Photo: Ian Watson/USA Network
SUITS, as has been said many times in these recaps and will probably be said many more times before the series ends, is a show about what we’re willing to do for family. So, even after promising Samantha Wheeler that Faye would be the least of her problems if she did something sketchy to win an already-lost case against Mike Ross, Harvey Specter agreed to do “whatever it takes” to help her get her job back. And so did the remaining leaders at What’s Firm’s Name Again.
But when the plan to slay Faye oust Faye Richardson once and for all took a turn for the dirty, SUITS’ leading man found himself in the difficult position of deciding between wrecking a family and doing right by a member of his own. Meanwhile, as the rest of the firm’s leadership was busy risking total ruin to get Sam back, Katrina Bennett was actually doing lawyer things; unfortunately for her, said lawyer things meant taking on a case with Brian Altman as opposing counsel.
Picture this: an episode titled, “Whatever it Takes,” and a return to DEGRASSI. No, really. You can’t make this up, and the brilliance involved in having the DEGRASSI theme as the episode title and the motto/vow for the “A” story is just another example of the phenomenon that is SUITS’ final season. (Disclaimer: I have no idea if this was intentional or coincidence. But for our purposes, let’s assume that, since SUITS is filmed in Canada, someone on that writing staff is clever enough to do this.)
Is it possible that Craig from DEGRASSI just, like, manifests if you say “whatever it takes” three times into a dark alley? Sources point to yes. Unfortunately for Amanda Schull’s Katrina Bennett, it didn’t matter what exactly had made Craig Brian show up; all that mattered was that, after trying to prove to herself that she had moved on, here were Brian and her case, ready to test that theory. Evidently, Katrina made a bad decision in ignoring her voicemail, as it had been intended as a way for Craig Brian to give Katrina a heads up that the ousted CEO of Curt’s Coffee (Kurt’s? Kurtz? Who cares?) was looking for compensation, so he’d be popping by with a lawsuit.
Katrina field a motion to dismiss because Craig Brian used to represent the coffee company when he worked for What’s Firm’s Name Again. Brian expected this all along, so either this “friendly” visit was a total waste of everyone’s time, or he was just back to break Katrina’s heart all over again. Whichever.
Enter Susan, offering to lend a hand. Yes, the same Susan who had attempted to blackmail Katrina with her knowledge of the Craig from DEGRASSI Brian situation; but this time, she was actually helpful instead of horrible.
After a migraine ruined Katrina’s chance at getting a judge to honor her motion to dismiss, Susan recommended accessing the coffee guy’s personal emails for…something case-related. Apparently, invading someone’s privacy to hunt for evidence that might not even exist was a viable way to beat Brian—should Team Katrina actually find something—but Katrina, who was clearly struggling with even the idea of seeing her old not-quite-coworker take a loss, was reluctant to take that route.
Katrina Bennett is the most competent lawyer at What’s Firm’s Name Again; and she’ll do whatever it takes (DEGRASSI-style!) to get a win, as long as it’s ethical. So, against her emotional attachment to Brian, she did take her chances on Coffee Man’s emails.
Back in front of the judge, and this time in much better shape, Katrina argued that she had a right to access Lassiter’s emails. When her reasoning was labeled as “speculative,” Katrina actually exposed the fact that her relationship with the opposing counsel himself had turned personal. Craig’s Brian’s last-ditch effort to protect his client’s privacy was to ask what Katrina might do with anything she learned that didn’t affect the case. So, Katrina asked him—in front of a judge—what kind of lawyer he thought she was.
The answer? “I think you have more integrity than any lawyer I’ve ever met.”
In the end, Susan was right; and she was so right that Katrina had a huge win on her hands. But she didn’t want to completely annihilate her friend, whose move to a new firm hadn’t exactly gone well. Proving she knew nothing about how the heart works—much less how we operate here at What’s Firm’s Name Again, Susan told Katrina that she wasn’t “right” to put Brian’s needs above a client’s.
And then we had Exhibit A for why Amanda Schull is, much like the rest of the SUITS cast and crew, utterly and completely killing it this season: “Don’t you talk to me about what is right. I have been doing what is right. I cut Brian out of my life, but he is still a friend. And I don’t want to do this to him.”
Narrator: Katrina did, in fact, wind up doing “this” to him. And rightfully so. (There’s that “right” word again.)
