S04.E10: This Is Rome

[bentley]

Louis  (paraphrasing) This is a horrible law firm with horrible people. Now make me partner!

 

Whatever, dude. Unless his first act as partner is to fire Mike Ross, then he is as profoundly stupid and legally compromised as the rest of them for knowingly perpetuating this fraud. Hope the extra money and name on the wall are worth it.

[Puffaroo]

For me, this was just about as perfect a "Suits" episode as I could have asked for. It had crazy drama, great relationships, terrific intrigue, humor, bromance, everyone scrambling to save Louis only to have him go rogue ... and that ending. Wow. That ending was fantastic.

 

And -- unless I fell asleep -- NO RACHEL!!!

 

As someone else said, she serves no purpose and is just generally annoying.

[Orwell1984]

A rewatch of this episode reiterated one thing for me in that for all of Jessica and Harvey's legal skills and ability to outmaneouver opponents on the fly, their one big flaw is their inability to compromise or give a little.  Had they let Louis take Versa Life or one small client to Zane, they would have had his gratitude and continued loyalty.  Instead, Jessica was adamanat that she didn't care about what happened to Louis and couldn't care less if he found a job.  Harvey, while caring about Louis, wasn't willing to find a way for him to stay in the only city he ever loved.   Offering a job in Cinniciati is no compromise for Harvey.  In their minds because Louis screwed up so immensely and betrayed the firm, he was not entitled to any assistance.  Had they been willing to bend a little, Mike's past would never have been discovered.

[needschocolate]

And -- unless I fell asleep -- NO RACHEL!!!

 

As someone else said, she serves no purpose and is just generally annoying.

 

Perhaps I was asleep and dreaming, but I remember Mike coming home and telling Rachel that he found Louis a job/interview in New York. Rachel kissed him, as she was very happy about it - until she found out it was with her father (she was standing by the refrigerator at the time).  Rachel mentioned that she didn't go to her father for help in paying for law school because he always wants something in return.  Mike responded that he doesn't care if he now owes her father if it helps Louis. 

 

I also remember commenting to my husband that Rachel has a unique looking nose when viewed in profile.

 

So which one of us was asleep?  Note: I have, on occasion, had rather detailed dreams, so it could still be me who was asleep. 

[el perro fumando]

Had they let Louis take Versa Life or one small client to Zane, they would have had his gratitude and continued loyalty. Instead, Jessica was adamanat that she didn't care about what happened to Louis and couldn't care less if he found a job. .

Yep. That was my first reaction as well. Every week we see their need to win at all costs, which often works for them. But here Jessica's (and Harvey's) need to win is what wound up taking them down. Hubris, baby. It's a killer!

[Long Days Night]

I think the stage is set for Jessica, Harvey, Mike, and Donna to team-up to beat Louis, should the firm become PSL. Nothing unifies a band of thieves like a common enemy, and Louis now appears to be that figure of focus. Jessica and Harvey won't sit still under a threat of blackmail, Mike can't afford to, and Donna has no reason to, now that Louis has cut her off. And what we may have at the end of this road, I fear, is Louis as the piñata all over again.

 

 

I just feel like they're playing out a formula that they've been rehashing in slightly altered versions for a couple of seasons now.  Way back in the beginning, the show was stuctured around the firm team taking on outsiders, in a case of the week format.  That was my favorite incarnation of the show, when the "us"  in the "us vs. them" format were all the people I was rooting for and the "thems" were just a parade of random one-off guest stars.  Then they decided to up the stakes and try to make that "us vs. them" a series of Pearson-Hardman/Pearson-Spector internal battles.  First we got Harvey/Jessica/Mike taking on Hardman for the ownership of the firm, so at least there the "us" was still the main show characters and the antagonist was still really an outsider, in terms of viewer identification.

