Who doesn't love a good rivalry? David vs. Goliath; Red Sox vs. Yankees; Kristen Stewart vs. Robert Pattinson, Liberty Ross, the tabloids and all of America -- for example. Great rivalries is what made the most recent episode of 'Suits' so great.
Although the impending Specter-Tanner trial/rivalry (triavalry?) was the basis for 'Sucker Punch', it was really more about pitting everyone at Pearson-Hardman against each other and airing out grievances. Louis went after Harvey; Harvey went back after Louis. Louis also went after Mike, Jessica and Donna. Hell, even Jessica went after Harvey. All this made for some compelling and entertaining television.
My first reaction after the episode was that they copped out of this storyline and removed all the real drama by settling the case and not going to a real trial. So while having a mock trial took away from the stakes of a verdict, it not only allowed us to see all those rivalries play out, it advanced the show to focus on a new battle: Pearson vs. Hardman.
(Realistically, we all know what the outcome of a real trial would have been, anyway. Harvey can't get disbarred, the show would end. So the outcome of a settlement, while a bit lame, makes sense in a way.)
But it does raise some questions: What the hell did they dig on Tanner to leverage a settlement? And why does Tanner despise Harvey so much? His hatred is so over-the-top, that only a legitimate reason will suffice. Because it's not like Tanner isn't a smarmy lawyer, too. I need some answers and hope that Tanner comes back at some point this season to resolve these questions.
Now that the lawsuit is taken care of and everyone is safe for now (except maybe Jessica) it clears the way for Donna to potentially come back to the firm. This show could use her comedic-relief in the office. What this show doesn't need, however, is a romantic relationship between her and Harvey. But I fear that will come up again soon, because we're bound to see Harvey trying to convince her come back in next week's episode.
Three quick sidenotes: 1. Not gonna lie, it was nice to have a 42-minute break from the Mike-Rachel drama. You can have a great episode of TV without that crap every once in a while. 2. Does anyone really care who comes out on top between Pearson and Hardman? How much does it really matter who the No. 1 is at the firm? And you know what? Hardman is a much more interesting character than Jessica is. She's boring and practically irrelevant to the firm. 3. I don't think it was an accident that Jessica told Mike he is becoming like Harvey. Mike is starting to become a bit of a dick. I don't want him to be like Harvey.
QUOTES OF NOTE:
--LOUIS (to himself): "Someone wants to get Litt up. Someone wants to get Litt up!!" (I included that one just for you, Marie. Thanks to her, I am now addicted to this show. You can follow her incessant 'Suits' tweets @MariL520 ... Have a great trip to China!)
--HARVEY (to secretary): "Then those would all be the same shade of I don't give a shit."
--DONNA (to Harvey): "Really, like you fought for Mike? Because that fight you somehow managed to win."
--MIKE (to Louis): "I'm proud to say I have a degree from Harvard Law."
--LOUIS (to Harvey): "This is all your fault and what just happened to that beautiful woman in there -- that's on you! Not me!"
RANDOM RAMBLINGS:
--The episode might be called 'Sucker Punch', but that punch was well-deserved.
--I love rivalries. Harvey vs. Travis is pretty fun to watch, even though we don't totally know the backstory about why they hate each other so much. What's your favorite TV rivalry?
--The theme song to this show pumps me up. (Greenback Boogie by Ima Robot)
--I love when Mike and Harvey quote lines from movies. But 'The Breakfast Club' AND 'A Few Good Men' in the same episode? Doesn't get much better than that, does it?
--Rachel with glasses? Hot.
--That might have been the first lie detector scene I have watched in a TV show or movie that didn't only have Yes or No answers. Which was good for Mike, because otherwise he couldn't have gotten around the Harvard question.
--If I had a $1 for every time I hear "Men want to be you, women want to sleep with you" line on a TV show or movie, I would be loaded.
--How great was Louis vs. Donna? He even took a sip of water before attacking her like Tom Cruise does in A Few Good Men before going after Jack Nicholson.
--Both Harvey and Travis used abbreviated first names as nicknames (Harv and Trav). Isn't that usually a sign of respect?
--What a complete shock ... a split vote! And the deciding vote goes to Harvey. What a twist!
THE SCORE: 88 out of 100