Katrina’s next encounter with Craig Brian was a visit to tell him that he’d be served a counter-suit for slander if he didn’t drop his case. So, Not-Craig started talking about how someone “may not have been forced out, but he regretted leaving.” When Katrina asked whether he meant Lassiter or himself, he asked why it couldn’t be both and revealed that he hadn’t been assigned the case—he’d taken it so he could work with her again. But Katrina told him they both had to move on, then went back to What’s Firm’s Name Again to congratulate Susan on a job well done and give her more work to do as a reward.
And so, after once again proving that she was capable of quietly doing the right thing—no matter how painful—and delivering a win without breaking any rules, Katrina Bennett stopped singing that DEGRASSI theme once and for all.
Or, at least, Craigtrina story’s participation in “Whatever it Takes” ended there.
Whatever it takes for family…Assuming the SUITS timeline is making any sense at all in the series’ final season, Donna was still at Harvey’s apartment after the disastrous attempt at hosting family dinner. Harvey was…wherever he’d run off to(?) just in time for Donna to receive a phone call from none other than Faye “You’re Not Good Enough For Your Position, But Please Keep Your Boy In Check Now That I’ve Fired His Female Counterpart” Bitchardson Richardson. Rather than manifesting herself in the middle of Darvey’s (apparently unused, as of late) love nest to deliver the news that she had fired Sam, Faye called Donna’s personal number for a one-to-one. But when Donna wanted actual evidence that a crime had been committed, Faye—the supposed paragon of ethics—said she didn’t need any.
Because firing a name partner based on speculation is totally cool.
Donna saw right through Faye’s “your people need you” fakery: “You mean you want me to stop them from retaliating against your bullshit move.” And with that, a 3000% done (and rightfully so) Donna Paulsen ended the call and immediately began erecting a stake on which to burn the witch met with Louis, Alex, and Harvey to come up with a plan.
Last to the meeting and the only person who recently threatened Sam with consequences, Harvey was also the first partner to recommend finding some kind of dirt on Faye to get rid of her for good. Donna wanted to go through the proper channels once the team found said dirt, but Louis was afraid the Bar would send over someone even worse. And so, off everyone went to dig into the supposedly “spotless” record of the thing who had been making their lives miserable since her first manifestation.
Before Harvey could start scheming, he was confronted by a very angry Robert Zane, who wanted to know exactly what was being done to protect Samantha. Having heard from Sam that Harvey wasn’t exactly happy with her over the whole Mike ordeal, Zane was worried Harvey wasn’t being genuine about trying to get Sam rehired.
But um. Robert Zane seems to have lost his mind since losing his career because that is not who Harvey Specter is, was, or ever has been: “I may have read her the riot act because she lied to my face, and I would do it again. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to let Faye come after my family.”
That’s our boy! (Now, get that beautiful butt brain working.)
Remember when Gretchen told Louis about that time Faye fired her own husband? Well, so does Louis; and contacting the now-ex-husband was the logical path for Team Larvey to take when looking for skeletons in Faye’s closet (other than the one in her own human suit). Louis was worried that George Richardson wouldn’t be able to talk because his divorce settlement was sealed; but despite being misled to believe that he was taking a meeting about an insurance policy, George came prepared with all the tea.
George liked to over-bill top clients so he could take on class action suits; when Faye figured it out, she turned on him after 15 years of marriage and made sure he was fired. But that’s not all: “Faye used the threat of losing my license as leverage in the divorce; and when she squeezed the last nickel out of me, she called off the dogs.” And it was about 10 seconds after that that Faye took a huge pay cut in dropping corporate law to be the Bar’s Pet Demon Special Master.
Harvey and Louis needed Gretchen’s help in getting proof to validate their conclusions; and she promised to help, despite the possibility of losing her job. With one condition: Harvey had to throw Louis a baby shower and steal the spotlight by revealing that a Darvey baby had been conceived.
In one of the few opportunities for comic relief in an otherwise tense episode, Harvey adamantly refused. Louis wasn’t the one who was pregnant (true, but he’s the only one anyone cares about in this relationship), and Harvey was all, “like, men don’t do that!” But Gretchen set him straight, as she does: “Baby showers aren’t bullshit. It’s what people who love each other do for each other.”
(Take note, Future Daddy Specter.)
