USA's Suits - Episode 3.14 Heartburn
While Harvey and Mike have unpleasant work to do for one of their biggest clients, Louis faces a huge challenge and Rachel tries to collect on an old debt.
Louis goes through one helluva roller coaster ride in "Heartburn." Before the title sequence, he suffers a heart attack just after giving a closing argument. And yet, that's not the most turbulent thing to happen to him this week. He proposes to Sheila and she says yes! Their coupling has always been odd yet fun. I don't feel that close to her as a character because she's only popped up in a handful of episodes. She's also only defined through her relationship with Louis and her connection to Harvard. But that doesn't mean that I don't feel happy for them when they get engaged and then sad when they break up after realizing they want different things out of life. It shouldn't really work and yet surprisingly does because of the focus on the characters and the honest emotions they are feeling in the aftermath of all of these life-changing events."Heartburn" really did go above and beyond at making these characters feel something. Yes, they can talk about legal stuff and win cases for their clients. But who are the people beneath the suits? The show is at its best when it makes things so personal in the relationships of these characters. This hour does that exceedingly well as everyone is left reacting to Louis' heart attack and later their own personal dilemmas.
Obviously, a lot of the focus is on Louis as his heart attack effects how he will live his life moving forward. He wants to have a long life with the woman he loves. He wants to stay in New York with his family at the firm. He wants to have kids. Ultimately, he wants to be happy. Sheila understands him more than anyone else. Close bonds have developed over the course of the show but there's still always the tiniest bit of everyone else not always understanding Louis' eccentricities. Sheila loved these little things about him and she was ready to give up her life at Harvard to be in New York with him. Unfortunately, he wasn't also willing to make an equal sacrifice to give up on the idea of having kids. And that destroys everything with the relationship. It's nice that Donna is there for him in the end but it's devastating nevertheless.
Elsewhere, Rachel is trying to negotiate the firm paying for her law school. It's a plot thread I forgot about even though her desire to go to law school has been her strongest trait on the series. It's so good when the show doesn't reduce her down to Mike's girlfriend. She has virtues of her own and she uses them well here as she goes back-and-forth with Jessica. It's a story of her doing something for herself and her future.
Lastly, I continue to love the story of Mike realizing that in his current arrangement he has no where to grow at the firm. He's always going to be the man in the background to do the work but who never gets the respect or recognition that he may deserve. Harvey, Rachel, Jessica and Donna appreciate what he does for the firm. And yet, it's also really hitting him hard now. But he also loves the work he's doing. Like Harvey points out, he's dealing with some of the biggest players in the city. Trying to go legit is a great solve to the grand conceit of the show. It's an idea I've always poised for the series to take because it's a dynamic that's perhaps too complex. And yet, Harvey states how going down that road means he will never get to practice law in the same way that he is now. It's an interesting dichotomy to place on that character. One that grows more complex when he gets that new job offer as an investment banker which could keep him doing business with the same clientele without having to lie about his lack of a law degree. But his home is at Pearson Spector. But he also can't grow there. So is what he has there enough for him?
Some more thoughts:
- "Heartburn" was written by Aaron Korsh & Erica Lipez and directed by James Whitmore, Jr.
- I do, however, wonder how much of the decision to end the Louis-Sheila relationship came from Rachael Harris also starring on FOX's new sitcom Surviving Jack - which actually debuted tonight.
- The troubles in the Harvey-Scottie relationship was such a small part of the episode that it felt odd to end the episode on it.
- I literally have no clue what the case-of-the-week was about. It was such an afterthought and felt like the needs to an end - so Mike could get that job offer.
