S05.E06: Privilege

[yeswedo]

Harvey reels from Dr. Agard's revelation about the root of his panic attacks; and has to make a tough decision in a case that touches a nerve. In other events, Mike and Louis take over responsibility for Harvey's oldest client; and Donna tries to make Rachel's dream wedding possible.

[33kaitykaity]

When will these nemeses lawyers learn that Jessica rules the world?  It's going to be fun to watch her take this smirko Jack dimwit down like she did all of the others before him.  Loved Louis and his Michael Jackson reference.  And I really hope that Donna and Gretchen become pals.  I like Gretchen a lot.  Still not caring about Rachel and Mike.  

[Jediknight]

I liked this episode.  I'm always a fan of Mike and Louis working together, they do make a great team.  Mike and Donna were great, especially Mike's reactions to Donna saying "Sneaky bear" and Donna having named the bear.  Also Donna and Gretchen were fantastic, hell Gretchen herself is awesome.  I also liked seeing Dominc Barrone again, that episode was probably my favorite till the episode where Louis found out.

 

Jack's attempt at blackmail should have been met with laughter.  Jessica should have also said "And how do you think the partners are going to react to finding out that you stuck a shiv into a name partner's back?  How will they react when they found out you purposely tanked a deal, and damaged a client?  And how will they react when they find out it was just to get even with Louis, and Harvey?"

[Curious5]

The worst part of the show this week is that Daniel Hardman (David Costabile)is coming back! No one ever gets murdered in this series but I think Hardman should be the first one. He does play a great bad guy though.

I predict we're going to see more panic attacks for poor Harvey.

[sluggish neko]

I was cheering for Harvey when he destroyed that annoying psychiatrist during the deposition. All she does is blather on about Harvey's mother. She is a physical representation of how anvilicious this show can be. And once again, Harvey just waltzes back into her office, dashing all my hopes that we'll never see Dr. Freudian Anvil again. Why, Harvey, why?!? At the very least, find another therapist. I hear Dr. Hannibal Lecter is accepting new patients.

 

Mike and Rachel's wedding venue gets a C-plot? People care that much? Whatevs. At least Harvey's panic attack trigger Donna and all-star ass-kicker Gretchen got to interact. Hoping they get more scenes together.

 

I don't even want to get into how ridiculous and offensive and baka (ばか!) that meeting with Tanaka was. Writers, if you wanted me to really hate Louis, you've succeeded.

[PepperMonkey]

I love Gretchen. I hope they keep her on the show.

 

I'm with everyone else: I could not give less fucks about Mike and Rachel.

 

Also, why can't they just let Louis be the competent lawyer that he always was without making him the butt of someone's joke? They have almost ruined him for me and he used to be one of my favourite elements.

 

I do not like Harvey's panic attack/ therapy story at all. It just doesn't seem like something Harvey would ever suffer, or if he DID, would ever admit. Nor do I believe he would ever turn to therapy.

 

Hoping that Jessica is setting up to get rid of Jack. I love the actor, and he is doing a great job of playing a douchebag, but he is destructive to the firm and seems like the kind who will never have enough revenge against Louis/Harvey to ever resume acting like a human.

 

To recap: could not care less about Mike, Rachel or the special wedding of specialness.

Edited July 30, 2015 by PepperMonkey

[Carolina Girl]

I love Gretchen, too - mostly because she's let Donna know she was Donna before Donna was born.   And she's great with Harvey - I'm "Gretchen" here at my firm and I can see me having those interchanges with my lawyers!

 

And maybe it's me, but I really didn't care for Donna's whole story line about her machinations to get Mike and Rachel the Plaza Hotel.  Breaking apart another couple's dream wedding to advance the perception of her own self-importance bugs the crap out of me.  I don't know if the writers gave the guy a sweetie on the side in order to justify Donna's machinations to the audience but it didn't work.  

[Malif]

About the only aspect I am loving about this show is Gretchen right now.  I am glad they found him a competent assistant who is not intimidated by others and knows what is what.  It shows that maybe Donna isn't the greatest thing since sliced bread like everyone thinks and illustrates that others can do this difficult job--while quoting famous lines from movies.  I would have been annoyed if we had a revolving door of inadequate (but gorgeous) assistants each week who flirted with Harvey and ended up being bedded by him.

 

I guess Rachel is taking some money from her parents for this dream wedding because that place doesn't offer a budget plan.  That is a six figure wedding before you even think of adding flowers, limos, dresses, tuxes, veils, shoes, jewelry, invitations, photographer, videographer, rehearsal dinner venue, honeymoon, etc.   Also, maybe Rachel should leave her wedding magazines off of her desk at work so that her boss doesn't catch her wasting company time searching for the best invitation or bouquet.  At the very least, she could browse online magazines so just a click of a mouse would hide what she was doing.  

