USA's Suits - Episode 4.10 "This Is Rome"
Harvey and Jessica take measures to protect the firm from an outsider trying to poach their clients, and Louis struggles to get his personal and professional affairs in order.
It was devastating watching Louis walk away from Pearson Spector at the end of the last episode. They are his family and he made this one huge mistake. I was curious as to how he would continue on in the series. Characters have left the firm before - Mike and Donna - but they've found their way back eventually. The same applies to Louis except he forces himself back after finally connecting the dots about Mike's big secret. I often see the secret as a burden the show occasionally has to deal with. It rears its head in basically every finale the show has ever done. It's a tactic that outwore its welcome quite quickly but still has yet to completely disappear. So I wasn't surprised it popped up again near the end of "This Is Rome." And yet, I appreciated the reveal because it wasn't about Mike at all. It was about Louis and his relationships to Donna and Jessica. That's what made the final twist so powerful.And yet, the hour preceding the concluding moments did feel like the show floundering a little bit as it searched for direction. Louis was adrift in life and everyone - except Jessica - was trying to help him out. Potential scenarios for his future kept presenting themselves. First, he's going to Boston to win back Sheila. That avenue definitely would have given that character the appropriate amount of closure. But I never expected Suits to just completely write out Louis. So that option was easily dismissed. Then, Mike tries to get him a job with Robert Zane. That leads to some back-and-forth about Louis being man enough to break his contract with Pearson Spector to bring one client with him and then Mike and Harvey going to Walter Gillis to make peace. The problem facing the firm and their client seemed so flimsy. But hey, it led to emotional resolution in that dynamic between Mike and Walter that was so important at the start of the season but was never really important later on. And Suits could have committed to Louis working with Zane and the two firms battling. That definitely could have worked as the main story narrative of the back six episodes of the season.
Instead we get a major revelation tossed on at the end that puts a finite and exciting point on what to expect when the series returns. Everyone in this family has known about Mike's secret except Louis. So now, he feels betrayed and hurt because none of them were even honest with him and he would do absolutely anything for them. He worked harder than anyone else but he had no clue what has really been happening at the firm for the past four seasons. He considered Harvey, Donna and Rachel friends. And yet, they lied to him. Moreover they made his previous suspicions seem trivial and made him think that by bringing them up it would ruin his relationship with Sheila. They were manipulating him and it was devastating watching them all do that so easily. And now, he knows what's been going on and he wants what he's wanted all along: his name on the door. He has all the power because he could destroy everything that Harvey and Jessica have worked to build. That's powerful but he's also all alone now. He finally gets what he wants but the firm won't be like the family it used to be. And that dynamic is what I'm most looking forward to when the series returns early next year.
Some more thoughts:
- "This Is Rome" was written by Chris Downey and directed by Roger Kumble.
- That final scene between Harvey and Mike at the dinner table was perfect though. So very funny.
- Rachel just pops up to remind us that her father doesn't do anything without expecting anything in return. Because we, of course, needed that reminder.
- Katrina has also lost her job because she helped Louis try to steal a client. I'm going to miss their dynamic. Although I suspect this was just a convenient way to free Amanda Schull so she could go star on Syfy's upcoming 12 Monkeys.
- Donna knows how to shoot because of course she does! And it's wonderful.
- I knew the key was being given way too much importance when Mike pointed it out twice. That then led to his undoing - unbeknownst to him. I'm sure Donna warned Jessica and then immediately called Harvey.
- But seriously, how is the show gonna repair the Louis-Donna friendship. That's my biggest concern. They have their work cut out for them!
