Suits Review: The Painting (Season 6 Episode 12)

We finally get the chance to meet Harvey’s mom on Suits Season 6 Episode 12, “The Painting,” and it’s certainly a lot to take in.

Harvey takes Donna’s advice and heads home to finally make amends with his mother — a woman he hasn’t seen in seven years.

Any time we dig into Harvey’s past or explore the things that have shaped him as a person, I’m on board. Suits isn’t your classic procedural for exactly that reason — it also balances its focus on character and relationships in really meaningful ways while being comfortable with breaking form.

What we know about Harvey’s past with his mother isn’t something to be taken lightly, but his difficulty in dealing with his family somehow seems extreme. For him to lash out at his mother over her comment about forgiving him too feels unfair.

Somehow, I kept waiting for something worse to come out about his mother based on his reaction.

Thankfully, Harvey’s brother, Marcus, talks some sense into him — and shares with him everything that Harvey has missed.

It’s the punch in the gut that Harvey needed to realize how wrong he’s been for abandoning his family. In a time when Harvey himself is feeling abandoned by his Pearson Specter Litt family with the loss of both Jessica and Mike, it’s only fitting that he deal with the people he himself has been avoiding.

He ultimately does make amends with his mother, and I think that’s going to change Harvey in many ways. Already, it’s softened him toward Louis, and they agree on a compromise when it comes to who will be managing partner. They’ll both do it.

Really, we should have seen something like that coming from the very beginning of the series.

Meanwhile, Mike lands a legal job after all, and even though it doesn’t pay much, he’s already thriving there.

He’s doing a job that no one else would be willing to take for such a small salary, but he’s in charge.

Not only does he get to do the kind of legal work he’s been dreaming of all along, but he’s also channeling Harvey. Mike has a chance to be the kind of mentor Harvey has been to him, and he’s already doing that well.

I can’t decide if I think the job itself is too convenient, but even if it is, I don’t care. I love watching Mike in this environment, and even though he can’t technically try a case, he can help with strategy behind the scenes.

He’s also a good person who does something pretty simple to keep his client from behind evicting — he writes her a check so she can pay her rent.

Other thoughts:

• Louis remains one of my favorite characters on television, period. I always enjoy those moments when he drops a grudge and pitches in to help when it really matters.
• Can Harvey please get that painting back now? The picture is a nice substitute for the moment, but he deserves the real thing.
• Fun fact: Harvey’s brother is played by Billy Miller, who currently plays Jason Morgan on General Hospital.

What did you think of this episode of Suits? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

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Suits airs Wednesdays at 10/9c on USA.

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