Suits Review: Special Master (Season 9 Episode 2)
There’s actually something really satisfying about watching the firm facing consequences over their actions — and not just the most recent ones.
On Suits Season 9 Episode 2, “Special Master,” the new woman from the Bar, Faye, has taken charge and is there to make sure everything that happens at the firm is ethical. Everyone still has their same positions, but she’s keeping a watch on everything they do and bringing in some new rules.
It’s obviously not the first time they’ve all faced consequences, but this is different. This time, it’s bringing it all full circle.
Naturally, there’s blame to go around and it’s a tense situation. If they had all agreed to take Zane’s name off the wall in the first place, this may not have happened. And Louis is the one who signed off on it, though it’s not as if he had a choice.
Katrina’s been something of a moral compass for a while, and good for her, but it rubs me the wrong way on this episode somehow. The “I told you so” of it all is a logical reaction but it’s far from the point.
She does end up helping Samantha on her case and does it in a way that “works within the rules,” which winds up being better since their solution ends up being more about getting Samantha’s friend the help he needs.
Speaking of tension, Louis is about to blow. We almost see an older version of him come through — a more Season 1 Louis — but not entirely. And Alex recognizes right away that he needs to take a break and blow off some steam.
It’s a welcome moment of comic relief to watch Louis learn to bowl — granny-style and all — and it’s sweet to see the friendship that’s formed with Alex.
This new “special master” at the firm could easily make everyone turn on each other, but so far, it’s having the opposite effect.
There’s also some comedy involving Louis right at the beginning of the episode. Harvey and Donna show up to find Louis hanging out at his place in a “mankini” to tell him their big news, which it still takes him a few extra moments to understand.
When he does, though — it’s exactly the reaction I expected. Louis is so happy and supportive, and later, he apologizes to Donna for not fully expressing his excitement and telling her wants all the details.
Donna: You mean girl talk?!
Let’s be honest, we need that girl talk scene. I’m dying to see her dish on the details to Louis.
The Harvey and Donna interactions work pretty well on this episode too. There’s a little flirting and a lot of adjustment in the workplace. Oh, and they also bring up the can-opener in a way that seems to create some new meaning. (Seriously, when are we going to find out what this ritual is, exactly? On the series finale?)
I do wish there was more, somehow. It’s an important part to the story and I want to see more of their connection now that it’s official.
Then there’s Thomas Kessler, who almost returns to the firm and lets them avoid him having an exit interview with Faye — and he’s willing to return because of Harvey’s unflinching honesty about Donna.
He doesn’t hide a thing, and he’s quick to tell Thomas that Donna is the most important person in his life. It’s very mature and very adult, and it’s honestly a unique way to get into Harvey’s head a little more when it comes to Donna.
But when Thomas sees Donna at the firm, it’s too much for him. He can’t stay with them after all.
Donna’s solution to avoid the exit interview is then to just be honest with Faye, which winds up working and we already see a little compassion from Faye. Just a little… But it feels like a lesson for all of them. Honesty becomes the simplest solution.
I do have to wonder what will happen if Faye finds out about Harvey and Donna’s new relationship. It’s bound to cause more complications. Heck, it even has for Louis in a moment already as he watches Harvey side with Donna and assumes, even just for a moment, that it’s because they’re together now.
The episode ends with a bombshell, and it’s one that shouldn’t be shocking, but it is anyway. Louis loses his title as managing partner.
That’s going to rock his world. Louis has come so far, and him becoming managing partner was such a perfect trajectory for his character and for the firm. Now, I assume that role is going to Alex.
It’s a little much, though, to have yet another change. It’s like everyone is getting a chance at being in charge now, and that feels redundant to me.
Still, what doesn’t feel redundant, is the way someone new coming in and forcing them all to consider their ethics, and essentially face everything that’s happened since the show began. That’s the most interesting part of the story right now. I’m definitely curious to see what happens next.
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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Ashley Bissette Sumerel
Ashley Bissette Sumerel is a television and film critic living in Wilmington, North Carolina. She is editor-in-chief of Tell-Tale TV as well as Eulalie Magazine. Ashley has also written for outlets such as Rolling Stone, Paste Magazine, and Insider. Ashley has been a member of the Critics Choice Association since 2017 and is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic. In addition to her work as an editor and critic, Ashley teaches Entertainment Journalism, Composition, and Literature at the University of North Carolina Wilmington.