On this episode of Suits, “God’s Green Earth,” Mike goes to Scottie for help in dealing with Gibbs, a newspaper editorial causes headaches for Jessica and Louis and Gibbs pulls out all the stops in order to get Rachel to cooperate.
Now that Sheila Sazs has come forward (thanks in no small part to her conversation with Louis) all holy hell is about to break out at Pearson Specter and Litt as everyone scrambles to save their own asses. Harvey will undoubtedly be putting out fires left and right to try and keep Mike out of jail.
A Familiar Face Poses a New Threat
Harvey and Mike face Gibbs in court once again. Harvey wants Gibbs to hand over everything she”s got on Mikey, even if it means moving up the date of the trial. Gibbs enters the courtroom with another attorney who Mike just happened to take the LSATs for. Mike freaks out, convinced that if the guy remembers him, he’ll narc him out to Gibbs, giving her more ammunition against him. Harvey points out the guy would be putting his own career in jeopardy by admitting this tidbit of information, making Mike more of a threat to him than the other way around.
The judge orders Gibbs to hand over her discovery to Harvey by the end of the day, so Gibbs asks the trial date be set for two weeks and the judge concurs.
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A Damaging Editorial
Thanks to Mike, Jack Soloff has had to put any and all plans for a coup on the back burner, but that doesn’t stop him from still being a pain in Jessica’s ass. He comes to her with information about an op-ed piece in the newspaper in which the writer claims “There is no way on God’s green earth that at least one of the three named partners at Pearson Specter Litt didn’t know what was going on under their own roof.”
Jack wants to know what Jessica’s plan is to help rehabilitate the firm’s reputation, which is taking a serious beating. Jack suggests that the firm take on some pro bono work, a series of cases of their clients’ most valued charities.
Jessica questions Soloff’s motives, but Soloff swears he’s been at the firm for his entire career, and he’s fighting for it now. When Jessica asks if Soloff is questioning whether she has the same agenda, he points out that the whole reason the press is indicting the firm is because Jessica did know about Mike Ross, and there’s no point in her denying it.
Mike and Harvey Disagree on Strategy
Gibbs lets Mike know that she’s about to subpoena Rachel. She saved the best for last, hitting him where it really hurts.
Mike tells Harvey that it’s time for them to hire outside counsel, someone who can do some digging on Gibbs and go after who or what she cares about most. Harvey doesn’t think the possible reward outweighs the risk. He promises to be there for Rachel every step of the way, but Mike has to focus on the monumental task at hand. He needs to go through everything Gibbs has on him, because if she’s ready to go to trial, it’s a whole lot more than an email.
More Bad News
Drama-queen Louis brings Jessica more bad news. He declares that no matter the outcome, the firm will not survive Mike Ross. Louis has received three summer associate applications, and they are anything but the pick of the litter. Sheila is sending them the bottom of the barrel.
Jessica suggest that perhaps it’s time for them to start looking beyond Harvard which Louis equates with going to the men’s room and shitting in the urinals. Jessica isn’t suggesting state-school sludge. She’s suggesting candidates from Columbia, Yale and Stanford, hardly charm schools.
Louis doesn’t want to break with tradition, but Jessica makes it clear that one way or another, they are going to keep this firm going. If Louis doesn’t want to go outside of Harvard to do that, Jessica suggests he drag his ass up to Harvard and find a way to convince Sheila to start feeding them some worthy applicants.
Gibbs Tries to Strike a Deal with Rachel
Gibbs convinces Rachel to sit down with her in a less formal capacity a document stating their conversation would be inadmissible. She takes Rachel to her favorite cafe. Gibbs tells Rachel she’s willing to pull some strings to get Mike into Columbia Law School, but Rachel balks at the idea Gibbs would or could do such a thing.
Gibbs warns Rachel that there’s no way she’ll emerge from this mess unscathed. She and Mike aren’t married, so Rachel has no spousal privilege. This means Rachel will have to tell the truth and put her fiance away, or she can plead the Fifth. Rachel argues she could say Mike didn’t do it.