[Nanrad]

And maybe it's me, but I really didn't care for Donna's whole story line about her machinations to get Mike and Rachel the Plaza Hotel.  Breaking apart another couple's dream wedding to advance the perception of her own self-importance bugs the crap out of me.  I don't know if the writers gave the guy a sweetie on the side in order to justify Donna's machinations to the audience but it didn't work.

This bothered me as well and, generally, I think they are doing her character a disservice this season. Rather than focus on Mike and Rachel's wedding, why not show us how Donna is dealing with leaving and why. I also thought it was in bad taste to blackmail her way into a venue and didn't still give the heads up to his fiancee. The whole thing was rather bothersome and I feel more sorry than annoyed for her character at this point.

 

 

I do not like Harvey's panic attack/ therapy story at all. It just doesn't seem like something Harvey would ever suffer, or if he DID, would ever admit. Nor do I believe he would ever turn to therapy.

I can see Harvey suffering a panic attack simply because he represses emotions, especially ones that make him vulnerable. He had his whole "emotions make you weak" outburst back in season 2, his defensiveness whenever someone implies anything about Donna or brings up his mother, Jessica forcing him to hire an associate to bond, etc. Harvey's really repressed and Donna served as his emotional anchor for 12 years and abruptly left. It rocked his world. Harvey only went to therapy for drugs.

[catrice2]

I'm tired of Harvey's angst.  People have family and relationship issues every day and still have to come to work and deal with it without taking it out on everyone else.  Is this therapy thing a foreshadowing of someone getting Harvey's records for going to therapy? I am still sure someone overheard Mike and Rachel talking about it. 

 

I personally am sick of Daniel Hardman. He is a big part of what went wrong with this show, and they should have been smart enough to either send him to jail in previous episodes, or just leave him alone! 

 

I am starting to worry about everyone on the show.  They have WAY too many people concerned about Harvey and Jessica's relationship.   Daniel was obsessed with it, Louis is obsessed with it and now Jack or whatever his name is.  Do really successful people spend that much time worrying about who someone likes "better" than they like them?  Both Jessica and Harvey must have some charisma because now both Jack and Louis have been shown whining about them not "noticing" them....and I think there was another partner in the firm a few seasons ago that also had some issue about not being "noticed," by either Jessica or Harvey.   

 

If they are not worrying about Harvey and Jessica,everyone is worried about Harvey and Donna.  How realistic that Tanner would even bring that up to Harvey? 

 

Donna has never been that awesome to me, and yes, someone else can be awesome too. I am no more interested in her interactions with Louis than I was her interactions with Harvey, even less, probably because she has to mother him more. 

 

They need to give Jessica something else to do besides run around playing "mama bear" and cleaning up messes. I'd like to see her being a lawyer, actually I'd like to see them in court more, or at least in the boardroom more, instead of in each other's offices gossiping about each other. 

 

Other than one questionable outfit, Jessica rocked it again this week! 

[Slovenly Muse]

This show has become all about Jessica for me. She is just the best.

 

I'm not sure about this wedding plot. I wondered if Rachel's reaction to getting the Plaza didn't seem a bit... forced? My immediate thought, given her "My fiance is smart enough to let me do everything" comment earlier, was that she already had plans in the works and was kind of... annoyed? That Mike had unilaterally disrupted those plans for a comment she didn't think he'd take seriously? But then there was no textual hint of that, so I think I'm supposed to interpret her reaction as being sincerely happy? I don't know, it didn't play right for me.

 

Also not playing right for me? Donna. What the hell? ITA with the poster who said Donna just destroyed an innocent couple's dream wedding to feel better about herself. It reminds me of shows like Leverage, who, when they needed to get civilians out of the way so they could run a con on some baddie, would drop a surprise contest win on them and send them off on a great vacation for a week while the team did their thing. Or, it's been awhile, but I seem to remember on The Pretender, Jarod would arrange winning lottery tickets and unexpected good news to get people out of the way so that he could take their place temporarily without doing them any harm, and then this OTHER pretender showed up and arranged these awful disasters to get people out of his way, and that was how we knew he was really a bad guy. Donna played like a bad guy for me this episode. We're seeing how unhinged Harvey's been getting all season, but if they're trying to show how Donna is being affected, like losing her grip on her sense of goodness, then they are NOT telling her story right at all. And if we're supposed to see her as some kind of miracle-working hero for getting her friends the venue, then that failed as well. Her methods were just too heartless.

