My (Many) Thoughts on Suits “Rules of the Game” 

• Not sure if I’m Team Jenny or Team Rachel. I thought for sure I was going to be a Mike-Rachel shipper but I keep liking Jenny more and more each time she’s part of the action.

• That young Harvey picture Rachel found is classic. His hair is like highlighted and a little bit in his face instead of that slicked back look he often goes with at work. You know his badass Harvey ‘do? The one that tells everyone to get out of his effin’ way? So happy to know he wasn’t always that put together.

• Character Development: Harvey used to be in the DA’s office. So he was a prosecutor, huh? Love the way they’re finally filling in some of the blanks of Harvey’s past.

• The Suits theme song just really helps create a cool vibe that continues with the cool characters, office, cases and the great writing too. Song: “Greenback Boogie” by Ima Robot

• Louis continues to be one of those “love to hate” kind of characters. The guy is despicable but you just gotta love his presence on this show. His battles with Harvey and Mike never end cleanly.

• I’m sorry but the banter in this episode is the best it’s been all season. Especially the stuff between Harvey and Louis. Kudos to the Suits writers as well as Gabriel Macht and Rick Hoffman. Patrick J. Adams and Sarah Rafferty too.

• The Harvey storyline with his mentor, Cameron Dennis, coming back into his life and disrupting it in such a big way is a great story that’ll lead into the finale.

• Being introduced to Harvey’s mentor — played by Gary Cole — was just genius. Can we talk about Cole for a second? Anytime he guest stars on a show, it makes that show instantly better. I love him as Kurt McVeigh on CBS’ The Good Wife; he was in the Season 4 premiere of HBO’s True Blood (although I wish we could have seen more of him); and I’ll even go way back to Season 2 Supernatural and the episode called “Hollywood Babylon.” Would love to see him back on TV in his own series but I also enjoy him immensely as a guest star. I’m torn.

• Love Alicia Coppola being in this episode as well. She’s currently recurring on ABC Family’s The Nine Lives of Chloe King (who knows if that show is getting a second season; I sincerely hope it does). Alicia’s a powerhouse actress who also deserves to have her own series.

• That Kyle Durant is such a douche. But an observant douche. He thought Mike and Rachel would have hooked up by this point. I actually agree with him.

• Triangles are always messy. Mike should never have agreed to the double date. I’m kind of glad he decided to stay with Jenny by the end of the episode. Is Mike just a “grass is greener” type guy? Or is he truly conflicted about what decision to make? Even as he sounded confident in his decision to stay with Jenny; I don’t really believe it. What about Rachel? Is she a “grass is greener” type of girl?

• The Alexandra questioning Harvey scene with Jessica as his lawyer was just so good. Jessica’s a force of nature. So thankful she’s on Harvey’s side.

• Harvey’s personal code of ethics takes a bit of a beating in “Rules of the Game” — his past as an ADA and as an underling to the DA Cameron Dennis blows up in his face. It’s either rat his mentor out or perjure himself on the stand and face disbarment.

• Just think of what Harvey had to contend with: An old friend of his (Coppola) served him and then deposed him and was willing to consider him collateral damage just to get to Cameron.

• Specter also faced the fact that his mentor was not a good guy. Of course he had an inkling. After all, Harvey left the DA’s office for a reason; and not just because he received the trial experience he needed in order to go to work for Jessica’s firm.

• And while we’re talking about Harvey Specter, ADA, how in the world did he work on over 18,000 cases in two years? Apparently he didn’t eat, sleep or take any sort of break. Wow. Impressive. And a little sad.

• I wonder where Mike and Louis’ contentious relationship is going to lead. Louis is dangerous. Mike tried to play with the big boys and he kind of lost.

• Harvey was trés sensitive in the scene with Louis, Mike and Donna. He unloaded all over Louis and this time, it wasn’t really about his rival:

• “You cheated Louis. You broke the rules and you have to pay the price. People may think that lawyers will do anything; that they can do anything; now I’m not willing to accept that, OK? You can’t go skirting the rules and justify it because you think someone else had broke the rules, OK? You cheated! And you lost! End of story.”

• OK, maybe it was a little bit about Louis. But who was Harvey really mad at — Cameron Dennis, his old boss? Himself? All of the above? Harvey was breaking a little bit; you could tell by the looks on both Mike and Donna’s faces.

• I just adore the fact that both Jessica and Donna teamed up to protect Harvey. They had his back. He thinks he can do everything on his own. Sometimes you need help. And I’m beyond glad those two kick-ass women were there for him. Donna had the ammunition and Jessica fired the shot that saved Harvey and killed Cameron’s career as DA. They have instantly become two of the fiercest female characters currently on TV.

• And at the end of the episode, Harvey faces the very thought that the 147 cases he won in court as an ADA weren’t true wins. In fact, twelve years ago, he sent an 18-year-old to prison. And he quickly finds out Dennis buried evidence and the kid was innocent. How do you cope with something like that? A kid who has been rotting in prison for nothing? For Harvey, who (like I said earlier) has a strong personal code of ethics, it leaves you reeling. And it leaves you wanting to correct that injustice immediately. Can you imagine not really knowing if all your wins were for real? Knowing Harvey, he’ll go back and look through all of his cases and correct as many of the wrongs as he can.

• After Harvey realizes the kid he put in prison was innocent all along, he gets up and walks over to the window. You can tell it even hurts for Harvey to breathe in the betrayal and the massive amount of guilt. Powerful stuff. Great episode. Best of the season. Although we haven’t seen the finale yet, have we?

Don’t miss the Season 1 finale of Suits on USA Network Thursday September 8 @ 10/9C.