Episode Report Card M. Giant: B | 49 USERS: A YOU GRADE IT Emphasis on "Mock"
By M. Giant | Season 3 | Episode 7 | Aired on 08.27.2013
In a hurry? Read the recaplet for a nutshell description! Finished? Click here to close.After learning that Stephen Huntley led Cameron Dennis to his new star witness in Ava Hessington's murder trial, Harvey tells him once again to keep his mitts out of it, this time threatening to beat the shit out of him if he doesn't. Obviously that causes some tension between Stephen and Donna, but it's nothing they can't overcome as long as they get back to keeping Harvey out of their relationship, and as long as Stephen agrees to do as Harvey asks.
Meanwhile, there's still the problem of what to do about the testimony of Colonel Mariga, who is claiming that Ava knowingly and specifically hired him to kill those people. Jessica's in on the case now too, and still pretty pissed after Harvey told her about his deal with Darby. Her plan addresses both of her problems: she can take out her anger at Harvey on Ava's version of Harvey by trying to pin the murders on that guy instead. But even when Mike does some fancy footwork to get proof that Ava's number two accepted some pretty big payments himself, they realize that it isn't going to fly.
Meanwhile, Louis has bonded so completely with Mikado while cat-sitting for Nigel that when the latter returns a week early, Louis sues him for custody, drafting Rachel as his attorney. The whole mock trial that ensues is pretty silly, as Nigel builds his case around Louis's harsh treatment of the associates when he was in charge of them, and brings his old whipping boy Harold back to testify. Still, Rachel somehow manages to win the case, even with a jury composed entirely of Louis's former associates. Nigel concedes defeat, but makes Louis an offer: the cat for the associates. Louis reluctantly takes the deal, and then tells Rachel that she made it into Columbia University Law School. She's almost as happy as Mike will be that she isn't going to Stanford after all.
Back in the main plot, Donna busts Stephen for taking a copy of the Mariga deposition, and dumps him for going back on his word. And then, while Jessica and Harvey are making up, Mike finds out why Stephen wanted the deposition in the first place: the killings were ordered by Stephen himself, who turns out to be not only Darby's all-purpose fixer, but an old rugby teammate of Colonel Mariga. So then Harvey does what he said he'd do, which is to beat the shit out of Stephen.
Want more? The full recap starts right below!Donna and Stephen are sitting at a hotel piano bar, with Stephen playing the piano. He doesn't even miss a beat as he leans over to kiss her. However, the music does stop when Harvey comes in asking for a minute with Stephen. As soon as Donna leaves the room, and Harvey accuses Stephen of having called Colonel Mariga -- the foreign army officer who was bribed by Harvey's client Ava Hessington, and who Cameron Dennis is now getting to testify that Ava was in on the killing of anti-pipeline activists.
Stephen cops to it, saying he was trying to make Mariga a better offer, and Harvey says that's how Cameron Dennis found the Colonel. Harvey wonders how Stephen found him in the first place. Stephen says he knows people, and argues that if Cameron found Mariga by tapping his phone, that makes his testimony inadmissible. Harvey says there's no way to prove that, and after having told Stephen several times before to keep his mitts off his case, he now says that if he hears Stephen's been into it one more time, "I'm gonna beat the shit out of you." And Donna came back just in time to hear that. Maybe Harvey should have asked for two minutes.
In Harvey's office the next day, Mike isn't exactly impressed after Harvey's just told him about his threat, warning him that Stephen plays rugby. They're still discussing their next move with regard to Mariga when Jessica storms up in high dudgeon, throwing down a witness list that includes Mariga. "And [Cameron's] giving us access, which means he's not bluffing." She's pretty pissed at Harvey, even when Harvey blames Stephen for messing it up, because she says Stephen is Harvey's guy. She also mentions Harvey's deal with Darby in front of Mike, and when Harvey asks if she wants to do this here, she asks, "Are you telling me he doesn't know?" Mike steps up, saying Jessica knows where his loyalties lie.
Harvey blames Jessica right back, saying Stephen's only there because of Jessica's deal with Darby. "And I told you, I don't want mine anymore." So since Jessica's still in charge, she decrees that nobody is going to say a word about this case to either Darby or Stephen.
After the credits, Mike delivers some dirt on Mariga to Harvey, saying he's perjured himself before and he's got the paperwork to prove it, so it shouldn't be too hard to impeach the colonel's testimony. So Mike would rather ask Harvey why he told Jessica about the deal. Harvey says if Jessica can't get over it, he's better off with Darby. Watertight logic, that.