Suits Season 3, Episode 6: "The Other Time" Recap/Review

I know there are a lot of people who aren't big fans of flashback episodes, but I usually dig them, and this one was no exception. The problem is, I'm a nervous girl, and it doesn't take much to make my anxiety skyrocket. Even despite the fact that we know what's going to happen, since all of the events in this episode have already been referenced throughout the series so far (Mike getting kicked out of school, Harvey covering for Cameron when he hid evidence, Jessica and Hardman taking down their fellow name partners at the firm, etc) it's still very tense to watch-- it might actually be that fact that makes it even worse, because we're bracing for it from the get-go. Plus, in Mike's case, we know that literally every single idea that Trevor has ever had ends up fucking over Mike in some way, so that really doesn't help either.

On the other hand, I really did enjoy this look back to the beginning of Harvey and Donna's story, and why they act the way they act, and why they've never even tried to do anything with each other again after all these years. Donna is one of my favorite characters, and her friendship with Harvey is one of my favorite things about this show, so it's nice to see them finally all on the same page again. The last episode or two and all the tension between them was definitely not helping the nerves thing either. This show is stressful, don't you agree? ANYWAY, moving onto the goods before I'm like a month behind.

Previously, on Suits: Harvey accidentally lost Ava her company when Jessica and Louis intervened in his plan behind his back, so he figured his deal with Darby for managing partner was over was off the table. HOWEVER, Stephen claimed that Darby would still back him as long as he won Ava's murder trial. Donna confessed to Harvey that she was sleeping with Stephen, and Harvey pretended like it didn't bother him (but it totally does.) Rachel got an interview at Stanford Law School, but didn't tell Mike about it until after he already heard about it from her dad, so he was more than a little pissy that she kept this from him. Harvey got Gianopolous to rat out Cameron regarding the fact that he leaked Ava's bribery tape to him, but Cameron is still under the impression that he can win the case even without his only piece of evidence. Lastly, Jessica finally put Harvey's name on the door, but he figured it was just because she wanted him back on her side again, which may or may not be at least partially true.

Donna has the good fortune to ride the elevator with Louis when she arrives at work, where she notices that Louis seems to be having a pretty good morning. Louis plays coy at first, but she doesn't even need to twist his arm to get him to cave and tell her what's up. "Okay, I'll tell you: Mikado finally slept in my bed last night, and I woke up this morning and felt like the whole world was hugging me. I lost nine ounces, my teeth whiteners are working, I found five new hairs on my head, and to top it all off, Esther broke three bones in her foot! [...] Yeah, crutches for seven months. Serves her right! Dad's favorite." Oh Louis, please stop while you're behind, love. Donna is really unsure how to respond to this, as would anyone, which just makes walking onto their floor to see "Pearson Darby Specter" on the wall that much more shocking. She stop him, finally alerting the oblivious Louis to the change, and they both stare open-mouthed at the new sign. After a moment, Louis slowly shuffles backward into the elevator again as he furiously shakes his head in disbelief. "Mmm, I need a day." See ya, dude.

Donna is more concerned about the fact that Harvey didn't tell her before they literally put his name on the door, so naturally, her first stop is his office, where he's surprisingly cold for someone who finally just achieved his dream. She pretty much says the same thing to Harvey, but he just reminds her that he doesn't have dreams, he has goals, so now that he's achieved this one, it's on to the next. She cuts to the important questions, namely: when did this happen, and why didn't he tell her? He gets kind of snitty with her, and is like, "I shouldn't have had to!" and throws out that she's been distracted lately. Donna's like, "Whoa, whoa whoa, why don't you stop lashing out at me for bullshit and just admit that my relationship with Stephen bothers you?" but Harvey angrily snaps he's not going to admit shit, because there's nothing to admit. Very mature, Harvey. He again brings up the fact that he's never had to tell her a thing, because she's always just known.

AND, here's the time-jump to prove it! We flash back to the New York District Attorney's office in 2003, where Donna is sassing Harvey about the amount of coffee he's drank that day. Apparently, the more he drinks, the less legible his signature gets on his paperwork. Harvey is surprised at her ability to notice and remember this sort of thing, but she just shrugs modestly. He calls bullshit on her natural gift of knowing everything there is to know, so she demonstrates her amazing observational skills, Sherlock Holmes-styles. "You're wearing a blue shirt, which means you won big in poker last night. You missed a spot shaving, which means you had less than five hours of sleep. And, your left wrist, which you claim you sprained playing basketball, hasn't healed, because your loud tie is hanging ever-so-slightly to the left. Loud, by the way, because you won big in poker last night!" she explains, and claps him playfully on the arm.

