'Suits' Season 6, Episode 15 Recap: Harvey gets his hands dirty in "Quid Pro Quo"

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In season six, episode 14 of Suits, Harvey and Mike colluded in an effort to get the latter admitted to the bar. And while it looked like their plan was going to work, James Palmer, the CEO of Velocity (the company they were suing) figured out what they were doing, and threatened to expose them should they continue with their mining suit.

(Editor's Note: Spoilers ahead for season six, episode 15 of Suits.)

After Palmer revealed Craig Seidel's true involvement with Velocity, Harvey used that information as leverage in one last attempt to get Mike back to the practice of law. In the latter moments of episode 14, Harvey tells Seidel that if he doesn't make sure Mike gets admitted to the bar, he would go public.

In season six, episode 15 of Suits, titled "Quid Pro Quo," Harvey gets his hands even more dirty, adding extortion to blackmail and collusion. In fact, Harvey even tells Rachel that what he is doing to get Mike admitted to the bar is not 100% legal. Perhaps not surprisingly, Rachel jumps on board to help out. 

Meanwhile, Donna and Benjamin start pitching "The Donna" to venture capitalists, while Louis wrestles with how much information he should be sharing with Tara. 

Is there anything Harvey would not do?

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In the early moments of the episode, Harvey reveals to Mike that their battle is over; Mike will become a lawyer. The only catch? Mike has to drop the mining suit against Velocity, as Palmer now knows what they are doing. When Mike refuses, Harvey suggests they get dirt on Palmer so that he cannot reveal their collusion and will also be forced to settle the mining case. Yup, things are getting a bit sketchy. Dating back to the first part of season six, Harvey has continued to fall down the slippery slope of criminal activity. 

On one hand, Harvey's actions show an extreme commitment to his friendship with Mike (plus a clearing of his own conscience), but on the other, a complete abandonment of a lawyer's ethical responsibilities. As such, I really am curious to see whether this all bites Harvey in the behind. Especially after he promises Rachel that if anything goes wrong, he will take the fall this time. Foreshadowing maybe? 

Despite Mike's initial refusal to take part in the plan, after an argument with Rachel, he decides to go along. And after Rachel and Harvey corner the headhunter — found with Louis' help — who has been helping Palmer commit corporate espionage, they, as Harvey explains, have the CEO's "balls in a vice." So, not only are Mike and Harvey able to secure a $200 million settlement for the miners, but they get Palmer to honor his initial terms with Seidel, causing the latter to agree to push Mike through the bar. 

We will have to wait until next week to see whether that all goes smoothly. Somehow, I doubt it will. 

"The Donna"

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We cut away from Mike, Harvey and Rachel leapfrogging over ethical boundaries, to watch Donna do what she does best: be awesome. After "The Donna" begins to learn empathy (yes, the thought is terrifying), Donna and Benjamin are ready to find investors. The first person Donna contacts? Stu, the stock trader that used to rent office space from Pearson Specter Litt. 

Stu's initial offer to Donna is for 90% of the company. Donna, though, turns that offer down with the confidence that only she possesses. Next up are two venture capitalists who take a meeting with Donna and Benjamin as a favor to Harvey. After playing some office politics, Donna dazzles them with her winning personality, while, off -screen, Benjamin knocks it out of the park explaining the operating system. So, it all went well, right? Wrong. 

While eavesdropping on the investors' conversation, Donna learns that they do not want to go into business with a "career legal secretary." Ouch. This is a difficult moment for Donna, who has always gone above and beyond her official title. Perhaps doubting herself for the first time, she tells Benjamin that he is better off without her. But in a true showing of partnership, Benjamin tells her that they do it together or they don't do it all. So, Donna goes back to Stu and accepts his offer. 

I have said it before, but the most interesting aspect of this storyline for me, is what will happen if "The Donna" takes off? If it becomes wildly successful, would Donna leave Pearson Specter Litt? If so, how would Harvey react? The storyline could get quite compelling going forward. 

To tell the truth

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Season six of Suits has been giving Louis a little more time to shine in his personal life. And in "Quid Pro Quo," he has to decide how much information to share with his fiancee. After helping Harvey get dirt on the headhunter, Louis is noticeably upset when Tara visits him at work. Does he tell her about Mike? How would she take the news? These are the questions swirling around in his head. 

Louis ends up seeking advice from Rachel, asking how she took the news when Mike told her of his fraud. Ultimately, Rachel's advice is that it is better to tell Tara the truth than it is for her to find it out. As such, Louis goes home and tells Tara exactly what he has been hiding. Specifically, that he knew Mike was a fraud, and he used that information to get his name on the door. Let's just say Tara does not take it well. And then, Louis explodes (not literally, obviously). 

Louis has been showing some consistent control of his outbursts in season six, but he was bound to lose it some point. And boy, does he. Louis yells at Tara for the fact that she was sleeping with him while with another man. And while he immediately seems to regret his outburst, Tara leaves to spend the night at her own place. We will have to wait and see if the relationship survives the argument — I sure hope it does. 

Verdict

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The penultimate episode of Suits' sixth season did exactly what you would expect: It set the stage for quite a bit of drama in the finale. While Mike's chances of getting through the bar exam look solid, Harvey does warn him that he better be ready for a glitch. Honestly, it feels like Harvey was warning all of us. 

While the action is with Harvey and Mike right now, I am very much enjoying Louis and Donna's respective side stories. For Louis in particular, I hope his relationship with Tara does not go sideways. However, if that happens, it would not be so far-fetched to expect Louis to fall back into an antagonistic role at the firm. 

Ultimately, "Quid Pro Quo" was a strong installment in the back half of Suits' sixth season. Now, there is much to look out for as we head into the season finale. Will Mike get admitted to the bar? Will "The Donna" be successful? Can Louis and Tara's relationship survive this hiccup? These are all questions needing answers. Though, the biggest question for me is: Will Harvey escape the consequences of his actions?

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