On this episode of Suits, “Shake the Trees,” Mike takes drastic measures to convince Kevin to turn on Sutter, Gallo suspects Mike and Harvey are up to something, Rachel continues to search for Leonard’s alibi witness and Cahill betrays Harvey.
Rachel’s involvement in the Innocence Project has helped her keep her mind off Mike, unfortunately, it hasn’t exactly worked out as planned. She’s been unable to open Leonard’s case,and now she has to break it to the man that his execution date has been set. She brings Jessica along for moral support. Maybe she figures he’ll take it better coming from two hotties.
Buying Time
Leonard obviously doesn’t take the fact that he’s only got 30 days to live very well, and he wants to know what his lawyers are doing to try and save his ass. Why is she not out trying to track down Maria? Jessica assures him that is exactly what they’re going to do.
Jessica’s first priority is to delay the execution. Rachel doesn’t see the point of delaying if they can’t keep it from happening at all, but Jessica believes that without a delay, they have no hope of finding Maria Gomez.
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Harvey handed Cahill the program because Sean has gone to the judge to request she not grant Harvey’s motion to dismiss the case. Harvey does a respectable job looking shocked that Cahill has the smoking gun. The motion gets denied, but the judge warns Cahill that if it comes to light that he got the program illegally, not only will she toss the case, she’ll charge him with malicious prosecution.
Despite sabotaging his client’s defense, Harvey still has to keep up appearances. He wants to convince Sutter that one of his employees is trying to take him down, and they need to interview everyone who works for him.
Harvey has to keep up the pretense that he and Cahill are anything but cozy, but the two attorneys have a bigger problem. The case goes to trial in five days, and even with the program, Cahill doesn’t think he’s got enough to convict. Mike has to get something from Kevin fast.
Waiting for the Axe to Fall
Harvey meets with Mike, convinced that Kevin had to have said something after the way he and his father-in-law went at each other, but Mike doesn’t divulge what Kevin told him. Harvey wants Mike to tell Kevin his program was leaked to Cahill. This comes as a shock to Mike who also learns that Cahill and Harvey are colluding.
With the clock ticking, Mike has to approach Kevin about getting Jill immunity, but Kevin doesn’t want to discuss it. Mike points out it could be bad news for Jill if Sutter goes down anyway. Kevin is convinced Sutter will prevail, and he knows the consequences if he or his wife turn on Sutter, they’ll have nothing. Sutter is paying Kevin to keep quiet, and the day Kevin gets out, he and Jill are taking that money and starting a new life.
Mike argues they can cut a deal and start a new life now, but Kevin questions what kind of life that would be. He came from nothing, and he’s not going to do that to his kids.
Kevin questions why Mike is so invested in what happens to him, and Mike states that he was in Kevin’s position, and he chose to give it all up instead of waiting for the axe to fall. He reveals to Kevin that he quit 20 minutes before he was arrested, and it was the most peaceful 20 minutes in his entire life. But given Mike still wound up behind bars, the story isn’t enough to change Kevin’s mind who tells Mike that if he’s really his friend, he won’t bring any of this up again.
Gallo is not only growing impatient, but he senses something is up with Mike. He knows Harvey came to see Mike and suspects Harvey wasn’t able to deliver on his promise so he wanted to get their stories straight and string him along. Mike swears that isn’t the case, but Gallo wants some progress because his sense of smell tells him something stinks. So now Gallo’s paranoia is posing a threat to Mike’s mission.
Jessica and Rachel get one week from the judge to find Leonard’s witness, but after that, they can’t reopen the case and his execution date is set in stone.
Jessica gives Rachel the number to her private investigator, Carter. Carter finds out that Maria Gomez filed for a name change in 2008, but Carter couldn’t get it. Jessica knows the only reason he wouldn’t be able to is the state is denying access to those records for Maria’s safety. She filed numerous restraining orders against her ex-husband, and now her records are sealed for the next two years.
But Rachel’s father went to law school with Jim Rogers, the Newark District Attorney. Rachel doesn’t want to go to daddy for help, but Jessica explains that being a lawyer means asking for help, no matter who they are. If Rachel really wants to prove she’s not a little girl anymore, she’ll show him she’s not afraid to ask for a favor.
Awesome Donna
Harvey goes to Louis for help trying to investigate Sutter’s trades and try to find evidence of insider trading. Louis can’t do that without a database, and the only one he has possible access to is Stu’s. He knows a guy he calls “dick face” will never help him out, so Louis calls on Donna to get the job done.
Donna doesn’t come up with some elaborate plan to bend Stu to her will. She asks him straight up to give Louis access to his securities database. Stu questions why he would do that for her, and Donna says she’ll owe him one, and if he doesn’t know it already, that’s like anyone else owing him 50. She drops a few big names in the trading business as references if he’d like to confirm just what she’s capable of, and it’s enough for Stu to agree. But since he doubted her, Donna tacks on a few more items. Stu is going to start treating Louis with some respect, and just so he knows, she’s Donna and she’s awesome.
