Mike has returned to Pearson Spector, but barely has time to savor it as he's back to working shoulder-to-shoulder with Rachel. Jessica and Harvey try to outmaneuver Sean Cahill as he goes after the firm's files on the Gillis Industries takeover. And Louis struggles to hide the illicit deal he made to win that fight.
All is right in the world of Suits again as Mike is back working at Pearson Spector. Now, he has his own office and is able to help right away with the firm's battle with Sean Cahill and the SEC. The plot of "Exposure" goes in a really roundabout way. Harvey and Mike both admit that the best way to take care of their Cahill problem is to turn over the files because they have nothing to hide. They were not colluding. Thusly, there's no risk for either them. Pride is what fuels the firm's decision not to do that strategy. They are under attack and don't believe they should just hand the files over to Cahill who will keep searching no matter what. But in the end, a deal is struck where the entire files for the Gillis Industries takeover will be sent to the SEC. It's exactly the solution the hour opened with. It just took some time before it actually came to fruition.But that now means that Louis' illegal deal with Forstman is under a microscope. He's frantically panicking over how to bury or get rid of that deal altogether. He's an honorable and loyal man who did this one bad thing because he wanted to be a hero but also because he didn't have a choice. Forstman forced this deal upon him that would hurt Louis much more than it would hurt him. And now, the pressure is on and he definitely feels it. It's exactly in the moment where he feels completely in the clear that he learns of Harvey and Mike's revised strategy. By that time, it's too late to do anything about it. We spend the entire scene between Harvey and Sean in the judge's chambers knowing how bad this deal will ultimately be for the firm and for Louis. And yet, there's nothing that can be done about it. Harvey and Jessica don't know what Louis did. When the truth is exposed next week, expect tons of sparks to fly.
And then, there was the fallout of the Mike and Rachel breakup. The best part of that was how their relationship was paralleled with Donna's relationship with Harvey. Those two have clearly set guidelines for their relationship. The connection and respect is there but Harvey and Donna don't want to go there again because of what might happen afterwards. Yes, that's stuff we the audience already know about. But it didn't really lessen the moment of Donna telling it to Rachel and then Rachel throwing it into her face later. However, Rachel couldn't just listen and follow Mike and Donna's advice. Mike wants space and she can't give it to him. Donna says she shouldn't push too hard and she just pushes too hard. She's forcing Mike to come to an emotional realization that he doesn't seem like he's ready for. The scenes between Mike and Rachel tonight were awkward. They were unsure of what exactly they wanted to be about. So, the ultimate resolution that they're back together because they love each other more than they hate this mistake doesn't quite seem earned. But perhaps now, they can go back to being a quaint couple who are both a major part of Harvey's team.
Some more thoughts:
- "Exposure" was written by Justin Peacock and directed by John Scott.
- I think I didn't like Rachel's actions in this episode because it ultimately boiled down yet again to a girl getting weak in the knees whenever she sees a guy she really likes and can't focus on anything else.
- That callback to Mike and Katrina's shit moment was pretty great.
- Donna's attempts at dating once again get derailed because of life-threatening work problems with Harvey.
- It always seems like Mike gets his own office at the firm not by earning it but because of circumstances happening elsewhere.
