Suits Season 1 Episode 12 Recap/Review

            Damn you Suits! I know I should have seen that cliffhanger coming, but still, damn you! It was already going to be hard enough waiting until next summer to have you back, but now I will have to wonder what will happen with Mike and the firm. Of course, that is exactly what you want; so damn you for the third time. Nicely played, but now I hate you. Well not really, because you delivered a great season finale.

Suits Season 1 Episode 11 Recap/Review

            I know it is not the most innovate thing to continually praise a show each week. Otherwise, you eventually just come off as somebody with nothing to say besides fanboy exclamations. But I mean, come on you guys! Was that not a fantastic episode? I loved the darker, and a touch more realistic, undertones, combined with some fantastic moments for pretty much all of the characters. Also, we got major plot movement on so many different fronts that it is hard to keep track. Of course, the biggest of these was we finally, finally saw a little of the man behind the curtain when it comes to Harvey Specter.

Suits Season 1 Episode 10 Recap/Review

            Sorry for the late Recap/Review! I have moved to Germany for the year, so all of my television postings will be coming out a little later than they originally were. I know you, my tens of readers, are extremely saddened by this. We all must make do, though, in this new darker and colder world.

Suits Season 1 Episode 9 Recap/Review

            Where will Mike and Harvey draw the line when it comes to ethical dilemmas? When Suits first premiered, that was one of the questions I was most interested in the series exploring. For a lot of shows, it is easy to have their main characters see moral quandaries as black and white and never doubt those determinations. Suits, however, cannot do that, because Mike and Harvey’s entire relationship is founded on a lie. If they were to take such a binary view on everything else after their deception, it would come off as highly hypocritical. At the same time, they have to have some type of moral system and values. Otherwise, their characters would be totally unrelatable to the audience. Most importantly, whatever decisions Mike and Harvey make have to be consistent with their personalities, or the writers just come off as picking whatever works best for the story. Tonight, I felt like Suits did all of that with Undecided.

Suits Season 1 Episode 8 Recap/Review

            After last week’s spectacular episode, I was pretty positive this week would be a little bit of a letdown in comparison. I thought Suits would deliver an entertaining hour of television, but one that was more standard and expected from the series. Ultimately, I do think last week was better, but I also fill as though it is unfair to compare the two. Here is why. Last week was all about the tone and direction of the series. Interesting questions and ideas were put forth, demonstrating that Suits would delve into grayer areas at times. Identity Crisis, on the other hand, was focused on the characters and their relationships. We learned more about certain people tonight, and also watched their relationships with each other become more complex. The reason I feel it is unfair to compare the two episodes in terms of which one is better, is because you need episodes like tonight to make episodes like last week phenomenal. Without exploring the depth and nuances of a character like the show did tonight, it cannot have moments like it did last time. In other words, I thought tonight was a very strong episode, not only as a stand-alone, but also in the grand scheme of the series.

Suits Season 1 Episode 7 Recap/Review

            I tend to rank the programs I watch in certain hierarchy. On the bottom level, are the shows I watch because they are escapist fun. I do not have to engage with them on any deep level, and can treat them as temporary entertainment. Next, are the shows that make me feel something. Normally, these are programs that make me glad, but can also make me sad or mad. They cause an immediate and visceral reaction when I am watching them. Then, there are the television series that make me think. The plot, the character development and so on matter, because I engage mentally with the show. There is something about these programs that challenges me, which makes me question decisions and events within the show. The final type, and the shows that are truly the best in my opinion, are the ones that combine the elements of the second and third types. Television programs that cannot only make me feel something, but also cause me to contemplate and reflect on them are special. For me, it is because they connect and relate to me on so many different levels, from very shallow to very deep ones.

Suits Season 1 Episode 6 Recap/Review

            Heading into its sixth episode, Suits has now clearly established the narrative each hour will normally follow. A simple case will suddenly become complex, with Mike and Harvey combining their respective skills to save the day. All the while, jokes will be had, a couple of plot twists will pop up, relationships will be become more fleshed out, and the ramifications about Mike and Harvey’s lie further explored. This type of serialization has its advantages and disadvantages. On the one hand, it makes for easy summer television, where people can pop in out throughout the season without feeling lost. Also, because the plot and storytelling are not the biggest component, the show’s humor and the relationships between the characters must take center stage. In other words, those details tend to be more thought out and developed compared to shows that focus heavily on season long arcs. It should not be a surprise that this is where Suits is heading, since the show is on USA. On the other hand, sometimes these types of shows can become too simplistic and predictably, ultimately making them stale. If every week is comparable to the one before and after it, where is the originality? Why should someone, like me, become invested in the show?

Suits Season 1 Episode 5 Recap/Review

            Oh Suits, you make me feel like such a fan boy. I know it is not that original to just heap praise on a show, but seriously, that was a great hour of television. Mike Ross is easily becoming one of my favorite characters to watch on television. On the one hand, Harvey was absolutely right in calling him a puppy. He is young and naïve, always looking for the absolutely best out of people. If anything, though, that just makes him more charming. Sure, at some point he needs to grow up, but it is truly nice to see how big his heart is. He helped out Trevor when he had absolutely no obligation to, clearly feels bad about and loves his grandmother, and has not absolutely given his all to every client. The kid is driven by compassion, and is an absolute dreamer. It is even more impressive that he sticks to those principles, given that the world he inhabits is so blatantly juxtaposed to those ideals. Hell, even his mentor tries to crush those tendencies of his on a regular basis. By all rights we should be watching Mike turn into a bitter and jaded man. Yet, he brazenly clings to his greenness, and is actually a better man for it.

Suits Season 1 Episode 3 Recap/Review

I really hope USA understands what a good thing it has going here with Suits. The show has been intriguing, smart, and funny, and each episode sees the series just picking up steam. I like how the show is approaching each week, allowing the plot of each episode to unfold little by little, so the audience does not always see everything coming. Yes, we can assume that Harvey and Mike will most likely come out ahead in each episode, but you can say that about the protagonist on so many good shows. The secret to a show being great is how we get to the conclusion, and Suits has demonstrated they understand that so far. I also like that Harvey and Mike are not infallible. We saw them fail quite a few times this episode, but they kept coming back and attacking the problem. That is what I want from my protagonist, not perfection, but an ability to stay in the game and come out ahead in the end.

Suits Season 1 Episode 2 Recap/Review

Like any good pilot, last week’s episode of Suits established the main plot I am sure we will be following for the rest of the season, if not beyond with the show. When looking around last week at recaps for the first episode of Suits, however, I noticed many reviewers commenting on the implausible nature of the show. Many questioned why Harvey would put his career on the line for some kid he just met, even if Mike had a brilliant mind. For me, that plot point is not really a problem. Look, it’s USA. While yes, I am sure, there will be some much need focus on the plot of the show, it’s clear Suits will follow the ups and downs of Harvey and Mike’s relationship, as they try and navigate their world and the other characters around them. In doing so, they will follow the rich tradition of just about every show to come out of USA in the past five plus years. To be perfectly honest, I am fine with that. USA has carved a nice little niche for itself in developing these character driven shows; where some parts are funny, some parts are thrilling, but mainly people are watching the show to just watch the characters. I am watching this show to watch Harvey and Mike, just like I watch White Collar for Neal and Peter or Covert Affairs for Annie and Auggie. For me, as long as the show allows their relationship to take center stage, I am down for the ride. And tonight, Suits did just that