Until now, I've been very optimistic about the direction Suits is going in. Harvey and Mike have become closer, we learn about Harvey and Jessica's backstories, there has been good office politics, and Mike's old demons continual to haunt him while he tries to reinvent his life. All in the first five episode, this is relatively dense stuff already and seems adequate to cover the entire first season, especially since there is a case every week alongside the development of the plots.
However, "Tricks of the Trade" throws a wrench in with the addition of another big development, Rachel figuring out Mike's secret, that he doesn't have a law degree and took tests for others. The writers try to make it an issue of morality, tying in the case--a trader accused of insider trading who is torn up about the ordeal--to what Rachel is going through, wanting a high score, possibility with the help with this guy who takes tests for other people.
The writers spend little time explaining exactly how Rachel put all the pieces together--it still seems highly implausible and contrived that she did come to the conclusion--but at the end of the episode, she knows the truth and walks away from Mike, angry at his lies, as he tries to tell her that there's more to the story. At this point, what do know about Rachel? She's ambitious yet bad at tests, and is cute. Not much there, exactly. The impact, aside from the possibility that she tells everyone the secret, doesn't seem big at all. At least with Jenny and Trevor, we knew there were complicated stuff going on before the series began. With Rachel, it's all rather plain.
Score: 8.4/10
