Suits Review: Right-Hand Man (Season 8 Episode 1)

Suits is as good as it’s ever been as it embraces big changes in its cast, and it has a brand new energy that’s even mirrored in the new (and fabulous) opening credits.

Suits Season 8 Episode 1, “Right-Hand Man,” immediately deals with the changes coming to the firm not only because of the merger but also with the loss of Mike and Rachel.

Mike’s story came to a natural end, and so did Rachel’s, for that matter. Their exits and the change with the firm are only going to allow us to see more depth to Harvey, who deals with the news by doing what he does best.

And it’s GREAT.

With the merger, one of the first issues on the table is who will be managing partner — Harvey or Robert Zane.

But because that feels like too difficult of a decision to make right away, they instead deal with conflicts of interest, and thanks to a smart idea from Louis, they can deal with that conflict by getting one of their clients to drop a major division.

Harvey and Robert both play it cool, but really, they’re planning on going after each others’ clients on this rather than their own. And the unspoken understanding here is that the way this plays out will affect who winds up being managing partner.

The way Harvey handles himself is absolutely a reaction to Mike leaving, even if that’s only obvious to “the mighty Donna Paulsen” at first.

Donna: It has everything to do with it, because the reason he left is because he finally came to terms with who he is. And now that he’s gone, who you are is a man who wants back in the game.

At the heart of Suits is this growth and change that Harvey’s been experiencing over the past several years. We’ve watched him move up through the ranks of the firm while figuring out friendships, relationships, family issues, and so on.

People he’s loved and cared about have moved on — his mentor is gone and now his protege and friend is too. But he’s remained in limbo a bit, hasn’t he? He’s proven that he can be a leader, but the fact is that isn’t exactly who Harvey wants to be.

He wants to be in the game. Robert sees it. Donna sees it.

And Donna’s wise words help Harvey see it for himself. By humbly accepting that Robert is the better fit for managing partner, Harvey can get back in the action.

That’s something I can’t wait to see. It’s going to be a fresh start for Harvey and a fresh start for Suits, which of course, also comes from the changes in the cast.

Katherine Heigl’s Samantha Wheeler is freaking amazing addition to this show. Samantha is a fierce lawyer who comes over with Robert Zane in the merger and who is more than ready to go head to head with Harvey whenever necessary.

It feels like Heigl was made for this role — she’s fantastic.

Harvey and Samantha’s dynamic is already powerful. They play off of each other really well and they already have great chemistry. Samantha’s right, too — they certainly do get off on the right foot, and they aren’t that different from one another.

Samantha isn’t exactly going head to head with Harvey on this episode, though. She’s Robert’s right-hand man, and Alex is Harvey’s, so it’s those two who are immediately rivals.

We don’t get to see how this particular situation would have played out between just Alex and Samantha, but they both have their eye on the same thing — they both want their name to be next on the wall. That should make quite the fun competition this season.

Meanwhile, Amanda Schull gets more of a chance to shine as Katrina, and I love every second of it. There’s a depth to her character we get to explore as she takes on the seemingly simple task of firing the ten least productive associates.

The problem is Katrina sees this as something that can be done with a metric, which is completely unbiased, but it isn’t. Her metric doesn’t account for “intangibles” and puts the beloved Brian at the bottom of the pack.

She doesn’t want to give allowances, though, and that comes from a personal place. The fact is she’s given up having any kind of life because of her focus on her career, so it doesn’t seem fair to make allowances for someone who’s trying to juggle fatherhood with his work.

Donna comes to the rescue on this one, too, and teaches Katrina a little something about leadership. Brian may not be the most productive on paper, but he makes those around him better, and that’s valuable — the kind of thing Donna is able to see because she always understands the bigger picture.

The friendship that’s already developing between these two women is something I’m really looking forward to.

I do wish Donna had more of a chance to shine on this episode, but I feel like that’s coming. And the fierce female strength that comes from this episode gives the show a whole new energy.

I can’t wait to see what it’s like to have Donna, Katrina, and Samantha all in a room together.

My only other complaint about the premiere is that, while yes, we do deal immediately with the loss of Mike and Rachel (we even get a cute photo of them on Robert Zane’s desk) it feels like it should have been explored more.

It’s realistic for Harvey to dive headfirst into the work that needs to be done for the firm, and it works well that his leaving is this catalyst for change when it comes to Harvey getting back to the kind of work he loves, but this was big, surprising news for everyone and not digging into it deeper feels a bit like a missed opportunity.

Other thoughts:

• Katrina and Louis have the sweetest friendship. I love how concerned Katrina is about Louis and Shiela.
• Are Harvey and Robert ever going to get that burger? Inquiring minds want to know.
• Brian is a gem. I hope we’ll get to see more of him this season too.
• Harvey getting his old office back is one of the best things about this episode.

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 9/8c on USA.

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