Prisoner's Dilemma is the eighth episode of the ninth season of Suits and the 132nd overall. It first aired on September 11, 2019.
Synopsis[]
An old foe forces Harvey to account for past actions. Esther has a problem only Louis can solve.
Plot[]
Andrew Malik has Sean Cahill arrested for conspiring with Harvey to get Mike out of jail in exchange for taking down William Sutter. Hoping to get their stories straight, Harvey convinces Sean to hire him as his attorney; that way, any of their conversations will be protected under attorney-client privilege. But while Harvey and Sean are on the same page, the fact is that they did what Malik is accusing them of, and they have a mountain of evidence to overcome. Not only does Malik have a signed affidavit from Kevin Miller backing his story, the slippery State’s Attorney has an even bigger bullet in his chamber - a death bed confession from William Sutter, as told to none other than Charles Forstman. Harvey tries to get Forstman to recant, but no amount of dealing can convince Forstman to table his vendetta against Harvey.
Esther comes to Louis asking him for help stopping a merger between her company and a company run by her former mentor, Paul Richman. It turns out that Richman sexually assaulted Esther fifteen years prior, an event she has kept secret until now, and she has no interest in working with him in any capacity ever again. But she also fears being put through the meat grinder if she were to come forward, so she asks Louis to find another way to stop the deal. However, when Louis loses his head and calls Richman out it blows up in his face, and Esther’s board triggers her buyout clause. Furious at Louis for breaking her trust, Esther lashes out and tells him to stay away.
Cahill uses the power of the SEC to pressure Malik into dropping the case but Malik hits back, having Harvey and Cahill arrested and then playing them off each other in the hopes of getting one of them to break. Malik’s gambit eventually pays off and Cahill cuts a deal that will keep him and Harvey out of prison - after all, they did it. But Harvey is furious; they may have broken the rules, but they did it to save Mike’s life. And while they may not be going to jail now, Harvey is still going to get disbarred.
Katrina convinces Louis that they need outside help, and after Louis and Esther mend fences, Louis turns to Sam to help him dig up whatever dirt they can on Paul. Katrina and Sam soon uncover a pattern of sexual assault and cover up in Paul’s past. They know that Paul’s other victims will never violate the non-disclosure agreements they signed, so they decide to go after the lawyers who helped facilitate the settlements. It isn’t long before they have ample evidence against Paul; however, without someone willing to come forward it will amount to nothing. Katrina sensitively lays out their conundrum to Esther - it will be up to her to decide whether or not to come forward. Esther gathers her courage to speak up, and they use her words to put the screws to Paul and force him to resign from his company.
Harvey seems to be at a dead end, until Alex does some digging and notices the details of Harvey’s arrest warrant don’t add up. Backtracking from there, the team realizes that the time line of Sutter’s so-called death bed confession is way off, making it inadmissible - Malik’s whole case hinges on a lie concocted in collusion with Forstman! Harvey and Cahill bury the hatchet and dig up the proof they need to have Malick arrested for fabricating evidence. Then Harvey pays a visit to Forstman to let him know that his sentence is going to extended for perjury.
Louis and Esther’s victory has him thinking about the importance of family, and he heads home to ask Sheila a very important question: will she marry him before the baby arrives? Sheila happily agrees. Meanwhile, Harvey is similarly jovial after his own win, but his celebratory mood is cut short when Donna shares the terrible news that his mother has died of a heart attack.[1]
Cast[]
Main Cast[]
- Gabriel Macht as Harvey Specter
- Rick Hoffman as Louis Litt
- Sarah Rafferty as Donna Paulsen
- Amanda Schull as Katrina Bennett
- Dulé Hill as Alex Williams
- Katherine Heigl as Samantha Wheeler
Recurring Cast[]
- Rachael Harris as Sheila Sazs
- Neal McDonough as Sean Cahill
- Erik Palladino as Kevin Miller
- Eric Roberts as Charles Forstman
- Amy Acker as Esther Litt
- Denise Crosby as Faye Richardson
- Usman Ally as Andrew Malik
Guest Cast[]
- Ron Lea as Paul Richmond
- Paul Miller as Matthew Harris
- Lara Mrkoci as Lucia Flores
- Jonathan Gould as Reggie Stanton
- Michael Lebovic as Judge
- Veronica Low as Business Woman Walking Along Sidewalk (uncredited)
- Srinivasan Manivannan as Onlooker (uncredited)
Major/Highlighted Events[]
- Harvey's mother Lily Specter dies of a heart attack.
Cultural References[]
To be added
Trivia[]
Goddamn Counter: 2
Gallery[]
