S05.E09: Uninvited Guests

[yeswedo]

Rachel and her mom plan for Rachel's dream wedding, but Rachel worries that the event could reveal Mike's secret. Meanwhile, Daniel Hardman and Jack Soloff make their move against Jessica and the partners, Harvey and Mike tangle with Hardman's mysterious backer and Louis tries to find Jack's weakness.

[vibeology]

If every episode is going to end with someone from the past calling Mike out for his bullshit, this could quickly become my favourite season. When Trevor of all people thinks your life is a mess, you in danger.

 

This season, I've been thinking more and more this show needed a time jump. I don't know exactly where it would have fit, but a few years ago Trevor was in deep with drug dealers and now he's a moral compass? Its too fast. A time jump would have allowed for Rachel to actually finish law school, for Mike to have been at the firm long enough that the partnership makes sense and would have explained how Soloff came out of nowhere to be such a big player at the firm when we'd never heard of him before. I know a time jump is getting cliched, but these plots would make more sense if we'd jumped ahead two or three years.

 

I did really like Harvey, Louis and Jessica each making their moves to try to save the firm. Harvey has really wised up quickly and knows how to take responsibility for his actions. I like characters who grow. Louis trying to solve everything was also really telling, character-wise. He might actually get why his scheming hurts everyone and not just Harvey. Jessica was fabulous again. I really liked her last outfit and the way she dealt with Soloff and Hardman. And I liked Harvey/Louis/Donna vs Hardman. Whatever their issues are, they kept it together in the face of the enemy.

 

The wedding stuff is just killing the show. Its all excitement, intrigue and character growth with a side of Say Yes To The Dress. I don't care how many people end up at the wedding. First off, the anvils being dropped are huge and I really don't think there is going to be a wedding. Every week Mike gets a reminder of why its a horrible idea so I assume he'll leave Rachel "for her own good" right at the end of the season and since I'm pretty convinced that's going to happen, I don't care what chef they get. Its time that could be spent at the firm. 

 

Boo once again to no Gretchen. No one should have to go without Gretchen.

[Chicago Redshirt]

I liked the episode, which surprised me.

Some of the good things:

Louis being the bulldog he was meant to be when the firm is on the line, and not some butthurt punchline, particularly with Bernard.

No "I'm Donna!" attitude, but just sensible support of everyone.

Jessica's general awesomeness.

Some classic Harvey-Mike moments.

Even Hardman and Forstman's involvement was reasonably well done.

Dare I hope this is a prelude to rebooting the show? Like I would love for Harvey and Jessica and Louis to walk away from PSL, and then for Mike to be like, "Surprise! I am a fraud and my good buddy Jack who put me up for partnership knew,"

So now ATL has gone back to being a deliberate cats paw instead of a reluctant one? Does that make sense?

[Jediknight]

Good episode this week.

 

Trevor telling Mike to quit and reminding him he's committing a crime every single day, was great.  They're building to the secret coming out, and there's no way Mike and the firm get off free.

[33kaitykaity]

Aren't penultimate episodes supposed to be good?  I FF'd through all of the Rachel/Mike/wedding stuff, so it took me about 15 minutes to watch the show.  Not even the fabulous-ness that is Jessica could save it for me.  I am almost thankful that there is only one episode left until the midseason break.  Maybe the writers will get a clue that the Mike's secret story has run its course and that they need a reboot in the aftermath of the reveal.  

[gryphon]

 

Boo once again to no Gretchen. No one should have to go without Gretchen.

This. And it made me smile since it's my given name, too. 

 

I really liked the team of Louis, Harvey and Donna when they were a united front against Hardman-albeit short-lived.

Edited August 20, 2015 by gryphon

[Lnmop]

This show would be SO much better without the superfluous swearing. Does Jessica really need to say "This goddamn meeting is adjourned"? I've never worked in an office where that kind of language would have been allowed (and I can swear like a sailor).

[Nanrad]

Well, to be fair to Jessica, she was upset and Jack kept trying to push Hardman. Most people already know what happened with Hardman, so I'm not really understanding why they'd let him back in anyway. 1. Hardman embezzled money, and then lied straight to her face as to why he did it using his wife who had cancer as an excuse, when he was really using it on his mistress. He then tried to have Louis take the fall. 2. When he came back, he set a chain of events into motion to turn other partners against her and have Harvey fired. So, her use of goddamn in this situation is understandable. It's not about the meeting, it's about who and what Jack is trying to push in the meeting.

 

I'm honest so over people trying to come after the one law firm. Hardman, lick your chops and stay where you are. Rich dude with a lot of money, accept the L and move on.