He tries to play like he got some physical pursuits with a lady in addition to the poker, but she knows better-- she informs him that she's totally aware that he got dumped by a lady named Melanie. And a lady named Charlotte. Oh, and a woman named Nadya. Poor guy! Harvey's like, "Yeah, I'm starting to reconsider hiring you," but gets cut off by Dennis Cameron, who looks exactly the same, and who is yelling at him to stop playing footsie with his underling. He then orders Harvey to step up, because the McKenzie brothers are here, so Harvey takes the opportunity to pitch his idea: the Night Owl murders, like in L.A. Confidential. Cameron nixes any idea he got from a movie, which deeply offends Harvey, as you can imagine, and then they have a contest to see who can do the best Sean Connery impression. Spoiler alert: they're both terrible.

Once Cameron swans off to wherever, Harvey and Donna get back into the flirty banter, and Donna's all adjusting his tie and yanking on his lapels and whatnot while Harvey just smirks smugly. He thinks Donna is into him, because he's Harvey and that's what he does, but she pretty much just tells him to get over himself. To prove that she's totally not into him, she points out that she could have done the Sherlock thing to anyone, and uses Bertha, a larger woman sitting a few desks behind them, as an example. Harvey's brain immediately blurts out that Donna must be into Bertha too, and when she's like, "Maybe I am?" his mind automatically goes to threesome. Predictable. Donna quips that if he ever had the pleasure of her company, he wouldn't want to share, and struts away. As Harvey watches her leave, he catches Bertha's eye, and she gives him the best and most deserved stink-eye ever. He remains unfazed, and smiles that beauteous smile of his.

Still in flashback, Mike comes home from class to the apartment that he shared with deadbeat Trevor. He's messing around with whatever and smoking a joint, which Mike plucks out of his fingers so he can "hit that shit." Trevor says to go easy on it, because it's all they have until tomorrow. Mike's confused, because apparently Trevor had three ounces, but Trevor sold it all. Mike's like, "Wait, since when are you dealing?" but his bud assures him that it's just friends and family, bro! Uh, yeah fucking right! Just wait five years, Mike, and see what he's doing then.

Mike hilariously is like, "What are you, AT&T?" Trevor: "What are you, the... FCC?" Mike tells him that if he can tell him what the FCC actually is, he'll give him $500. He can't, of course, and does the usual insult thing they always do. Which leads Mike to bragging about his perfect score on his calculus exam. After some suspense, Trevor reveals that Mike got into Harvard on transfer. (What school is he going to now? NYU?) He knows this, because Trevor goes through and reads all of Mike's mail. Mike is pumped, as anyone would be, but of course Trevor is mostly concerned about his best bro going away to be smart while he stays wherever they are and does the same old thing. He covers his bitterness up well, though, and suggests that they go to a frat party that the assholes at Alpha Epsilon Pi are hosting that night. Ugh, frat parties. I don't miss that at alllllll. TITLE CARD!

So, in the present, Mike is at Rachel's apartment, where she's packing her bags for her trip to Stanford in a really cute outfit. We always see her in her professional dresses and skirt/blouse combos, but she really rocks the skinny jean & a tank top look. He desperately wants her to take ten minutes out of her schedule to hang out with him, but she doesn't want to miss her flight. She thinks they could have more time together if he could just go with her to the airport, but he claims that he's too busy with the Hessington murder case right now, and she knows it. I don't doubt that that is partially true, but Rachel isn't really lying either when she tells him that it's really just because he doesn't want her to go to Stanford. She tells him all she really wants is for him to say "Have a nice trip," and actually mean it, so he kisses her and tells her so. She smiles at him weakly, and rolls her suitcase out of her apartment, leaving Mike in there alone.

