On this episode of Suits, “Privilege,” Mike and Louis work together on a case and find themselves at odds with Jack Soloff, Donna helps Mike with wedding plans and Harvey finds out his therapist is a witness against his latest client.
Jessica may have neutralized Jack Soloff for the time being, but she stills sees him as a force to be reckoned with and wants him on her side. This means giving Soloff time to sulk and lick his wounds, but she wants to bring him into the Harvey Pearson Litt clique.
Complications
Louis doesn’t believe Soloff will ever be on “their” side, and Jessica reminds him that it’s that kind of petty thinking that has caused Louis to have issues with Hardman, Scottie, Harvey and even herself. Jessica warns Louis that if he can’t play nice with Soloff, Louis won’t be the one left standing.
Mike and Louis meet with Dominic Barone, the CEO of McKernon Motors. Louis’ sock garters are in a bunch because Dominic called Mike and not him, even though the two are supposed to share McKernon. Donna reminds Louis he just promised Jessica to disembark the petty train at self-pity station and Louis agreed. Semantics. Louis says he promised not to be petty when it came to Soloff. Donna warns Louis to worry less about who Barone called first and just be a damn good lawyer.
Suits Recap: Harvey and Mike Face Off Against Travis Tanner >>>
Dominic tells Mike he wants to take the company into the future by developing battery-powered engines. Dominic has the chance to buy a tech company, Range Tech, from a friend at a very reasonable price. The two have a “handshake deal.” The only catch is the deal has to be done in two weeks.
Louis doesn’t think the deal on the table is legit, even though Dominic has known the CEO of the tech company for 30 years. Louis thinks the rush deal is a way to slide something past Dominic.
Dominic is put off by Louis’ candor, and the implication that his friend is doing something shady. Dominic tells Louis to do whatever due diligence he can in a week’s time, because if Louis screws up this deal, Dom is going to go looking for a new lawyer.
Mike accuses Louis of being antagonistic and thinks Louis is acting out over Dominic’s decision to call Mike first. Louis admits he was bent at first, but now, he’s working in the best interest of their client. Louis points out that Harvey would never broker a deal without due diligence. The two agree to split the work 50/50.
It doesn’t take long for the two to find out something is amiss. The tech company has a pending EPA investigation. Louis says if Dominic buys the company, he’ll be in trouble, but if Louis and Mike tell their client that, without having a solution, he’ll fire them.
Solutions
But Mike is one step ahead. He’s found another company with a battery division that they can buy. The company is even one of the firm’s clients. The bad news is that it’s Jack Soloff’s client. Louis says Soloff will never go for it because Soloff hates Louis, but Mike says there has to be a way to make it work. The deal is a win-win situation. Louis puts the negotiations solely in Mike’s hands.
Soloff agrees to sign off on the deal if he gets 100 percent of the contingency. Mike argues that will never happen and can’t understand why Soloff would not do what’s best for his client. Then Mike figures it out, Soloff is a dick. Soloff says it’s not about the money, it’s about revenge.
Mike goes back to Louis with Jack’s terms, and Louis gives in. He explains to Mike the promise he made to Jessica, and this is Louis’ chance to rise above the pettiness once and for all.
Now, it’s just a matter of getting Soloff’s client, Tanaka, to agree to the deal. Louis decides he’s best suited for this particular negotiation, so he breaks out his kimono and makes the conference room look like a scene straight out of Memoirs of a Geisha. Mike is mortified, convinced the client will be offended, but Louis is confident, based on his past experience with a Japanese exchange student, that he’s going about this the right way. Tanaka is impressed with Louis’ efforts.
Double Crosses
It looks as if Mike and Harvey have saved the day until Dominic shows up pissed off as hell. Range Tech found out that Dominic was negotiating with another company, which came as news to him since Mike and Louis hadn’t told him yet. Mike tries to explain there was a problem with Range Tech and he and Louis have the solution. That’s when Louis bursts in and announces that Tanaka pulled out. Dominic fires them on the spot.
