Review - SUITS 3.10: 'Stay'

Considering even I'm sick of using these reviews to complain, I'm sure you are too. Who cares if the summer finale wasn't just the way I wanted it or that there were some nitpicks here and there.

I had fun watching it. And that's all that matters. It's an entertaining show with some great characters and sharp dialogue. Not much to really complain about when I really think about it.

To no one's surprise Rachel is staying and not going to Stanford. Disappointing story-telling wise in that it was obvious from the get-go that's how it would turn out. But what choice did the show really have? I'm not too invested in those two as a couple, but I'm going to have to live with it because it's a huge part of the show.

I am glad that Harvey has a love interest again. Because when you really think about the show's past, he really hasn't had too many. He's hooked up with a few women from time to time, but for the most part he hasn't cared too much about them. It's nice to see Harvey vulnerable and it's a nice distraction from the constant Mike and Rachel drama. And it doesn't hurt that I love Scottie.

The second that Sheila told Louis not to touch the files, we all knew that he would look for Mike Ross' file. But I'm glad he did, because it adds a potentially great dynamic when the show returns. With everything staying the same, we needed a shake-up and now we got it. Cool.

Last thoughts: Donna is awesome, I miss Katrina and I still feel like Jessica isn't utilized enough on this show.

What did you all think of the summer finale?

QUOTES OF NOTE:

--MIKE: "And second of all, people actually have girlfriends after high school, which you wouldn't know because emotionally you never graduated."
--HARVEY: "Well I guess you're the expert, because the only thing you graduated from is high school."

--LOUIS: "I've just been wam-bam candidate man. I mean, any woman who has been repeatedly Litt up would demand exclusive dominion over my body."

--SCOTTIE: "After meeting you, I'd say there's an 80% chance there's a roofie in there."

--HARVEY: "Because he's a lying son of a bitch, you're a piece of shit and this is the end of this deposition."

--LOUIS: "Give me a deed, I'll do it. Give me a mountain, I'll climb it, Give me a Katy Perry song, I'll sing it."


RANDOM RAMBLINGS:

--Scottie (Abigail Spencer) is impossibly gorgeous.

--Apparently there are only four REAL lawyers in New York: Harvey, Gary Cole, Eric Close and Abigail Spencer. They just keep receycling these people. I half-expected to see Daniel Hardman in this one.

--The "call your mom for a box of tissues" line wasn't Harvey's finest work.

--Assuming payphones still exist, I don't think a quarter is enough to make a call anyway.

--I found it implausible that Stephen Huntley was stupid enough to admit to Donna that he was lying. Oh well.

--Where can I buy that glossy photo of Louis?

--Is Louis right? Is Fed-Ex AM delivery a scam?

THE GRADE: B

2013 Summer Movies in Review

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Review - SUITS 3.7: 'She's Mine'

I could be negative. I could complain about how obvious any of the following occurrences were in this week's episode...

1. Stephen betraying Donna. No way!
2. Rachel getting into a law school nearby, negating the need to go to California. No Way!
3. Another twist in the Ava Hessington case. No way!

But if you're a regular reader of my reviews, you know that's just not how I roll. I'm always so very positive. So while it wasn't surprising there was yet another twist in the case, the twist itself was surprising. And it helped save what appeared to be another slog of an episode on the Ava Hessington case.

I think most of us knew Stephen was going to hurt Donna. That was obvious from the beginning. But I just didn't think it would happen this way. I knew he was using her and just being a dirtbag, but I didn't think it was to help cover up a mass murder that he helped orchestrate. Good stuff.

But thank goodness we had the ridiculous mock trial shenanigans to lighten the mood and have some fun this week. That was just brilliance. I thought the last few weeks the show under-utilized Louis, but it was all just a brilliant set-up to the mock trial involving the cat. If you didn't enjoy that insanity, than I don't know why you watch this show in the first place.

Not only was it funny, but it resulted in Louis getting the associates back (which I think we all wanted) and it let Rachel have an episode to shine in a story NOT involving Mike. I appreciated that, because I wish she was given more to do other than stories centered around her relationship with Mike.

I've been complaining about the Ava Hessington case for weeks now, but for the first time I'm somewhat interested in what happens next om that front. But I do what it all to end sometime this millennium. This is getting more dragged out than who killed Rosie Larsen on 'The Killing' or the origin of the Smoke Monster on 'Lost'.

QUOTES OF NOTE:

--HARVEY: "But you're never going to convince a jury that the number one didn't know what the number two was up to."

--JESSICA: "Believe me, I can convince anyone of the fact that a number two can betray a number one behind her back."

--LOUIS: "Rachel, you know how tough it's been for me this year. I lost the associates, Mike made a fool out of me, I saw Harvey's name go up on the wall and I went home."

--NIGEL: "This is not a criminal trial!"
--LOUIS: "Well it should be. Where were we?"

--LOUIS: "Holy shit, we're in trouble."

--HAROLD: "He said: 'He might as well of left his cat with Michael Vick.'"


RANDOM RAMBLINGS:

--Top Secret Shredding Day! I think that would make me WANT to come in the door even more.

--A Radio Frequency Identifier-Integrated Circuit ... really? If my mom knew about those, she would probably get one.

--Poor Mike, at the wrong place at the wrong time -- incurring the wrath of Donna.

--I had forgotten about Harold. Rachel's take-down of him was top-notch. He's a fun character, although he was so completely inept that there's no way he would have gotten a job anywhere.

--Why do men have to be so macho and fight other dudes when they are mad? I could be saying this because I'm a scrawny bitch who can't defend himself. But who knows?

THE GRADE: A-

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Review - SUITS 3.6: 'The Other Time'

This is the case that never ends, it just goes on and on my friends ...

Some people starting caring about it (not knowing what it was), and they'll continue watching it forever just because ...

THIS GOD DAMN CASE NEVER ENDS!

Hell, even when episodes are set 10 years ago, the case is still prevalent. There's just no end in sight here.

Despite my annoyance of the Ava Hessington case's refusal to go away, this was a solid episode. Basically, it comes down to this: Flash forwards = stupid and Flash backs = useful and interesting (even if they did a poor job of making them all look 10 minutes younger, let alone 10 years)

But the main criticism I had with this one was that we didn't really learn anything new by going back in time. We already knew why Harvey left the DA's office and we pretty much already knew that him and Donna hooked up one time and one time only. And there was no big revelation regarding Mike and his douchebag friend Trevor. I mean, how crazy is it that 10 years prior Trevor was getting Mike into trouble?

I really don't want this show to try to humanize that piece of crap. Not going to work. But any episode that brings back Mike's grandmother is good in my book.

