Suits “Borrowed Time” Recap. Are You Ever Truly Free?

Season 6, Episode 8

Air Date: August 31, 2016, 10/9c on USA

Rating: ★★★★★

“Mike and Harvey did it.” – Donna

Deal or no deal?

Hope for Mike’s (Patrick J. Adams) early release quickly fades now that SEC Investigator Sean Cahill’s (Neal McDonough) deal to get Mike out of prison is off the table. In a race against time, Harvey (Gabriel Macht) tries to find another way to get Mike out of prison. Will Harvey’s questionable tactics get him in even more hot water, or will he find a way to resurrect Cahill’s deal with Mike?

I’m just going to come out and say it; I was disappointed with “Borrowed Time.” As much as I’ve enjoyed the prison dynamic this season, the storyline is reaching a point where things are starting to feel repetitive. Storylines I previously enjoyed have suddenly worn out their welcome.

Take Cahill and Harvey, for instance. I absolutely love watching the two pretend to work against each other as they try to help Mike get out of prison. The questionable ethics made an interesting moral dilemma for the characters that was fascinating to watch. When Cahill pulls Mike’s deal, I fully expected Harvey to take matters into his own hands, unleashing hell on Cahill. We see that briefly, but it’s only enough to get us back to where we started. Once again, Mike has to try and convince his cellmate Kevin (Erik Palladino) to turn on his father-in-law, William Sutter (Alan Rosenberg). Even Sutter’s eventual fate is anti-climatic.

Is this really goodbye?

Perhaps it’s the curmudgeon in me, but I’ve often found the relationship storylines in Suits to be lacking emotionally. As much as I’ve enjoyed the smooth sophistication D.B. Woodside brought to his roles on Fox series like 24 and Lucifer, I never felt his Suits character, Jeff Malone, was given a chance to fully develop. Sure, Jeff and Jessica (Gina Torres) have some sizzling chemistry but without a better foundation for Jeff, it wasn’t enough. I didn’t mind seeing Jeff break up with Jessica last season, but having him return in “Borrowed Time” did little to peak my interest. Jeff’s scenes do nothing to move the story forward other than to provide Jessica a quick roll in the hay.

My lack of feelings for Jeff’s return didn’t help matters when it came to Louis (Rick Hoffman) and his relationship with Tara (Carly Pope). It’s entertaining to watch Louis continue to process their first date and the revelation that she is also seeing another man. While the budding love is awkwardly cute at times, it’s out of place with the tone of the rest of the series. At least when Louis was dating Sheila Sazs (Rachel Harris), the writers found an interesting way to connect her to the main story. Can Louis and Tara live happily ever after and if so, what does it bring to the series? Despite their ups and downs, Mike’s relationship with Rachel (Megan Markle) has been the only intimate relationship on Suits that fits the series; everything else has been filler.

Meanwhile, Jessica and Rachel continue to run into dead ends in their case to help free death row inmate Leonard Bailey (Glenn Plummer). For all of Jessica’s legal maneuverings, Leonard is interested in end results rather than courtroom games. Desperate to find any way to stall Leonard’s execution, Rachel reaches out to Leonard’s Aunt Harriet (Michele Lonsdale Smith). While Harriet raised Leonard from the age of 14 to 17, she is convinced of her nephew’s guilt and is reluctant to help. These scenes should have been emotional but they did nothing for me. Sure, a possibly innocent man’s life is on the line but because we only get bits of information about Leonard’s life, I don’t feel any emotional connection to his plight.

One of the bright spots of “Borrowed Time” is Mike’s cellmate Kevin. I really enjoy Palladino’s working man performance and while I’ve never been in prison, I find myself relating to his blue collar attitude. Unfortunately, I doubt Kevin will survive the next two episodes. Mike may be a good person, but he’s never really been held accountable for his actions. Even in prison, he’s found a way to get out of serving his full sentence. Good intentions aside, Mike dragged Kevin into his mess and I fear Kevin is going to be the one to pay the price. What do you think?

“Borrowed Time” wrapped up a little too nicely, which for Suits usually means a totally unrelated bombshell is about to drop. With only one episode left before the midseason finale, the fates of Leonard and Frank (Paul Schulze) are the biggest storylines to wrap up before setting up the second half of the season. While “Borrowed Time” is perhaps one of my least favorite Suits episodes, I am excited to see how the second half of the season goes.

Tweet me @staffaroadtrip or leave a comment below to let me know what you think about “Borrowed Time.”

Tune in to Suits Wednesdays at 10/9c, only on USA Network.

For more on the show, go to http://www.usanetwork.com/series/suits/.

Follow Suits on Twitter, as well as some of the cast: <Mike> Patrick J Adams, <Harvey> Gabriel Macht, <Rachel> Meghan Markle, <Louis> Rick Hoffman, <Donna> Sarah Rafferty, and <Julius Rowe> Malcolm-Jamal Warner

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Greg Staffa

I provide testosterone to the site. You won’t be reading about how nice a actress looks in a dress or how much of a hunk Matt Bomer is in my reviews. I describe colors using words like brown, not taupe. My twitter name is @staffaroadtrip because I love road trips and have done two different 48-state road trips since 2008. My favorite show is White Collar.