Louis tried to smooth things over by saying that Harvey didn’t (love him? False. Have to do it? Also false!), but Soft!Harvey made an appearance just in time to accept Gretchen’s terms. With that, Gretchen took a few minutes (or -12 SUITS years, if you’re counting) to get what the boys needed. And it was game on.
…or not.
Donna tried to warn Harvey that digging into Faye’s personal life might cause her to “go ballistic” when she found out; but he failed to listen to the wife because all he wanted to do was have a bathroom quickie move heaven and Earth for his sister Sam.
Due to her powers of demon precognition, Faye realized what What’s Firm’s Name Again was up to; so, she also paid George a visit. Once Faye “Grade A Hypocrite” Richardson learned from George “Grade A Sonofabitch(ardson)” that he had drawn Harvey and Louis the map to her demise, she disapparated and manifested back in Harvey’s office. But unlike her previous visits to Harvey’s Balls Hall of Fame, he was the one in control and armed with the truth.
Just not the whole truth.
After leveraging George, Faye stayed on at her former firm long enough to fix things with his clients. Why did she do that, when she already had exactly what she wanted? Because Faye had a daughter, and she “didn’t want her to grow up, knowing that her father was a criminal.” Harvey was still going to go ahead and do whatever it took to fire Faye and rehire Sam, but she made one more plea to him: “I crossed one line in my career. I hated doing it, but I did it. For my child. Samantha did what she did to win a case. That’s not the same thing.”
…unless “whatever” is too much. Business Mode Harvey Specter crumbled not long after his confrontation with Faye because, as we all remember, his view of one of his parents was shattered years ago. And it screwed him up so badly that he was emotionally stunted until he hired Mike Ross…And, well, the rest is SUITS history.
Cut to one of the greatest SUITS shots ever: Harvey Specter slumped over the bathroom sink, looking like he was barely holding it together whilst fighting every single one of his personal demons at once—even the ones he thought he’d already vanquished. But then Louis showed up, and Harvey had to be Tough Guy Specter again…Except that it was absolutely clear in everything from the expression on his face to the way he carried himself that something was wrong.
When Harvey shared Faye’s story with his firm brother, Louis wanted to cancel the plan right away; but Harvey reminded him of their “whatever it takes” vow.
Harvey gave Louis a single day to find an alternative plan; but when even the shady Samantha stuff going on across town failed, Harvey found himself in the position of potentially wrecking an innocent bystander in order to get Samantha her job back. Now, the Harvey Specter of SUITS’ early years wouldn’t have batted an eyelash over this decision, but the torment was still painted plainly for all to see, even a day after first learning about Faye’s daughter.
Speaking of paintings!
Here’s where SUITS’ final season made yet another jump in quality level and gave a nod to the best episode of the series. Yes, I’m still calling it that. For those newcomers, I will scream on the rooftops that “The Painting” was SUITS’ best episode ever—and Gabriel Macht’s best work on the series. Ever—until the end of time.
How fitting then, that as Donna and Harvey discussed Harvey’s guilt over firing Samantha, and worked through the struggle of whether or not Harvey could do to someone else’s child what had happened to him, that they’d be back here, in front of the painting. How perfect that the same piece of artwork that symbolized such a huge leap forward in Harvey’s personal life was also a major visual during a professional breakthrough for the character, as well. Ultimately, the personal and the professional always get tied together on SUITS; and for Harvey, it was the reminder of what the personal cost had been in his own life, as well as the visual reminder of how far he’d come, that made him realize he couldn’t be the one to do the wrong thing for the right reasons.
Not this time, not this cost, not this way.
Just as Donna had been the very special person (Paula Agard found dead) who encouraged Harvey to make amends with his mother, she helped him work through the professional (and personal!) reasons why he couldn’t shatter Nameless Daughter of Faye’s relationship with her parents.
What a beautifully shot and acted scene…Let’s all take a moment to admire the brilliance.
Ok. Moving on.
What’s Firm’s Name Again didn’t get Sam back, and Faye wasn’t sent back to the lair from whence she’d come.
Showing she actually had some sense of decency, Faye approached Donna to thank her for convincing Harvey to do the right thing. (It didn’t take much convincing, seeing as how he was eating himself up inside about doing the wrong thing all along, but Faye’s not smart enough to get that and needed to show Donna some respect anyway.)
Donna’s answer? Just as Faye was leaving, Donna made it a point to explain what our SUITS family was all about. “For the record, we didn’t do this for self-preservation. Because no matter what you think of us, there are some lines we won’t cross.”
