Pride Comes Before The Fall: Suits “War” Review

We say good-bye to season two of Suits with this week’s episode “War,” and as expected, it goes out with a bang. Stepping out of the more traditional Suits style, it began with a flash-forward before returning to six days previous. In fact, the entire episode carried an unusual and exciting tone, with every moment packing an ominous punch.

To say that there’s a power struggle between Harvey, Jessica and newcomer Edward  (guest star Conleth Hill) would be an understatement. Harvey signs himself up for trouble when he makes a high-stakes wager with Edward right off the bat. Jessica gets wind of it and angrily adds her own terms to the bet. The agreement is that if Harvey beats Edward in court, they don’t go through with the merger. If Harvey loses, he must welcome Edward “with open arms” and earn his own name on the door.

Of course, it is possible to see both sides of the battle here. One could certainly argue that Harvey has already done an awful lot to earn that coveted spot, but Jessica is keen on controlling him. There is obviously a severe lack of trust between the two of them, and their battle turns bitter quickly.

Jessica takes the war to a new level when she demands Mike betray Harvey. Threatening to expose his Harvard secret if he doesn’t comply, Jessica forces a huge wedge between the two men. It is tough to see Mike struggle with this, and we have to wonder if going to Harvey with his dilemma may have helped him. Either way, it is hard to blame him for bending to Jessica’s will – she held his career (and potentially his freedom) in her hands.

Romance issues stir up some trouble, even amongst all of the other drama happening. Scottie opens her heart to Donna, confessing that she is in love with Harvey and seeking advice. When Donna suggests she sacrifice the merger to show Harvey she cares, Scottie follows through and unfortunately ends up getting fired. Later when Harvey asks Edward to give Scottie her job back, Edward asks if Harvey would like her to stay in New York or work in London. We never see his answer.

Mike’s Harvard fraud catches up to him in his romantic life as well. Rachel asks him to write a letter to Harvard on her behalf, and of course, that wouldn’t help her. In the middle of a heated argument, Mike confesses that he has lost so much and doesn’t want to lose her, too. It is a touching moment. He then admits something that could have some serious repercussions – he confesses that he never attended Harvard. Bizarrely, Rachel’s response is to slap him repeatedly. Things take a bit of a turn when Mike grabs her hand and they direct that energy in more amorous direction. In the file room. At least she locked the door on her way in.

Patrick J. Adams and Gabriel Macht in Suits. Image © USA

Louis offers fantastic comic relief when he meets his nerdy equal (or “British counterpart”), Nigel Nesbitt. Rick Hoffman delivers as Louis this week, offering some classic Litt sneers and one-liners (“You mud?”). Though they bristle at each other initially, Louis soon finds out that Nigel wants to extend the “warm, muddied hand of friendship.” They agree to make room for each other at the firm, and for a brief window of time it looks like Louis may finally have his own amusing bromance. This doesn’t last long, as he gets paranoid and leaves no room on his efficiency list for Nigel. Nevertheless, the two have a great chemistry and could provide a lot of entertainment in the future.

So Jessica wins and looks to be victorious, upsetting many of her co-workers in the process. But how strong is a leader if her team is present out of necessity instead of loyalty? Jessica took some very personal shots at the people she should be counting on to have her back. A house divided against itself cannot stand? At this point in their relationship, Jessica should know Harvey better than to back him into a corner. As he says, “I’m comfortable there. Gives me back support for when I come back swinging.”

“War” starts energetically and rather hilariously with the one-liners nearly relentless. It spirals into something darker to set up for season three, and there are many relationships to mend. Perhaps most heartbreaking of these is the one between Harvey and Mike. They have come a long way both professionally and personally, so hopefully they are not too estranged at the start of next season.