 

But then it got worse (in terms of my personal enjoyment of the show) - because after Jessica locked down sole control, they've just been running different permutations of the core characters taking on each other in various sequences, because they've decided doing a civil war, brother-vs.-brother thing ratchets up the intensity even more. Oh, the Drama!  First we got Harvey/Mike vs. Jessica.  Next up was Harvey/Jessica vs. Mike as Investment Banker.  Now they need to find a new way to splinter the family and pit them against one another, so we're going to get Harvey/Jessica/Mike vs. Louis.  But just like the first two rounds did not end up with Harvey or Jessica or Mike staying on the outs or ending up a piñata, I expect that the ultimate end for this new battle will be for all parties to reconcile & Louis is going to end up back in the gang, all warm and fuzzy, probably by the last episode of the next half-season.

 

If we're lucky, the season afterward will focus on Absolutely Everyone vs. Rachel, and the twist ending will involve her leaving for good.

[betsyboo]

From TVGuide's Ask Matt:

Question: I don't watch many of the Emmy-nominated cable shows and am disappointed at the nominations of the same people and shows every year. I wonder what you think of the shows on USA Network that aren't getting any recognition, such as Suits, or on TNT, such as Perception, where I think Eric McCormack is exceptional. Also, what are your thoughts on The Goldbergs? I find that show very funny and all the actors doing a terrific job! — Helene

 

Matt Roush: To your bigger point: Just because you don't watch the shows that tend to get nominated doesn't mean that most aren't worthy. They may just not be to your taste. (But yes, I also get tired of the same shows and stars being nominated year after year, especially when some shows, like Mad Men, failed to live up to their reputation last time out. And while my admiration for Breaking Bad is limitless, I'm not thrilled that it gets to be nominated twice for a final season because of the craven way AMC scheduled it over two years.)

 

I'm mainly addressing this question so I can give a shout-out to Suits, which just wrapped one of its best runs yes, especially involving the magnificent work by Rick Hoffman as Louis Litt (this actor's role of a lifetime), whose performance in last week's summer cliffhanger as he confronted Jessica left me gasping. I can't wait for it to return — but that doesn't mean I'd consider a show this slick and melodramatic to be a natural Emmy contender. (Hoffman, on the other hand, I'd nominate without blinking.) Perception I've never really bought, though it's no fault of McCormack, who really delivers any time I've watched (while rolling my eyes). And The Goldbergs, though a bit shrill for my taste some weeks, I'm glad to see moving to ABC's Wednesday family-comedy lineup, where it should have been airing last season.

 

 

[Nanrad]

"My favorite part was Louis lighting in to Donna. I'm glad Louis called her out on her version of friendship which essentially is that she's your friend as long as it's beneficial for Harvey or her but you will get kicked to the curb quick for Harvey's sake. Really, when will people stop taking romantic advice from her?"

This is false. Donna has been a legit friend to Louis without it having no benefit on Harvey at all. Even when Harvey was angry with Louis and Louis served no benefit, Donna asked for Harvey to take it easy and/or cut him a break. As someone else mentioned, she helped him get over his stage fright and advised Harvey on how to offer a deal that would truly benefit Louis, which Harvey would get nothing out of.

One thing Donna is very honest about is her unwavering loyalty to Harvey, but she's never been cold hearted about it. Furthermore, she's given pretty good romantic advise as well, so why wouldn't any take it from her?

[DeeDee79]

Well, I'm out. I loved Harvey and Jessica and to a lesser extent Mike but now I despise all three. Was never a fan of Louis; he had his good points and his bad but these last eps outlined everything I detest about his character. Why would you want to be name partner alongside people that you clearly detest unless it's to hold something over their heads? There's no turning back for me; at least I don't have to put up with Rachel any longer.

[IWantCandy71]

I"m way late here, but I love Louis. I don't particularly think any of these characters are nice, but I can at least identify with and root for Louis.

 

I think both Rachel AND Donna are useless, and I think Donna/Harvey have zero sexual/romantic chemistry. Harvey and JESSICA have more sparks. And while I pretty much dislike everything about Donna, I might be okay in the *very* end w/a  Donna/Louis romance. Because I actually could buy them *mutually* being supportive of each other.