Gibbs warns Rachel that perjury and pleading the Fifth promise to put her future career at risk. Some day, Rachel will have to face the character and fitness committee of the Bar, and they are unlikely to admit someone who did either.
Gibbs just wants the people actually responsible for this mess, and she’ll see to it Rachel and Mike can practice law for the rest of their lives.
A Tarnished Reputation
Louis goes up to Cambridge, but he’s not cowering with his ample tail between his legs. He comes out swinging. He accuses Sheila of lying to him about not planning to come forward, but she swears they found her. Louis also calls her out about the pathetic candidates’ list, but Sheila tells Louis that also has nothing to do with her, it was an inevitability. Harvard students can read. Nobody is going to risk their career on a place that may not exist in a month.
Louis admits that since Sheila refused to take him back, the firm is all he has. He understands why she didn’t give him a second chance, but he begs her to give the firm one now.
Sheila says even if she wanted to, it wouldn’t work. Promising attorneys are going to come to her and ask if it’s a good idea that they go work for Pearson Specter and Litt, and she’s not going to lie to them.
Mike Goes Behind Harvey’s Back
Mike finds out about the conversation between Rachel and Gibbs and loses his mind. He attacks Harvey for not being there for Rachel. Mike is still determined to go after Gibbs personally despite Harvey’s warnings that it could blow up in their faces. But Mike throws down the gauntlet, if Harvey won’t do something, he will.
Mike goes to see Scottie. He wants her to bring an action against Anita Gibbs’ sister. After questioning his sanity, Scottie tells Mike now way. If she goes after Gibbs, Scottie might as well call Gibbs up and admit that she’s in on Mike’s whole bullshit thing too.
Scottie isn”t entirely unsympathetic that Gibbs is going after Rachel, but she’s no fan of Mike’s.
Mike warns Scottie that Gibbs won’t stop until she gets what she wants, and what Gibbs really wants is Harvey. Mike says he’s not asking for her help for him and Rachel but for Harvey.
More Shady Tactics
Harvey, after some urging from Donna, decides to confront Gibbs. He accuses her of shady tactics from the get go: denying Mike access to counsel, fabricating charges against Donna and now, tampering with a witness.
Gibbs responds that tampering with a witness would only hurt her own case and why, “on God’s green earth, ” would she do that. The exact same turn of phrase used in the Wall Street Journal op-ed.
Harvey accuses her of planting the piece, which Gibbs obviously denies. Harvey’s got no proof. But Gibbs does say if she did plant the editorial, it would only be because there’s no way not one of the partners didn’t know what was going on, and she’s going to dismantle the firm brick by brick until one of them admits it.
Rachel meets with the dean of her law school and is blindsided when he accuses her of having Mike take the LSATs for her. Where there’s smoke, there’s fire.
Rachel’s last scores were significantly higher than her last ones, and there are allegations circulating Mike took the test for others. Not to mention the far worse charges he’s being indicted with.
The Dean tells Rachel that he has a responsibility to protect the reputation of Columbia, and he will expel any dangers to it, unless for some reason the allegations against Mike are dropped.
Rachel asks if Gibbs called him, and the Dean claims to not know what she’s talking about. He’s simply letting Rachel know that if he has to choose between Rachel’s future or the university’s, Rachel will lose.
Scottie goes to see Harvey, incredulous that he would send Mike to tug at her heart strings. Of course, this is news to Harvey who swears he had no idea. The two rehash their break up and Mike’s role in it, and then Scottie storms out, but she’s definitely not going after Gibbs, even if it means saving Harvey’s ass.
Mike Takes Action to Save Rachel
Rachel tells Mike about her meeting with the Dean, but Mike isn’t convinced Gibbs is behind the Dean’s threat. But once Rachel tells him the Dean brought up rumors of Mike taking LSATs for cash, an accusation that had yet to be brought to light, Mike realized Gibbs was the only possible source.That was one hell of a tell.
Mike immediately goes to Harvey with a plan to get Gibbs to stop pressuring Rachel, but Harvey is more interested in talking about Mike’s visit with Scottie. Mike justifies his actions because he knew Gibbs would keep crossing lines, and that’s exactly what she did. Mike tells Harvey about the Dean threatening Rachel, and how the man knew about the LSATs.
