Suits - Premiere Recap: Batman Needs Robin
Suits returned tonight, kicking off Season 3 with a whole new vibe that, oddly enough, reminded me of what I love about this show. The premiere posed a fantastic question; Does Batman need Robin?
The Season 3 premiere opened with quite a shocker. Mike found himself dragged into the office in the middle of the night for an urgent meeting of the partners. Harvey forgave his protégé on the spot, raising this recapper’s eyebrows, only to find Rachel marching into the conference room with a vengeance. Police in tow, Rachel sold Mike out. There’s nothing more terrifying than a scorned woman, Mike Ross. Enjoy prison. No, of course not. It was all but a dream sequence. The nightmare was enough to drive Mike to pay Rachel a home visit, though. Was the scariest part of the whole ordeal the thought of losing Rachel? I’ll chalk this one up to Mike Ross’ charm. Having the police slam your face down on a desk in front of the entire office before cuffing you and hauling you off to prison might take the awful cake. I’m just throwing that out there. In truth, Rachel would never squeal on Mike, but only time would tell whether or not the two could ever be. By time, I mean, like, the rest of the premiere episode. You’ll have your answers soon enough!
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As Mike sifted anxiously through relationship drama, Harvey sailed cool as a cucumber through a case representing players from the NBA. Sure, bluffing in order to earn three times the desired salary was reckless and dangerous to the firm, but as I previously stated, the question was whether or not Harvey was, indeed, looking to get fired. Jessica, the closest thing Harvey will likely ever have to a ball and chain, popped in on Specter uninvited, if only to scold his rash decisions. Like clockwork, the deal came through, and Jessica couldn’t help but smirk. The iconic smirk is half pleasure and half concern, of course. The next day, she’d sit down with Darby (Conleth Hill) in private to discuss Harvey’s antics. Darby had a case that was very personal to him brewing on the horizon. Ava Hessington (Michelle Fairley) runs an oil company, and her business had come under fire by the government for charges of bribery. With an impressive win under Harvey’s belt, Darby requested that he handle the project. Jessica warned Darby of Harvey’s current state within the firm, but as we’d come to learn, Darby had more faith in Harvey’s loyalty and was less concerned.
Because the Pearson Darby deal settled at 49/51, Darby truly calls the shots. He might have let Jessica keep her name in the first position, but a gesture is but a gesture. When it came to commanding the team, Darby had the final say. Jessica, powerless, decided to twist the situation in her favor, reported back to Harvey that she’d insisted that he take the case, which was looking like a steep battle. Jessica, in truth, spent the entirety of Episode 1 attempting to set things straight with Specter, but the idea that she would attempt to pull one over on him simply angered him further. That's the thing about Suits. Every situation lends someone an opportunity to benefit themselves, yet every situation is so easily decoded by everyone else. As Darby put it, Jessica’s accusation that Harvey was playing with fire in order to get fired was what prompted Harvey to actually attempt to, well, get fired. Sorry for the reiteration there, but the relationships on Suits are so twisted and tangled at this point, that best friends double as enemies and one’s most trusted ally is also doubly their biggest threat. I’m so happy I’m just reviewing the show Suits. Law makes me nervous, group! In the end, Harvey took the information back to Darby with a simple request. If Harvey could win him this important case, he wished to be terminated, and Darby agreed.
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Rachel’s piece of advice to Mike; quit and be free of fear. If Mike could resign, giving up the perks of having Jessica backing him (like a new office), he would never have to worry about coming under fire for his lie. Unfortunately, Jessica would not let that happen. She recalled the story of her parents’ separation and the car she was gifted as consolation. She hated the car for what it stood for, but it was the same car that eventually drove her to Harvard. This firm and his new office, were, in a sense, Mike’s car. I appreciated Rachel’s snapping at Mike following her glancing at his mock diploma framed on the wall of his spanking new associate’s office. Rachel, needless to say, was insulted as someone who'd fought her entire life to earn a Harvard degree. Does Rachel know anything at all about Mike? It seemed as though her lashing out did pressure Mike to fight to be an honest and loyal member of the team. Mostly, Mike would do anything to win back Harvey’s trust.
Mike’s only known means of reconnecting with Harvey was through the Ava Hessington oil case. Through Benjamin, a tech geek who clearly had it out from Mike from the get-go (Something about swindling him out of a laptop), Ross would manage to finagle some information. Benjamin, who’d been illegally monitoring Mike’s personal internet activity, found himself in a sticky situation when Mike revealed that he’d recorded their entire conversation. In other words, Mike now has an unwilling new ally in his quest to win Harvey’s forgiveness. Benjamin has access to Harvey's hard drive. Unfortunately, things would not go so smoothly.
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Desperate for information, Harvey had no one to turn to but Scottie (Abigail Spencer), whom he'd banished to the London office as we'd expected he do. Donna (Sarah Rafferty)was bummed, of course, as she'd been the one to convince the pair to fight for one another. Harvey managed to catch Scottie off-guard just prior to her boarding of the plane to England. With a little smooth talking, he scored some vital information surrounding the case; information that was known only within the London team.