 

The premise of the shows HURTS the show. When I first started watching suits, I didn't know the premise of the show. They could've done without it and had a relatively similar show. But, Mike's insistence of fraudulent practicing law shows not only his arrogance, but hie selfishness. Some of this blame falls on Harvey for hiring him in the first place, but the rest falls on Mike for being okay with it AND fighting to stay, refusing to leave. They're idiots for taking on Mikes secret, but he's selfish because he's fine with it along as he continues to be a lawyer. When Trevor is speaking sense in this situation, you know you've lost the moral center here. When NOT if Mike is found out, all of that "good" he's done goes down the drain. How can he honestly expect to keep this a secret for the rest of his life if every other day, the secret is almost found out about on accident.

 

And, seriously Rachel, why would she attempt to burden her mom with that secret to keep from her dad? Did she even think about the implications of marrying Mike and what kind of wedding that meant having? Even eloping wouldn't solve their issue.

 

Donna. Although I've had my issues with her this season, I'm upset that they'd try to make her shoulder some of that blame regarding Louis' actions. Yes, shelf and, yes, Harvey didn't take it well, BUT, Louis is his own person. She told him not to try to get on Harvey's good side and he did it anyway, she told him not to pull that stunt in the meeting and he did it anyway, she told him not to leave the document in the copier and he did it anyway. Yes, her leaving influenced some behaviors in the law firm, but I struggle to assign her some blame. Because only Louis made the situation worse--got it to where it is all because Harvey hurt his feelings. 

[diggle]

MIke needs to quietly attend law school somewhere, then take/pass the NY Bar. It does not remove all the legal issues relating to his previous practice (well, it does, but that's a different topic) and ensure he will not have to lie the same way / as much going forward. 

 

That leaves him with lies in the past, and about the past, but a clean legal future.

[vibeology]

Mike cannot pass the bar. Certainly he would pass the test but there's more to it than that. There is an extensive background check that he could never get though without getting caught. Also, he is a member of the NY bar thanks to his hacker friend which would also get him caught. He's in far too deep to try to go legit. He had to either keep on lying, get caught or quit law all together.

Edited August 20, 2015 by vibeology

[Nanrad]

I vote quit law, but that's just me...

[marcee]

I vote quit law, but that's just me...

But he tried that already and it didn't take.

[3girlsforus]

 

The wedding stuff is just killing the show. Its all excitement, intrigue and character growth with a side of Say Yes To The Dress. I don't care how many people end up at the wedding. First off, the anvils being dropped are huge and I really don't think there is going to be a wedding. Every week Mike gets a reminder of why its a horrible idea so I assume he'll leave Rachel "for her own good" right at the end of the season and since I'm pretty convinced that's going to happen, I don't care what chef they get. Its time that could be spent at the firm. 

 

Boo once again to no Gretchen. No one should have to go without Gretchen.

 

I am sure you are right that Mike's going to leave Rachel 'for her own good' or to 'protect' her etc. which ticks me off to no end. If he wants to protect her he should quit being a lawyer. But he's a giant ego-centric ass so he isn't willing to make any sacrifice himself. That's everyone else's job.

[CaptainCranky]

This is a fictional TV show so any resemblance to reality and TV fairyland is coincidental.

The season ending cliffhangers will be:

1. Leave the plot unresolved with Mike still not making a decision on the marriage

2. PSL on the brink of losing to Hardman

3. Harvey thinking about resigning to save the firm but not doing it by the end of the show

4. Lewis finding out Soloffs secret but not sharing it till next season

5. Donna being Donna and say what you want but she's a SHB.

6. Jessica looking as good as ever even if the firm is going under

7. And finally some convaluted story line about Mike's secret being uncovered once again.

Edited August 21, 2015 by CaptainCranky

[Slovenly Muse]

I like your predictions, CaptainCranky! (Meaning I think they're damn good, not necessarily that I'm looking forward to seeing them play out!) But for the near-misses or dangling cliffhangers you predict, I'd expect at least one of them to be a sort of "shocking", show-changing moment (Mike and Rachel break up, Donna and Harvey get together, Mike quits law, Mike's secret is revealed to the world, Harvey leaves the firm, Hardman takes the firm back, etc), that will seem like it has changed the very fabric of the show, but be completely undone within three episodes of the next season.

[Cthulhudrew]

When it turned out Hardman had something on Jack, and no one could figure it out, did anyone besides me think "I bet he didn't go to law school, either!" :D

Edited August 21, 2015 by Cthulhudrew

[bros402]

The scene with Trevor made me think he has adopted religion (at least I think that is what was being implied, very tired tonight). So I propose a spinoff to Suits: Collars.

