Suits Episode 6.05 Trust

Mike tries to gain Kevin's trust; Harvey enacts a risky plan; Jessica tries to mend the firm's reputation; Rachel hits a roadblock; Louis enlists Donna's help.

Plan of Attack

Harvey, Mike, and Cahill discuss strategy, and things get interesting when Cahill reveals that the man they are trying to take down -- Kevin's father-in-law -- is actually William Sutter. Harvey thinks the best way to pave a trust path between Mike and Kevin will be for him to take Sutter on as a client. Cahill worries about the thornier legal ramifications of what that might entail -- the appearance of collusion, for starters -- but Harvey assures him everything will be fine. He's not going to tank Sutter's defense; he's going to kick ass for him while Mike finds a way to cut out his legs. Fine, but Cahill will pull the plug if he gets even a whiff of Harvey crossing a line that will put them in jeopardy.

Harvey and Cahill Square Off

It doesn't take much for Harvey to convince Sutter to hire him, and his first order of business is threatening to sue Cahill if the federal prosecutor doesn't bring an indictment soon. See, Harvey needs Cahill to kick his case into high gear in order to light a fire under Sutter, and by extension Kevin. Cahill doesn't appreciate being pushed around, but as Harvey points out, he's just doing his job. Two can play at that game though, and Cahill counters by suspending Sutter's trading license. Luckily, Louis cooks up a little scheme to route all of Sutter's trades through Stu's team of traders, and Harvey hits back in court by demanding the judge take Cahill off the case due to their shared history. Thankfully, Cahill stays on his toes and parries with some lawyering of his own. They laugh about it later over a drink, but something tells us this is only round one.

Building Trust

Mike tries to get Kevin to open up, but Kevin's suspicions are raised when he learns about Mike's recent trip off campus. Mike covers with a lie about Harvey paying off a guard to have him taken to a hospital, but he needs the Warden to help sell his story. The Warden eventually comes to bat for him, but also warns Mike about the deal he's made -- in his experience, they don't always work out as planned. Kevin later opens up to Mike about the fear he has of saying the wrong thing and putting his family in danger, and comes clean to Mike about the night that landed him in prison -- a fight with his wife, one too many at the bar, and a drunk driving accident. But that's the how, not why. The question is, what were Kevin and his wife fighting about on that night? For the good of his family, Kevin isn't ready to share that yet.

A Distasteful Arrangement

Gallo is furious when his motion for parole bounces back -- Mike didn't realize it would need to be filed in person by Gallo's attorney of record. Mike asks Harvey to take Gallo on as a client so he can help smooth the process, a thought that makes Harvey's stomach turn. Frankly, Gallo isn't too keen on the idea either, especially when Harvey demands that Gallo become Mike's protector in exchange for his help. And anyway, what's to stop Gallo from hiring his own attorney now that he knows what to do? How about the fact that Harvey will tell the courts that Gallo admitted to poisoning Mike. Who will they believe, a criminal informant or a former ADA? Seems like Harvey has the upper hand.. for now.

Rachel Digs In

Rachel isn't happy when she gets the news that the Innocence Project is passing on Leonard Bailey's case due to a lack of any new DNA evidence, but Leonard is absolutely furious and accuses Rachel of giving up. His words get under Rachel's skin, and she soon badgers her professor into letting her try to get her firm to back Bailey, pro bono. But Rachel's professor is one thing; Jessica is quite another, and with Pearson, Specter, Litt's very survival on her to-do list, she doesn't have time for small fry like Bailey. However, Jessica soon realizes that taking the case could go a long way to erasing the taint that Mike put on PSL, and she gives Rachel the go-ahead.