Love To Hate ‘Em: Rick Hoffman’s Louis Litt on Suits 

I have never loved and/or hated Rick Hoffman‘s Louis Litt as much as I did in last night’s episode, “Identity Crisis.” I’m glad we got a little more face time with him because now we know what makes him tick, and it’s disturbing. I guess the good thing about having a bull-dog attorney like Louis is that he’s willing to do whatever is needed – even if it’s questionable – to win his case. But the biggest difference between Louis and Harvey is, Harvey always gives credit where credit is due while Louis wouldn’t be above stealing the spotlight whether or not he did all the work.

Personally, I love each and every interaction between Harvey and Louis. They are a study in opposites. Harvey is the suave, assured, attractive partner who knows he can win his case by any legal means necessary. Louis is used to being overlooked and underestimated so he’s developed ways to get what he needs – often by the most flashy or explosive way possible. Louis likes to make waves and call attention to himself. He likes to make sure everyone sees it when he gets a pat on the back. Harvey also makes sure he gets that pat on the back, but he doesn’t care if anyone sees. Harvey’s most interested in serving the client and pleasing himself in the process.

What else makes me love to hate Louis? The way he treats Mike. I’m so happy Mike finally has some faked credentials from Harvard; that’s one disaster-in-the-making that can move to the backburner for now. I was genuinely worried Louis would find out about Mike and deliberately burn him to get to Harvey. Now I just have to worry about Louis trying to be the boss of Mike, which he technically is. While I like the prickly mentor relationship between Harvey and Mike I also like how Louis and Mike interact. I love that Mike refuses to be intimidated by Louis and is the only one who has the balls to stand up to him. I mean, he only does it because he knows Harvey’s got his back, but still. As Mike continues to get more caught up in his job and this life we’ll see how his relationship with Louis develops. I’d like to see Mike actually do some good for Louis – both personally and professionally. We’ll see if Louis lets Mike in enough to allow that.

I don’t know whether or not Louis can control it, but you can always tell how his case is going by how he’s acting around the office. If he’s acting crazy, his case is tanking. Get the hint and stay away from him people! If he’s walking around complimenting people and congratulating himself, things are good. I really liked seeing him make mistake after mistake in this week’s episode. Harvey seemed willing to work with him – albeit extremely reluctantly – until Louis crossed a big line and almost got their boss in hot water. I’m glad Louis got to use his deviousness to redeem himself. Love him or hate him, Pearson Harden needs a guy like Louis at their firm. I look forward to seeing what other mischief he causes or gets himself into and whether or not he can mend his strained relationship with Harvey.