And what a tease ... I thought we were going to learn the full extent of the can opener and the only thing we learned was that they were looking for a new ritual and a waitress happened to walk by as Harvey stole her can opener. I should have known better and not gotten my hopes up.

And yet another shock ... Harvey appears to be going back on his word on taking over the firm and things are on the verge of going back to status-quo. That's USA Network for you!

One last note: Sorry for not posting a review last week. I started writing it, but needed to take a break and just never got back to it. This isn't exactly a groundbreaking take, but reviewing a show can really sap your enjoyment of it. That's definitely at play with me and Suits right now.

QUOTES OF NOTE:

--DONNA: "I'm not into you, I'm Donna."

--EVERYONE: "I'm here, you're here -- do your job."

--HARVEY: "I don't want to find out what kind of lawyer I'd be without you."

--DONNA: "You really do need me to stop doing things like this ... in the future."

--DONNA: "OK, listen Rainman -- you wear lifts in your shoes, you want braces but you don't have the balls and you have a cat ... that you love more than it loves than you.

RANDOM RAMBLINGS:

--Louis is the creepiest dude ever and a complete snake, but it's hard not to love him anyway.

--I'm starting to think Donna is more valuable to a law firm than Harvey would be.

--HAHA, I love that the random dude in the elevator called Louis an asshole. Who doesn't hate that guy?

--At first, I was thinking that Dean could go *$#% himself, but then I realized that he pretty much had every right to be furious and take it out on Mike.

--Cameron is a terrible lawyer. How does he still have a job?

THE GRADE: B

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Review - SUITS 3.04: 'Conflict of Interest'

Short and concise review coming up...

Things that we knew were going to happen, thus making it not at all that interesting nor good: Donna and the new guy hooking up. ... Donna realizing that Harvey would not be happy about it, thus not telling him -- leading to Harvey finding out later in the worst way possible and causing a rift (that will last like one whole episode) between them. ... The Ava Hessington case that just won't die with no end in sight. ... Harvey continuing his war with Jessica.

There were others, but that's good enough. Now, on to the things that we didn't necessarily see coming but still don't care about: Mike and Katrina connecting. The Rachel being jealous part, of course, was no surprise whatsoever. If this turns into something, which I don't think it will. I will stop watching this show because it will be the worst storyline ever.

And the supposed bombshell that Ava wasn't involved with the murders is a non-issue for me. They kept making it appear that she was guilty, so I was expecting the show to turn the switcheroo on us. So I wasn't exactly blindsided by her changing Harvey's mind. Frankly, all I care about is that case coming to a close.

I wonder how long they will drag out the war between Jessica and Harvey? Something needs to happen on this show, because literally nothing did in this episode and it was a boring clunker.

QUOTES OF NOTE:

--LOUIS: "What just happened to him?
--KATRINA: "He got Litt up."

DONNA'S TOP 4 QUOTES:

4. "What can I say, it deserved me."
3. "Quiet, copy boy."
2. "Suffice it to say, I was awesome."
1. "She finds you a bit douchey, love."

RANDOM RAMBLINGS:

--Louis waddling, but pretending to run when hot women were nearby was priceless. I also loved the point.

--That reporter bought Mike's accent? Oh come on.

--Black swan.

THE GRADE: D+

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Review - SUITS 3.03: 'Unfinished Business'

I'm typically a fan of multi-episode arcs on shows like 'Suits', but at this point I'm just glad the Ava Hessington case is over with. It was stalling/delaying Harvey's attempt to take over the firm from Jessica and that's much more interesting to me than some foreign client who tries to bribe her way out of everything and that is completely obsessed whether or not Harvey thinks she's also a murderer.

He doesn't care and neither do I.

I'm also not much interested in the new hot-shot fixer from out-of-town, Stephen Huntley. He's a smooth talker, which can be fun, but I just don't care about his character or what he's up to. We already have a character that does what he does and we like him much more. And haven't we had enough of characters we don't know if we can trust or not? And OF COURSE Huntley is going after Donna to try to mess with Harvey. So obvious. I'm sure we all want to see Donna happy and all, but not if it's a ploy from the writers' room to make it more about Harvey than about Donna. Do not short-thrift Donna, dammit!

What is the deal with Katrina and her war against everyone? What is this, high school? (Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled to see Amanda Schull back on the show.) Just not sure where they are really going with this. Being on Team Litt could be interesting. I hope they go after Harvey and Mike somehow. Louis deserves a win at some point.

In regards to Rachel and Mike, is getting on one knee to ask someone to be their girlfriend the new rage? C'mon, Mike, you can do better than that. If you ask me, Mike and Harvey are a much cuter couple. I mean, how awesome is it that they are doing movie lines/analogies together again?

QUOTES OF NOTE:

--HARVEY: "Origami festival? Oh my god."

--HARVEY: "Do you want a lawyer who thinks you're innocent and loses, or a lawyer who doesn't want to know and wins? ... Then don't ask me that question again, because after I win and after you're free -- what I think, won't matter."

--MIKE: "Yeah, but we can take him. What's he gonna do? Talk to us with his words?
--RACHEL: "Or wag a finger at us?"
--MIKE: "Or give us a timeout?"
--RACHEL: "Maybe slap us with a lawsuit?"


RANDOM RAMBLINGS:

--Was hoping for the Rachel-Donna spat to last much longer. But coming from a USA show, I knew it wouldn't. Viva la status-quo!

--Gary Cole is a douche in everything he does, isn't he? Still love him, though.

--Louis' Dictaphone is back! They should make an entire episode out of just playing what is on it.

--I've heard we are going to learn about the origins of the can opener ritual this season. Can this happen next week, please?

THE GRADE: C+

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Review - SUITS 3.02: 'I Want You To Want Me'

As per usual, let's get my rant out of the way first ...

So this was episode 2, did I miss an episode 1.5 or something? This week begins with Mike and Rachel all lovey-dovey, but where the hell did that come from? That is certainly not the way those two left things in the premiere last week. Am I missing something here? I don't mind them being together, but holy shit they missed a step along the way here. Someone please help me out with this.

But luckily one of my fears was alleviated this week. With Harvey and Jessica working together on the case, I was worried the show was going to renege on Harvey's plan to take over as managing partner. But despite them co-existing to claim victory in the Ava Hessington case, Harvey told Donna he still plans a coup d'etat.

And as I've said several times since reviewing the show last season, this show is at its best when the characters are at odds with one another. And this week was the perfect example of that. Whether it was Donna vs. Rachel, Harvey vs. Mike or Harvey vs. Jessica, those battles were really great to watch. Let's face it, no one is watching this show for the cases-of-the-week. So that high-level tension is needed.

