Suits - “Intent” Retrospective. State vs. Donna Paulsen.

Season 4, Episode 15

Air Date: Wednesday, February 25, 2015, 10/9c on USA

Rating: ★★★★★

“This is Donna” – Harvey

Will Donna get out of this mess?

After Evan Smith (Tricia Helfer), an attorney for Liberty Rails, reveals Donna (Sara Rafferty) broke the law when gaining access to the company’s file room, it’s up to Harvey (Gabriel Macht) to come to Donna’s aid. Will Harvey come through as everyone expects or will even the great Harvey not be able to get Donna out of this?

One of the things I enjoy about Suits is the work that goes into creating the relationships among the characters. To casual viewers, Harvey’s initial decision to drop the Liberty Rails case may appear like he’s backing down from a fight. Fans know his reasoning goes deeper than that because it’s Donna who’s in the middle. The history between Harvey and Donna is conveyed so well by Macht and Rafferty, you could turn down the volume during “Intent” and understand the emotions involved just by their expressions and mannerisms.

One of Harvey’s first moves is to go to Jessica (Gina Torres), which is something I admire because it shows Harvey’s evolution of maturity as a named partner. In the past, Harvey would have kept things even as important as this from Jessica because he lets his ego and pride get the better of him. While I don’t think Harvey actually gets around to telling Jessica about Donna’s predicament—given Jessica’s own problems—I credit him for trying.

Team effort.

Rafferty’s scenes in “Intent” are so powerful, even I felt ashamed for not appreciating her more, especially when she tells Harvey, “You and Mike and everyone pull these rabbits out of your hats all the time and I just sit outside and I answer the phones. And then, I got those documents and people said I saved the day.” Can that really be how Donna thinks she’s viewed? If so, she hasn’t been reading my reviews.

Michael Harney gives a great performance in “Intent” as Joe Henderson, a whistle blower from Liberty Rails. Known for playing blue collar, average Joe types, I’ve been a fan of his since he appeared on Weeds, and more recently, Orange is the New Black. Henderson’s motives may not be as pure as one would like them to be but he makes an admirable thorn in Mike’s side as the two butt heads, wanting the same goal but for different reasons.

I can’t properly express how enjoyable it is seeing Louis (Rick Hoffman) and Donna’s relationship mended. Their friendship has always been special; some might even call it unique. As much as Louis tried to burn bridges during the last few episodes, it was his treatment towards Donna that was especially painful to watch. I admit, even I got a tad choked up when Louis hugs Donna in “Intent,” and referring to Harvey, tells her, “God, he doesn’t even know how lucky he is to have you.”

Not looking good for Donna.

Suits tends to be at its strongest when characters have to rally together to protect one of their own. The disagreement between Harvey and Louis is captivating to watch. I surprised even myself as I found myself agreeing with Louis’ advice that he would be better suited to defend Donna rather than Harvey. You can feel the helplessness wrap itself around Donna as Louis and Harvey hash out their differences.

I couldn’t believe my ears when Malone (D.B. Woodside) tells Jessica, “Effectively immediately, I’m tendering my resignation.” I’ve enjoyed Woodside’s performance on shows such as 24, and when it was announced he was joining the cast of Suits, I had high hopes. All season, I’ve wanted the writers to give him more to work with besides a bit role as Jessica’s boyfriend. As some of Jessica’s secrets became exposed, I thought things might be getting good for Woodside’s character. What did you think of Malone’s time on Suits? Is this really the last we’ll see of him?

“Intent” is an emotionally charged, intense episode with emotions at their rawest. The performances by Macht, Rafferty, and Hoffman are some of the strongest of the season, if not the entire series. Equal credit goes to the writers for creating such strong characters with so many layers to them. I doubt I was the only one riveted as Donna’s fate was hanging in the balance because like her, I wasn’t sure Harvey was going to be able to fix things. Frankly, I wish “Intent” had been the season finale instead of the penultimate episode because I have no clue how the people behind Suits are going to top this.

Tune in to the season finale of Suits, Wednesday, March 4, 2015 at 10/9c, only on USA.

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

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, and <Louis> Rick Hoffman.

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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.