We flashback again to the frat party that Mike and Trevor have attended, and Mike is doing his little photographic memory tricks so that he can swindle kisses and sexual favors out of a pretty redhead. Just as he's about to go off with her, Trevor interrupts and says that a bunch of the frat dudes are playing poker in the back. Mike's like, "Uh, why would I sit in a dark room with a bunch of dudes when I could get my dick wet in a dark room with a hot girl?" Trevor thinks he should play and take all their money, but Mike rejects him. At least, until he sees the redhead making out with another dude. Mike's pissed that Trevor blew him that opportunity, and some short AEPi punk shoulder-checks him as he walks into the poker room. Mike remembers him from freshman year, when the dude knocked him to the ground in basketball, and he's been holding a grudge ever since. So, logically, the best course of action is to win all his money, apparently. DON'T LISTEN TO TREVOR, MIKE, JFC. Remember what happened last time?

Over at the D.A.'s office, Cameron summons Harvey to his office and informs him that with his Night Owl murders idea, he was able to get each of the McKenzie brothers twenty-five years in prison. Harvey reminds him that he wouldn't have gotten shit without his help, and does what Mike usually does, and goes for a high-five. Cameron's not a big fan of that, though. He does level with Harvey, though, and tells him that he's been kicking ass lately, and that he wants to reward him with a promotion to Head Litigator. He knows that Harvey's plan was eventually to go back to work for Jessica, since she put him through Harvard, but he thinks that Harvey could be D.A. himself in ten years. Yeah, something tells me that's probably not going to happen. So, Harvey thinks some thinky thoughts about what he's going to do.

Frat house flashbacks: Mike is predictably kicking all the Douchey Frat Bros' asses at poker, and talking shit about how old they are since they play 5-Card Stud instead of Texas Hold 'Em, blah blah blah. Douchey frat bros are not amused, and especially not the King of the DFBs.

Meanwhile, Donna and Harvey are having a celebratory cocktail (Cameron's scotch, which he specifically told Harvey not to drink in their last scene, but I forgot it was important at the time.) They toast on Harvey's badassery with regard to the case and the promotion. Donna thinks they need a ritual for these sorts of celebrations. Harvey has an idea, but he can't say it due to it's lack of gentlemanliness. Donna smirks and hands him a notepad to write it down, and when she reads what he wrote, she agrees that it isn't very gentlemanly. We still have no fucking idea what this thing is, and I don't think we ever will. Anyway, she asks how they would even go about enacting his plan, so Harvey suggests they use whipped cream. Donna laughs and crushes the note up in her hand and throws it in the trash.

Harvey is eager to revisit their earlier conversation, regarding Donna and how into him she is and whatnot, but playing hard to get is like, her best skill. Which is saying a lot, because Donna is perfect. She informs him of her strict "No dating/fucking men that are my coworkers/boss" rule, so of course Harvey's like, "Fine, you're fired then!" Bertha approaches the desk where they're sitting and drinking and snarks that it's about time, and tells him to quit hitting on his secretary. Harvey plays dumb, all, "Why do you say I'm hitting on her?" but Donna isn't the only person at the D.A.'s office with impeccable observational skills, so she points out that his presence in combination with the two glasses of scotch totally give it away.

She is here for a reason, though, and that reason is that when she was filing, she found a file from the McKenzie case (aka the case he just won, which got him his recent promotion) in the McAllister box. Harvey opens the file and scans it, and his face goes white when he realizes that they left a piece of evidence out of discovery, which is bad news bears for him and Cameron. He looks like he's going to puke as he contemplates just how fucked he is right now, and not in the good way he was hoping.

The poker game is getting pretty serious, but Mike is out of money. Trevor, in all of his infinite wisdom, reveals that he has $1,000 from selling weed, but that he needs to know that Mike's hand is good enough to not lose it. Mike, whose brain supposedly counts cards involuntarily, if you recall from last season, and has determined that King of the DFBs is either bluffing or has a straight, based on the cards of all the other DFBs who folded. Unfortunately for Mike, he didn't count on the King of the DFBs cheating, which is what he totally did.

King Douche lays four fours on the table, and since Mike has a four in his hand, he knows that's impossible, unless there are five fours in a deck, which there is not. He calls him out for cheating, but King Douche is like, "So? What are you gonna do about it?"  That's a shitty but legit point, since it's not like he can call the cops or whatever. Too bad he doesn't know Harvey yet at this point, I bet he could somehow find a way to sue the shit out of that guy. Anyway, Mike's not the only one holding a grudge; King Douche explains that he also has hated Mike's guts since freshman year, because he was a big smart know-it-all or whatever, and so he totally set Mike up as payback. Oh, Mike. When will you ever learn?