When I look at Donna/Harvey, I just see a woman desperately defending a man no matter what he does(unless he screws HER over, then her tone changes), but either way-blindly supporting someone no matter what they do, is never smart or healthy IMO.

I don't *want* Donna for Louis, but again-if she can appreciate and support him and he can do that for her-that's more than he'll likely get from any other woman, and more than she'll ever get from Harvey.

 

I personally don't see the need for a long term relationship for Harvey until *maybe* the very end. Not sure who that should be, or if a new character needs to be brought on to fill that role.

Either way, it ain't Donna.

 

Louis rocks. That is all. And while I don't want it to last forever, I do want Louis to make them ALL squirm.

[Kcat1971]

I am still only about 1/2 way through this season.  I LOVED this show the first season (In fact bought it on DVD immediately). I liked this show for the second season.  But its almost completely lost its appeal for me.  One thing that I think would help redeem it is to get rid of the secret.  Seriously.  Figure out a way to deal with it, no matter how far fetched, then just let it go.  I miss the characters from the first 3 seasons.  I know they evolve but like a poster above, I miss the "us" v. "them" format over the internal fighting.  I still haven't decided if I'm going to catch up and tune back in over the break.  

[truthaboutluv]

Mike's presence only makes everything worse and it's amazing that he cannot see that. I hope next season he does the right thing and gets out of there. They should hire him as an investigator not a lawyer, and instead of being at each other's throats, they should work together to deal with clients and their cases.

 

 

YMMV but that's just it, I felt that Mike did see that at the end of S3 and I don't agree that he only left because he had a cushy offer to fall back on. Mike had suggested leaving to Harvey at other times, long before that offer was made, when his secret was in danger of being exposed and Harvey got pissed at him and almost acted like it was a betrayal to him and kept telling Mike he'd take care of it. And even with the cushy job offer, Mike was going to walk away from it  because as he said to Rachel, in his heart what he was and wanted to be was a lawyer and he felt loyal to Harvey and the firm. That was until the FEDS came and they almost got in a lot of trouble and he realized exactly the above, that his being there was always going to be a danger and liability to Harvey and company. 

 

That's why I loved S3 and I liked how it ended. I loved the conversation between him and Harvey where he begged him to let him go and the episode ended on this note where it felt like Harvey finally accepted they couldn't continue this lie anymore and Mike had to go. And they were both okay with that. Sure I wasn't naive enough to not think Mike would eventually end up back at Pearson Specter since that's largely the basis of the show. But I thought that we'd at least see him thriving for a little while and some big tragic event is what would bring him back to the firm.

 

Instead, right out of the gate with this season, they had him and Harvey at odds, set it up like Mike was almost the bad guy in the scenario, had him being smug and basically all but setting him up for failure. I only got into this show a few weeks ago and binge watched the first three seasons in like two weeks. But for Season 4, I struggled to get through the first five episodes and then just jumped to the mid season finale to know what's going on before the show comes back. Because I hated what the writers were doing with Mike all in the service of getting him back to Pearson Specter where once again, every mid season and season finale, that "he's not a real lawyer" lie will come back up again. 

 

I also have to say, I disagree with all the blame being put on Mike for this whole lie that has spiraled and only his arrogance being called into question. In my opinion, Harvey's arrogance is largely what got this whole crazy ball rolling. All Mike was trying to do was escape some cops. Harvey thought it would be fun and clever to hire the brilliant kid who doesn't have a lawyer license or hell even went to law school, because he's Harvey Spector and he never loses and never fails. And then when things started spiraling beyond either of their control, his only suggestion was for Mike to go to some podunk town where no one knows him (which I mean sure, probably is the only way he may get out of that). But at this point, Mike now feels like his whole life and everything he loves is right there in New York and at Pearson Specter. And I'm by no means abdicating Mike of any responsibility, I just don't agree that all of it is on him and his arrogance. 

