S03.E15: Know When to Fold 'Em

[formerlyfreedom]

A persistent attorney goes after one of Harvey's clients; Mike is faced with a difficult decision; former name partner Charles Van Dyke returns with revenge on his mind.

Original airdate: April 3, 2014

[Danny Franks]

Oh lord. Another former partner? Really? After the huge waste of time of Hardman, and the life sucking black hole that was the first half of this season? The writers need to learn a new trick.

[rogueprinzess]

I cannot believe they had all of that episode to end with Mike making yet another asinine decision. Really Harvey? Are you so selfish that you'd rather Mike live in your shadow with the threat of being caught lingering over his head for the rest of his (and your) career? After all that build up, they could have had Mike at least try at being legit. I get that the show as we know it basically ends if Mike isn't at PS but it woul dhave made for better story if they'd shown Mike in his new role, living the life as a free man and adjusting to a new environment, only to realize that being with/working with Harvey meant more to him. Now he just looks like an idiot.

I also hate, hate, HATE when the writers make Jessica look like a jealous mean girl. Jessica's been around long enough and known Louis long enough that barking at/bitching down Louis' assistant seemed petty and immature. AND really Jessica, it SHOULD be your business to know your own firms by-laws regarding dividends to partners old and new - ESPECIALLY when you just went through 2 name changes/partnerships in the past year! Ugh, it's so angering! It makes it seem like Jessica got the job because she dresses well and can strut, not for being a top-notch lawyer. 

Also, what was the point of the show again making a thing about bringing out Jessica's ethnicity? It was so out of place and weird that it felt forced and as a fellow person of colour, insulting.

[Jediknight]

Every episode should start with "All hail Louis Litt" on the screen.  He really shouldn't be my favorite character, but Rick Hoffman is amazing.  Without him, I don't know if the show lasts, because while everyone nails their parts, Rick Hoffman blows it out of the water.  And we saw his crowning moment of awesome in this episode,

"I have an army of associates, that I've trained within an inch of their lives. My name is Louis Goddamn Marlow Litt, and my firm is under siege. So don't you tell me what I can, and can not do."

[Curious5]

Totally frustrated with Harvey/Scottie mix.  I guess  it's the fact I don't like nor trust Scottie.  I believe she is there  for herself  and she still is waiting to punge the knife into Harvey for past grievances.  She seems to glob onto each and every bit of info that Harvey won't tell her and pushes it.   If they're suppose to be in love none of that is shown either in word or acton.  Why can't he just say it's prevledged information.

I do love  Louis in a sick way but he grosses me out.  I would finch if he came too close - always looking like he hasn't brushed his teeth, has clammy hands and body odor.  That soft doughy face - ugh!

I wish Mike had left.  Really tired of that story line.  Yep, he's smart but please leave.  Once agan we have to go through a protect Mike story line.

[Danny Franks]

Louis, Katrina and Rachel all continue to be pretty great. It's a shame that Rachel and Katrina's plan failed, because seeing them team up was fun, and I hope we get to see it again.

But seeing Louis pull himself together when he realised that the firm was at risk? A great, fun little hero moment for Louis Litt.

Harvey is still a huge baby, sadly. Getting in a strop because Mike thought about leaving, sulking and lashing out at people because he can't deal with emotions. About time to grow up, I think. Mike's escape route really should have been taken, because it would protect everyone in his life. Mike himself would no longer be at risk of being exposed. Harvey, Donna and Jessica wouldn't be at risk of people finding out they knew. Rachel's future career wouldn't be jeopardised by her relationship with a fraud. Louis wouldn't be an unknowing accomplice in furthering Mike's fraudulent legal career.

The writers really need to figure out a way of taking this Sword of Damocles from above his head for good. Whether that's hacking into databases, planting fake articles in Harvard's archives, convincing people that they know Mike from Harvard somehow, whatever. It's tired, now. But I doubt they'll ever resolve it, because it's too easy a source of angst and danger, for the show to go back to whenever they're running low on ideas.

[Curious5]

Definitely they need a good  original story line - tired of screwed up contracts, previous partners as stated and record room sex.  I'm getting very tired of the fashion statement being pushed by the show.  I really, really don't think that a NYC law firm would have the head of the company with dresses so tight you see the crack  in the butt or lipstick so thick you could start up a Max Factor outlet store. Women in the real world of upper management of any company or corp would never wear the tight dresses, etc that we see there.  Yes, I love the  outfits but not even close to reality.

They have a ton of material - just look at everyone in the board room and how many partners there are. I know this is a fiction but a bit of reality would help.  Harvey being handed an envelope full of cash on the street just doesn't mesh with a smart lawyer.

I do love the show and Harvey is my favorite and I do stay up at night worrying about that.  And I wish Scottie would disappear - right out the window. So it's bye bye Mike and Scottie and get Louis a new girlfriend.

[romantic idiot]

Harvey is still a huge baby, sadly. Getting in a strop because Mike thought about leaving, sulking and lashing out at people because he can't deal with emotions. About time to grow up, I think. Mike's escape route really should have been taken, because it would protect everyone in his life. Mike himself would no longer be at risk of being exposed. Harvey, Donna and Jessica wouldn't be at risk of people finding out they knew. Rachel's future career wouldn't be jeopardised by her relationship with a fraud. Louis wouldn't be an unknowing accomplice in furthering Mike's fraudulent legal career.