If it were up to me, I would have kept Mike with Louis for at least a few more episodes -- the spat between Harvey and Mike would have been better if it lasted longer. (I really don't think Harvey would have relented so easily. He was so adamant to Mike that they were done ... and then Donna comes and says it's time to forgive him and he suddenly does.) There was plenty more material to get out of it, too. Oh well.

And I'm sure Donna and Rachel will be back to being BFFs soon, which is unfortunate considering how epic their argument was. No way would Rachel forgive her so soon, but realistically that's probably what will happen.

I want something in the show's core to change and our only hope for that is a continued attempt from Harvey to take down Jessica. I'm just skeptical that's what will actually happen.


QUOTES OF NOTE:

--DONNA: "What high school did you go to?"

--LOUIS: "Can't a man just take out another man in the middle of the day for some steak, for some wine and for some cheesecake that will knock your socks off?"

--LOUIS: "Is this about the fact that I'm in the nude?"
--MIKE: "Please don't harp on that."

--MIKE: "OK, If I get in will you stop saying words?"

--HARVEY: "Maybe you didn't hear me -- I said you and I ... are done."

--RACHEL: "This wasn't about a job for me, it was about having a life -- but I guess you wouldn't understand that."
--DONNA: "Rachel, I'm going to walk away before we can't go back."

--LOUIS: "I think you're half-Harvey and half-me. You've had your time with him, now have your time with me."

RANDOM RAMBLINGS:

--See what happens when people tell the truth? All hell breaks loose.

--My senior prom went amazingly well, unlike Louis'.

--Donna really likes Richard Gere.

 --Oh dear God, Louis. (I'm thinking of the mud bath scene)

--I'm sorry, I just can't feel bad for someone who made a "Welcome to Team Litt' cake.

THE GRADE: B

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Review - SUITS 3.01: 'The Arrangement'

I'm not a lawyer so I don't know this to be a fact, but I think it's safe to say that TV shows that focus on the law are not all that realistic.

But hey, perhaps lawyers like Franklin and Bash performing outrageous stunts to win cases do exist! (Example: "If the glove don't fit, you must acquit!" SHIT, it DOES work!) And I'm sure Mike Ross isn't the only fraud lawyer out there, either. (Jeff Winger did it too!)

If these shows were realistic, they probably wouldn't be that compelling. So I suppose this is a good thing. But what happened in the first five minutes of the Season 3 Premiere of 'Suits' was NOT a good thing.

That first storyline involving Harvey trying to finagle more money for his basketball player's new contract was an absolute travesty of television. Let me count the reasons...

1. Deron Williams, the player whom he was negotiating for, is ALREADY under contract for another four full seasons in the NBA. Scheduled to make $18,466,130 in the 2013-14 season ... $19,754,465 (2014-15) ... $21,042,800 (2015-16) ... $22,331,135 (2016-17). I can let that one slide. But...

2. In the NBA, there's a ceiling in how much money a player can make in a season. Williams is a max-contract player, so there would literally be no haggling on the final dollar amount whatsoever. Even if the team WANTED to give him more money, they couldn't.

3. In fact, if a player signs a max-contract with the team he is currently on, he stands to make $30,000,000 more than if he signs a max-contract with a new team. So there is no leveraging to be had with another team. If the player wants to take a different team's offer, fine, but he's leaving 1-year and 30 million bucks on the table to do so. Yeah, it doesn't happen very often (Dwight Howard just did so when he left Los Angeles to go to Houston)

4. Obviously agents do some shady/manipulative type stuff when negotiating. This isn't news. But Harvey HAD to be lying when he said he had an offer from another team, because Williams was still under contract. Because that is tampering and illegal to do. Teams can't talk contract with a player from another team. That is a colossal no-no in professional sports and teams get fined a shit-ton for doing so. Not only that, but they would be likely be prohibited from ever signing that player.

5. Yeah, because Deron Williams is going to threaten to sit out the fourth quarter of a playoff game to leverage more money in his contract. Which, as we now know, isn't even possible in the first place. UGH.

OK, rant over. My apologies. Chances are either some of this bothered you already, or you hate sports and now hate me for wasting all your time when you thought you would be reading a review of the episode.

Now back to regularly scheduled programming...

Speaking of ranting and false threats -- did any of us really think that Harvey was going to either quit the firm or try to get Darby to fire him? Come on. I hate when shows resort to false stakes to create drama. IT DOESN'T WORK WHEN WE ALL KNOW THAT THERE ARE NO REAL STAKES ON THE LINE.

OK, rant over. It actually turned out pretty awesome in the end, because Harvey quickly abandoned that plan and decided to try to railroad Jessica. Let's hope he sticks to this plan and we get several episodes of that, because that will be fun to watch -- even though, again, I think it's fairly safe to assume that plan will essentially not be successful, either. As long as it results in some fun and some viciousness between Specter and Pearson, I'm more than fine with that. Those two are at their best when they are at war, anyway.

Two last things from the premiere that I really don't have much to say about, but need to touch on or some of you will get mad:

1. Here we go again with Mike and Rachel. They continue to go back and forth between kinda being together and her hating him. I don't mind that necessarily, I just prefer them to stick with one of those paths for more than an episode or two. It seems like she's pretty damn furious with him right now so I hope that continues for a while. Rachel is really awesome when she's angry and it would be fun to see Mike with her as a pseudo-enemy.

2. The feud between Louis and Nigel is a bit weird, but I still like it. I mean, these two should be the best friends in the world, but of course Louis screwed it up. It's just so great to see people mess with Louis (and I love Louis). He just wants a friend and everyone is out to get him. It's great.

I'm really glad this show is back. Let me know what you guys thought about my rants and the first episode back.

QUOTES OF NOTE:

--HARVEY: "So unless you intend to cook me breakfast tomorrow, I'd say we're done."

--DONNA: "Please stop saying Uniball."
--LOUIS: "No, I will not."

--MIKE: "You have no idea what I have or haven't done to get where I am."
--RACHEL: "And that's the whole problem -- I have no idea who you are."

--HARVEY: "You come to me. You tell me everything -- that's what god damn loyalty is."

--RACHEL: "Code 2!
--DONNA: Richard Gere is in the lobby?"

--MIKE: "By the way, if you ever do send that letter, you're in the same boat as me."

RANDOM RAMBLINGS:

--If you forgot where the show left off, check my review from the Season 2 finale for a refresher.