Mike and Harvey Keep Striking Out
Since he can’t get anywhere with Kevin, Mike decides to go a different route. He gets Jill to come to Danbury under false pretenses (thanks to Donna), and admits that he knows she’s helping her father make illegal trades. Mike says he wants to help Jill, but she doesn’t believe him. Mike doesn’t care. The bottom line is she’s got a small window of opportunity to come clean to the SEC and save herself. Jill says she’d never turn on her own father. Mike assures her that if she doesn’t, they’re both going to wind up behind bars.
Jill questions what’s in it for Mike, and he says nothing other than the fact that he cares about Kevin. He also reveals that he used to work for Harvey who is her father’s lawyer, and if he knew what Mike was doing, he’d kill him. Jill threatens to tell her dad, but Mike knows she won’t because Kevin told them they’re planning to go way on Sutter’s dime, and if Sutter finds out Kevin’s been talking to Mike, that money will be gone. Jill says she’s in the wrong room, gets up and walks out.
Even though Harvey knows none of Sutter’s employees turned over that program, that doesn’t stop him from interrogating, even bullying them into confessing something. Who he’s really looking for is Sutter’s accomplice.
Sutter grows frustrated with the process, convinced Harvey is driving his employees away. Instead of wasting time looking for somebody for something they already did, Sutter wants Harvey to get back to preparing his defense.
Kevin confronts Mike for calling Jill. Mike defends his actions, stating that he sees a freight train coming towards Kevin, and he couldn’t live with himself if he didn’t do everything he could to possibly stop it. But all Mike did was cause friction between Kevin and Jill, and Kevin warns Mike once again to butt out of his business. Kevin thinks Mike regrets taking the fall for someone else, but Kevin doesn’t. He didn’t take the deal for Sutter, he took it for his wife who he loves, and if Mike ever contacts her again, Kevin will beat the shit out of him.
The Inside Man
Harvey had zero luck flushing out whoever is in this with Sutter, but Louis saves the day. All the financial details surrounding Louis’ discovery are over my head and ultimately inconsequential. The bottom line is, Harvey’s got a smoking gun.
Harvey goes to see Cahill and tell him the good news. He knows who’s been feeding Sutter his information, Phillip Allen. Only Sean already knows because Allen came by to cut a deal just a few hours earlier. Harvey worries that Sean will go back on their deal, but Cahill assures Harvey that as far as the SEC is concerned, Mike led directly to the witness that is going to put Sutter away for life.
Harvey gives Mike the good news, but Mike still wants to find a way to cut a deal for Jill. Harvey explains that Allen and Mike are the only ones with deals on the table. But Mike has betrayed Kevin enough, and he needs Harvey to convince Cahill that one person makes a deal but two is a slam dunk.
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Rachel Gets Bad News
Rachel is forced to see Leonard’s case from a different angle. The father of one of the victims shows up at the firm. He wants to show her a picture of what he believes Leonard Bailey did to his 16-year-old daughter. Rachel tries to comfort him by telling him she is seeking justice for his daughter. Rachel stands firm that the case was mishandled, and in her heart she believes Leonard is innocent, and he gets the fair trial he deserves.
The distraught man gets a bit aggressive, accusing Rachel of using the case to make a name for herself. Luckily, Gretchen’s on hand to tell the guy to leave, and she’s not fooling around. The incident leaves Rachel visibly shaken.
Rachel may be able to deal with a grieving parent turning his anger on her, but she’s completely unprepared when her father informs her that Maria Lopez died three years earlier.
It Takes a Snitch to Know One
Gallo pulls Mike aside, having learned that Harvey had again come to the prison to visit him. Mike says it was to talk about his case, but Gallo knows Mike took a deal, so he doesn’t have a case.
Mike promises Gallo that Harvey will get him out. Gallo knows he will, but he also know what’s Mike’s up to because he did the same thing himself. Gallo has figured out that Harvey and Mike are going after Sutter, and if Harvey doesn’t get Gallo out soon, he’s going to make sure Kevin knows what his cellmate has been up to.
Dealbreaker
In case you didn’t see it coming, Cahill informs Harvey that the plug has been pulled on Mike’s deal. Harvey drove Allen to Cahill, but he can’t tell anyone, or they’ll know they were colluding. Harvey wants Cahill to cut Allen loose, and let Mike get him what he needs. Even if Cahill wanted to, the powers that be would never let go of their star witness. Cahill refuses to do anything that could jeopardize him from nailing Sutter.
Suits airs Wednesdays at 9pm on USA.
(Photo courtesy of USA)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
Jennifer has worked as a freelance writer in the entertainment field since 2012. In addition to currently writing feature articles for Screen Rant, Jennifer has contributed content ranging from recaps to listicles to reviews for BuddyTV, PopMatters, TVRage, TVOvermind, and Tell-Tale TV. Links to some of Jennifer’s reviews can be found on Rotten Tomatoes.