We're back in present day, where Harvey is waiting for Mike by the elevator, gazing adoringly at his own surname on the wall of the firm. Stephen runs into him while he waits, and congratulates him on getting to be name partner. (Is it name partner? I honestly have no idea what this fucking position is actually called) Harvey is still pretty cold towards him after last week, but Stephen is still trying to play nice, and asks if there's anything he can do to help with the new witness Cameron's found. Harvey declines, of course, and thankfully Stephen is smart enough to quit while he's still breathing.

After he leaves, Mike finally arrives and admits that while he couldn't actually FIND the new witness, but he does know the mysterious person's identity. It takes him only one tiny glance at Harvey's smug face to immediately realize why Harvey instructed him to meet him here, and proclaims this new development as "awesome," and of course Harvey is in total agreement. You can tell he's still feeling pretty guilty though, because when Mike asks what he's going to do about Jessica, he confesses that he has no idea.

We continue to stare at the names on the wall as we fly through the flashback-machine, and the names morph to "Gordon Schmidt Van Dyke." Jessica and Harvey, ten years younger, stare at the names by the elevator as Harvey cracks, "Nothing ever changes." Hee! Jessica is curious as to why Harvey has graced them all with his presence, so he gets to the point and asks if he can extend his time at the D.A.'s office. Jessica just smiles, and asks him to follow her up to the roof, which he does. I guess this is how the rooftop meetings got started as well? Good to know.

Jessica isn't (that much) of a fool, so she has already guessed that Cameron must have offered something to Harvey to make him want to stay, and Harvey caves and admits that he got Head Litigator. She asks him if he's staying for the step-up, or if it's because that's where he sees himself building a career. When he inquires where she's going with this, she reveals that she is in a position to offer him a promotion as well. Harvey's like, "Uh, the fuck?" so Jessica confesses that she and Daniel Hardman are taking down Gordon, Schmidt and Van Dyke.

Harvey's not really sure how to react to this, so he just pretends to be disappointed that she didn't bring him up on the roof to make out. She knows he has more to say about it, so she orders him to spill it. He's a little unsure about how wise it is to take control in the night. Jessica: "Night time is when they're sleeping!" Harvey claims that telling them what you're planning shows respect, but Jessica counters that NOT telling them shows more respect. I still don't really understand how that works, but okay. Harvey moves on to the whole honor of the thing, to which Jessica is like, "Uh, we're lawyers? We're ambitious to a fault and schemey as hell, so honor doesn't really come with the profession." He still looks uncomfortable, so she reminds him of the whole "don't judge a man until you've walked a mile in his shoes" thing, and maintains that once he's walked a mile in her Louboutins, she'll listen to what he has to say.

Still in flashback mode, Mike steps out of his bedroom in the apartment he shares with Trevor to see his roommate walking towards the front door with a baseball bat. Mike knows what he's going to do, and tells him to just forget about it, but Trevor desperately needs that money back. Mike's like, "WTF have you been up to?" so Trevor has to admit that the grand he gave Mike for the poker game was supposed to be for the weed that he hadn't paid for yet. Mike is PISSED, because taking out loans from dealers is pretty fucking stupid, but Trevor corrects him. "It's called consignment, didn't you ever learn about 'free enterprise' in Econ 1A?" Mike: "No, but I read about 'don't bet money you don't have' in Econ 1A!"

Trevor puts the blame solely on Mike for losing the game after he claimed it was a sure thing, which is really fucking stupid, considering the fact that Trevor was not only the person who talked him into playing poker in the first place, but was the one who insisted he use the money. It's not (really) Mike's fault for not foreseeing that King Douche would cheat. Mike explains that to him, but Trevor says it doesn't really matter either way, because he's out $1k and if he doesn't pay it by Monday, he's going to get the shit kicked out of him by a guy called Omar. The only other solution that Trevor can think of is selling the answers to the test that Mike just aced, and he's sure that they can net at least a grand that way. Mike is so not game for this plan at all, because he still had a little bit of a moral code at this point, but Trevor says he's already going to go off and be smart at Harvard, and says that he should at least use his big brain to help Trevor out of this situation before he does. Trevor, you fucking manipulative shit.

