Suits - “Two in the Knees” Retrospective. Surrogate Son.

Season 4, Episode 3

Air Date: Wednesday, June 25, 2014, 9/8c on USA

Rating: ★★★★★

“You want below the belt? I’ll give you below the belt.” – Harvey

Mike crashing Harvey’s lunch Meeting

Tensions grow between Harvey (Gabriel Macht) and Mike (Patrick J Adams) as the maneuvering to gain control over Walter Gillis’ (Michael Gross) company continues. As the fight intensifies between the two former colleagues, the line between black and white becomes grayer. Can their friendship find its way back to where it once was or are the two heading for destruction?

I really enjoyed the scene between Donna (Sara Rafferty) and Mike on the park bench because it is based on their friendship, and not the war going on between Harvey and Mike. It’s a pleasant moment that further establishes Donna as the voice of reason between Mike and Harvey. Donna sees what most of us see in Mike and Harvey’s friendship. One day, hopefully they will be able to see it as well.

Louis keeping an eye on Malone

As much as I would rather have Harvey and Mike working on the same side again, it is fun to see Mike recognized as every bit an equal to Harvey, although they each hit below the belt to gain the slightest edge. The restaurant scene is a perfect example as Mike unexpectedly shows up during Harvey’s attempt to intimidate a banker into cutting off Mike’s client, Walter, from any further loans. Harvey hopes that by cutting off Walter, his client, Logan Sanders (Brendan Hines), will be able to take over Walter’s company.

When Harvey fails to stop Mike, Logan tells Harvey to start playing dirty, suggesting he hire a private investigator to dig up dirt on Mike. This sets up an interesting dilemma as Harvey knows exactly what an investigator will find when looking into Mike’s past. At the same time, pride is at stake for everyone because of Logan’s past relationship with Rachel (Meghan Markle), Mike’s girlfriend.

“This has nothing to do with Rachel.” Despite Logan’s assurances to Harvey, nobody is buying it. The same can be said about Mike, who clearly has some concerns about Rachel being around Logan again, especially since the last time the two were together, Logan was married to another woman.

Louis trying to bond with Malone

Louis’ (Rick Hoffman) antics in “Two in the Knees” remind me of a hilarious bit on Arrested Development where Michael (Jason Bateman) convinces Tobias (David Cross) to record himself every time he speaks. He wants Tobias to hear the things that come out of his mouth because they are full of awful innuendos. For years, we have heard Louis spew similar things that would make most people do a double take. Watching Malone (D.B. Woodside) take on some of Louis’ traits in order to get Louis to take his side over Jessica (Gina Torres) is hilarious. I never thought I’d see Louis in such an uncomfortable position. Donna is also entertaining to watch as she allows Louis to talk her ear off while trying to figure out what Louis should do about Malone’s advances.

I am slowly coming around to Malone. The writers are doing a much better job of writing his scenes, and giving more depth to his character. At least he is no longer being the walking sexual harassment case he was in earlier episodes. His scenes with Jessica come off as heartfelt and sincere as he tells her, “I may play games to get us together but I never play games with a case.”

Watching Harvey tell Walter about Mike’s past drug use is difficult because in doing so it hurts Walter. Gross gives a wonderful performance as he goes from angry to hurt, and back to angry again over the news about Mike. For Harvey, it is the lesser of two evils, and the best way for him to take down Mike while also protecting him. Yet, at the same time, I find myself disappointed in Harvey for doing it.

Harvey’s move further escalates the building tension between him and Mike, and creates an explosive confrontation between the broken duo. I found myself cringing at some of the hurtful comments they throw at each other out of anger. It’s a heartbreaking scene to watch; you feel the raw anger between the two and wonder if their friendship can ever recover given how personal things become.

Male ego plays a big part in “Two in the Knees,” and it is no surprise when Donna and Rachel are forced to try to undo the emotional damage the men have created. Dare I say, this episode likely would have turned out much differently if the main characters were named Harriet Specter and Michelle Ross.

Seeing Mike and Harvey go at it is emotionally exhausting, and I am ready for things to return to normal. Once the matter of Walter’s company is out of the way, will Mike and Harvey ever go back to the way things were or has irreparable harm been done to their friendship?

Tweet me @staffaroadtrip or leave a comment below to let me know what you think about “Two in the Knees.”

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.