Suits Page #7

Season #1

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various locations around the office as he refers to them.

MIKE:

Partner’s offices anchor the wings; fifth

floor’s research, sixth is security; any

work gets billed even if it’s finding an

address; I answer to Harvey and Louis

Litt and judging by how you responded to

my questions, I should admire Harvey and

fear Louis. You’ve been here five years

and just because I outrank you, I have no

authority to command your services.

(off her amazement)

Oh, it’s also clear you think you’re too

smart to be a paralegal. That cover it?

Rachel looks at him, impressed. A beat. She covers:

RACHEL:

You know, nobody likes a show-off.

MIKE:

But... you challenged me. You used the

word ogling...

Rachel is walking away.

MIKE:

Where are you going? When do I get to

see Harvey?

INT. KATHERINE PEARSON’S OFFICE - MOMENTS LATER

Katherine is at her desk. Harvey’s standing in front of her.

KATHERINE:

Gerald Tate fired the firm.

HARVEY:

What?! When?

KATHERINE:

An hour ago. When you were supposed to

be here.

HARVEY:

So you’re taking my partnership away?!

Katherine stands up, heatedly.

KATHERINE:

Damn it, Harvey, most firms would put you

in front of the bar on ethics charges and

have your license stripped. You lied to

a client and he figured it out.

HARVEY:

I lied to him to get him to do the right

thing and honor his goddamn contract.

KATHERINE:

Be that as it may, you didn’t get away

with it. And I can’t justify handing you

a partnership the same day you lose a

huge client.

HARVEY:

One client doesn’t --

KATHERINE:

One client? We’re in an economic sh*t

storm. Companies aren’t lining up to

spend money on attorneys right now.

This just sits there a minute.

KATHERINE:

You know, he might have forgiven the

lying if you hadn’t humiliated him, but

you did. And you need to accept that.

Harvey realizes he isn’t going to change Katherine’s mind.

HARVEY:

Katherine, if you hadn’t done as much for

me as you have, I’d be heading for the

door.

Katherine smiles.

KATHERINE:

If I hadn’t done as much for you as I

have, I’d be throwing you out the window.

Harvey starts to leave.

KATHERINE:

But Harvey, any shenanigans, you try to

leave and take one client, tell one more

lie... do one more thing that isn’t

straight as an arrow, and instead of

covering your ass, I’ll put you in front

of the bar myself.

INT. HARVEY’S OFFICE - MOMENTS LATER

Harvey enters, dejected. He doesn’t see Mike sitting there.

MIKE:

Who’s ready for a great first day?!

HARVEY:

Mike, I’m going to have to let you go.

MIKE:

What?!

HARVEY:

I just got my ass reamed for lying to a

client. If they find out I lied about

you going to Harvard Law School, they’ll

take away my license.

DONNA (ON INTERCOM)

You what?!

HARVEY (INTO INTERCOM)

Not now, Donna.

(then, to Mike)

I have to put my own interests above

yours. It’s not personal. You’re fired.

MIKE:

(putting it together)

So, you’re worried if I stay, they might

find out you lied about me and you’ll

lose your license. But if you fire me, I

could tell them you lied about me and

you’d definitely lose your license.

This pisses Harvey off.

HARVEY:

Are you saying if I throw you under the

bus, you’re going to drag me with you?

MIKE:

You put your interests above mine. I’m

just putting mine back up next to yours.

HARVEY:

I like that. You just gave me an idea.

You’re rehired.

INT. KATHERINE PEARSON’S OFFICE - MOMENTS LATER

Katherine is on the phone. Harvey storms in and hangs up.

HARVEY:

Here’s what’s going to happen. You’re

going to tell that workman to put the

“Partner” back on my door and that’s the

last we’re going to talk about this.

KATHERINE:

And why is that?

HARVEY:

Because if you don’t, I'm going across

town to join Cynthia Harris. And then

I'm going to approach every client I've

ever closed, I’m going to put my charm on

them, and I’m going to take them with me.

KATHERINE:

If you do that, you’ll force me to put

you in front of the ethics board.

HARVEY:

I don’t think you’ll put me in front of

the ethics board.

KATHERINE:

Why not?

HARVEY:

Because you were obligated to notify them

the second you knew I lied to Gerald, but

you didn’t. You put me in front of the

board now, you’ll be up there with me.

Katherine turns her back to Harvey in frustration. A beat.

We see a smile cross her face. This is her plan. She lets

out a deep breath and turns back to him, feigning defeat...

KATHERINE:

I’ll give you the partnership, but you’re

going to have to do something for me.

Harvey grins.

HARVEY:

Anything. What do you need?

Katherine holds up a file.

KATHERINE:

Take on a pro bono.

HARVEY:

Anything but that...

KATHERINE:

Harvey, we all do it, even me. Pro bono

cases are how we as a firm show that we

care about more than just ourselves. And

it’s how you can show people in the firm

you care about more than just yourself.

HARVEY:

I just did one.

KATHERINE:

That was six years ago.

HARVEY:

You didn’t let me finish. I was going to

say I just did one six years ago.

Harvey holds out his hand, he’ll take the case.

KATHERINE:

You’ll handle it yourself? You won’t

pass it off to the new kid?

HARVEY:

Absolutely.

Katherine hands him the file. He heads to the door.

KATHERINE:

You want the “Partner” stenciled in bold,

or underlined, or what?

HARVEY:

Something subtle. In neon.

Katherine smiles as Harvey exits the room.

INT. HARVEY’S OFFICE - MINUTES LATER

Mike sits in a chair. Harvey tosses him the pro bono file.

HARVEY:

Your first case. Donna set up a meeting

with you and the client this afternoon.

MIKE:

Awesome. What is it?

HARVEY:

Pro bono. Sexual harassment. It’s

beneath me, but it’s important to

Katherine. So, don’t tell anyone I laid

it off on you and don’t screw it up...

Mike starts out.

HARVEY:

Wait a second. Didn’t I tell you to get

some better suits?

MIKE:

What are you talking about?

(re:
suit)

This is Men’s Wearhouse. I spent four

hundred dollars.

Harvey senses something’s not right.

HARVEY:

For how many suits?

MIKE:

Five. What?

INT. DINER AT 53RD AND LEX - LATER THAT DAY

Mike is interviewing his client, Nancy, an attractive

waitress in her mid-thirties. They sit in a booth.

MIKE:

Please, Nancy, take me through the story

as you see it.

NANCY:

It started two years ago. I was a proud

stay-at-home mother to our son, Freddie.

One day, after little league...

She smiles, reminiscing...

NANCY:

Freddie was seven. Hated that he

couldn’t play with the older kids...

Nancy gets serious again...

NANCY:

We came home to find my husband on the

floor of our bathroom. He died of a

heart attack. Just like that...

MIKE:

I’m so sorry.

NANCY:

I was devastated, but I didn’t have the

time - I didn’t have the luxury to grieve.

So, I did the best I could, I got myself a

job as a secretary at Devlin McGreggor.

Nancy becomes upbeat again as she remembers...

NANCY:

I felt good about providing for me and

Freddie, I even got promoted to secretary

of the President, Charles Hunt.

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