Suits Review: Everything’s Changed (Season 9 Episode 1)
A boxing match, some #Darvey goodness, and more complications at the firm make for a solid final season premiere of Suits.
We pick up where we left off on Suits Season 9 Episode 1, “Everything’s Changed.” Donna and Harvey are *finally* ready to be together as a couple. It’s a joy to watch them together because it’s been such a long time coming, and both are so very certain that the timing is right.
Though some of their conversation feels a bit awkward — maybe because there has been so much build-up — the shift in their dynamic is seamless and it’s as clear to the audience as it’s ever been that they are supposed to be together.
The timing is key, too. And they both know it. It had to take this long for each of them to be ready, especially Harvey.
The episode’s title, which is also a quote from Harvey at the beginning of the episode, is indicative of what’s happening at the firm, but it’s also about his relationship with Donna, AND it’s about him.
Harvey had to change. He had to evolve and he had to deal with his demons before he could be in the place he needed to be for this relationship.
Obviously, it’s not all that simple, though. They still work together and the firm is in turmoil, so they’re unsure of how to move forward.
Poor Louis is so oblivious when he show’s up at Donna’s to find them together — it’s not at all what I was expecting, actually, but it’s funny how they play it.
In fact, that little interaction is a nice way to show how Donna and Harvey’s dynamic is a lot the same, despite how their relationship has evolved. I think it’s going to be fun to see how they move forward.
As for the trouble the firm is in, it isn’t unlike the kinds of things we’ve seen on the show before, but it’s affecting each character in some unique ways. Alex gets approached by someone at the Bar suggesting he needs to get Zane’s name taken off the wall, or it will be done for them.
No one wants to do that to Zane because of the sacrifice he made — Zane stepped up and that kept Harvey’s license safe and kept Donna out of trouble too. Logically, taking his name off the wall is what they need to do to stay out of trouble, but there’s not a lot of logic happening here. It’s emotionally charged, and with good reason. Loyalty matters.
It’s not just about Zane, either. Alex is told he needs to take over as managing partner, but he refuses. He won’t do it to Louis. Again, it doesn’t seem like the best move to say no to the Bar Association, but you have to respect Alex for taking that stance.
Thankfully, there isn’t too much infighting overall. I mean there’s some, obviously, especially once Samantha realizes Harvey lied about why he took off the night before.
(If she knew the history between those two, though, I have to imagine she’d have been less upset!)
Anyway, that gets resolved fairly quickly thanks to Donna’s suggestion that Harvey go up against Samantha in the boxing ring. And aside from the #Darvey goodness at the beginning of the episode, this moment is the highlight. It holds nothing back, and it makes me love Samantha just a little more.
It’s Harvey’s sacrifice that matters, though — at least in terms of the people he’s working with. He hands over a set of his clients to Kaldor in hopes that will be all they need to save the firm.
But, as we all saw coming, it’s not. A woman from the Bar shows up and tells Louis she’s taking over running the firm, and if he doesn’t agree, then everyone will be suspended.
That’s a whole new kind of conflict and I think, especially for the final season, it’s going to take the show in a really interesting direction.
What did you think of this episode of Suits? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Suits airs Wednesdays at 9/8c on USA.
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Ashley Bissette Sumerel
Ashley Bissette Sumerel is a television and film critic living in Wilmington, North Carolina. She is editor-in-chief of Tell-Tale TV as well as Eulalie Magazine. Ashley has also written for outlets such as Rolling Stone, Paste Magazine, and Insider. Ashley has been a member of the Critics Choice Association since 2017 and is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic. In addition to her work as an editor and critic, Ashley teaches Entertainment Journalism, Composition, and Literature at the University of North Carolina Wilmington.