“ | Mike: That woman with Rachel, I took the LSATs for her a couple years ago. If she saw me, she could blow my cover. Harvey: Oh, really? And how would that go? "Excuse me, when I was cheating for my LSATs, that was the guy who took the test for me"? |
” |
—Mike Ross and Harvey Specter |
Tricks of the Trade is the sixth episode of the first season of Suits and the sixth overall. It first aired on July 28, 2011.
Synopsis
Mike and Harvey work together to defend a woman who they believe has been falsely accused of insider trading. Meanwhile, Mike struggles to hide his secret from Rachel after volunteering to help her study for her entry exam for law school.
Plot
At the Department of Justice's office, Harvey Specter is negotiating a deal with Becky, a judge Harvey has known since his job at the D.A.'s office, regarding his clients, Burt Kimball and Dean Morello, and the employee they think is responsible, Gabby Stone. Gabby is accused of insider trading, so they decide on a deal that will finally exonerate Harvey's clients that Gabby must agree to.
At the firm, Harvey tells Mike Ross that he is letting him sit in and observe the meeting with the client and the DOJ representatives when Mike nervously hides when Rachel Zane and a friend passes. Mike reveals that the woman is in fact one of his customers that he took the LSAT for, to which Harvey scoffs at, saying that she won't blow Mike's cover because if she does, then so will hers.
At the conference room, the full details of the case are revealed: Gabby Stone works as a trader for the company of Harvey's clients and one day, she apparently purchased $10 million worth of stocks in Lunardi pharmaceuticals just a day before their FDA approval, therefore tripling the money she receives. Although Harvey's clients claim that they had no involvement with her trade, Gabby and her lawyer insist that she purchased those stocks for Harvey's clients based on a tip sheet they gave her. Harvey then tells her that he managed to make a good deal with the DOJ for her which decreased her prison sentence from 7 years to 11 months and that she will be brought there personally without need for a perp walk. Knowing she has no chance if it goes on, she gives up and says she will sign the deal.
Morello and Kimball leave and Gabby's attorney asks Harvey to give her a minute so the two look over the papers in the office, leaving Mike to look after Gabby. Gabby tells Mike about the plans she had for her future, particularly teaching, which may no longer happen because of her conviction, and gets emotional. Mike then gets her a glass of water outside the conference room and gets sucked in a conversation with Rachel about her friend, Theresa, who was a former paralegal at Pearson Hardman and is now applying for a summer internship there. Mike gets nervous, and even more so when he finds that Gabby has escaped.
Harvey and Mike visit Morello, and Mike takes mental notes of Gabby's colleagues. Later, he finds out that Morello's traders meet for drinks at a certain bar, and joins them, claiming to be an old friend of one of them, and encouraging them to drink and brag about their most successful trades. This way, he finds out about a number of possibly fraudulent trades, which he hands over to Harvey. In the end, Gabby is exonerated, thanks to Mike and Harvey.
Cast
Main Cast
- Gabriel Macht as Harvey Specter
- Patrick J. Adams as Mike Ross
- Rick Hoffman as Louis Litt
- Meghan Markle as Rachel Zane
- Sarah Rafferty as Donna Paulsen
- Gina Torres as Jessica Pearson
Guest Cast
- Max Topplin as Harold Gunderson
- Jenny Mollen as Gabby Stone
- Peter MacNeill as Dean Morello
- Doug Murray as Burt Kimball
- Ben Lewis as Seth Keller
- Tracie Thoms as Becky
- JR Bourne as Samuel Tull
- Avery Pearson as Bradley Reger
- Jeananne Goossen as Theresa
- Paul Essiembre as Nick Zegan
- Dan Warry-Smith as Vince Landis
- Donald Burda as Judge Renee Aubuchon
- Paul Kingston as Sweaty Guy
Major/Highlighted Events
- Mike spots Theresa, a woman he took the LSATs for in the past, at Pearson Hardman. He learns from Rachel that she used to work as a paralegal at the firm before passing the LSATs and going to Harvard, and that she is now here to apply for a job at the firm. Theresa does not end up getting the job, although she goes to dinner with Rachel and reveals that she cheated. As the LSATs are the only thing preventing Rachel from attaining her dream of being a lawyer, she asks Theresa to contact the man who took the exam for her. Mike receives a call from their mutual contact Oliver about a Rachel Zane who wishes to enlist his services, and Mike agrees. However, at their meeting place, Mike asks Rachel what she's doing there and convinces her to not take shortcuts.
- Later on, Rachel thanks Mike for helping her study for her LSATs and tells him that she will be taking the exam next time, which Mike supports. However, Rachel becomes suspicious as to why Mike is supporting that decision when earlier he kept pushing her to take the upcoming exam. She realizes that Mike is the test genius who cheats for people, and asks Mike to confess it to her, which he does.
- Mike and Harvey become entangled in a case between Gabby Stone, a trader at Morello Asset Management who is being prosecuted for illegal trading. Mike and Harvey discover that Dean Morello's number two, Burt Kimball, gave illegal trade sheets to certain traders to maximize profit, and when he was caught, threw Gabby under the bus. Kimball is fired by Morello and Gabby is released from prison by Mike and Harvey.
Cultural References
- Mike compares Harvey's victory to that of Rocky and Mr. T in Rocky III, and Harvey tells Mike that he needs to work on his Sylvester Stallone impression.
- Harvey and Jessica quote Top Gun.
- Rachel refers to Mike as Good Will Hunting.
Trivia
- Goddamn Counter: 2
- Harvey is mentioned to have worked at the D.A.'s office prior to working at Pearson Hardman.
- Harvey's brother is mentioned for the first time.
Quotes
Jessica: I happen to like King Lear. And unlike some people I know, Louis' references don't begin and end with Top Gun. Harvey: Hey, I love Louis. And I don't care what you say, I am not leaving my wingman. You see, that's funny, because that's from Top Gun. Jessica: "He's a wildcard, flies by the seat of his pants." You think I can't quote Top Gun? Get the hell out of here. |
Jessica: [to Harvey] You're busy going to the Yankee game with Louis. "Son, your ego's writing checks that your body can't cash." Oh, see, that's funny because now I'm quoting Top Gun. |