Donna walks into Harvey's 2003 office, which is tiny as hell, and calls him out on sneaking the toxicology report that was misplaced into the McKenzie file without informing anyone that a mistake was made and that it should have been in the original discovery. He tries to shrug it off, "It's called bluffing! It's what I do," but Donna clarifies that it's bullshit, which is what bullshitters do, and that it's shit like this that gets innocent people thrown in jail. Harvey gets defensive, and starts getting lecturey. "That toxicology report doesn't change the fact that those two assholes killed that woman!" Donna reminds him that what he's doing is breaking the law, which sends Harvey's rage to critical levels. He tells her that he's "up here" and she's "down here" as he gestures with his hands, and basically tells her to shut up and do her job. Harsh toke, dude. Needless to say, Donna's not feeling very flirty right now, that's for sure.

Now, we're back to the present, where Harvey and Mike are confronting Cameron about the fact that his new star witness is Colonel Mariga, who if you have forgotten, is the foreign official that Ava Hessington bribed to get her oil pipeline built, who is now being groomed to testify that Ava paid him to kill those protesters. Harvey informs him that they're going to talk to him, so Cameron threatens to argue to the judge that if Ava finds out where he is, she'll hire someone to kill him too so he can't testify against her. That's some pretty gross talk from a guy who is supposed to be a good guy that puts bad guys in jail, isn't it? JFC. He adds that they're not going to talk to him until he's on the stand, but says that he will cut a deal with them. He starts out with fifteen years with no parole, which of course Harvey rejects. He eventually cuts it down to nine, and claims it's out of the goodness of his heart, since they used to work with each other. GOD, I am so fucking sick of this guy, oh my god.

Flashback to Mike and Trevor's apartment, where Trevor has just returned from selling the calculus exam's answers to a very attractive girl who paid him a thousand dollars. After a bunch of back and forth about how hot the girl was, Mike insists that he go with Trevor to pay Omar for the weed, especially when he learns that it was actually due yesterday. I'm pretty sick of Trevor, too, tbh.

Still in 2003, Harvey walks into Cameron's office with the obligatory, "You wanted to see me?" Cameron is in a super, super pissy mood after learning that Harvey added a disclosure about the toxicology report in the fine print of the discovery. Harvey can't believe that he's angry at him for sneaking it in, which he is, but not for the reason you'd think; he's pissed that it was put in at all, which was the reason why he purposely hid the report in a different file. Harvey is horrified that his boss would bury evidence like that, but Cameron argues that murder is against the law, and that if those brothers get off, they'll kill again, and this time, it could be Harvey's father, or brother, or blah blah blah. Harvey is not okay with the fact that Cameron took out the disclosure, but he pulls rank on Harvey and demands that he shut up and do his damn job. Oh, Harvey. Karma's a bitch. ALWAYS LISTEN TO DONNA.

Back to the present: Stephen approaches Mike outside of Pearson Darby, and explains that he wants to talk to him about the deal Cameron offered to Ava. Mike tells him straight up that he's not doing anything behind Harvey's back, but that's not what Stephen wants; he wants Mike to convince Harvey to take the deal. Mike scoffs, "That wasn't a deal, that was an insult!" but Stephen claims that he wouldn't have offered a deal at all if he wasn't willing to negotiate, and thinks they can get him down to five years. Mike reminds him that that's exactly what he wants, and plus, five years in prison is still too much for someone who didn't actually do the crime of which they're being accused. Stephen thinks it's better than what she's facing now, but Mike is convinced that the fact that he even made a deal shows that he's bluffing, and insists that they're not going to fall for it. Stephen explains that Harvey's judgment is compromised because of Stephen's relationship with Donna, and says that Ava should be able to make the call herself. Ugh, speaking of people I'm sick of, I'm ready for Stevey-boy to go back to London already.

Flashback: Trevor and Mike are anxiously waiting outside Omar's apartment, where Trevor is urging Mike to stay cool. I, personally, think it's probably Mike who should be saying that to Trevor, but what do I know? The door opens a crack, and we see a nerdy white dude with glasses' face peeking through as Trevor hands him the folded up cash. After he counts the money, the nerdy dude lets them in and ducks into the other room. Mike asks where Omar is, but we've already met him, because he's the nerd. Trevor simply explains that he's a fan of The Wire as Mike looks around the apartment, and giggles when he sees a plastic alien on the desk. Yeah, this dude is really intimidating.

