brothers” it is whether they clash to the point of no return, or after many predictable arguments their bromance resumes in a dramatic finale. His partner Rachel is pretty much in the same place from the previous series, still deciding what lawyer she would like to be.
Is Louis Litt a spin-off? Sometimes I feel he is. The tragic thing about this character is that every time he turns a corner, by the end of the episode he is back to the start again. “Mudmare” is the same, whereby he actually stopped the temptation of going straight to “Stage 7 Louis” but by the end of the episode he completely broke down. It is tragic because despite the comedy he brings you always hope he will be eventually happy but for the first time I felt maybe he will never get a good ending from the writers.
The most positive aspect of the episode is that it kick-starts this series. It is clear that a running theme is going to be how Harvey seemingly juggles his love life and running the firm, but the key is how he handles those close to him professionally. This will ultimately decide the future of the firm. Will it become as successful as it did under Jessica? It is worth noting that this series, in particular, does feel disjointed. Donna not being a secretary, Mike no longer a fraud and Rachel now a lawyer means this is a new environment for all the characters.
I’m ready for more of the same drama in episode 4.
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