Suits — “Right-Hand Man” Review. Starting Over Again.

Season 8, Episode 1

Air Date: Wednesday, July 18, 2018, 9/8c on USA

Rating: ★★★★★

“Litt comes last.” — Harvey and Robert

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Katherine Heigl as Samantha Wheeler

As the new season of Suits opens, Harvey (Gabriel Macht) and Robert (Wendell Pierce) come to terms with the merger of their firms as both vie to become managing partner of the new entity. Getting nowhere, the discussion quickly turns to the order of names on the coveted firm wall. One thing both agree on is where Louis’ (Rick Hoffman) name goes.

“Right-Hand Man” picks up almost immediately after last season’s “Good-Bye,” key word being almost. In my review of “Good-Bye,” I mentioned some potential scenes I would have liked to see, including Harvey’s thoughts of the merger news and Robert’s reaction to his daughter Rachel (Meghan Markle) leaving the firm just as he joins. Despite only minutes passing between the two episodes, Harvey and Robert have already moved past those things, which would have made for some great television.

Not only is “Right-Hand Man” the start of a new season, in many ways it’s the beginning of a new series, complete with a revamped opening I absolutely love. It’s hard to keep track of how many times I’ve written about the gamble Suits creator Aaron Korsh takes by fundamentally altering the series. Thankfully for Korsh, losing a lead isn’t the kiss of death it used to be.

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Amanda Schull as Katrina, Sarah Rafferty as Donna

As Louis’ right hand woman, Katrina (Amanda Schull) is often called upon to do the things her mentor wouldn’t. I’ve never been shy about my indignation for Katrina. Throughout the seasons, the writers never took the time to humanize Katrina in a way that makes the audience care for her. So when Kathrine Heigl was cast as Samantha Wheeler, Robert’s protegè, I had serious doubts Samantha was another Katrina. Cut from a similar mold, many of my complaints about Katrina easily apply to Samantha. As talented as Heigl is, watching “Right-Hand Man” shows me nothing about Samantha that makes me want to see more of her. Hopefully, my attitude will change as the season progresses.

That said, much to my surprise, with Samantha now holding the title of office bitc… let’s just say pain in the ass, the writers finally take the time to show a different side of Katrina — a human one. Schull gives a wonderful performance as “Right-Hand Man” is a transformational episode for her character. It’s amazing to watch the character growth by Katrina over the course of a single episode. More importantly, I actually find myself suddenly caring about her. Will we see more of this side of Katrina? I certainly hope so.

“Right-Hand Man” is a two-sided tale. The first part focuses on the internal conflict experienced by both sides of the merger as each firm holds its ground trying to protect the way they were accustomed to doing things pre-merger. I’ve always felt Suits was strongest anytime the firm comes together like a family to fight an outside foe, so I hope the merger drama will be easily solved. As a viewer, all the infighting throughout the seasons has been exhausting and the start of season eight had me wondering if this season would be any different.

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Benjamin Ayres as Brian, Sarah Rafferty as Donna

The second half of “Right-Hand Man” features a wonderful storyline about finding the value of people. Given Mike was often the moral compass for the series, I worried how his absence would impact the tone of the show. Thankfully, the writers have found Mike’s virtuous replacement in junior associate Brian Altman (Jake Epstein). Brian’s unique friendship with Louis is entertaining to watch and I love the way the writers incorporate Katrina into the mix. Much like Brian is an asset to the firm, Epstein is someone Suits could use more of especially with Adams gone.

The morality isn’t the only void left by Mike and Rachel’s departure. Their absence leaves an opening in available screen time for other characters. While current Suits actors like Dule Hill have been promoted to series regular, the merger means the introduction of several new characters. This means other familiar faces like Brian and Gretchen (Aloma Wright), who could have benefited from more screen time, remain secondary players. My hope is the writers find a way to create an appropriate balance rather than getting caught up in all the new characters they’re creating.

It’s impossible to write a Suits review and not mention Donna (Sarah Rafferty), the glue that holds the firm together. Rafferty is outstanding in “Right-Hand Man,” especially during her scenes with Epstein and Schull. My favorite of the season eight premiere is her brief meeting with Robert. While little is said, the amount of respect Robert shows Donna is something I desperately needed to see; it gives me hope for the new season.

Tweet me @staffaroadtrip or leave a comment below to let me know what you think about “Right-Hand Man.”

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

Follow Suits on Twitter, as well as some of the cast: <Harvey> Gabriel Macht, <Louis> Rick Hoffman, and <Donna> Sarah Rafferty.

Like Suits on Facebook.

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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.