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Spoiler alert, but its three days since the episode aired so if you should have watched it by now, although if you haven't I wouldn't bother.
During season 3 of House the producers of the show realised something: their formula was so stale that if it were bread, you wouldn't make toast with it. They did what needed to be done, they mixed it up and they made it better. House had always subtly changed its formula, but never with lasting effects. The start of series 4 was temporary relief from that, and for ten wonderful episodes it was brilliant. Unfortunately it didn't last forever, it couldn't really, but by the midpoint in the season the old formula was back and the show slowly petered out before limping towards its disappointing conclusion.
Suits was in virtually exactly the same situation at the start of series 4. Season 3 saw the show transition from an edgy legal drama into the Pearson-Spector-insertthirdnamehere soap opera. Suits was never good for being technically fantastic, it was never the best written or the best acted show, but it was fun. I'd tune in to listen to Harvey and Donna's hilariously witty exchanges, watch Louis scheming away, guess how Mike would get out of this episodes legal corner. That last bit was the real key - the logic made the show fun, like the logic makes Sherlock fun, and House, and Doctor Who. We don't need to be lawyers to find it entertaining, in fact being lawyers ourselves would probably ruin the fun.
I suppose the really disappointing thing about series 4 was how quickly the show ran away from its newfound potential. Mike's new job gave his character new life now his secret no longer loomed over him. Most of the shows material was preserved - Mike still worked with Harvey, their increasingly stale relationship was entertaining once more. Pearson Spector could get back to doing legal work, only this time we'd be rooting for the cornered Rachel/Harvey combo. Suits had most definitely changed for the better, the opening episodes of series 4 were far more entertaining than all of season 3.
We never get to see this play out. The warning signs began after about 20 minutes, and within ten episodes the show was back where it was in season 3. The new twist was the previously unthinkable had happened - Louis had found out. Whole sets of episodes had been devoted to keeping Louis away from the secret, and I couldn't help but feel burnt out on the whole Mike-secret-Louis dynamic. Series 4's mid season cliffhanger is hardly a cliffhanger, we know that Louis is going to become a named partner, we know he's going to dump shit on Mike and we know Jessica and Harvey are now going to have to think of something to get out of this corner.
I there were two things I didn't like about this episode. The first one I'll address is the simplest: it's just the unbelievably low quality. The supporting cast (Jeff, Katrina, Robert Zane) are mono-dimensional, predictable and boring. The acting is woeful, particularly Jessica and Louis. Even Donna has lost her edge, offering absolutely nothing of value across the whole 42 minutes. Harvey is stumped, and offers nothing but a hundred new ways to say bullshit.
The second is the writing. The episode seemed to be out of control. In one scene Jessica asks Mike to write Louis's partnership agreement, Mike refuses (effectively I must add, in one of the few strong moments in this episode) and then does it anyway. Jessica and Harvey were cornered, but little time is spent wondering how they're getting out of it. The solution is perhaps so simple that if they couldn't spend any time on it without giving it away, but it's added to a scene almost like an afterthought.
There are some key moments here: Jessica makes her peace with Mike, about a season too late; and in one of the only clever twists the show had to offer Rachel persuades her father to hire Katrina.
Maybe suits needs to get back to law. If it does that, if it brings the logic back, if it brings the fun back, then I will be able to look beyond the shows many flaws. The office drama needs to end. Imagine an episode of House without any medicine, or a Sherlock without a case, or a Doctor Who that takes place entirely in the TARDIS. That's what that episode felt like.
Bottom line: Predictable, dull and poorly made, the return of suits leaves nowhere to go but up, which it certainly has the potential to do.
3/10.