--Man, I missed the great music from this show. This week's favorite: 'Sacrilege' by Yeah Yeah Yeahs

--That dream sequence from the beginning with Rachel exposing Mike didn't fool me even for a second. What's the consensus on dream sequences? Yay or nay? Personally I find them rather lame and overplayed on TV. I mean, we get it, Mike is worried about being exposed. We don't need a dream sequence to tell us that.

--How come when I tell girls about the first time I saw them, it doesn't go quite as well for me as it did for Harvey?

--Haha, I love you Donna for torturing Louis. Excellent work.

--Did Harvey send Scottie to London just because the show couldn't afford to have her as a regular on the show? Or because she wasn't available to? Or because they plan to bring her back for dramatic effect later? This is something I'd like to know. I've always liked Abigail Spencer, so it would be nice to have her back at some point. Although I've never felt much of an investment in her and Harvey.

THE GRADE: B

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Review - SUITS 2.16: 'War'

People don't like change. They grow comfortable with the routine, become complacent and fear the unknown. I'm no different than these people I speak of.

Except for when it comes to TV. Because the status-quo sucks. It's cliche, it's boring and it's lazy. There would be nothing wrong if the season finale kept things the way they were -- 'Suits' would still be great for Season 3, but now it will be more exciting as changes are coming for next year.

If you like those changes, then great, and if for whatever reason you don't, there will still be aspects of the show you love and debating/complaining about the things you don't is half the fun of TV in the first place.

Heading into the Season 2 finale, I'm sure you expected some change anyway. Anyone could see the Mike-Rachel stuff from 10 miles away and the merger doesn't really change anything, it just adds some new faces to the firm. And I don't see how that could possibly be a bad thing. It gives the show some more versatility.

And whether you are a Rachel-Mike 'shipper or not (I am not personally: one of the very few times in my life I haven't been sucked into being a 'shipper), at the very least you can now look forward to some more racy sex scenes. YIKES. That was for mature audiences, only.

Two complaints with the Rachel-Mike storyline, other than it being incredibly transparent and obvious: (1) 
Why do big fights often result in sex for everyone but me? (2) I'm not sure I totally bought Rachel figuring out that something was off with Mike, it seemed like she jumped to that conclusion from seemingly nowhere. She was quibbling/focusing over minor things (like Mike being "cagey"), when other bigger issues were being overlooked. It seemed contrived and didn't feel natural, just a cheap way for her to find out his secret -- I mean, I know she's friends with Mike and all, but she should have gone to someone with more clout with this problem in the first place. She could've turned to her father or any senior partner at the firm -- they all went to Harvard, after all. I don't think I'm far off-base here, but the way things played out irked me a bit, but overall it's not a big deal.

A change I really did like was a possibly new and improved Jessica Pearson for next season. I've complained numerous times about how her character can be powerless when she shouldn't be, letting Harvey and Mike push her around and dictate everything that goes on in the firm. It's about time she exert her dominance over both of them. (Although her behavior in this episode was a bit peculiar. She was FURIOUS when Edward Darby visited with other firms as a contingency plan, so she guaranteed victory in the case over him: which would have guaranteed the end of that very same merger that she was desperate to make in the first place. Then, she sabotaged that very same victory she guaranteed. Strange.)

I'll always have complaints (I'm a little bitch), but I don't really see how any of the things that have changed heading into a new season can be construed as a bad thing for the show moving forward.

Other observations: 

(1) Rachel applying for Harvard was all a set-up for her finding out about Mike never actually attending law school there. We all knew she wasn't going to get in (because that would mean she would essentially have to leave the show), so this was all a precursor to her learning about Mike. I should have seen that as the reason this story was introduced in the first place.

(2) Harvey is so great, but I've never really cared much about his personal life for whatever reason. Maybe because it takes away from him being such a fun lawyer to watch. I've enjoyed his scenes with Scotty every time she's been on and they have a fun dynamic with/against each other, but DAMN, why was he so damn hostile towards her? Jeez.


(3) Two excellent scenes of dialogue in this episode: Donna/Harvey talking about Scotty and Jessica/Harvey going toe-to-toe.

(4) If you thought it was a bit far-fetched that Jessica would keep Mike around even after learning his secret, now you know why she did. She played that card she had on him at the perfect time. Well played, Jessica. I like when she plays hardball and exerts her strengths, proving why her name is on the door. Unfortunately those moments are not frequent enough. 

QUOTES OF NOTE:

--JESSICA: "I wouldn't need a roofie."

--RACHEL: "Harvey, you look nice."
--HARVEY: "Thank you, so do I."

--LOUIS: "What the hell are you looking at, asshole?"

--HARVEY: "I'd rather cross my own line than sign on their dotted one."

--JESSICA: 'And you'll be a winner, but not a leader -- and you won't have me."

--DONNA: "I'm so friggin tired of people asking me that and it's none of your business. ... But no."

--JESSICA: "That was about knowledge and the stakes were nothing. This is about power and the stakes are everything."

--JESSICA: "You're gonna stay here, be humble, and learn your god damn place."

--MIKE: "You don't understand what I have been through. You don't understand what I have lost, because it's everything -- everyone that I love: Trevor, my grandmother, Harvey, now probably this job. I am not ready to lose you. Not today."

--MIKE: "I never went to Harvard. I'm a fraud."

RANDOM RAMBLINGS:

--Louis' face when Nigel kisses Donna's hand was great.

--NIGEL: "I was caressing her lovely hand with my lovely lips." My nominee for the most creepy/disgusting quote in this show's history. Who would've thought it wasn't Louis'?

--Getting rejected on an attempted fist bump? The worst.

--I call BS on Louis' bullying story. That wouldn't have stopped them from tormenting him. It would only have made things worse.

--Just when you thought Louis was beginning to make some strides towards being a better human being, he very predictably screwed over Nigel.

--We may have seen the last of Amanda Schull on 'Suits'. As my Twitter friend (@MariL520) pointed out to me, she's been cast on an upcoming pilot on USA Network.

--TV Couples I was unreasonably invested in (in order of caring): Chuck-Sarah (Chuck), Julie-Matt (Friday Night Lights), Zack-Kelly (Saved by the Bell), Shawn-Juliet (Psych), Castle-Beckett (Castle), Veronica-Logan (Veronica Mars), Neal-Alex (White Collar), Alex-Dave (Happy Endings)

--Couples I've resisted 'shipping for: Jess-Nick (New Girl), Jeff-Anybody (Community), Breanna-Arnaz (One on One)

--Couples that I used to root for, but now dislike: Leonard-Penny (Big Bang Theory), Ted-Anyone (How I Met Your Mother), Jim-Callie (The Glades)

--The Worst Couples in TV history: Brody-Carrie (Homeland), Hannah-Adam (Girls), Troy-Britta (Community)

THE GRADE: B+

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Review - SUITS 2.15: 'Normandy'

Even though you're reading this, I still don't think you really care what I have to say about the penultimate episode of 'Suits' Season 2.