 

Mike and Rachel move to a small town with Trevor and his wife. They become priests at a small town church.

 

To add some spice, Trevor's wife is an atheist and they fear her secret getting out every day!

[Cthulhudrew]

To add some spice, Trevor's wife is an atheist and they fear her secret getting out every day!

 

Or how about-

 

Mike takes the collar himself, except... he never graduated from Seminary school! Now he's breaking the laws of man and God! *gasp!*

[needschocolate]

Did anyone else find the background music, especially in the beginning of the episode, really annoying - too loud and sort of "tinny" sounding (like a metal ring to it)?  We recently got a new TV and I am wondering if there is something wrong with it. I haven't noticed this with other shows, but it was really noticeable with this one. 

Edited August 21, 2015 by needschocolate

[Chicago Redshirt]

This show would be SO much better without the superfluous swearing. Does Jessica really need to say "This goddamn meeting is adjourned"? I've never worked in an office where that kind of language would have been allowed (and I can swear like a sailor).

I would say that there's probably a lot of swearing going on at a typical high-powered law firm in general. Suits has had a lot of scenes where people don't swear as I at least would expect real-world people might because the f-word still can't be used, and because it seems like they people a huge emphasis on the swears.

 

I just take "goddamn" as a proxy for "f---ing" and attribute the rest to poor direction/overacting. IMO, Suits swearing has been toned down this season from the previous season, where it seemed like every other word was cursing and it often seemed out of place.   

[Carolina Girl]

I would say that there's probably a lot of swearing going on at a typical high-powered law firm in general.  

 

I work for one.  There is.  

[catrice2]

Did I read somewhere that Trevor's wife is Jenny?   Can only comment on Jessica's clothes.  The rest bored me.  I am tired of Mike's drama, Hardman and Harvey emoting.   I also did not like Eric Robert's character the first time he was on there.  Why can't they get new "big bads" and stop returning to the old ones? 

[bros402]

Or how about-

 

Mike takes the collar himself, except... he never graduated from Seminary school! Now he's breaking the laws of man and God! *gasp!*

 

Imagine how many goddamns they could fit into one episode, then Mike could go, "Well, it's not like I am an actual man of the cloth, so I can say it!"

[chitowngirl]

That would be the show Impastor that's on TvLand!

[bros402]

That would be the show Impastor that's on TvLand!

Yeah, but it would actually be somewhat tolerable.

[samfk2000]

Finally got around to watching this weeks, meh. 

I am sick to death of Hardman he wasn't very good the first time, the second or whatever number we are up to now. The writers have run out of ideas and are just recycling old scripts hoping we won't notice.

Forstman was not great last time and I don't see that changing on his reappearance either.

Dear God Trevor? Really are we so hard up we have to bring him back aswell. The whole episode was like the Twightlght Zone.

 

Louis getting all teary and misty eyed with Jack about how poorly he was treated when he stabbed Harvey and Jessica in the back just made me roll my eyes and utter a very bad word. Nope I am done with Louis and his toddler mood swings.

 

Rachel and her crappy acting and her wedding nope don't care about that either. And what sort of stupid idea is it to tell her mother the secret. 

Donna was slightly less annoying.

 

Mike and Harvey back together was the only good thing about this episode.

I was disconcerted by the camera angles in the prison scenes though seeing Macht's moles changing sides took me out of the scene.

[Nanrad]

But he tried that already and it didn't take.

Well, it's better than being forced to quit and spend the rest of his days in prison...

 

TBH, Mike stays because of ego NOT because he cares. If he cared, he wouldn't have started the sham to begin with.

[rollerblade]

Who was Trevor referring to when he said he went to talk to someone?

[Orbert]

I had no idea when I watched the episode, but it looked like it was supposed to be obvious that both Mike and Trevor understood who this must be, even if the audience did not.  The question is answered in the next episode.  At first, I wondered why Trevor would even know this person, but that too was addressed.

[Roseanna]

On ‎20‎.‎8‎.‎2015 at 7:05 AM, vibeology said:

The wedding stuff is just killing the show. Its all excitement, intrigue and character growth with a side of Say Yes To The Dress. I don't care how many people end up at the wedding. First off, the anvils being dropped are huge and I really don't think there is going to be a wedding.

We haven't seen much of Rachel's mom, but this episode made her a really meddling person. She would be a horrible mother-in-law who would always knew best what her "little girl" wants.

I have never heard more odd explanation for a big wedding than Rachel's mum told about hers; that her mother would have been disappointed.