When Omar returns, he fronts like he's tough, and butchers a Pulp Fiction quote, which Mike cannot let slide without calling him out. When Omar asks him what a quarter-pounder with cheese is called in France, Mike sing-sings, "A Royale with cheese, motherflecka!" Omar looks like he's pissed for a very uncomfortable moment, and then bursts into laughter and yells that he loves this "negro!" Oh dear god. He tells Trevor that they're cool, slips Mike a dimebag on the house, and the guys scamper before they can get themselves into any more trouble.

On their way back to their place, Trevor gets all pissy about how Mike could have gotten them in deep shit, and I get pissed at him all over again, since he's the only one who ever gets the into trouble. Mike just continues to quote Pulp Fiction, and for once they're quoting something I actually know! Thank god. Anyway, Mike's still holding the dime in his hand in public like a noob, until they run into a bunch of campus cops. Mike instinctively puts his hands behind his back to hide the weed, but they're not there for that; they're there to arrest Trevor for selling the answers to the calculus exam. Yeah, no one saw that coming.

Donna has returned to Harvey's D.A. office, not to yell at him some more, but to confess that she knows that it was Cameron who did all the burying of evidence. She does point out, though, that now his boss is pushing him to do something that is even more illegal than sneaking something into discovery. Harvey tries to brush it off, claiming that it's just one time and that he's never going to do it again, the famous last words of pretty much every addict and criminal ever. Donna begs to differ, and plops a bunch of different cases she dug up where Cameron has done the exact same thing. She reminds him that Cameron probably said it would only be one time, and that chances are, if Harvey sticks around, he'll be doing it again and again.

In present-day, Harvey comes into the office looking for Donna, but instead he finds Stephen, which is kind of like losing a $100 bill and finding a penny, if you ask me. Stephen claims he's looking for her too, which compounded with the fact that he went to Mike behind his back, is enough for Harvey to order him to get out of his space. I think Harvey would probably be pretty good friends with my mom-- they're both the kind of people who, once someone has been on their shit list, will automatically hate everything they do until the end of time. They both can hold one hell of a grudge, and I sincerely pity whoever has the misfortune of getting on their bad sides.

Back in 2003, Harvey is at the batting ages with his dad, who we have never actually seen in the flesh. Not only that, but Harvey is wearing JEANS! And a t-shirt under a navy-blue button-up shirt that's halfway unbuttoned. I think this is literally the most casual we've ever seen him. They both drink some beers and hit some balls and talk shit about Harvey's brother, whose name is Marcus, and we still don't know what his deal is either. Eventually, Harvey's dad asks him what's up, and Harvey admits he got himself in a bit of a pickle at work and he's not sure what he's going to do about it.

Papa Specter doesn't think breaking the law is worth it, no matter what the deal is, but Harvey points out that if he doesn't, he's likely going to lose his job, so the plan he's leaning toward is drawing a line, and insisting that he's never going to cross it again. And then, following that rule by never crossing it again. Papa Specter doesn't seem to buy it, though, nor do I. He brings up Harvey's mom, which Harvey has no interest in discussing, but he continues with the story anyway. He reveals that his mother didn't want him to marry Harvey's mom, because she said that since she cheated on who she was with at the time to be with him, she'll cheat on him with someone else. He told his mom that she was wrong, because their love was different, and blah blah blah, but we all know what happened there. The point he's trying to make, though, is that even if Cameron truly believes that he'll never ask Harvey to do something like this again, the chances are high that he's still going to end up doing it, because it's in his nature to be shady. And when it happens, Harvey's gonna be in a shitload of trouble if he was in on it.

Meanwhile, still in the 2003 flashbacks, Mike is at the park with Grammy, chilling at a picnic table. He's apparently been telling her the situation with Trevor, but we're only privy to the end. Basically, Trevor isn't in calculus, so they know that he got the answers from someone else, so they're threatening to expel him unless he turns in whoever gave them to him. Mike assumes that if he turned himself in, he'd end up getting a 0 in the class, but says his GPA is good enough that he'd still be eligible for Harvard. I figured that Grammy would tell him to let Trevor get expelled, because 1) it was his dumbass plan, and 2) Mike is going places and Trevor clearly isn't so it's just the smartest and most practical solution, but she surprises me by encouraging him to do the opposite. She does agree that Trevor is an asshole, but claims that the little boy who begged his parents to let Mike live with them when his own parents died is still in there, and is worth protecting. Wrong move, Grammy. I bet she probably regretted that later, when Mike ended up ruining his future over it.

