‘Suits’ 3.1 Episode Recap and Review: Friends Become Foes
The writers of the season three premiere of Suits have made it crystal clear that the law offices of Pearson-Darby are at still war. In the first episode, titled “The Arrangement”, there are a lot of fights going on. It’s been 48 hours after Mike and Rachel bump ugly, and the two haven’t spoken, so Ross (Patrick J. Adams) decides to visit Zane’s apartment after waking up from a nightmare, in which he is ousted from the entire firm. Rachel (Meghan Markle) still is struggling to digest his half-truth and he’s afraid that he’ll lose the girl of his dreams, so he begins to detail the start of his fraudulent career.
Back at the office Jessica and Harvey are at odds, as Specter (Gabriel Macht) isn’t happy about the new merger. He was under the impression that he would make senior partner until Pearson (Gina Torres) stabbed him in the back, and formed an alliance with The Brits – which was orchestrated by his trusty associate. The result of the new partnership means that Jessica gets a 49% ownership stake, while the remaining 51% belongs to Edward Darby (Conleth Hill). This makes Harvey extremely angry, because, you know, he always gets his way with everything, and now he must take orders from an enemy, which is like, beneath him. So what Does Macht’s character do? He retaliates by making a side deal with Edward, stating that he’ll be able to opt-out of his non-compete clause if he wins the Ava Hessington oil case. But since he’s disowned his partner-in-crime, he must find a way gather as much information as possible to win the case, or face unemployment (and that’s not an option!) So being the sly devil that he is, Gabriel’s Harvey tracks down Scottie (Abigail Spencer) – who’s being shipped to London – and attempts to sweet talk her into assisting him before she boards her flight.
This wasn’t the only arrangement taking place during season opener though. Rick Hoffman’s Louis Litt was also negotiating a deal of his own with Nigel – the new quartermaster played by Adam Godley, which didn’t end well. The plan was to rid Godley of his position, but eventually Nigel caught on, and now Louis is screwed. Meanwhile, Ross still has to get in good graces with his former mentor, who just won’t budge. To make matters worse, Donna (Sarah Rafferty), who once sided with Mike, also feels betrayed by his dishonesty (why is beyond me), so there’s that. Straddling much?
While I’m not looking forward to all the back-stabbing and betrayal that will take place throughout the season, it’s refreshing to Adams’ character stand up for himself rather than let the senior partners walk all over him. A perfect example of Patrick being more vocal is shown in the scene with Torres when she threatens to blackmail him. Another example can be seen when Benjamin, the computer technician, reveals that he’s been monitoring Ross’ internet activity, in which he fires back by saying he’s captured Ben’s confession on tape. (Way to go, Mike! That’s how you play the game of suits!) On the other hand, I find that Markle’s character is being annoying. Even though what Ross is doing is wrong, she shouldn’t blame him for her shortcomings. It’s not his fault that he’s smarter than her, so instead of asking Mike to resign, Zane should leave the firm since it compromises their relationship.
How long do you think the Pearson-Darby office feud will last?
Share your thoughts below, and tune in to the next episode, tonight on USA at 10p EST!
What a season premier, I think this show keeps improving. It will be interesting to see how this all plays out with all the politics and relationships. I am also not looking forward to all the back-stabbing and betrayal, but am for some reason, fascinated by the behind the scenes stuff going on at this law firm.
I’m not looking forward to what Louis has up his sleeves.