All you likely care about regarding this show is next week's finale and I don't blame you. And it better be good, because "Normandy" was a bit of a let-down and too anti-climactic for my taste.

I was pumped for an epic battle against Hardman, and for a second week in a row I was disappointed with the outcome. Hopefully next week provides the fireworks on that front, as Hardman had little up his sleeves this week to counter Jessica and Company.

I did like and appreciate Louis going to bat for Rachel, but the outcome seemed entirely too predictable to me. If she goes to Harvard, she's off the show. That wasn't going to happen. And I didn't buy that she wouldn't get in to begin with. I understand it's essentially impossible to get into Harvard, but her father is a famous lawyer and alum and we all know connections are everything. And even if she had gotten rejected, wouldn't her father have remedied that situation?

It was also a nice change-of-pace to see Jessica pull off a brilliant maneuver to screw over Hardman -- after all, her name is on the door and it was about damn time this show proved her worth. Too often it's Harvey saving the day, while Jessica watches from the sidelines. I wish they gave her more to do than just bark out orders and scold Harvey.

Jessica out-doing Harvey and Louis acting admirably on behalf of Rachel (not once, but twice) -- too different sides of those characters that were nice to see.

No new side to Mike this week, however, as once again he's at odds with a co-worker. Is there a clause in his contract with the show that he MUST be feuding with someone in every episode? If it's not Rachel, it's Harvey. If it's not them, it's Jessica. Or Louis. Or Donna. And now Katrina. I loved his character in Season 1, but feel like his storylines have taken a step back this year.

Last week I asked for a merger and it looks like I may get my wish, just not with the firm I was expecting. But if this results in Abigail Spencer becoming more of a regular character, I'm all for that.

Things I want to see in the finale next week: (1) Rachel finds out Mike's secret, slaps him and disowns him. (2) Mike gets a new love interest (Let's go with Katrina, because I want Amanda Schull to stick around and a love-hate between those two could be fun) and Rachel gets jealous. Then Mike tells her to shove it. (3) More Hardman, with a more exciting confrontation. Would love to see him win a round. (4) Harvey and Jessica have a major blow-up. (5) Louis resorts back to doing something sleazy. (6) More Donna.

What do you guys want to see?

QUOTES OF NOTE:

--DONNA: "A woman who wants nothing -- I distrust that."

--RACHEL "Mike, I am a sure thing."
--MIKE: "Yeah, you can give it a shot -- but it probably won't work." (How great was his facial reaction there?)

--JESSICA: "That reminds me, how are things going with Pussy Galore?"

--HARVEY: "I call Curley."

RANDOM RAMBLINGS:

--Apparently Mike has a weak stomach ... I would have finished that, dammit.

--Loved how Harvey was at first reluctant to let Donna fix his hair, but then said the hell with it and let her do it.

--Hardman looked surprised/offended that his name was off the door. Did he really expect that to stay up?

THE GRADE: C+

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Review - SUITS 2.14: 'He's Back'

I watched this episode on Friday, but I was multi-tasking and wasn't paying enough attention to write a thorough review. I didn't get to watch it again until Sunday night, because I was shoveling 28 inches of snow and because, quite frankly, I didn't want to watch the very same episode again.

So now that I've watched it twice in the span of a few days, I should have a ton to say about it, right? Well, maybe, but I'm just really eager to get this over with -- so I'm going to keep this short and very unsophisticated.

GENERAL THOUGHTS: Solid episode, as any featuring the fun-to-hate Daniel Hardman would be. ... I don't generally like episodes that don't have resolutions or climaxes, but the way this episode was structured was to have the real (and final?) battle between Hardman and everyone in the next episode. So that's fine. ... I think the other episodes featuring Mike/Harvey/Jessica going after Hardman were better than this one, though. ... I think a merger with Mr. Zane's firm would give this show a nice little jolt. A few more prominent characters wouldn't hurt. Speaking of which, where was Katrina? Is she going to be on more or no? I hope so.

OTHER THOUGHTS: Donna looked heartbroken when she realized Harvey was calling Jessica beautiful and not her. ... No matter your opinion of Louis (personally, I love him), you kinda had to feel bad for him in this one. Heck, even Harvey did. It was nice to see Louis confront Hardman in the elevator. ... Two major thumbs up on Donna slapping Daniel. How awesome was that? Rachel and Mike are totally going to kiss in either next week's episode or the finale. Or both. It would just be a total shock!

I told you this wouldn't be a sophisticated review.

QUOTES OF NOTE:

--DANIEL: "Oh my god, did I forget to give you the subpoena?

--DONNA: "Success is the best revenge."
--LOUIS: "Bullshit. Revenge is the best revenge."

--DONNA: "You're nothing if not an asshole."

--LOUIS: "I'll  rip your smug face off your fat neck and I'll kill you."

RANDOM RAMBLINGS:

--I enjoyed Mike and Harvey calling Hardman a "douchebag" in unison and under their breaths at the deposition, right after Harvey saying:"let's show opposing council some respect."

--Never ruin a sporting event for someone, that's just cruel. Although these days, it's impossible to avoid being spoiled by the internet, twitter, a text message, a friend or a stranger.

--Am I the only one who found it incredibly strange that Rachel told Jessica who she was when she opened the door? CLEARLY Jessica knows who she is.

--Mr. Zane is right. Offensive lines usually are packed with big white dudes while the d-line is packed with big black dudes. Had never thought of that before.

--ANYTIME you see an elevator closing on TV, it's about a 99% guarantee that someone is going to stick their hand in and enter the elevator just before it closes.

THE GRADE: B

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Review - SUITS 2.13: 'Zane vs. Zane'

I've been a bit down on 'Suits' these past few weeks but with just one little moment in "Zane vs. Zane", all is forgiven and I'm reminded why I love this show so much.

Because if you didn't laugh at Louis walking into his office talking into his Dictaphone while huge posters of his mug shots (with hilarious captions*) scattered the room, then obviously this isn't the right show for you and something is clearly wrong with you.

That was classic. I thought the prank war between Louis and Katrina was a bit ridiculous (would a well-known lawyer really get arrested for bringing cuticle clippers into the courthouse?), but it provided some fun moments and laughs and was capped off by the greatest thing that Donna has ever done. And that's saying something.

