Suits Mid-Season Finale — “Faith” Retrospective. Consequences.

Season 5, Episode 10

Air Date: Wednesday, August 26, 2015, 9/8c on USA

Rating: ★★★★★

“Because I don’t lay down.” – Harvey

How would you vote?

Trouble looms at Pearson Specter Litt as Daniel Hardman (David Costabile), with the help of Jack Soloff (John Pyper-Ferguson), makes his move to take down Jessica (Gina Torres) once and for all. Will Harvey (Gabriel Macht) find a way to come through and save the day or will he succumb to billionaire Charles Forstman’s (Eric Roberts) ultimatum to resign?

Anyone who has followed my reviews knows I’m not a fan of flashbacks. Suits has used flashbacks before but never as much as they do in “Faith,” which might as well be titled “The Past.” The flashbacks try to show how a sense of family was created at the firm, which we have seen often enough throughout the series. The only problem is, in the end, “Faith” offers little new information. As I watched the mid-season finale, I felt as though I had already seen the episode.

There’s nothing bad about the flashbacks, but the scenes would be better served had they taken place in an earlier episode and not the mid-season finale. As I watched “Faith,” I kept looking at my clock wondering when the episode would jump forward to the present so we could get to the vote about Jessica’s future.

The one bright spot during “Faith” are the scenes between Father Parker (Scott Michael Campbell) and Mike (Patrick J. Adams). Their conversation provides a new perspective to the debate over Mike’s secret; I particularly enjoyed how Father Parker pushes Mike to do better with his life. While Mike’s flashbacks offer only a tiny bit of new information, the present day scenes are fascinating. It’s heart breaking watching Mike break down and cry as he visits his childhood classroom. I’m not afraid to admit I teared up as Adams gives his strongest performance of the series during that scene. It’s hard not to feel for Mike as Adams does an outstanding job conveying the toll Mike’s secret has had on him. The kind of emotional reaction I experienced isn’t triggered by a flashback but by creating a character with a rich backstory. Not to mention, I could have done without grunge Mike.

Is this goodbye?

Harvey also has his own series of flashbacks in “Faith” and once again, they provide no real information that moves the story along. Harvey’s disdain for his mother’s (Laura Allen) affair and the toll it took on his relationship with his father Gordon (James McCaffrey) has been well documented and seeing it play out creates a sense of déjà vu because we already knew the story.

Finally, 53 minutes into “Faith,” the moment I’d been waiting for finally arrives as Hardman’s plan to get rid of Jessica and Harvey comes to a head. I doubt I was the only one who felt let down as everything is settled a few minutes later. The whole story line involving Hardman’s return feels rushed and is resolved before any consequences set in. Sure, Harvey is stepping down but with Suits renewed for at least another season, and maybe more, is anyone convinced Harvey will stay away?

Despite being disappointed overall, Suits has always had strong writing and “Faith” has some of the most powerful lines of the season.

Jessica telling Louis: “Pearson will always consider Litt her partner.”
Donna to Dr. Agard: “As long as I’m here, thank you.”
Jessica to Donna: “I asked Gretchen (Aloma Wright) to find Harvey this morning. I asked the wrong person.”

Each are profound moments, especially to longtime fans of Suits who appreciate their impactful meanings.

Is this the end for Mike?

The biggest surprise of “Faith” comes in the final few seconds of the episode as Mike is arrested for conspiracy to commit fraud. At first glance, it’s easy to assume it has something to do with Mike’s secret but I’m not buying it. My guess is it has something to do with a previous case — perhaps when Mike tricked opposing council, not to mention Soloff, into believing he’d obtained incriminating emails that forced the other side to settle. Unfortunately, we will have to wait and see when Suits returns this winter.

What did you think of the mid-season finale of Suits? Leave a comment below or tweet me @Staffroadtrip.

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.