Mike and Louis are able to woo Dominic back by explaining about a class-action lawsuit that would have been headed his way the minute the EPA report came out. They point out Dominic’s “friend” is anything but. They promise to find him another company to buy.
But the hits keep on coming. Not content to sabotage Mike and Louis’ relationship with their client, Dominic signed his company’s biggest competitor, Fletcher Engines, during the brief time that McKernon was no longer affiliated with Pearson Specter Litt. They get this news from Jessica, who once again, has been kept out of the loop. Mike and Louis explain all the shady shit Jack has been pulling and ask her to get Jack to drop Fletcher.
Too Close to Home
Harvey continues to be visited from ghosts from his past. This time it’s Sam Tull, formerly of Morello Asset Management, and someone Harvey threatened to kick the crap out of. Tull now works for Butler Trading. The guy is being accused of making unauthorized trades, but he swears to Harvey that he didn’t do anything his employers didn’t know about. The problem is he has no proof. The higher ups checked his trades enough to decide it was worth the risk but not enough to put it in writing. Rachel questions why his bosses wouldn’t put it in writing, and Tull explains that they’d rather say Tull went rogue than pay a two million dollar fine.
Harvey questions why he should believe Tull since the last time he saw the guy, Tull was willing to let an innocent person go to prison. Tull ascertains that he didn’t know she was innocent, nor did he care. But the fact that Harvey did care is why Tull has sought Harvey out. Tull didn’t do what he’s being accused of, and he wants Harvey’s help. Harvey tells Tull that if he finds out Tull is lying, Harvey will make good on his previous threat to beat the guy’s ass.
Harvey has an impromptu meeting with Paul Gilroy, presumably Tull’s boss. Harvey informs Gilroy that Harvey expects Gilroy to pay the fine and admit what he did. Of course, Gilroy says he’s not going to admit to something he didn’t do. Harvey says that the Gilroy can pay two million or 30. Assuming that Harvey’s going after him for wrongful termination, Gilroy questions where that massive figure is coming from since wrongful termination lawsuits cap out at five million. Harvey says he’ll be going after Gilroy for malicious prosecution.
Per usual, Harvey gets blindsided by a client’s omission. Tull went to see a shrink, paid for by the company and signed a waiver giving her permission to testify if the need arose. It has arisen. More importantly, the shrink in question is Harvey’s therapist, Dr. Paula Agard (Christina Cole).
Harvey questions Tull as to why he didn’t tell him about Dr. Agard. and Tull replies that he didn’t think it mattered. Tull says he never told Dr. Agard he was guilty, just that he “felt” guilty, which Harvey states is pretty much the same damn thing. Harvey can’t understand why Tull would confide in a complete stranger, and Tull’s retort is that if you aren’t going to share your feelings, you might as well not go to therapy at all. We all know this is what Dr. Agard has been telling Harvey all along.
Save the Date
We get a break from all the dense legal mumbo jumbo when Mike asks Donna for help with he and Rachel’s wedding. It’s always been Rachel’s dream to get married at The Plaza on her birthday. How completely unoriginal. Anyway, The Plaza is every NYC girl’s dream wedding locale, so the venue is booked up for the next five years. Mike tells Donna he needs to find a place just as good, but Donna tells him no such place exists. Donna promises to work her usual magic.
Donna may have appeared to hit a snag when The Plaza didn’t play ball right out of the gate, but she assures a worried Mike, that she’s just getting started. Mike questions whether Donna can handle the task to which Donna responds, would Mike question a chef if the meal was going to be okay while he was cooking? Uh, no. You’d sit back and wait for some great duck dish.
Gretchen, who was hidden from sight and eavesdropping, calls out Donna after Mike leaves. Gretchen knows Donna hasn’t got shit. (So loving these two finally meeting.) Gretchen quotes a little Lethal Weapon to Donna, and you know it’s on like Donkey Kong. These two are going to join forces, and the good lord above help anyone who stands in their way.