And for those folks who haven’t seen the message a billion times by now? That line that What’s Firm’s Name Again won’t cross? It’s messing with family. Anyone’s family at all.
I think about SUITS way too much—and you can, too!
- Other things that SUITS’ earlier versions of Harvey Specter wouldn’t have done: invite Sam to his home to apologize for his unintended role in her firing, offer to go on a road trip (!!!) with Sam to meet her dad, let Louis see through his mask in a vulnerable moment.
- “Susan, I don’t know if you’re capable of supporting me.” The tone, the shade, the queen. YAS.
- Ok but. Craig from DEGRASSI, covering for Katrina when it was clear that she had a migraine? That’s just…so shippable—if, you know, he wasn’t happily married to someone else.
- “I am conflicted because I’ve never been involved in a case with you where I wasn’t rooting for you.” Goodbye, cruel world!
- Amanda Schull. That is all.
- Or, well. That would be all, except for this: Good God, Gabriel Macht. Just…Good God. This episode. That bathroom scene. The last Darvey bit. Good. God. Gabriel. (Love me some alliteration.)
- Dear former What’s Firm’s Name Again employees: You can totally come back to visit when you miss your family. You don’t even need a work-related excuse! In fact, it’s better if you don’t have a work thing because it will almost always involve a fight, seeing as how you don’t work here anymore! Looking at you, Harvey Junior and Craig from DEGRASSI.
- Ok but where was Harvey when Donna was drinking that leftover family dinner wine all by herself? And why did he show up at the squad meeting after her? How long does Old Man Specter need to recharge these days???
- Faye doesn’t see the firm “surviving the year,” eh? Would that be because there are only four SUITS episodes left, or.
- “How do you suggest we get Samantha back? Buy Faye a kitten?” First of all, Harvey (if that even is your real name right now), no kitten deserves to be eaten by that demon. Second, we all know Louis is the person to bribe with furry friends, not Faye.
- “I don’t want to hear that you’re working on it; I want to hear that you’re doing it.” Me at Darvey’s bedroom activities.
- “Louis, there’s no way someone’s married to that woman for three days and doesn’t want to talk shit about her.” Harvey is generous; I’d give it three seconds.
- “…but there’s no way he is marrying you.” (true. He is marrying Donna. NEXT.)
- That giant hug Louis gave Gretchen after Harvey left? I felt that.
- “It’s how life is: When you work with people for a long time, relationships become personal, and lines get blurred.” SUITS, in a nutshell.
- Sam’s side gig of getting dirt on Gavin Andrews for the FBI, then getting utterly screwed by getting zero out of the deal also falls into the category of “too much,” by the way. Even with both Alex and Robert trying to keep her out of trouble, here we are.
- “Harvey, if there’s one thing I love about you, it’s your sense of loyalty.” Love. She said “love.” L-O-V-E. Thank you for coming to my meltdown.
- LOVE.
- More meltdown to follow in three, two, one…
- “Imagine you could go back in time and not know about your mother what you knew, wouldn’t you do that for yourself?” With the painting right there!!!! “It was my fault, Donna.” Hold him. “I know that. But doing this…It’s not the man that I want you to be. And I know it’s not the man that you want to be.” She wants him to be the death of me is what she wants; and, like, mission accomplished.
- Just going to steal this line from my own recap of my personal favorite SUITS episode, also known as “The Painting” (and also also known as, I’m Screaming): Show me a well-developed character, and I will counter you with one better: His name is Harvey Specter.
- To be honest, it’s nice to feel that way about SUITS’ leading man again. The seventh and eighth seasons were just shared nightmares. We jumped straight from “The Painting” to “Harvey.” Thomas never existed; and Fraudy McfraudyFirm did some other kind of messed up stuff to get Robert disbarred and send Harvey running to Donna’s door. That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.
- Since I just see what I want to see, I’m allowed to speak such things into reality.
- Looking forward to the SUITS season of fanfic: Harvey & Sam’s Bff Roadrtip Edition.
- But really, how was Sam in Harvey’s apartment after that big, emotional office/painting scene, though? You can’t tell me Darvey didn’t need some, um, personal time after that…Did Harvey clean himself up and leave Donna passed out after, or???
SUITS’ final season continues on Wednesday, August 28, at 9/8c on USA.