I agree that they need to get Mike out from under this (though they still haven't taken Neal's anklet off) but I'm not sure this would have done this. He still would have practised without a license, he'd still be working with his new firm under false pretences (they think he's a Harvard educated lawyer) and his past (fraudulent, I think actions) would still be hanging over him. And if the investment bankers in the new company do a background check (which any high profile company would do, I think?) there comes jeopardy again. 

[FineWashables]

I love this show, and I've seen every episode of every season, but I still struggle to get my mind around the Mike's not-really-a-lawyer bit.  Apparently he passed the bar but can't be a lawyer because he didn't go to law school.  And the date on a law school degree, if he got one, would be later than the date on which he passed his bar.  Okay.  But... Why is this such an insoluble problem for people who constantly outwit corporations and systems and genius lawyers?  Why not just say, for example, that  a clerical error was just discovered and Mike has to retake a couple of courses?  And Harvey is so happy with him that he wants to keep him anyway.  After all, with Mike's idetic memory, it shouldn't be all that difficult for him to race through courses for which he obviously already knows the content -- again, he knew enough to pass the bar.  They could pretend that Harvard now wants him to retake everything.  Alternatively, they know now where all the records are kept.  Couldn't they arrange to go into Harvey's ex-girlfriend's place while she's out and put a file in for him?  They've done worse, I believe.  I may not have the answer, but it shouldn't be impossible for these people -- and the writers -- to solve.  Let's put Mike on some path toward resolution or no one, show or viewer, will move forward.

[Danny Franks]

I agree that they need to get Mike out from under this (though they still haven't taken Neal's anklet off) but I'm not sure this would have done this. He still would have practised without a license, he'd still be working with his new firm under false pretences (they think he's a Harvard educated lawyer) and his past (fraudulent, I think actions) would still be hanging over him. And if the investment bankers in the new company do a background check (which any high profile company would do, I think?) there comes jeopardy again. 

Well, the show was presenting his investment banking opportunity as an escape route, so going by their logic, I have to think that's what it was. Realistically, I agree that they would do background checks that might expose Mike, but I'm guessing that being an investment banker doesn't actually require a law degree (or, perhaps, any qualifications at all), so they might not prioritise that aspect of the background checks. Plus, the guy starting the company had a big old mancrush on Mike.

I love this show, and I've seen every episode of every season, but I still struggle to get my mind around the Mike's not-really-a-lawyer bit.  Apparently he passed the bar but can't be a lawyer because he didn't go to law school.  And the date on a law school degree, if he got one, would be later than the date on which he passed his bar.  Okay.  But... Why is this such an insoluble problem for people who constantly outwit corporations and systems and genius lawyers?  Why not just say, for example, that  a clerical error was just discovered and Mike has to retake a couple of courses?  And Harvey is so happy with him that he wants to keep him anyway.  After all, with Mike's idetic memory, it shouldn't be all that difficult for him to race through courses for which he obviously already knows the content -- again, he knew enough to pass the bar.  They could pretend that Harvard now wants him to retake everything.

 

I was thinking along these lines too. Mike can't go and take a full law degree at Harvard, but he could make up some story about wanting to take classes he didn't the first time around, to expand his expertise. Apparently, hot rebel Lola is at his beck and call now to insert information into Harvard's database (though sadly didn't appear again), so why not have her create a record of Mike applying for some elective classes, and being accepted? At least then people at Harvard would know him, and he'd have some real experience of studying there.

He could do as you suggest, and cram for the core courses, then have Lola insert his name into the exam schedules. They could create an entire academic history (beyond just his final grades), only using real exam scores. I don't know, I guess it all gets too complicated, which is why I wish they'd just used Lola's hacking as a final answer to the issue. 'Mike's a lawyer now, his degree says so.'

But as I said previously, I think they just want to keep it in their quiver, to pull out and threaten Mike with whenever they're struggling for storylines. How long until the next professor he's supposed to know shows up? How long until someone from his graduating class takes a case in opposition to him, and raises eyebrows by not having a clue who he is?

Did they actually concoct a backstory of him having lived off-campus, looking after his grandmother and working a part time job, hence why no one would know him, or was that just a smart piece of fanwankery that someone on the TWoP thread came up with?

[Roseanna]

On ‎4‎.‎4‎.‎2014 at 5:32 AM, rogueprinzess said:

I cannot believe they had all of that episode to end with Mike making yet another asinine decision. Really Harvey? Are you so selfish that you'd rather Mike live in your shadow with the threat of being caught lingering over his head for the rest of his (and your) career? After all that build up, they could have had Mike at least try at being legit. I get that the show as we know it basically ends if Mike isn't at PS but it woul dhave made for better story if they'd shown Mike in his new role, living the life as a free man and adjusting to a new environment, only to realize that being with/working with Harvey meant more to him. Now he just looks like an idiot.

 

On ‎5‎.‎4‎.‎2014 at 3:16 PM, Danny Franks said:

Harvey is still a huge baby, sadly. Getting in a strop because Mike thought about leaving, sulking and lashing out at people because he can't deal with emotions. About time to grow up, I think. Mike's escape route really should have been taken, because it would protect everyone in his life. Mike himself would no longer be at risk of being exposed. Harvey, Donna and Jessica wouldn't be at risk of people finding out they knew. Rachel's future career wouldn't be jeopardised by her relationship with a fraud. Louis wouldn't be an unknowing accomplice in furthering Mike's fraudulent legal career.

I agree. 

Even without Mike's secret, Harvey should put Mike's needs first, not his own. Mike needs to grow up and that he can't do in the shadow of his "father figure".