'Suits' Reaction: The Choice

By: Greg Payne



Harvey Specter loves his sports analogies when he's negotiating with a client, so I'll employ one on his behalf. Suits is like that rising second year NBA prospect, who's coming off of a stellar rookie season, has had a terrific start to his follow-up campaign, but still has the potential for a sophomore slump.

Suits has delivered two fine episodes to begin its second season, with the latest, Thursday's, 'The Choice,' taking a closer look at some of the most pivotal relationships within Pearson-Hardman, and how important loyalty is when careers are potentially on the line. As with every episode, I can write endlessly, so I'm going to break this up. We'll discuss Mike and Rachel here and I'll be back later with a post dedicated to Harvey and Jessica.

Finally after 13 episodes, they've reached the point we've been clamoring to see them at for so long. Mike and Jenny are history, he's received Rachel's message (and apparently plays it over and over again on his way to work), she's clearly still interested, and Mike is finally ready to do something about it. One thing we love about Suits is that Harvey and Mike always end up being men of action, which is why, when Mike asks Rachel to chat for a minute and Louis, the prime minister of awful timing, demands her presence, he doesn't settle for words to get his point across, opting instead for firmly embracing her, whirling her around, and kissing her long and good. I can hear Johnny Most narrating this scene:"It's all over! It's all over! What a play by Ross!"

It was a great scene. I was smiling. Weren't you smiling? I bet you were. Rivaling it was Mike's ecstatic fist pump just before the opening credits sequence rolled.




It wasn't long before the focus was back on these two, this time discussing the kiss and planning a (gasp!) real date. There's something nice about seeing two very likable television characters get what they want, particularly if what they want is each other. Isn't it the goal of every television show and movie to elicit an emotional response from its viewer, whether it be gut-busting laughter, tears of sadness, a jolt of fear, or genuine elation? Well even if that wasn't the goal of Suits with this scene, it accomplished it anyway, because I was seriously happy to see them look so happy. We all know the feeling of the beginning of a new relationship, how the promise of the potential -- particularly after a long and rather rocky courting -- swells the happiness inside of us like a balloon incapable of bursting. We want that feeling and we want other people we like -- even television characters -- to have that feeling, so it's perfectly acceptable for us to share in the joy of the fictitious happiness of Mike and Rachel.

Patrick J. Adams (Mike) and Meghan Markle (Rachel) have a terrific onscreen chemistry, which makes the scenes in which they get to interact and flirt and have a good time around one another some of the best of the show. I've wrote it before, but Suits really strives on the strength of the relationships between its characters, and Mike and Rachel continue to prove that theory of mine.

I do wish we had seen more of the actual date, but instead we had to settle for the very end of the evening when they were about to part ways. That's when the first bombshell was dropped that eventually led to the downfall of the pair later in the episode. Rachel commended Mike for his honesty about finding the restaurant (he asked Donna, of course) which reinforced to Mike the fact that he's still living a pretty significant lie and Rachel's still in the dark on all of it.

Mike politely turns down her request to head home with her for an adult sleepover, which only reinforces how good of a guy Mike is. He knows right then and there that he's going to have to address the situation to Rachel and potentially run things off the track before they even get to the first stop. But kudos to Mr. Ross for not sleeping with her before making such a decision. As we see later in the episode, Rachel is crushed when he breaks things off, but imagine how much worse it would have been for her had they slept together already.

So they depart with another kiss and Mike eventually heads for Harvey's place, where we see Mr. Specter looking quite dapper in a tuxedo with a brunette bombshell waiting in the wings in the other room. Mike wants to tell Rachel his secret, claiming he can't be in a relationship based on a lie. Harvey firmly objects. Their fight in this scene was so well done, with Harvey finally giving Mike an ultimatum: Tell Rachel and he's done at Pearson-Hardman. You can't blame Harvey. He's right, after all. Say Mike tells Rachel and somehow things get screwed up between the pair. She immediately becomes a liability and while it's unlikely she would tell anyone, you can't really predict how people will act when their emotions are running high (looking at you, Trevor. You dick.). So, yes, Harvey, you are right, but this one still royally sucks.

Cue a conversation with Donna, who makes Mike aware of how much Harvey was willing to sacrifice (everything, essentially) in order for him to stay with the firm, and also helps him come to terms with what he needs to do with Rachel. That's when we get a revelation: Harvey and Donna used to be together. In some capacity. You guys got that, right? She was clearly talking about Harvey, right? Donna never says it outright, but she tells Mike it is possible for people who work together to go back to being just co-workers when the romance falls apart. She claims that "the feelings just go away...Eventually." Again, this all sucks. It doesn't mean the show is doing anything wrong. I don't like the show any less because of this development. I just wanted Mike and Rachel to be happy, even if it was a false happiness for Mike for another episode or two...

The breakup scene was tough. I love Rachel. We all love Rachel. Who doesn't love Rachel? Jason Sudeikis loves Rachel in Horrible Bosses (she's the FedEx girl at the beginning!). Mike plays it the best way he can. Referencing a past relationship of Rachel's that didn't work and resulted in the poor bloke getting the ax at the firm, he says he can't risk the same fate. He lets her down as gently as possible, but she's crushed, finally revealing that all of what has happened can only mean one thing: In her eyes, she's not good enough for Mike.

Ugh. I've depressed myself all over again just by writing this. As usual, it'll be interesting to see how the two interact next week. They have to get back together later in the season, right? Right?! I hope so.

For now we'll just have to endure the sense of discomfort that is gradually spreading throughout the halls of Pearson-Hardman.