Suits Review: Revenue Per Square Foot (Season 8 Episode 4)

Louis Litt, ladies and gentleman.

Suits Season 8 Episode 4, “Revenue Per Square Foot,” is an emotionally powerful episode that I wasn’t prepared for in the slightest, and it’s one that allows Rick Hoffman to shine in the besty possible way.

After opening with the kind of Sheila and Louis interaction that makes you remember why these two are so perfect together, the tone shifts when Louis is mugged on the way to his meeting.

It’s brutal, maybe more so because it’s so unexpected. This isn’t something you typically see on Suits. And even though Louis is injured from it, the trauma and the blow to his pride are what hurt him the most.

Louis is already a man who struggles with confidence, and he wants more than anything to be seen as strong. That keeps him from telling the truth to Zane about why he misses his meeting, which, as frustrating as that is, makes perfect sense for Louis.

Even when he has his client taken away because of it, he’d rather not appear as a victim. He’d rather appear like he blew something off than for his new boss to see him as weak.

What’s particularly unexpected is how all of this is leading to a friendship between Louis and Samantha.

We’re getting to see a softer side to her, who reads Louis pretty quickly after he loses in court and then blows up at her. She doesn’t take it personally because she sees right away that all of this is out of character for him. It becomes a really nice way to bring her character into the group, especially since she takes the matter to Harvey rather than to Zane.

Harvey and Louis have come a long way over the years, and I love the way their relationship has developed. And when Harvey confronts Louis to find out what’s going up on with him, it’s Harvey that Louis is finally able to open up to.

And it’s a scene that is heartbreaking, raw, and beautiful. Everything about Rick Hoffman’s performance on this episode is stellar, but in this scene, he’s freaking amazing. He shows so many layers to his character in his conversation with Harvey, and it’s just impossible not to be a blubbering mess while watching.

Add to that Harvey’s reaction and the compassion that he shows this man who truly has become his friend, and it’s a scene that will stick with me for a long time.

I’m continually amazed at how these characters are able to continue to grow and how much we as an audience still have to learn about all of them. It’s an important moment for Louis and for Harvey, and all of it opens up the chance to get to know newer characters more as well.

Zane, who is also influenced by Donna on this episode — which is a wonderful moment — reveals to Louis that he’s been on the other end of a similar traumatic experience. It’s surprising to learn, and it provides this nice bonding moment between the two of them.

Because as Donna points out, Zane has some things to learn himself. He can’t lead the way he did at his old firm. He may be good at being managing partner, and he may be more suited for it than Harvey is, but he’s not perfect. He still has room to grow, too.

Samantha, as I mentioned above, is softened a bit more in her interactions with Louis, and she can identify with him on this more than he realizes. She’s been through it too, and now she’s offering to be there for Louis and, in a moment that I adore, to teach him some basics in self-defense.

It’s really sweet, and I’m looking forward to seeing what a friendship between those two can look like.

Other thoughts:

• I’m losing interest in Alex. I do appreciate that he takes Donna’s advice and finds a solution that works for both Harvey and Zane, but I’m just not invested in him for some reason.
• Scenes between Donna and Zane are always wonderful. She really brings out a different side to him.
• I’d have liked to see Katrina find out about what happened to Louis. On a much smaller scale, she kept a secret from him for a similar reason on Suits Season 8 Episode 3. It says something about the kind of pressure all of these people are under.

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

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Suits airs Wednesdays at 9/8c on USA.

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