Suits - Season 2 Episode 14 - Recap and Review - He's Back

How many times did characters with actual beating hearts refer to slimy cyborg Daniel Hardman (David Costabile) as a “piece of sh*t” tonight? During “He’s Back”, Suits drudged up some old loose ends, and just in time for the final few episodes of Season 2! Pearson Hardman is looking kind of a wreck at the moment, folks! Let’s just get this out of the way; this is the first time while recapping Suits as a newbie that I felt just a tad in over my head. Law stuff, loaded folders, depositions, so much history and so much scheming! I’m not cut out for Harvard Law, obviously, so good luck to you Rachel (Meghan Markle)!

The episode opened with Hardman dragging poor Sloan into yet another deposition. The last time we’d gone through this, we saw the seemingly naive woman lambasted beyond belief for her hypothetical incapability. This time, Hardman had his eye on a different target; Pearson Hardman. I wonder if it feels strange to attack an entity with your name attached to it? It must feel a little like fighting your shadow. Basically, Hardman decided to use the same suit Mike (Patrick J. Adams) had drawn up, to dispose of him, against the firm. Because Jessica (Gina Torres) had secretly signed a confidentiality agreement to get rid of Hardman in the first place, there would be nothing stopping him from dragging her name through the mud in order to handle the tremendous amount of gender discrimination cases that had been dropped in his lap as a result of last episode’s escape plan.

Because Jessica had no ability to speak the truth, having signed the agreement, Monica could essentially sue Pearson Hardman for wrongful termination. It would simply look as though she were let go for an unspecified reason, as opposed to the fact that she had an affair with Hardman, who had been embezzling from the firm. There was no way that Pearson Hardman could afford either the $10M suit or the cost of breaking the confidentiality agreement. Mike, of course, wanted the opportunity to fight the lawsuit he’d created.

Louis (Rick Hoffman), hell-bent on getting revenge for the humiliating blow to his pride he’d taken as a result of initially backing Hardman, went to Donna (Sarah Rafferty) for help. Donna, still feeling the same burn from Hardman equally so, seemed unwilling to help Louis get on the case against him. The trust still wasn’t there between Louis and Harvey’s (Gabriel Macht) side of things.

Jessica made several attempts throughout the episode to reason with Rachel’s father Robert, who’d been the one to hand off the gender discrimination case to Hardman to begin with. Zane is a tough cookie, but he’s not a monster like Hardman. Clearly, in law there is a difference between a beast in the courtroom and a straight-up demon. Also looking for outside help, Harvey had gone to the judge to discuss viable solutions. The main issue seemed to be that all defenses targeted Hardman, the lawyer, as opposed to Monica, the client. Hardman had hit up the judge two weeks prior. With him seemingly always two steps ahead, the firm looked like it was sinking fast.

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Poor Rachel hadn’t gotten the memo, though. Hesitant about finalizing her Harvard application, Rachel turned to Mike for support. Refusing any help with the actual process, Rachel more so needed Mike to back her confidence as a potential lawyer. Having been a paralegal at the firm for what seems like an eternity, there was no option other than Harvard. Pearson Hardman only accepts lawyers from the one school, so Rachel is looking at a do-or-die application process. In the end, with a little help from Mike, Rachel realized that her passion for law surpasses that of most accomplished corporate lawyers. In fact, most lawyers quit after a few years out of sheer hatred for their work. Rachel, clearly, loves law. Fun? Whatever floats your boat, I guess. Thankfully, Mike tipped Rachel off to the fact that the firm might not even be in existence if and when she actually graduates.

Donna did not miss the opportunity to slap Hardman silly, literally. Just before his initial deposition against Jessica, Donna cornered him in a conference room and laid a cold *bitch slap* right across his face. That’s what you get for attempting to play the best ginger ever, Hardman. You know what, make it a double! *bitch slap * Everything played out just as though Donna had rehearsed her lines over and over again in the shower that morning. I’m pretty sure I’ve used a similar line while recapping Suits another time, but this show always does a good job of putting its leading ladies in positions of power against cocky douches. That’s sort of why the idea of this lawsuit against Jessica, for wrongfully terminating a woman, was extra frustrating. Grab your balls, gentlemen.

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In the first deposition with Jessica, Hardman played the confidentiality agreement card against her straight away. With no explanation as to why she fired Monica, Jessica was painted to look like a barren, jealous, older woman who refused to let younger sexier employees have a life beyond work. Those were not my adjectives, by the way. Not that Jessica truly gave a crap about what Hardman had to say regarding her, but the silence on her side was deafening.

Mike had taken it upon himself to sneak a peek at the transcript from the deposition. With Rachel’s help, the two read the confidential file and saw the bull ish Jessica had to sit through. Convinced he could help, and guilty that he’d drummed up the idea of this lawsuit to begin with, Mike decided to personally confront Monica outside of her new office. There, Mike learned that Monica’s true desire was to punish Jessica, and that convincing her otherwise would be pretty difficult. Jessica wouldn’t even hear out Monica surrounding the affair, and Monica insisted that she had no knowledge of Hardman’s crooked dealings. Thus, she didn’t care to hear the details surrounding Jessica’s case.

Jessica refused to even attend the second deposition. Monica and Hardman, however, made their true plan known. Basically, the dastardly duo pinned the sexual harassment Monica had claimed at the time of her departure on Louis. Louis, who genuinely liked Monica, was made to look like a pervert, and Jessica was made to look like a cold s.o.b. After the deposition, Harvey managed to speak one-on-one with Hardman in the bathroom. No matter how they planned to close the case, it was looking more and more like Hardman would “bleed them dry.”

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That night, Louis approached Harvey looking to help, unbeknownst to the goings on of the deposition. After reading the transcript, he found himself devastated. That was the last straw for Louis. The next day, Jessica attempted to corner Hardman in a reverse deposition, managing to get him to admit to the affair off the record, but that wouldn’t do much more than embarrass him. In the elevator out, though, Louis managed to corner Hardman for a roast that rivaled Donna’s. Basically, he threatened to rip Hardman’s face off if he ever attempted to mess with his career again. Louis is a tool, but he’s not evil. I find myself liking him more and more as I delve further into this series.

Having thought up one more way to convince Monica to change her mind, Mike brought her the case files of the women waiting to sue Folsom Foods for gender discrimination. Because her case was purposely developed to hold those cases up, Monica was essentially hurting them to spite Jessica. Mike, having learned of Jessica’s involvement in the initial suit, was still concerned with righting his own wrongs and clearing her name. After having a slight change of heart due to Mike’s revelations, Monica decided on a settlement that Harvey deemed appropriate. Jessica, having learned the lesson, would probably have to take the bullet on this one.

In the end, Donna and Harvey had a nice little moment outside of the elevators. How about that “you’re beautiful” line from Harvey that gave Donna’s heart a little flutter, only to then realize that Jessica was standing right behind her all dolled up in a freakin’ fur? Ready for a hot date, Jessica hightailed it over to the Zane’s to recede her initial decline to merge. Robert, now realizing that Jessica was “on the ropes,” declined her offer. Whether he trusts Hardman or not, Pearson Hardman is in deep trouble. At least, that’s what he thinks...

What did you all think of Suits Season 2 Episode 14, “He’s Back”? How will Pearson Hardman solve their ongoing instability issues? Are you shipping Donna and Harvey? How about Rachel and Mike? What will become of Rachel if she gets into Harvard? Who bitched out Harvey best, Donna or Louis?

Thanks for reading my Recap and Review of Suits Season 2 Episode 14, “He’s Back”!