 

As for  Louis, as much as I love Harvey and company, they, especially Harvey and Jessica helped create the monster Louis is now. Louis from the first season has so clearly been this weak, insecure man desperate for approval and people like that are dangerous if they're not watched closely. And I feel like Harvey and Jessica dropped the ball there, not realizing how Louis has long been a ticking time bomb waiting to explode. Only Donna seemed to be the one paying attention and making efforts to appease him. I'm definitely not saying Jessica and Harvey had to kiss Louis' ass but some of those verbal beatdowns Harvey gave Louis was pretty brutal.

 

[wayne67]

You know I'm fine with Jessica being cold, practical and manipulative at times (which I often find entertaining and awesome) but that does not make for being a good boss. If she's incapable of displaying sympathy or empathising with the ambition of Louis she should make use of a Human Resources personnel to handle the constant interpersonal bullshit that threatens her firm. These people wouldn't have to handle so much shit if they weren't constantly blackmailing lawyers, bankers or clients to settle cases.

 

As for Donna she has shown that she can reciprocate friendly actions after Louis helped her recite lines for an entire work day she helped him with his stage fright but she also LIED TO HIS FACE REPEATEDLY about Jessica's bf, about Mike's law degree. Why should Louis trust her ?

 

Louis has done a lot of shitty things because he's insecure which might have been helped if any of these people treated him with the respect he deserves from his tenure at that firm. It was nice having Louis taking a stand against Jessica's cover ups for Harvey.

[Roseanna]

On ‎21‎.‎8‎.‎2014 at 4:36 PM, truecrystal said:

My favorite part was Louis lighting in to Donna. I'm glad Louis called her out on her version of friendship which essentially is that she's your friend as long as it's beneficial for Harvey or her but you will get kicked to the curb quick for Harvey's sake. 

Donna is Harvey's secretary and she must loyal to him. If she thinks Harvey did wrong, she should go to Jessica, not betray Harvey to Louis.    

[Roseanna]

On ‎4‎.‎7‎.‎2015 at 3:40 AM, wayne67 said:

As for Donna she has shown that she can reciprocate friendly actions after Louis helped her recite lines for an entire work day she helped him with his stage fright but she also LIED TO HIS FACE REPEATEDLY about Jessica's bf, about Mike's law degree. Why should Louis trust her ?

Because, as Mike and Harvey said to each other, they only did what it needed to do.

[Roseanna]

On ‎22‎.‎8‎.‎2014 at 7:37 PM, Happytobehere said:

So much YES! to this. I love Louis as much as. Anyone, but for people to hate on Jessica because of her treatment of Louis is a bit much. She is his boss, not his friend or family member. If the show ever presented their relationship as anything more I would feel differently, but this is not the case. Louis' feelings of closeness to Jessica are his and she is not obligated to reciprocate his feelings. She has always had a different relationship with Harvey. She is his mentor, helped pay for his education and brought him into the firm. Louis can not and should not expect his relationship with Jessica to mirror her relationship with Harvey. Now can I agree that she takes Louis and his worth for granted, yes, I can and do. However, this is actually result of Louis' neediness. Jessica does not understand, cannot relate to and on a basic level does not respect this. As a woman and a black woman at that, she could never have gotten yo where she is by being like Louis. In fact, she probably saw too many Louis' of both genders damage things as she struggled to achieve. Jessica has often spoke of Louis' value to the company as a worker, it is his emotionality that prevents Louis from having the very relationship with Jessica he so desires.

There is much sense in what you write. However, I don't think it's good for a boss to show favor so one-sidely than Jessica does towards Harvey.

Also, Jessica made a mistake by hiring his boy-friend who then made a demand to be treated in a special way also in the work. In that respect, he is just like Scottie.  

[Roseanna]

Louis didn't want to work anywhere but New York calling it Rome. But Julius Caesar said when young that he rather be the first man in the small town than the second man in Rome. Louis threw away a chance to begin anew, not accepting that he even never can have what he longs for from Jessica and Harvey. Having his name on the door by blackmail isn't the same as if it had been given willingly.