Suits ‘Rewind’ Review: A Peek into the Past

At the end of most Suits episodes, one feels the need to sit for a moment and allow all of the crazy events to sink in. While ‘Rewind’ does provide plenty for the audience to digest, it is for different reasons. Instead of the usual fast-paced show with many plot twists and turns, we are treated to some character history. The flash backs occur five years previously, so it is interesting to see how the characters have grown since then. Considering the development they have shown in less than two seasons, that growth is unsurprising.

We begin in present day with Harvey telling Mike he is taking a day off. Yes, it appears that even the great Harvey Specter takes days off. He won’t share where he is going, but he assigns Mike a little project for while he is away. Harvey stresses that Mike cannot tell Jessica what they are going to do to tip the scales in her favor. After issuing his instructions, a relaxed looking Harvey boards a train to an unknown destination.

When we flash back, we see Harvey and Donna joking around with each other. It is a little sad to watch considering the recent events with the firm’s most beloved secretary. She listens in when Jessica comes to Harvey asking for help. Jessica knows that someone is stealing from the firm’s clients and wants Harvey to quietly figure out who it is. Always a man with his eye on the prize, Harvey agrees to do so if Jessica will make him partner afterwards.

After mistakenly accusing Louis of being the thief (and being firmly berated for that by Jessica), Harvey decides to ask for Louis’s help. Careful not to let Louis know any of the details, such as the fact it is for their own firm, Harvey has him look over the paperwork. When they discover that it is Daniel, Jessica decides to give him the chance to explain himself.

A mildly flustered Daniel informs Jessica that he stole the money to pay for his dying wife’s cancer treatments. Sympathetic, Jessica formulates a plan to help Daniel out by letting him pay back the stolen money. Harvey is enraged by this, which Jessica finds very heartless.

However, Jessica changes her tune when Donna finds out, through Rachel, that Daniel is cheating on his wife. Harvey shows up at Daniel’s hotel room where Monica, another lawyer from the firm, is in the bedroom. Calm as ever, Harvey tells Daniel to sign a letter of resignation and name Jessica as his replacement. Harvey says that Daniel’s wife will be arriving at the hotel in three minutes and that if Daniel does not comply, Harvey will have the staff send her to their room. Unless Daniel wants his very sick wife to walk in on him cheating on her, he must sign. He does.

Gabriel Macht as Harvey Specter in Suits. Photo: Christos Kalohoridis © 2012 USA

As expected, Harvey receives his promotion, as well as a new office (Jessica’s old one). That good news cannot compare to the bad news Harvey receives upon returning to the office. A tearful Donna tells Harvey that his father has suffered a heart attack. The look on her face tells him all he needs to know. The responding look on his face is devastating. It is a heartbreaking scene, as well as some of Gabriel Macht’s (Harvey’s) best acting so far.

Guest star Jacinda Barrett plays Zoe Lawford, who we met in last week’s episode. At the time of the flashback, she is also working for Pearson Hardman. Harvey, who flirts with her at the beginning of the episode, comes to her expecting congratulations on his promotion. She puzzles him when she announces she is leaving the firm, blaming part of her unhappiness on Harvey. Understandably, she expects him to be mourning the loss of his father, not celebrating his professional achievements. He defends himself by saying it is his way of coping, but she insists he has lost his way.

Meanwhile, in Mike’s flash backs, we see the familiar faces of Jenny and Trevor. Trevor’s pot selling business is beginning to take off and it appears the two friends spend the majority of their waking hours stoned.

When they meet Jenny for the first time, Mike somehow ends up with her friend, Nikki, instead of Jenny. This is partially due to Trevor liking Jenny and doing his best to get there first. Mike’s relationship with Nikki last approximately half an hour as it turns out she only wants him to take the LSATS for her.

Initially, Mike turns down the offer of one thousand dollars for him to take the test. When he later realizes that his grandmother needs pricey full-time care, he agrees to take the test for five times the price of the original offer. This marks the beginning of Mike’s career taking tests for other people, something we have seen him come full circle on.

The flash backs finish with Harvey and Mike both seeming unsatisfied with their situations. Mike’s roommate moves out due to the success of his drug dealing, plus is dating the girl Mike really wants to be with. Harvey sits at his desk in his new, big office and looks lonely. It is amazing how a well-written (and acted) scene can require zero words to make an incredibly strong point.

Gabriel Macht as Harvey Specter and Jacinda Barrett as Zoe Lawford. Photo: Christos Kalohoridis © 2012 USA

In present day again, we see Mike doing his best to carry out the task Harvey left for him. He uses Rachel’s reluctant help to contact Monica, the lawyer who Daniel cheated on his wife with. She is still a bit bitter seeing as Jessica fired her after that, leaving her to work in retail for five years. Mike offers his help to her in a coffee shop that Louis frequents.

Louis runs to Daniel with the information. This seems like quite a betrayal, but it is not very shocking. Louis’s agitation with Jessica and Harvey has been growing and he feels like Daniel is kinder to him than Jessica is. If only he knew that five years earlier, Daniel tried to get Louis to take the fall for the embezzling. It also cannot help that Louis was quite smitten with Monica, who repeatedly shot him down while she was at the firm.

Daniel angrily confronts Jessica, who then publically reprimands Mike. She tells him to drop it even though she knows he is trying to help her. Poor Mike doesn’t know that Jessica and Harvey hatched up this plan, and that Jessica was fully aware that Mike was going to do it.

It turns out the mysterious train ride Harvey embarked upon takes him to his father’s grave. He pours two shots, placing them on his father’s tombstone before tossing one back. When he returns to Pearson Hardman, he delivers a line to Jessica that will excite many fans: “One more thing – I’m getting Donna back.”

Well, what did you think Suits fans? The writers have done an excellent job of rounding out these characters and the complex histories that make them who they are. Now we will get to see what they do about it. Tune in Thursdays on USA for your weekly Suits fix.