Starring: Gabriel Macht, Patrick J. Abrams, Rick Hoffman, Meghan Markle,
Sarah Rafferty, Gina Torres
Creator: Aaron Korsh
Genre: Legal Drama
Rating: A-
I first came across Suits pretty much by accident; it was one of the summer TV series talked about in an article on TV.com. Having now watched the first season, I have to say that I'm glad I read that article. While Suits definitely descends into stereotypes territory it is an interesting and intriguing story. The show follows Mike Ross (Abrams), a brilliant young man with questionable ethics - when he was in university he was expelled after being caught selling an exam to the Dean's student, and since then he's made a living by taking tests for other people. Mike has an eidetic memory, enabling him to consume and regurgitate vast quantities of information even though he's never completed a formal education. This skill of Mike's proves useful for hot-shot lawyer Harvey Specter (Macht), who at the start of the series is told by his boss, Jessica Pearson (Torres), that he has to hire an associate attorney. After a chance meeting Harvey quickly decides that he likes Mike and hires him, despite knowing that Mike isn't a lawyer and didn't go to Harvard, which his firm exclusively hires from.
Season One of Suits is largely episodic, focusing on the cases that the two of them work on, both together and independently. Each of these cases is interesting, from the actual clients to the way in which they fight the legal battle in order to win. The clients were mostly flashy and rich - the show itself really has that feel to it - but some of the most heartwarming elements of it were when Mike or Harvey took on a pro-bono case. Heartwarming might not be the right word exactly, but I definitely think that my favourite cases were the pro-bono ones. They seemed to really test the duo, especially Mike, in unexpected ways. What really intrigues me, though, is the more subtle serial elements of the show that suggest it's leading up to something greater in later seasons. The struggle that Mike goes through in order to constantly hide his not-actually being a lawyer from Harvard is suspenseful. I also like the even more subtle growth of Harvey. He doesn't change much, but as the series progresses you get to see more of who he is and what makes him the way he is. It's interesting.
Beyond Mike and Harvey are the more secondary characters of the show; while being a legal procedural, the show is also really character driven. I like the way that Torres portrays the very strong Jessica Pearson, and the show addresses the fact that she's in a position not usually held by women without mocking her. The relationship between her and Harvey is one of the best in the show, as is that between Rachel Zane (Markle) and Mike. I'm torn about the character of Donna Paulsen (Rafferty), Harvey's secretary. At times it almost seems like the show writers aren't entirely sure what her personality is; she bounces between being this eccentric, zany woman who doesn't really seem to fit the show and a still eccentric but strong woman, who fits in perfectly at Pearson Hardman. As for Louis Litt (Hoffman)... I could really do without the character. While I get that he's supposed to be the antagonist of the firm, to a degree, I just feel like personality-wise he's better fitted for a show that isn't so serious. It's almost as if the creators decided that the show was too serious and decided to inject a comedic character, then decided that rather than going with something that fit the overall tone of show it was better to go with someone who felt like he was out of some cancelled sitcom.
I'm going to have to admit, I didn't really care for some of the secondary characters, who act as further antagonists. I don't care about the character of Jenny (Vanessa Ray) at all, and I'm bored by the whole Trevor (Tom Lipinski) plot line. I realize that it's going to continue to be a part of the show, but I could do without it.
I first came across Suits pretty much by accident; it was one of the summer TV series talked about in an article on TV.com. Having now watched the first season, I have to say that I'm glad I read that article. While Suits definitely descends into stereotypes territory it is an interesting and intriguing story. The show follows Mike Ross (Abrams), a brilliant young man with questionable ethics - when he was in university he was expelled after being caught selling an exam to the Dean's student, and since then he's made a living by taking tests for other people. Mike has an eidetic memory, enabling him to consume and regurgitate vast quantities of information even though he's never completed a formal education. This skill of Mike's proves useful for hot-shot lawyer Harvey Specter (Macht), who at the start of the series is told by his boss, Jessica Pearson (Torres), that he has to hire an associate attorney. After a chance meeting Harvey quickly decides that he likes Mike and hires him, despite knowing that Mike isn't a lawyer and didn't go to Harvard, which his firm exclusively hires from.
Season One of Suits is largely episodic, focusing on the cases that the two of them work on, both together and independently. Each of these cases is interesting, from the actual clients to the way in which they fight the legal battle in order to win. The clients were mostly flashy and rich - the show itself really has that feel to it - but some of the most heartwarming elements of it were when Mike or Harvey took on a pro-bono case. Heartwarming might not be the right word exactly, but I definitely think that my favourite cases were the pro-bono ones. They seemed to really test the duo, especially Mike, in unexpected ways. What really intrigues me, though, is the more subtle serial elements of the show that suggest it's leading up to something greater in later seasons. The struggle that Mike goes through in order to constantly hide his not-actually being a lawyer from Harvard is suspenseful. I also like the even more subtle growth of Harvey. He doesn't change much, but as the series progresses you get to see more of who he is and what makes him the way he is. It's interesting.
Beyond Mike and Harvey are the more secondary characters of the show; while being a legal procedural, the show is also really character driven. I like the way that Torres portrays the very strong Jessica Pearson, and the show addresses the fact that she's in a position not usually held by women without mocking her. The relationship between her and Harvey is one of the best in the show, as is that between Rachel Zane (Markle) and Mike. I'm torn about the character of Donna Paulsen (Rafferty), Harvey's secretary. At times it almost seems like the show writers aren't entirely sure what her personality is; she bounces between being this eccentric, zany woman who doesn't really seem to fit the show and a still eccentric but strong woman, who fits in perfectly at Pearson Hardman. As for Louis Litt (Hoffman)... I could really do without the character. While I get that he's supposed to be the antagonist of the firm, to a degree, I just feel like personality-wise he's better fitted for a show that isn't so serious. It's almost as if the creators decided that the show was too serious and decided to inject a comedic character, then decided that rather than going with something that fit the overall tone of show it was better to go with someone who felt like he was out of some cancelled sitcom.
I'm going to have to admit, I didn't really care for some of the secondary characters, who act as further antagonists. I don't care about the character of Jenny (Vanessa Ray) at all, and I'm bored by the whole Trevor (Tom Lipinski) plot line. I realize that it's going to continue to be a part of the show, but I could do without it.
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