Harvey met with Ava Hessington for the first time prepared to win her over. The woman openly admitted to illegal activity, paying a bribe to a foreign country for a pipeline, yet reasoned that each of her competitors were guilty of the same. An unfortunate necessity in the oil field, allegedly. The oil industry is a tough field for a woman, and Harvey loves a challenge. He left knowing he’d sealed the deal, only to find himself bombarded by Mike with the same information he’d already doled out to Hessington. Mike came up short, and it seemed as though his battle was becoming a lost cause. I love moments when Louis (Rick Hoffman) reminds us that he is a tried and true team player. It was he who reminded Mike that Harvey’s Superman days were long over. Today, he’s Batman, and Batman needs his Robin. It seemed as though Louis’ pep talk instilled some spirit into Mike, but Harvey’s cold shoulder all but sapped it completely.
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Louis had been dealing with his own debacle, as the british equivalent of Louis Litt, Nigel, had returned for revenge. Remember, Louis had mistakenly “listed” Nigel on last season’s finale, while Nigel trusted Louis enough to back his position at the firm. Nigel, now the quartermaster of Pearson Darby, made it his duty to remove all that Louis loved from the office. Meaning, no more uniball pens and no more special granola bars. Louis Litt does not buy his own pens, Donna. You better believe it! In an attempt to overthrow Nigel, Louis went straight to Darby with all of his own favorite treats from around the globe. It was easy to coerce the man to hand Louis Nigel’s position, but of course, nothing is ever as it seems. There is always another piece to the puzzle. Nigel had realized Louis’ motives, secretly enticed him to react this way. Louis would win back his granola bars, but Nigel would steal his position as the trainer of associates. The rules of the firm dictated that Louis could not work both positions, and he inevitably traded his life’s work for petty revenge.
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Devastated and distraught, Mike ran straight back to Rachel, willing to confess every detail of his story. Zane listened with open ears behind closed doors. We’d only get to witness the morning after, if you know what I mean, but it appears as though honesty truly is the best policy. Mike and Rachel are back on, folks! In the midst of all that has devolved between Ross and Specter, it’s nice to see that Suits has given Mike this breakthrough with Rachel. He needs a rock. Said rock was enough to distract Donna the next day while Mike planted more information in Harvey’s office. Donna, though, sees and hears all. Privy to Mike’s game, she handed back the files, placing herself firmly on Harvey’s side. She too is angry with Mike for his betrayal, and it now seems as though Mike has another friendship to mend. Still, she did agree to hand Harvey the information, no strings attached, if it meant saving his case.
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Harvey had, indeed, been struggling more so than he’d anticipated. His bond with Richard Jensen, the man responsible for taking legal action against Hessington, seemed to be on the outs, as the former friend admitted to running for office. Basically, he needs a head on a platter, and Hessington’s seemed like a fine one to serve up considering the amount of underhanded business oil companies deal in. Harvey was initially disappointed with his old friend for his refusal to budge, but Mike’s free advice proved useful. In truth, the election is merely a part of the problem. This man is attacking Ava Hessington for a reason. Her company is the top competitor for his campaign's biggest donor. Drying out their stock with a long trial would prove useful, obviously. If there’s one thing we know about Harvey Specter, it’s that self-serving fools usually light the fire under his ass that sparks a win, correct? Even the sight of crooked prosecutor Cameron wasn’t enough to scare Harvey off.
The Season 3 premiere of Suits closed with some great moments and some awesome twists. Firstly, Darby’s personal connection to the case is even more close to home than we’d been lead to believe. Ava’s father was a lover of the past, and Jessica knew that Harvey’s discovery of this knowledge would lead to more issues. Mike, desperate for a clean start, made things right with Benjamin, freeing him from the shackles of the recording. A friend is more important than a servant to Mike. A friend with Egg McMuffins is even better. Benjamin did Mike a favor in pulling Jessica’s threatening letter regarding Mike’s illegal status as an associate from her hard drive. Using it as leverage, Mike spoke with Jessica, giving back his shiny new office in favor of earning a place in the firm. If he goes down, so does she. Again, we got that smirk from Jessica. She so thoroughly enjoys intelligent people and a good challenge.
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Harvey, quite aware of Darby’s past affair with Ava’s father, decided to change the terms of their agreement. Rather than earning a termination, he negotiated a deal that was much more threatening to Jessica. In an attempt to combat Pearson, Harvey negotiated a pact with Darby that would land him a coveted partnership should he win the case. Watch out, Jessica. The Dark Knight is coming.
What did you think of the Suits Season 3 Premiere, Episode 1, “The Arrangement”? Will Batman and Robin Harvey and Mike make amends? Are you happy to see Mike and Rachel heating up? Is Jessica in trouble?