Suits Season 9 Episode 5 Review: If the Shoe Fits
Paul Dailly
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Mike Ross has changed.
That was the big takeaway from Suits Season 9 Episode 5 which featured Patrick J. Adams' big return to the series after more than a year away.
There's always a lot of excitement when a former cast member returns to a veteran series after some time away, but it was clear from the get-go that Mike had continued to work on himself in his new locale.
If you watch Suits online, you know that he has always advocated for what was right -- even if he did have a job as a lawyer without actually attending Harvard University.
By the time Mike left Suits behind on Suits Season 8, he was more intrigued by pro-bono cases that helped people who were less fortunate, and that Mike shone through on "If the Shoe Fits."
If one thing was obvious, it was that Mike no longer fitted into the world of the show. His views did not align with any of the characters about the case.
On paper, bringing Mike back to go against Harvey seemed like a good idea, but the execution of it left a lot to be desired.
Mike didn't care what bridges he had to burn to get his way, and while it was easy to be annoyed with him for going against the firm, he had no allegiance to the firm .., even if Harvey was the one to stick his neck on the line for him on Suits Season 9 Episode 1.
Harvey: You know, just because she gave you a key, doesn't mean you're staying here.
Mike: Why would I stay here? I've got my old apartment that you're pretending to rent for me. Rick Sorkin? You've gone soft.
Harvey: Maybe I've always been a softie.
Mike: What happened to caring makes you weak?
Harvey: I think you're confusing caring with moving to Seattle. Speaking of Seattle, don't you have some old ladies looking to sue the condo association?
Mike: Yes, I do, but those old ladies are going to have to wait because I always have time for an old friend. It's good to see you, Harvey.
Harvey: It's great to see you Mike.
In an ideal world, Mike and Harvey would have met back up under better circumstances because this case not only put their friendship on thin ice, but it resulted in the firing of Samantha.
The only person in this scenario who felt true to their character was Samantha. While Harvey and Mike were scheming and making little digs at each other, Samantha felt like she had a duty to the firm and her client.
She has been known to straddle the fine line between legal and illegal, and that's what makes her one of the better characters on the show.
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Deep down, she knew she was in the wrong for going behind Harvey's back.
But let's be honest here: It was difficult to tell who was playing on which side because the creative forces thought it would be a good idea throwing every curveball into the case as possible to keep viewers on their toes throughout.
Harvey: I see what this is. You want to take me on.
Mike: Take you on, kick your ass. What's the difference?
Harvey: How fair do you want this fight to be?
Mike: Anything that can get us disbarred or put in jail is off-limits. I'll make sure to accept your loss gracefully.
When it's all said and done, Mike's return should have played out differently because it was difficult to connect with the focal case with the sheer amount of twists.
Given that Faye has been billed as the final villain on Suits, it seemed like he would return to help everyone go after her. It's still possible, but time will tell.
Faye is playing a dangerous game asking people to spy on their friends. Alex is not going to be able to keep his mouth shut, and he shouldn't either.
Related: Suits Season 9 Episoe 4 Review: Cairo
It was hard not to agree with Faye during the early episodes of this final season, but by having people spy on others, she's essentially playing by the same playbook as the people she's complaining about.
Firing Samantha is going to come back to haunt her because there's no way Harvey, Donna, Louis, Alex, and Katrina are going to let her go down without a fight.
But maybe this is what Faye is banking on to bury the firm. She's been relishing in the power she has and despite choosing a few favorites, there will come a time in which she's told to leave the firm behind.
If she does well, then it's possible the New York bar will offer her another job with even more power. However, it's starting to seem like she's going to be ousted from the firm ahead of the series finale if she's going to go to those the lengths.
Related: Suits Season 8 Episode 14 Review: Peas in a Pod
As for Samantha, it's possible that she will just decide to stop fighting altogether and accept defeat. She's not going to be able to get away from the fact that she lied, so there's really nobody she can turn to in this instance.
Katrina hasn't been given much to do of late, but can we all just give a round of applause to Amanda Schull? She killed every single one of Katrina's comedic scenes.
Katrina has always put work before her own feelings, so having Donna be the one to tell her what she needs to do to feel better about herself worked very well.
But Katrina and Brian's chemistry was off the charts, so it would be great if they somehow managed to forge a relationship. Katrina cares deeply for Brian, and that's why she was getting awkward when she was leaving the voicemails.
She was kidding herself when she contacted him under the guise of a friend. She wanted to find out what was going on in his life and whether there were issues in his relationship so that she could swoop in and snap him up for herself.
Whether there's a happy ending is open for debate because anything can really happen on this series.
Relationships fall apart. New ones form, but everyone should aspire to be like Louis and Sheila. Those two make lemons out of lemonade regardless of the situation.
"If the Shoe Fits" was a change of pace. There were highs, there were lows, and there were some big show-changing twists.
We're now into the second half of the final season, and it's still unclear how things will shake out.
What are your thoughts on things, Suits Fanatics?
Hit the comments below.
Suits continues Wednesdays at 9/8c on USA Network.
Paul Dailly was an Associate Editor for TV Fanatic.Follow him on X.