(*Here are the captions on the posters that I made out: "Being a Dick", "Senior Asshole", "Norma's Bitch", "Abraham Loser", "Little Bitch", "Perfectly Sculpted Cuticles" Which one was your favorite? I'm going with "Norma's Bitch")

Hell, that one scene was so god damn great, it almost made me forget about how lame and cliche the whole "Dad doesn't believe in me, Dad doesn't respect me, Dad doesn't care me" bullshit storyline that we've seen on every TV show ever. At least this one was well-done and felt a bit different than the others I've seen, but still.

As far as the case-of-the-week is concerned, it was just an excuse to (1) Bring back Daniel Hardman next week and (2) Begin the healing process between Mike and Rachel. While the latter doesn't exactly excite me, any time those two share screen-time (regardless if you want them together or not ... I don't) it generally is a good thing.

And I for one am pretty excited about the return of Daniel Hardman. Seriously, what show does rivalries better than this one? Between Travis Tanner and Daniel Hardman, I say 'Suits' does it the best. (Mike kept telling everyone that this week's case was NOT about Zane vs. Zane and it should be about their client vs. Zane. If he thought things got blurred this week, just wait until next week turns into a Pearson vs. Hardman all-out war.)

As great as it will be to see them trounce Hardman, I wouldn't mind seeing them lose this time. The "good guys" always win on law shows, so it's always predictable what will happen. I want this show to stray from that, but I won't hold my breath on that one.


One last thing about this week's case: Are companies really that fucking stupid about sexual discrimination? Judging by THIS and THIS, maybe they are. Also, did Robert Zane, this apparently brilliant attorney, really think that Harvey wasn't going to notice what that sexist company was hiding?

There will always be minor quibbles, but that was a really fun episode with a lot of great dialogue and leads us into a very promising episode next week with the return of Hardman. Can't wait.

QUOTES OF NOTE:

--HARVEY: "This better not end up with you in bed with her, telling her your secret."
--MIKE: "Not a problem, we'll do it on the couch. ... Wow, that was not respectful to you, me or her."
--HARVEY: "Or her father."
--MIKE: "Or your couch."
--HARVEY: "Not my couch!"

--DONNA: "I'm remembered fondly everywhere."

--LOUIS: "You lied to me, and you know it."
--KATRINA: "Oh, yeah? Who are you gonna tell?"

--LOUIS: "General Zod was a visionary leader who was under-appreciated by his entire planet -- so of course I know who he is."

--HARVEY: "You too!? You are NOT getting my bagel."

--DONNA: "I gotta admit, you look kinda hot as a bad-boy."

RANDOM RAMBLINGS:

--One would think that opposing lawyers should know by now not to mess with Harvey, Jessica and Mike and try to make things personal. It only fires them up. Want evidence? Just look what happened to Travis Tanner and Daniel Hardman.

--One day we're going to live in a world where our blenders don't sound louder than a nuclear missile launch. In the meantime, we can at least enjoy Louis drowning out Katrina talking with one.

--If I send you a picture of my face, will someone PLEASE photoshop me as former Presidents of the United States??

--Why do Mike and Rachel keep insisting that this case wasn't Zane vs. Zane when the episode title clearly states that it is?

--Rachel was #2 in her high school graduating class. I was 82 out of 257, I believe (may be a few spots off on that). Now that I told you mine, what was yours? Don't be a bitch, just do it.

--So Katrina (Amanda Schull) thinks she's a pretty face? Yeah, I'm going to have to agree on that one. And apparently Louis feels that same way about Gwen Stefani. Yeah, I'm going to have to agree on that one.

--Norma is legitimately the WORST secretary of all-time.





--I don't want to know why Louis is running low on socks.

THE GRADE: A-

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Review - SUITS 2.12: 'Blood in the Water'

Before I ramble on and on like a mad-man trying to figure out how I felt about this episode, let me begin by talking about something I know for sure: Rachel and Donna are bleeping awesome.

Neither of them get as much screen time as I'd like, but Donna is consistently the most entertaining character with her witty repartee and humor and Rachel has been dynamite these past two weeks in her confrontations with Mike.

But if we're talking 'Suits' and confrontations, we have to begin with Harvey and Louis once again at odds. Both always have valid reasons for being pissed at the other and the argument in Louis' office was great as usual. That rivalry is perhaps my favorite part of this show in general, so I didn't love how just 20 minutes after Harvey explodes on Louis, all is forgiven by the end of the episode. And of course it was inevitable because Louis clearly wasn't going to leave the firm and Harvey had to fix things at the end to make it happen.

I get it. But I just don't like it in this case, because this is the second time now that Louis has essentially gotten another job and threatened to leave and the fight between the two this week was so heated that Harvey made it clear that they were completely done. This time that fight should have stuck. But with Jessica giving Louis the validation he's been searching for since the series began and Harvey ripping up the resignation letter, Louis stays and it's almost as if that fight never happened.

One more quick Louis-related complaint: why does he consistently let EVERYONE push him around? He lets Mike bully him into giving Harold another chance when he very clearly doesn't deserve it. If Harold really had made all those mistakes that Louis talked about, he would have been fired 1,000 times by now. They didn't do a good job of showing why he was any good, does a really good essay mean he's some genius lawyer or something? C'mon, he's terrible. And why do we even care? Was that all just a way to get rid of a character so the show can save some money?

On to more pressing matters ... I was a bit tough on Mike in last week's episode (although not nearly as harsh than Shawn Mahone was haha), but after getting yelled at by Harvey and beat up by Tess' husband, I think he's endured enough. He's gotten rid of the drugs, ended the affair and returned to being the brilliant legal mind and problem solver that he is.

Although that's not nearly enough penance as far as Rachel is concerned, apparently.

QUOTES OF NOTE:

--DONNA: "Do you want to talk about it, I have ice cream!"

--DONNA: "OK, you caught me, I don't even eat the bananas."

--HARVEY: "Maybe Hardman wanted me dead, but you're the one who went out, got the gun, aimed it and fired it at my head."

--HARVEY: "You're the guy that nobody wants, but we can't get rid of."

--ALLISON: "You say we, but I don't see your name on the door."

--MIKE: "I want you to know it was after I ended things with Tess."
--RACHEL: "I want you to know that I just don't give a shit."

RANDOM RAMBLINGS:

--The first 10 seconds of the episode was quite the unique endorsement of whatever brand of vacuum cleaner that was!

--"Pearson Paulson" does sound pretty good! I'm with you on that one Donna.

--Can we get Michael Jordan on an upcoming episode, please? (They've mentioned how he's a client of Harvey's like three separate times now) I mean, we all know he can act, he was on 'Space Jam' after all.