 

What I DO like about the Donna story is her interaction with Gretchen. Specifically, that Gretchen is shown to be her match. Firstly, because Gretchen is great and shouldn't have to come across like a second-rate replacement just because Donna is "special." But secondly, because it introduces the idea that Donna is actually not that special - there are other secretaries out there (not even hard to find, apparently!) who can do her job just as well as she can, which nicely clarifies that Donna's specialness to Harvey wasn't really professional, it was personal.

 

That said, I have defended this show long after many fans on this site and TWoP jumped ship, but damned if this episode didn't really make me tired of seeing deals yanked back and forth like a blankie between toddlers, who then have to go crying to mommy so she'll put her foot down. With Harvey in a slightly removed storyline, it really is falling to Jessica to clean up ALL the messes and kick ALL the asses, where historically Harvey has been able to deal with many of these issues before they make it to her level, maintaining her air of being the "big guns," so to speak, and making it more effective when she DOES have to take action. This season has really been bringing Jessica down to the level of everyone else in the firm, dealing directly with all their squabbling, and while it hasn't tarnished her awesomeness, it is starting to feel strange. Like, there's a growing focus this season on the internal politics and power structure of the firm, and yet we don't even have a sense of what that power structure IS. I mean, "the partners" and their votes and opinions and machinations and pay structures seem to be a particular concern this season (or maybe it just feels that way because the only other arc is Harvey's personal one), but can you actually name a partner who isn't Pearson, Spector, Litt, or Jack whats-his-face? Or even anyone else who works in this place besides Mike, Rachel, Donna and Gretchen? Remember when Mike was one of a pool of associates, and he'd have to work with the others sometimes? And there were mock trials and group activities that brought other characters into the picture? And then the main cast would have to prove their greatness in contrast to their peers, so that it actually meant something? (Lookin' at you, Mike!) Remember when the main cast wasn't the ONLY cast? I swear, Katrina, who works for another firm, gets name-checked more often than any other employee of Pearson-Spector-Litt. I don't neccessarily have a problem with this on its own, but it is a STRANGE foundation on which to build tension and interest in an intra-firm power struggle.

 

I tell you, if Jessica hadn't been wearing that dress at the end, I might have started to question why I watch this show!

[bros402]

Also, why can't they just let Louis be the competent lawyer that he always was without making him the butt of someone's joke? They have almost ruined him for me and he used to be one of my favourite elements.

 

I do not like Harvey's panic attack/ therapy story at all. It just doesn't seem like something Harvey would ever suffer, or if he DID, would ever admit. Nor do I believe he would ever turn to therapy.

 

Louis has the be the butt of jokes because he isn't hollywood-attractive, duh.

 

I think Harvey's storyline would make more sense if they had:

1. Shown a buildup to the panic attacks

2. Shown him visiting his doctor, being his typical macho nothing-is-wrong-with-me self, then his doctor going "Yeah, I don't want to prescribe anxiety meds for you, go see a psychiatrist."

3. After a few panic attacks (maybe one in court? Has to get taken to the ER because he thinks it is a heart attack?), Harvey begrudgingly picks a psychiatrist out just to try to bilk meds out of them.

[Aquariuz]

Jessica is such a HBIC!!! I love her putting Jack in place. Gina Torres is just oozing charisma and class in all her scenes.

Personally, I love this episode because they have like three different cases (Harvey's client, Mike and Louis' client and Donna's client).

 

But the thing that I love the most from this episode is how they had succeeded into bringing the therapist, Dr. Paula into Harvey's worklife. I'm curious to see what Harvey's issue with his mother (Is it infidelity? Or there's more? Have we find out?). I like Harvey's and Paula's dynamic and while they're not screaming at each other, I secretly ship them. I hope Paula sticks around just because Harvey really needed to lower down his goddamn high walls. No one is that "untouchable".

[samfk2000]

I'm enjoying this season more than the last because I think we are seeing more scenes with Mike and Harvey which is the whole reason for the show.

We seem to be seeing some growth from Harvey in that he is admitting he has issues, hopefully it won't end with him sleeping with his therapist because it's looking like it's heading that way.

I really dislike Soloff because the actor gives me the creeps, something about his teeth and mouth freak me out so I can't bear looking at him, I'm sure he's a lovely man is real life but he is not for me on screen. He does play sleazy lawyer very well though.

Not happy that bloody Hardman is back again seriously the writers need to stop with the Hardman stuff it's beyond boring now.

 

Don't care about Rachel at all, she still sucks the life out of every scene she is in. Don't care about her wedding either.