Mike thinks the lawyer they saw in court with Gibbs, David Green, told her, and she used that information to get the Dean to strong arm Rachel. That’s abuse of power.
Harvey still doesn’t believe Green would risk his own career which leads Mike to believe Green must have come forward anonymously. Harvey says they still don’t have proof that Gibbs contacted the Dean, but Mike has an idea of how to get it. Harvey thinks it could be a set up.
Mike’s willing to take whatever risks necessary to help Rachel, even if it means tacking on a few years to his sentence. Harvey gives Mike his permission to do what he needs to do but warns him he better not get caught.
Mike tracks down David Green. Mike not only remembers Green, but he remembers his driver’s license number and a copy of it as well. If that’s not enough to put Green’s career in jeopardy, Mike recalls every answer he gave on the 104 question test. Definitely enough evidence to make Green squirm.
Mike wants proof that Gibbs is pressuring the Dean of Columbia to expel Rachel. David offers up that Gibbs and the Dean went to law school together, but that isn’t enough. Green tells Mike that if he does what Mike is asking, his career at the U.S. Attorney’s office is over. But if Mike gives what he has to the D.A., Green’s finished as a lawyer. Green argues Mike would only be implicating himself, but Mike’s got nothing to lose, and that makes him dangerous.
Green questions what happens if he can’t get the information Mike is looking for, and Mike says that while Green might not have the brains to ace the LSATs, he can certainly figure out how to get what Mike needs.
Green comes through. He provides Mike with an anonymous tip about Mike taking the LSATs for people along and a phone record showing a call placed from Gibbs office to the Dean not 10 minutes later. Gibbs doesn’t back down, but Harvey says they have enough proof to sue the Dean for every dime he’s ever made, and Harvey’s pretty sure the man will crack if put under that kind of pressure. Then the world finds out Gibbs colluded with an old law school buddy to intimidate a witness.
Gibbs has no choice but to sign a document stating that Harvey will drop a charge of malicious prosecution in exchange for her admitting a sanctionable offense; trying to coerce Rachel without her attorney present.
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The Hits Keep Coming
Jessica is struggling to hold the firm together through this crisis, but she’s not having much luck. Instead of taking Soloff”s advice and playing nice by doing pro bono work, Jessica wants to poach a department of lawyer’s from a competing firm. When a shark smells blood in the water, you get it to back off by clubbing it in the face.
Jack tries and fails but gets himself a job offer in the process. He’d rather stick with a sinking ship in the hopes that if the firms survives this storm, he can become the new captain. If he goes somewhere else, he’ll never rise to a position of leadership.
Soloff goes to Jessica and tells her about the deal on the table. Jack is ambitious, and he’s willing to stay if Jessica will make him partner. Jessica questions how they could ever trust each other, and Jack hands over an envelope. In it, is whatever the hell it is Hardman has on him.
Louis has expanded associate recruitment to include the country’s top 20 law schools, but nobody at those institutions is clamoring to come to the firm either.
Jessica and Louis are at each other’s throats. Louis is pissed and wants to light a fire under Jessica’s ass. He can’t fathom Jessica is desperate enough to make in-house enemy Soloff a a partner. The firm’s future is slipping away and offering Jack name partner or hoping Harvey gets Mike off isn’t going to stop it from happening.
Louis gets a bit more than he bargains for after poking the lioness. She orders him back to Harvard to make damn sure Sheila doesn’t testify.
Louis wastes no time and offers Rachel a ticket out of the country. She thinks he’s doing it to protect himself, but Louis swears he can’t stand the thought of Harvey ripping her to shreds on the stand, and then he gives her a taste of exactly what that would be like. Sheila breaks down and says she’ll go.
It’s just too bad that Donna discovers Gibbs has found Trevor.
It isn’t all bad news though. Rachel and Donna make up after their wicked fight, and they swear to stand strong, together.
Harvey and Scottie get some closure, and there’s even the slightest glimmer of hope that the two could get together again.
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.