--Moral of this episode: Michael Jordan was really good at playing basketball, but not very good at choosing who is good at playing basketball. On a related matter, Jessica knowing his record as an executive makes her instantly more attractive in my mind. One last Jordan note: anyone who says he isn't the best basketball player of all-time is a colossal moron.

--Question: If someone is kicking your ass because you slept with their wife, do you even have the right to fight back?

THE GRADE: B-

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Review - SUITS 2.11: 'Blind-Sided'

I have way too many thoughts running through my mind about Thursday's return of 'Suits' to put them coherently into sentences that form paragraphs.

So I will stray a bit from my usual form of review and make this a bit easier for myself...

THINGS I LIKED:

--Harvey going off on Mike, demanding that he get his shit together. (It's about damn time this happened.)

--Louis getting bullied by both Sheila (sexually) and the young Harvard law candidate (professionally).

--Delving into Harvey's personal life, which doesn't happen often. Will be interesting to see how he reacts to kinda/sorta getting heartbroken by Zoe. (Although in real life he's doing just fine, considering he's married to the actress that plays Zoe -- Jacinda Barrett.)

--The drama that is about to start between Harvey and Louis, considering Louis was prohibited from hiring a first-year and Harvey just hired someone. Anytime those two are at odds, it makes for fun television.

 --Cute scene between Harvey and the little girl. (It's cliche that being good around children will result in the guy getting the woman, but still fun dialogue regardless)

 --The case-of-the-week was good, provided some drama and was a nice change-of-pace from the usual corporate crap. I've always wished that they would delve into criminal cases more often.

THINGS I DON'T LIKE:

--Getting sick of Mike doing stupid shit and getting away with it time and time again. He's a good lawyer sometimes and helps Harvey out sometimes, but not good enough that he wouldn't have been fired about 20 times by now.

-- So done with the Rachel-Mike will-they/won't-they relationship. It's on. It's off. They kiss. It's off. It's about to be back on, but she sees him with another woman. ENOUGH. And by the looks of that scene in the file room, these two are more fun when they are at odds and fighting. THAT was entertaining. If they go back to him trying to win her back in the next episode or so, I am not going to be too happy.

--I've seen the 'leveraging a better job with a plea deal' from a smarmy lawyer storyline in countless TV shows already. Didn't need to see it again here.

--Mike flipping on the kid, saying: "You've been given a gift you don't deserve."  Oh, really, Mike, and you deserve to be a fake lawyer?

--Tess leaving. Not only am I bummed to see her go (because she's hot), but also nervous this is going to lead us back into the Mike-Rachel crap.

NOT SURE THAT I LIKE OR HATE:

--The young Harvard lawyer that Louis tries to hire could stir up trouble -- potentially exposing Mike's secret. We've seen this storyline already with Trevor telling Jessica. Not sure we need to see it again. This might already be the end of it (with Jessica squashing the hire), but we shall see.

 --I'm so done with the Fifty Shades of Grey shit. It's been done by every show in the world already, so it's beyond played out at this point. I did enjoy the banter at the lunch table between the Louis and Sheila, but I didn't need to hear: "I'm gonna close the shit out of her, and then you're gonna close the shit out of me." GROSS.

--Mike confronting the lawyer, regarding the accident that killed his parents. I enjoyed the emotion of that scene, but just something about that scene didn't really sit well with me. I really don't know what it was.


QUOTES OF NOTE:

--DONNA (to Harvey): "I wanted to be in a position of power when I toyed with you."

--RACHEL (to Mike): "Let me ask you this: did she know that six hours before you screwed her, you tried to screw me?"

--HARVEY (to Mike): "I think you missed your calling as a fake cop."

--RACHEL (to Mike): "I am not the goodie-goodie that you think I am, you have no idea what you passed on."

--LOUIS (to Sheila): "Punctuality is the best aphrodisiac."

--SHEILA (to Louis): "Your sexual prowess isn't gonna get you out of this."

RANDOM RAMBLINGS:

--When Mike said: "You're gonna be home in time for dinner", that's a guarantee that the case would take a turn for the worse.

THE SCORE: 64 out of 100

Would love to know what you all thought about the episode. What specific parts about my review did you agree and/or disagree with?

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Review - SUITS 2.10: 'High Noon'

Who says USA is afraid to go away from the status quo? After just three minutes of the mid-season finale of 'Suits', they made a SHOCKING (!) move and removed Jessica from control of the firm -- changing everything we've come to know and love about this show.

I mean, it was intense! Harvey tried to convince Jessica to quit the firm and take a year off of being a lawyer. That would have REALLY shook things up on this show. Instead, Jessica convinced him to relax for a bit, wait and not make any major life decisions when he was angry. Then, he decided to piss in Hardman's office.

And then, after a brief stoned period, Mike and Harvey figured out (in about 10 minutes or so) how to return 'Suits' back to what it was during the first three minutes of 'High Noon' and every other previous episode. Congratulations, USA, you've done it again. You should be proud.

Another thing to be proud of: The CRAZY twist at the end that had Rachel knock on Mike's door, only to find that he had another woman in his bed. And to think, I totally thought the knock on the door was going to be the pizza guy. Boy, am I dumb. I thought Mike and Rachel were going to be together forever without any more distractions/interruptions/obstacles/break-ups or significant others.

Crazy twist #3: Louis begins the episode totally against Harvey and ends the episode on his side. That's a storyline and avenue they just haven't explored yet on this show. Once again, original writing at its finest.

The only good part of the episode was the revelation that it was Hardman that planted that document. It was one of those "Oh, shit" moments that we love so much about TV. We are surprised and delighted at those developments and simultaneously question why didn't see that coming because they dropped subtle clues (like Hardman finding the dirt on Tanner himself) on us. That was a cool way of further paying off those good episodes earlier in the season regarding the Tanner-Specter storyline.

But that's not enough to save this episode. Going into the mid-season finale, we KNEW that there would be a Rachel-Mike cliffhanger, we KNEW that Pearson was going to re-gain control of the firm and force Hardman out and we KNEW that Louis would switch his allegiances. So how great can the episode be if it plays out exactly the way anyone with a brain knew it was going to?

Exactly.


QUOTES OF NOTE:

--JESSICA (to Harvey): "You don't make major life decisions when dealing with a loss." (Cut to Mike buying weed ... oh come on, that's not a major life decision!)

--TESS (to Mike): "I'm married." (Hey-oh!)

--LOUIS (to himself): "If you were a narcissist with great hair, what would your password be?"

--MIKE (to Rachel): "You think not kissing is gonna make that any better?"


RANDOM RAMBLINGS:

--A generally decent guy, acting like a tough-guy douchebag and treating women like shit because he suffered a loss and is just being vulnerable and doesn't want to admit it ... that never happens on TV!

