Really a clinic in why you should never tamper with a formula that works.
My many other SUITS reviews make it clear I am a fan and that this series is generally so sharp you cut yourself if you get too close to the screen.
But this episode, more an experiment than a episode, is for the fans only. Because if you were not a fan before, and this was your first exposure to the series, it is unlikely you would ever become a fan.
For those still reading this review, not yet monkey-hammering the NOT USEFUL button, here is where they departed from the tried and true formula:
1. Massive use of flashbacks in a show that almost never uses them at all. They are terrible. Changing hairstyles to reflect the passing years is a terrible idea. The arcs that the flashbacks are illustrating were not worth the time in the first place. (If you REALLY want to see how flashbacks can destroy a show, go to ARROW)
2. High testosterone. Markle's agent must have had a field day with the numbers produced by this episode -- it showed how important she had become to the DNA of the series
3. No lawsuit -- the same wizards who voted for the flashbacks also decided hey, just because it is a legal show, who needs a legal arc? So we end up with the characters wandering around like lost children in a department store with no conflict to handle.
Ugh