Suits “Shake the Trees” Review. The Clock is Ticking.

Season 6, Episode 7

Air Date: August 24, 2016, 10/9c on USA

Rating: ★★★★★

“I’m Donna and I’m awesome.” – Donna

Don’t mess with Donna

Rachel (Megan Markle) is dealt a harsh dose of reality when the execution date for her client, death row inmate Leonard Bailey (Glenn Plummer), is set. Her emotions pale in comparison to Bailey, who becomes visibly upset as the gravity of his situation suddenly becomes all too real. Fortunately for Bailey, there’s a glimmer of hope now that Jessica (Gina Torres) has taken the lead on his case. Will Jessica and Rachel find a way to stall the execution and clear his name, or is this the beginning of the end for Bailey?

As someone who has been critical of Rachel’s storyline earlier this season, I continue to enjoy her involvement with the Innocence Project. Not only does the death row case give Rachel something meaningful to do, the writers are doing an excellent job with the storyline. Having Jessica step in doesn’t diminish any of the groundwork Rachel has laid out. There’s a wonderful mentoring feel to their scenes together. It’s also great to see Jessica attempting to redeem both the firm’s and her name.

Just when I thought the death row case couldn’t get any better, “Shake the Trees” marks the return of Rachel’s father, Robert (Wendell Pierce). I absolutely love how the mere mention of him triggers a reaction for both Rachel and Jessica. For Rachel, he’s an estranged father who is still reeling from his son-in-law Mike’s (Patrick J. Adams) lie. For as much as Robert sees Rachel as his little girl, and always will, Rachel strives for the day when he also sees her as his peer. For Jessica, Robert is a contentious rival, who now questions her every move after learning the truth about Mike. Watching the three together is riveting but I also can’t help wondering whether these attorneys represent the creation of a new firm for the future.

Meanwhile, Louis (Rick Hoffman) starts to second guess himself as his date with his architect, Tara Messer (Carly Pope), approaches. Who can blame him considering all the lies he’s told her?. While I expected their date to be anything but normal, I assumed the drama would come from Louis’ end. Turns out, though, Tara has a secret of her own. Can anything on Suits ever be simple? While I enjoy the uniqueness of Louis and Tara’s relationship, I wonder if this latest revelation is necessary given their already unusual romance.

What is Frank’s next move?

I absolutely love the Suits episodes where Donna (Sarah Rafferty) gets to do what she does best—being Donna. Rafferty is an absolute delight to watch when Donna has her way with both Louis and Stu (Ian Reed Kessler) in “Shake the Trees.” If you only recently started watching Suits, the relationship between Donna and Louis might be difficult to comprehend. However, those who have watched from the beginning understand their scenes in “Shake the Trees” are absolutely beautiful. While I know Suits is a scripted series, a part of me wonders if Rafferty’s scripts for episodes like this one simply read, ‘Unleash Donna.’ Rafferty is that natural in the role.

Speaking of Donna, did anyone else have a sinking feeling that something horrible was about to happen after Donna tells Louis she loves him? Maybe I’m overreacting but that scene feels like she’s saying goodbye. To have that scene be followed by the distraught father (uncredited) of the victim Bailey is accused of murdering showing up at the firm was too much for me to take. Needless to say, I was panicking.

As much as I enjoy the various subplots, at its core, Suits is about the relationship between Mike and Harvey (Gabriel Macht). The self-imposed guilt Harvey has over Mike’s situation is starting to take its toll, with him willing to compromise his ethics to free Mike. Frankly, I’m hoping the incredible stress he’s under brings back Harvey’s therapist, Dr. Paula Agard (Christina Cole), who was last seen in “Faith.”

At the same time, Mike’s attempts to get his cellmate Kevin (Erik Palladino) to turn on his father-in-law, William Sutter (Alan Rosenberg), continue to drive Kevin away. It’s fascinating when you realize the similarities between Kevin’s situation and the events that landed Mike in jail. Despite the parallels between the two, it’s hard to imagine these cellmates staying friends after they get out of prison.

With Harvey’s house of cards beginning to fall, it was only a matter of time before Frank (Paul Schulze) realized something was up. Leave it to Frank to discover Mike is helping Harvey collude against Sutter to bring him down. And now, Mike is in an even worse place than he was before.

“Shake The Trees” is an entertaining episode that wonderfully blends humor with drama. As the season approaches the midway point, I appreciate that it’s difficult to see where things are headed, which builds my anticipation. Will Bailey be put to death; will Mike be set free; will Harvey find himself in jail with Mike; and most important, will Louis get a second date with Tara?

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

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.