An emotional guy, acting like a tough-guy dick when dealing with a death in the family? That never happens on TV

--OK, seriously, Tess looks like she's Donna's younger sister. They HAVE to be related. I don't care if Donna's real name is Sarah Rafferty and Tess is played by Elizabeth Hower.

--Every time they tease the can opener thing I get excited we're finally gonna learn about it. But then I realize, they will drag THE SHIT out of this like they do Mike/Rachel and Mike/his secret being found out. Curse you, USA.

--Shaquille O'Bryant. Haha.

THE SCORE: 56 out of 100

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Review - SUITS 2.09: 'Asterisk'

My take-away from 'Asterisk': Melky Cabrera should have retired two days before the episode aired.

Seriously, how crazy is it that the DAY BEFORE 'Asterisk' came on, a prominent Major League Baseball player got busted for performance-enhancing drugs? Reminds me of the time on 'Chuck' where John Casey pulled out a photo of Osama Bin Laden for target practice a short time after he was killed in real life.

Aside from the crazy timing of that storyline, that might have been the worst case in the history of law shows .. and that's saying something. But this episode wasn't about that (just one of the several reasons why that storyline shouldn't have been in the episode at all) and the resolution of what this episode was really about won't be until next week. So if you're expecting a good final score of this episode, I suggest you don't scroll all the way down the page.

While it seems fairly obvious what the end-result of this battle between Pearson-Hardman will be, it's not a guarantee what will happen regarding Louis' possible senior partnership. I like Litt the most when he's playing his jealous/winy/slimy self, so I'm not sure I want to see him get the promotion. If he does, we'll just have to settle for how much fun Louis has with Harvey when they are on the same level/playing field. That rivalry is the gift that keeps on giving and I don't expect that to change even if Louis' position does.

If I were Louis, I wouldn't vote for either of these assholes. Hardman couldn't care less about Litt, tried to frame him and is clearly using and manipulating him -- and very well, I might add.. And Jessica has been an unappreciative bitch to him since the series began. I like how Jessica said she doesn't respond to threats, but she's perfectly OK to make them herself.

As for those crazy 'shippers out there (you know who you are), you must have loved what you saw this week. Mike and Rachel had some nice moments together and the big emotional scene at the end is probably what will drive these two crazy kids back together. The second they were checking out that apartment for the first time, I knew: it was gonna be Mike and Rachel living there together, not Mike and Grandma.

R.I.P Grandma.

On a more positive note: congrats Rachel on becoming a lawyer. Now the show just needs to get a new hot paralegal to take her place and piss off all the 'shippers. Ha!


QUOTES OF NOTE:

--DONNA (to Harvey): "I heard that little shit re-did my filing system."

--MIKE (to Harvey): "You're not gonna tell the bar association that I deserve an asterisk, are you"

--HARVEY (to Mike): "Good. Fine. Go. I wouldn't want her to think I'm a hard-ass."


RANDOM RAMBLINGS:

--Donna strutting her stuff > Louis strutting his stuff

--It took Donna all of two minutes back at the firm to prove her worth, tipping off Jessica at what Hardman was up to.

--Harvey driving 65 in a school zone ... I like his style.

--I kind of want to stop the run of creepiness on my Suits and White Collar reviews lately, but I'm sorry, I have to say it: Rachel looked incredible in this episode. DAMN.

--After watching Mike and Rachel hug for like 20 seconds at the end, it made me realize that I could really use a hug right now too.

THE SCORE: 59 out of 100

This episode had its moments and highlights, but the case was TERRIBLE and the real action comes next week in the mid-season finale. This was just a typical sub-par precursor episode. So don't you dare quibble with my score.

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Review - SUITS 2.08: 'Rewind'

How you feel about 'Rewind' depends on whether or not you're a person who loves flashback episodes or hates them.

I don't know where I stand on those types of episodes, but as the reviewer of Suits, I should probably take a stance one way or the other, huh?

In this particular installment, I was perfectly fine with it. Because not only did it answer some questions, give us some background and share a few fun moments, but it also helped leapfrog us into the next storyline of Pearson against Hardman.

Things we learned about:

*How Mike got his start into taking tests for people and why he did it
*How Mike met Jenny and how she ended up with Trevor
*How the firm found out about Hardman's embezzlement, what he was doing with the money and how they dealt with him
*How Harvey climbed to partner
*How Donna knows everything
*Why Zoe left the firm
*Harvey's relationship with his father (boring)

Some of those I could have done without and slept just fine, but in a normal episode we probably wouldn't have learned about any of these things, so 'Rewind' wasn't a waste of time. But nor was it as great or memorable as I think some fans were expecting it to be.

Moving forward in the storyline, it seems fairly obvious the end result will be Pearson > Hardman. After all, he's a guest star on this show and Gina Torres is one of the main cast members. And let's be honest, USA shows don't tinker with the status-quo for longer than two episodes. It will be interesting to see how it plays out and the drama that the firm will go through over the next few episodes before the hiatus.

One last note: Seriously, how great is the chemistry between Harvey and Donna? They were at their best in this one. And thankfully, we'll get to see more of that sooner rather than later.

QUOTES OF NOTE:

--HARVEY (on phone): "No team from Boston is going undefeated when the road goes through New York." (Ha! Suck it, Boston fans! FYI ... I was born in Boston and spent the first 25 years of my life in Massachusetts. I don't like New York teams, either, though.)

--DONNA (to Rachel): "You're weird. We'll be friends."

--DONNA (to Harvey): "Finally, an office big enough for your balls."

--HARVEY (to Jessica): "One more thing: I'm getting Donna back."

RANDOM RAMBLINGS:

--Two episodes in a row quoting 'A Few Good Men'. I could get used to this!
--People with photographic memories make me sick. I hate them. Not only are they brilliant and not only do they automatically own tests, but they have a fool-proof way to pick up chicks.

--I know it's a small world, but I hate when shows do the whole "they've actually crossed paths before!" No, that never happened. And if you're going to do that stupid thing, at least make it funny or clever. That was neither.

--This episode set a record for sheer volume of beautiful women. No complaints here.

--Poor Scottie Pippen.

--How dare Zoe tell Harvey how to deal with his father's death.

--Not only did we not learn what exactly the Can Opener Ritual is all about or what it entails, but now we don't know how the thumb tacks are involved in all of this. I am bewildered.

--If you DO love flashback episodes, take a look at this. (And in particular, notice to the second one in the slideshow)

THE SCORE: 81 out of 100

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Review - SUITS 2.07: 'Sucker Punch'

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

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