Still in flashback, Harvey stops by Cameron's office, and informs him that he won't be the head litigator after all. When Cameron is like, "What the fuck is wrong with you?" Harvey hands him a file, the contents of which will infuriate Cameron so much that he will ask for the second file that Harvey has in his hands. The first file is an affidavit that says that Harvey made a mistake by leaving the tox. report out of discovery, and the second file is his resignation letter. Cameron is furious, as you can imagine, but Harvey reminds him of the conversation they had earlier in the episode, about the McKenzie brothers possibly killing his father or brother. He says he's more concerned about what his father would think of him if he knew how he was breaking the law. Cameron calls him a pussy, but Harvey gives no fucks. "The only thing that makes me a pussy is that I didn't send in the affidavit the second I found out." You'd think Cameron would be a little more grateful that Harvey is still covering for him.

Mike, who has broken out what is probably his only suit, is sitting in the dean's office, where he confesses to selling the answers to the calculus exam to sell, and asks that he not expel Trevor. The dean knows it'll only be a semester or two before Trevor flunks out anyway, so he's not even going to bother expelling him, but adds that he knows the only reason why Mike is here is because he thinks he'll be going to Harvard either way. He calls Mike a piece of shit before he reveals that his daughter was the person who bought the test, and because of it, people are calling for him to resign. Uh oh. "And as my last official act, I'm expelling you from this school. And then I'm calling Harvard. Believe me when I tell you that you're never going there." We all knew that was coming, but it was still pretty painful, and only made my hatred of Trevor grow even more.

Past-Harvey goes to Past-Donna's apartment, and informs her that he quit his job at the D.A.'s office after turning in the affidavit and the toxicology report. She's not surprised about the first part, but is surprised about the second, and reveals that she quit too, because Cameron is slimy and gross. Harvey looks pretty guilty when he reminds her that he can't get her another job, but Donna is awesome, so she already has like, four different offers from various firms. Get it, girl! Harvey, hilariously, is like, "Hey, it just dawned on me that we don't actually work together anymore! Gee, would you look at that?" Donna sasses that it totally didn't just dawn on either of them, and holds up a can of whipped cream. "Why do you think I have this in my hand?" It takes Harvey a moment to realize that it's an invitation into her home, and leaps over the thresh hold to kiss her. Or, that's what I'm assuming, because per usual, we get cockblocked from seeing any action between them.

Harvey is meeting with Jessica in the conference room of the newly christened Pearson Hardman, where he claims he had no idea that their takeover went down until he saw the names on the door. Jessica smiles and retorts, "Don't tell them you're coming and slam the door behind them." She lets him squirm a little as she reminds him that he rejected her offer earlier, and asks him why she should take him back now. He admits that she trusted him, but she shrugs it off, and says she trusted everyone else to vote for her, too. She knows something has to have changed, and wants to know what it is.

Harvey doesn't want to reveal too much, though, so he has to play it carefully. "I wasn't thinking about what I wanted to be doing in ten years, I was thinking about who I wanted to be doing it with." Jessica seems satisfied with this answer, and gives him the job, with a caveat: he gets what she offers. He's cool with that, but he has a request as well: he wants his own secretary. She reminds him that associates don't get their own secretaries, but Harvey maintains that she's not just any secretary, and he's not coming back without her. She relents, and figures she must be pretty special, which he agrees. She insists that her salary come out of his paycheck, which he's cool with as long as she never knows about it. Aw, Harvey. That's actually really nice. Jessica welcomes him back, but leaves him hanging when he goes for the high five.

