TV Review: Suits Season 3 Episode 15 "Know When To Fold 'Em"

Suits is back with one of their best episodes yet.

The case this week involved a children's company having their IPO go public, and a lawyer going after them threatening a suit with evidence they used toxins in their materials.

Harvey and Mike dig up history on the lawyer - he is divorced and in debt after losing a Tobacco case when he could have settled and become rich. After rejecting the lawyer's offer for 100k (and the ability to represent other plaintiffs), the lawyer then asks for 1 million in exchange for the suit against the children's company being dropped totally.

Harvey declines, and later tells Mike the lawyer is a degenerate gambler. This leads to a classic poker scene with Harvey, where he plays for everything on the line and beats the lawyer badly.

James, the lawyer, now comes at Harvey after he uncovers Mike and Harold's suit against the firm that got the witnesses in the Hessington Oil case to back off.

He now threatens Harvey with a 2 million dollar settlement, or he will advise the NYC bar to look into Mike.

Meanwhile Mike is dealing with the cliffhanger from the last episode - a job offer as an investment banker. Rachel and Harvey (although he probably thinks otherwise) think he should take it. Donna is initially against it, out of her loyalty to Harvey and how he probably feels.

This bribery accusation is obviously the hook that was going to force Mike to stay, when all other factors say he should leave. It fixes the awkward character graduated and is now in college situation the show would have faced had Mike gone to this other job.

You can't have your main protagonist working full-time somewhere else.

The show did a nice job of subverting my expectations, however. I was expecting Mike to go "shiiiiiiiiiiiiit, okay I'm back in to clear my name and the firm out of the debt I owe you Harvey, then I'm gone." Instead they pushed back Mike's decision. Harvey instead of telling Mike how he feels, uses the bribery to suggest Mike to go ahead and get the hacker to add his name to the bar records. They push it even further, by Mike giving Harvey the fix to get the lawyer to stop threatening the lawsuit.

A move that Mike had to see the hacker for. However,they tipped their hand (not in a bad way) when Harvey tells Mike to take down the lawyer as a going away present.

In that moment, Harvey showed how much he values Mike as a lawyer. This weighs on Mike and eventually leads him to reveal to Harvey that he went to the hacker and got his name added to the bar.

Louis, Rachel, Katrina, and Jessica had a small crisis of their own this week.

Charles Van Dyke, a former partner, returns for a raise in his dividend check. When Jessica refuses, Charles files paperwork to audit the firm and look at the books to see if they are hiding profits.

When Katrina and Rachel try and cover for a heartbroken Louis who is at home, we learn quickly there is no substitute for someone like Louis Litt. Louis comes back in time to save the day.

Besides pairing Rachel and Katrina for the first time, this story couldn't really hold a candle to the main story involving Mike. That isn't a knock on it, the Mike story was just that good this week.

Mike's secret almost tore Scottie and Harvey apart again. All their conversations seem to come back to the fact that Harvey won't tell her everything (or can't, in his words). Even Scottie admits all they do is make up and then repeat the same process/fight the next day. This leads to Harvey passionately telling Donna that he wants to tell Scottie about Mike and why he had to cover it up.

Granted this is before he knew Mike committed another felony to stay a lawyer. But still, just like with Harvey telling Mike not to tell Rachel, Donna strongly urges Harvey not to tell Scottie the same secret.

She's obviously is going to be the next to find out although judging by the promo, everyone might find out in the finale.

Her reaction will be much more cathartic than any other character - because of the build up and fights between her and Harvey.

It looks like it's all crashing down in the finale.

Every show that pretty much nails the season leading up to the finale has a tremendous build up, and Suits is no exception. I'm expecting them to knock it out of the park.

Photo Credit: newstoshows.com / USA Network