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Monday, 04 July 2011 01:07

Suits

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suitsCharacters Welcome - that's USA Network's catch-phrase and a good one it is too since they work hard to create memorable characters if not totally believable storylines.  "Suits" is the latest in that pantheon of memorable characters and unbelievable stories.

When I grow up - or die and am recycled I'd want to come back as Harvey Specter a character so cool (as played by Gabriel Macht) that he can turn down beautiful women and they actually lie to their husbands and confess to sleeping with him even if they didn't.  

Spector is the city's best closer - defined in this case as someone who can take a client and either charm or push their hand to sign the contract or agreement his firm is trying to win.  Now, this in and of itself would be enough to get most of us through the episodes because Macht's Spector is a charming and whip-smart S.O.B. and he is convincingly written and played.  But the show's creator (Aaron Korsh) has built-in another unique character in the form of Mike Ross (Patrick Adams) who has an eidetic memory - in other words, once he reads something he never forgets it.  Up to this point he's used his powers for evil taking LSATs for slacker law students. Now he has to put his potential to work for goodness and this cutthroat law firm.  Forget why he hasn't become a real attorney to this point  - it doesn't wash and may not matter to most so just shake your head, shrug your shoulders, and move on, citizen

See, there's also the fact that Ross is not actually a Harvard grad which is requisite to his hiring and he's never actually practiced any law although he claims to have passed the bar although it's not entirely clear under what circumstances.  But like all the people in this show, he's smart and capable and Spector likes him and damnit, that's close enough for hand grenades and horseshoes and for hiring an associate to a high profile law firm and by which your entire career hangs.  Uh...what?

Yeah, it's a problem in logic and one severe enough that the entire show could fail because of it - unless they fix it, of course, by having Ross found out and legitimized.  Problem is, there's no way a man purported to be like Spector would spend even five seconds thinking about doing meghan markell what he did and the potential repercussions of lying to his boss and pretending Ross is something he isn't.  He's too deliberately abrasive to not understand that his enemies, always looking for an opportunity to bring him down, wouldn't eat this particular morsel with a nice Chianti and fava beans.  Plus, the self-serving Spector has absolutely no reason to do this - it's not like he's under some sort of gun - he's a superstar attorney and his life is good - very good.  

Naw.  It just doesn't fly.  But that's the magic of USA - story logic isn't as necessary as characters acting badly, actiony, or funnily.gina torres

With a lot of USA Network fare, I watch the shows and if I like them initially, I imagine that I'll be in love with them forever.  But without fail "Burn Notice" "Monk" (when it was on) "In Plain Sight" and others have gone into unfortunate directions that caused me to stop watching after a season or two.

"Suits" has definite potential - it's kinda like a modern-day "Mad Men" and Macht plays Spector with a fierceness and confidence that is eminently compelling.  Given the dynamics, I can see the cases being interesting enough and the inter-personal relationships working for a long time.  The firm is cool, the writing is tight, and the endings semi-clever.  Plus there's good eye candy in the form of pretty people living in a world that we don't filled with expensive food, clothing and homes.

So it's fun.

But there is this huge, pink elephant in the room in the form of the reasons Spector did what he did and the fact that it was so easy to fake everyone out that even if they clear the air, the smell might still linger in the drapes for years afterward.

Meghan Markle as Rachel Zane, Gina Torres as Jessica Pearson, and Rick Hoffman as Louis Litt round out the cast.

"Suits" is on USA Network on Thursdays at 10:00pm

Read 1821 times Last modified on Wednesday, 05 August 2015 16:16
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Mark Sevi

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