Later, Harvey meets with Donna at a diner, and confesses that he doesn't want to lose her. She's not sure which way he means, so she plays it cool as he explains that he wants her to work for him at Pearson Hardman. She seems pretty torn, so Harvey asks if it's about her rule about dating/hooking up with coworkers, and claims he wouldn't have come over to her apartment if he had known he'd be able to get her a job. She's clearly pretty hurt about the fact that he'd rather work with her than be with her, but she covers it up like a pro. After a moment and a sigh, she agrees on two conditions: 1) that they never do what they did ever again, and 2) that she get an outrageously big signing bonus. He slides her a check, and tells her to fill in the amount she wants, which makes her laugh. "You must reeeeally need me!" She decides that they need a new ritual, so Harvey plucks a can opener out of the apron pocket of a passing waitress and suggests they figure out something to do with it. She thinks it's a ridiculous idea at first, but after a moment of thought, she reconsiders.

We flash-forward to the present, but stay in the same diner, where Harvey approaches Donna at the counter. He claims that it's purely a coincidence that they're meeting like this, but since it's 7:00AM, he's not fooling anyone. Finally, he confesses that Donna's relationship with Stephen bothers him, which makes Donna happy. Not that he's jealous, but because he finally admitted it. He starts to say that he doesn't want to be with her either, but she cuts him off and explains that this is why she made her rule in the first place. When he asks why she broke it, she says simply that she needs to live her life. Fair enough!

One last flashback: Harvey and Donna are showing up for their first day of work at Pearson Hardman, where they run into Louis at the elevator. Louis is like, "What are you doing here? I thought you weren't coming back for two years, three months, and five days? Not that I'm counting!" Harvey informs him that he's back early, for good. Louis asks who is girlfriend is, so Harvey has to correct him and tell him that she's his secretary. He reminds Harvey that associates don't get secretaries, but Harvey literally says, "I'm not like other associates, and she's not like other secretaries." Louis calls bullshit, so Harvey gives Donna permission to do her thang. "Listen, Rain Man, you wear lifts in your shoes, you want braces but you don't have the balls, and you have a cat...that you love more than it loves you." When they waltz away, giggling, Louis just shakes his head and backs into the elevator, muttering, "I need a day."

Back to the present, Rachel has returned from her trip to Stanford, and walks into her apartment where Mike is waiting for her on the couch. She softly says hey, and asks him what he has in his hands. It's a white Stanford baseball hat, which is his way of telling her that if her dream is to go to Stanford, it's his dream for her too. She puts it on and models it for him, and kisses him when he tells her it looks good on her. She asks what changed his mind, so he pulls out his Harvard acceptance letter, which is yellowed with age. She's shocked that he got in, and he tells her it's a long story, which he'd like to tell her when he gets back from going to talk to Cameron. He just wanted to be there when she got home.

Jessica and Harvey are back on the roof. She asks about Colonel Mariga, but Harvey reveals that not only did Cameron bluff about his testimony, but he bluffed about having him as a witness at all. Jessica figures that'll be a fun conversation for him to have with Cameron, but Harvey admits that Mike's going to do it, because he unfortunately has something much less fun to do. She asks if that's why they're up there, and he confirms that it is. He prefaces his confession by recalling their first rooftop chat, ten years ago, where she confessed her planned "move in the night." He explains that he made a move in the night too, because Darby made a deal with him that if he won Ava's case, he'd back him for managing partner. Jessica visibly stiffens at this news, and is not at all reassured when Harvey reveals that he doesn't want the deal anymore. Her eyes go cold, and she sharply orders him to get out of her face. Yeahhhhh, this is no good at all.

Mike manages to catch Cameron as he's leaving his office, and rubs it in his face that he doesn't have Colonel Mariga as a witness, and never did; it was just one big bluff to make Harvey and Co. squirm and scramble and eventually take his shitty deal despite the fact that Ava didn't actually order a hit on those people. Cameron confirms it, but says that they DO have Mariga now, and he's on a flight to NYC as they speak, and now the deal is off, and they're going to trial. Mike's like, "You can't honestly expect me to believe that bullshit, right?" Cameron doesn't really care if he believes it or not, but does suggest that he give his buddy Stephen Huntley a call about it, because he was the one who led him to where Mariga was hiding. Mike is understandably dumbfounded. Damnit, I knew that guy was shady! SHEEIT.

Next episode: Stephen fucks up everything royally for everyone, again, and Harvey is left scrambling to clean up his mess. Again. Surprise, surprise. Also, Louis and Nigel get into it over ownership of Nigel's cat. Yawn.

What do you think?