Donna tracks down a couple getting married on Rachel’s dream day and has some dirt on the groom-to-be that guarantees he’ll make sure they find another place to get married.
Donna apologizes to Gretchen for their hostile first meeting and for not welcoming Gretchen to the firm. Gretchen says she knows the reason behind Donna’s iciness, the ginger wasn’t quite ready to move on. It looks like these two could become fast friends.
A Matter of Trust
Last week Harvey went to extremes because he was convinced that Travis Tanner was guilty, now he’s coming unhinged because he’s convinced Tully is innocent. Harvey bursts into Agard’s office and tells her not to testify. When she makes it clear that’s not an option, Harvey orders her to lie. Agard says she can’t and won’t do that either, even if she wanted to, she’s got notes. She’d be found out.
It’s obvious Harvey is still upset about Dr. Agard bringing up his mommy issues, because he pitches a fit about how Tull trusted in her and confided in her. Harvey questions why anyone should ever trust her with anything, as if it’s her fault, but this whole season has been about Harvey’s personal demons and issues coloring how he handles his cases.
Dr. Agard realizes that Harvey fears someone could do the same thing to him. Nothing petrifies Harvey more than having his soft underbelly exposed.
It doesn’t take a genius to see where this is going. To earn Harvey’s trust, Dr. Agard told him about how she discharged a previous patient, even though she knew he wasn’t ready, to attend his mother’s funeral. The kid was a drug addict and he overdosed and died 24 hours later. Agard only let him out because she was pressured by her patient’s father to do so.
When Gilroy’s attorney eviscerates Agard, exactly as Harvey feared he would, Harvey uses what she told him against her.
After the deposition, Agard confronts Harvey. She accuses him of going after her to get even for her bringing up his mother. Harvey denies it, stating he was doing what was necessary to protect his client. Agard tells Harvey that if he’s lucky, one day he’ll realize his true motivation for what he’s done and get some help but it won’t be from her.
Harvey’s plan to discredit Dr. Agard didn’t work. Tull gets arrested after Gilroy’s lawyer gave formal notice to the SEC. Harvey calls Gilroy who says that Harvey will never get proof that he authorized those trades, so instead of harassing him, Harvey needs to focus on getting his client out of jail.
Suits Recap: Harvey Represents Louis’ Sister >>>
It’s Not Personal
Rachel suggests to Harvey that they try and get some of the company’s other traders to come forward and confirm Tull had authorization. Harvey says they’ll never agree to it, but Rachel points out that Dr. Agard was the company shrink. If Tull went to her to try and keep his shit together, then chances are, so did a few others. And just like Tull, they signed waivers foregoing confidentiality.
Harvey tells Rachel that Agard will never help them after what he did to her. Rachel says it’s not about helping them, it’s about helping her client, but Harvey says he cannot go to Agard. Rachel knows Harvey is keeping something from her. Rachel says she’s not trying to intervene in Harvey’s personal life, but this isn’t about Harvey, it’s about keeping Sam Tull out of prison.
Harvey goes to Agard and asks to see her files on other Butler traders. The good doctor is in shock at the size of Harvey’s balls. She wants an apology, but she gets way better. Harvey admits he derived no satisfaction from deposing her, it made him sick. He hated every second of it because Harvey know she’s been trying to help him, and the only reason he didn’t apologize to her sooner is because if he knew it would keep Tull out of prison, Harvey would do it all over again.
The doctor’s steely resolve melts. Agard tells Harvey that the files don’t contain what he needs. Harvey wants them anyway. Dr. Agard says bluffing will never work, but Harvey points out that if he could do what he did to her unwillingly, think of what he’s capable of when he sets his mind to it.
Whatever Harvey had up his sleeve, it worked. He shows back up at Dr. Agard’s later, with flowers. Not from him, but Sam Tull. Harvey also says he’s ready to start talking about his mother.
Suits airs Wednesdays at 10pm on USA.
(Image 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.
