JOIN USFew shows in television history have been named after the sartorial encumbrance of their characters and Suits just happens to be one of them. Posh offices in Manhattan, Ivy League-educated lawyers, Machiavellian tactics, vulgar displays of power and unapologetic humour are underlying ingredients of the show. It remains to be seen whether the audience will be awed or intimidated by the larger than life characters and the legal parlance that is thrown around like a flying disc in an ultimate sport.
If you sat through the 70-odd minutes of the pilot episode and heaved a sigh of relief at the end of it, you probably felt overwhelmed by the legal drama. But if you were one of those fascinated by the quintessential dramatisation of the western legal world, you are probably still watching the show with tantalised senses. Suits is a series that has been made for a section of viewers that is willing to let the overbearing and rather ludicrously odd nature of the show pass under their skin and yet not dismiss the entirety of it.
To speak of the show’s plot in a diluted sense would not exactly diminish its importance. Here it is. Pearson Hardman is a leading law firm in New York, which believes in hiring (and follows this as a rule of thumb) only Harvard Law School graduates. Headed by Jessica Pearson (Gina Torres), a calculating, canny woman, the firm has endured vicissitudes in its days, right from when its managing partner Daniel Hardman (David Costabile) almost betrayed it, to its merger with British firm Darby International. Jessica is a combination of antithetical traits in being the stone-hearted boss, but one can surely get her goat by delving into her personal life or undercutting her authority.
Enter Harvey Specter (Gabriel Macht), senior partner at the firm — a sort of Jedi master of the law world, if you will. Called the ‘best closer’ in the lawyers’ circles, he is suave, jaunty, and winning cases is almost a religious practice for him. Harvey is the portrayal of an alpha male who everyone admires and resents at the same time. He is certain to become a legend with his unconventional temerity.
Harvey hires a young, dashing Michael Ross to be his associate attorney at Pearson Hardman. Mike (as he is called) is a ‘genius’ with an eidetic memory. What’s the catch, you ask? Well, Mike is not a Harvard-educated lawyer like others in his firm. In fact, he did not even complete college education. A few unanticipated circumstances and twists of fate later, he meets Harvey while he is running from the cops, when on an assignment to deliver a bag of marijuana. But Harvey hires him despite possessing knowledge about Mike’s dubious background.
The only other person who is initially privy to this information is Harvey’s legal secretary, Donna Paulsen. She is omniscient, vibrant, and certainly sui generis of all secretaries one could have. Mike is an instant hit at the office, although, like all smart people do, he attracts attention, sometimes in the unwelcome form of scepticism about his academic credentials. Rachel Zane (Meghan Markle), the smart paralegal, who later becomes Mike’s love interest, is no show-stopper, but does enough to breathe life into her character.
The cherry on the icing, however, is Louis Litt (Rick Hoffman), junior partner at the firm, who is envious of Harvey. Although a competent lawyer, he slips more often than not into traps laid by his own men. His actions and drollery lead to laughs even with stoic viewers. It must be appreciated what an off the wall character like Louis does to brighten a show which otherwise houses near-perfect characters.
Created by Aaron Korsh, Suits is jazzy, fast-paced, sometimes demanding undivided attention of the viewer, while at other times it leaves one wondering about the purpose of the turn of events. I say you must watch it only if you can take a pinch of absurdity that comes with the show; but for a no-nonsense audience, the show is a non-appealer. The series will continue to trend for a few more years, but will surely see a variation in the number of spectators. For better or for worse, only time will tell. Suits airs on Comedy Central, (Monday to Thursday), 10 pm.