Suits Review: “Zane vs. Zane”

When an episode starts off with Harvey lecturing Mike on how “excuses don’t win championships” during a heated game of crumpled paper basketball, you know you’re in for a great episode of Suits. Mike asks Harvey if Michael Jordan told him that, to which Harvey responds, “No, I told him.” Of course.

Competition is in the air in “Zane vs. Zane”. Rachel fights with her father, Louis battles Katrina Bennett, and Pearson Hardman appears to be up against the world at this point. A gender discrimination case has the firm trying to settle with the stoic Robert Zane (guest star Wendell Pierce), which puts his daughter Rachel in an awkward position. Louis makes clear his feelings about the new associate, Katrina, making for an entertaining office war between the two.

The feisty Katrina does not respond well to finding Louis trimming (or as Louis would correct: sculpting) his nails at her desk. Uncertain of how to fight back, Katrina successfully attempts to win Donna’s heart and advice with homemade chocolate-chip cookies. Donna offers her assistance and this results in a humorous back-and-forth between Katrina and Louis. It involves $3000 fines, a folder with pictures of Louis photoshopped onto various US presidents, and even an embarrassing arrest.

Eventually, the two come to an agreement and declare a truce. Louis corrects Katrina’s idea that he is picking on her because she’s a woman. As he says, he “worships women” like his mother and Gwen Stefani. This bickering has set the stage for a fun future relationship between these two characters.

The more serious altercations take place between Zane and various members of Pearson Hardman as he tries to “cut below the belt”. He offers a lowball settlement, one that angers Jessica and that Harvey promptly rejects. Seeing the firm in what he views as a weak position, Zane proposes a merger. Pearson Zane just doesn’t have a nice ring to it, does it?

Gina Torres as Jessica Pearson and Gabriel Macht as Harvey Specter. Image © USA

Rachel becomes involved in this after her father upsets her at her birthday lunch. Of all the occasions, Zane chose that one to belittle his daughter’s professional ambitions. This angers her into joining Mike and Harvey on the case, resulting in a tumultuous ride for everyone. Reminding her father that she is not the little girl she used to be and deserves more respect is no easy feat, but by the end of the episode they seem to have reached something close to an understanding.

It is nice to see Rachel come into her own and defend herself. A huge source of encouragement throughout the ordeal is Mike, so it is also good to see that relationship on the mend. Mike remembers Rachel’s birthday and gives her a framed copy of her impressive LSAT scores, which is pretty “aww-worthy”.

Speaking of sweet, it is fun to see Louis’s glee when he finds his office plastered with pictures of his mug shot. It may seem odd that he reacts with a smile when his pants are ripped, but the prank is a sign that things between Harvey, Donna and Louis may finally be returning to normal. Elated with this, Louis triumphantly shouts, “We’re back!”

The bombshell dropped near the end is that Zane gave up the case and offered it to … Daniel Hardman. We’ve been waiting for that persistent thorn in the firm’s side to re-appear, and it looks like it will happen in next week’s episode. Considering the very bad blood between Hardman and the firm, it is certain that some chaos will ensue.

Catch Suits Thursdays on USA.