 

Donna has been annoying me since last season and I now officially hate her, the way she pee'd all over that other girl's wedding was just nasty all so she could be the amazing Donna. And I am sick of the way they all say she left Harvey and she won't leave Louis, errr she's a secretary not a spouse so stop saying "leave/left". I know it's so we know how much they both love her and they are basically fighting over her and she loves it. I preferred Donna when she popped up with a snarky comment and waltzed off now it's too in your face. Also if she really is an all knowing all seeing God why couldn't she see the honey?

I love Gretchen and am so glad they made her a regular woman not a bimbo, and I agree with other commentators that said that she proves that Donna isn't as special as she thinks because Gretchen is rocking that job as well as Donna ever did.

 

Louis oh Louis what can I say it's 2 steps forward 10 steps back with him, he had a good week this week so next he will be bumbling silly Louis who screws up and Mike/ Harvey have to clean it up.

 

Jessica is as always completely in control and will no doubt be ready for Hardman or whoever the big bad is this season.

 

Final comment about wardrobe, do they hate Rick Hoffman because his suits are just awful, badly fitting and the legs are too short. It's like they picked them off a clearance rack and said good enough. And that thing they made Gina Torres wear in the last scene was horrific, it made her look enormous when she is clearly not it looked like a bag. And the bra the therapist was wearing looked too big or bulky and it distracted me in her scenes.

[betsyboo]

I love Gretchen, too - mostly because she's let Donna know she was Donna before Donna was born.   And she's great with Harvey - I'm "Gretchen" here at my firm and I can see me having those interchanges with my lawyers!

 

yes! Gretchen is the best. I loved that she quoted Lethal Weapon! I really love the way she meets Harvey at the elevator. I'm glad he has someone in his corner with no ulterior motives.

[needschocolate]

If the annoying, troublemaking lawyer can land such a huge client, why doesn't he just start his own firm?  Get off my TV Annoying Troublemaking Lawyer!

[Chicago Redshirt]

I'm curious to see what Harvey's issue with his mother (Is it infidelity? Or there's more? Have we find out?).

 

Harvey's mom was a cheat and Harvey found out as a child and was told to keep it from his dad. Then eventually she left him and Papa Harvey.

This is where Harvey has gotten his "emotions make you weak" and "loyalty is all-important" philosophies, as well as his abandonment issues.

 

On another front, am I being nostalgic for a time when the show had Harvey as someone who would bend, but never ever break, the rules (other than allowing Mike to be a fraudulent lawyer, anyway)? In this episode, he was attempting to suborn perjury from his therapist without blinking an eye about it.

 

Over Donna. We're to believe that she found out some number of people who had weddings lined up for the Plaza, did enough research to find one that she could fool/blackmail into dropping the date, and is to be complimented for that? 

 

So Annoying Troublemaking Lawyer is such an annoying troublemaking lawyer because he's a catspaw for Hardman? Why would he want to be? More importantly, why would Jessica apparently know that he's a catspaw for Hardman and not purge him long before this?

[JenMcSnark]

I was excited to see Annoying Troublemaking Lawyer if only because I loved the actor on the Adventures of Brisco County Jr.  He's doing a good job with what he has but the storyline is shit basically.

 

LOVE LOVE LOVE Gretchen!!  I cannot emphasis this enough.  If she leaves the show, I may too.  

 

Something that is worrying me...  Jessica seems to be almost nonexistent for the majority of the eps this season and then, BOOM, she shows up at the end with a major takedown of whatever problem Louis is having.  

 

I have a feeling that at some point (maybe next week?) she is not going to be able to make the problem go away.  And that's extremely bothersome for me because it's kind of all she has left.  They've really done a disservice to this character by putting her in the background and not showing all the things that made her a bad-ass name partner in the first place. 

 

Kind of like with Harvey and Mike.  One of the things I hate is that at the beginning of the show, Harvey didn't need Mike.  Harvey was a genius bad-ass himself. Mike certainly made things easier and faster for Harvey.  Now, it's like he can't find anything or figure out anything himself without Mike or, even WORSE, Rachel.  Yuck. 

[Happytobehere]

Donna truly is a horrible person who is all about her ego and self-aggrandizement. She is willing to hurt and destroy people to make herself look uber special. She thinks this makes her the ish, when in actuality, it shows how unspecial and vicious she really is. IMO, Donna is the ultimate mean girl.

Gretchen is however all that and a bag of chips. Loving her. Hope she remains on the show. It would be a shame for a great actress and character to be sacrificed at the alter of Harvey and Donna.

We get next to no Jessica but we keep getting the utter nothing that is Rachel and the utter bore that is her wedding planning. We are also getting more Daniel Hardman, a character who proves the show runners don't get that there is a difference between characters you love to hate, and characters you just hate. I feel myself divorcing from this show little by little. The fact that I just decided to watch my recording of the show speaks volumes.

Edited August 5, 2015 by Happytobehere