Suits would be a typical law procedure series if we didn’t take into account Mike Ross’ Past (the simple fact that he’s a fraud) or that they almost never go to court. From its premise the show offers unique and entertaining ways to make the audience root for the anti-hero. None of these characters fulfill the stereotypes of the kind of lawyer we’re used to seeing, but they’re still honorable in a lot of ways.
When the first half of season 2 started back in June, the characters were dealing
with the aftermath of Jessica finding out the truth about Mike; having some
sort of closure when it was overshadowed by the other half of Pearson Hardman
coming back.
Daniel Hardman is introduced as a man that made a lot of mistakes and is wanting to rectify them. However, there’s something off that doesn’t let the audience completely
trust him. (For me it was the way he delivered his lines sounding more like a
yoga instructor than a lawyer trying to catch up with all the cases he missed,
but that’s me, maybe the way he overlooked the firm was definitely fishy too).
The suspicion is confirmed when Travis Tanner appears suing Harvey for hiding
information on a difficult case from years ago, resulting in Donna’s exit from
the firm after she finds and destroys the (in theory) missing memo.
During the midseason finale and after a handful of angsty episodes the problem named
Daniel Hardman is solved with him being kicked out of the firm after his scheme
is uncovered; clearing Donna’s name in the process. But the dynamics of this
family of lawyers is broken after Louis’ betrayal and the death of Mike’s
grandma.
The second half of the season handles the fallout of Hardman’s exit and the
economic problems the firm is going through.
The first case deals with Mike’s tendency to empathize with clients; the
consequence of this being the addition of Katrina Bennet to the firm. Bennet is
a fifth year associate that doesn’t instantly click with the characters and, by
the finale, her competitive (and not so innocent) side shows, making her seem more like the type of character Scottie is than any other of the ladies at the firm. Oh, yes; because Scottie, Harvey’s old classmate, rival and lover, is back. And she’s back to help Pearson win the 45 cases of gender discrimination Jessica took against Folsom Foods. Resulting in having Hardman as opposing counsellor even if the firm representing the cases is Rachel’s dad, Robert Zane; if it’s one thing we know for sure, it’s that getting rid of Hardman is not as easy as it looks. But Scottie has a hidden agenda and it’s related to the possible merger that could happen with Edward Darby’s firm from England (who doesn’t like Daniel all that much either) No need to say Harvey isn’t happy, putting things at risk when he sues one of Darby’s clients, gambling if the merger finally goes through. (And his name at the door)
Between cases and the economic crisis, the characters go through problems of their own.
Both Harvey and Mike were involved in romantic storylines that didn’t go
anywhere which makes us wonder where is Korsh going with Rachel and Mike who’ve survived a few fights and are reconnecting again, having its moment during the finale when, after blowing his cover and finally telling her the truth, they have a hot HBO deserving angry sex scene in the copy room. And where is he going with Donna and Harvey? because, at least to me, don’t love each other as brother and sister as Donna tried to make us believe (and probably in the surface is what she believes). A sister doesn’t look like that after she realizes a ‘you look beautiful’ comment isn’t directed at her. (Unless you’re watching Game of Thrones, but that’s another story) During the finale there’s a heartbreaking scene when Donna corners him to defend Scottie, who puts her job at risk because she loves Harvey and probably his own happiness. Always one step ahead of him, Donna knows how it will turn out, (After all, she’s Donna, she knows everything) and after calling him out on never listening to his feelings but rather the rational side of things, he finally trusts Scottie enough to use the file she gave them to win the case against Darby.
However Jessica’s ahead of his game too, and after putting Mike in the crossfire (being fired by Harvey and unfired by her) Harvey loses the case, and has to welcome Darby with open arms. Among a few Downton Abbey and British culture related jokes, the way things were at the firm took a full swing and the relationship between the main characters is broken, one way or another, by the end of the episode.
The season created an arc that affected not only the firm but the dynamics of the
characters, letting Rick Hoffman steal the screen with Louis’ redemption during these last 6 episodes, and making Meghan Markle own Rachel’s downfall after not getting into Harvard.
With a better understanding of what happens under the surface, every moment sets the bar high to what to expect next season; letting the actors show how good they are.
Suits let us wait for months for their summer Season 3 with burning questions:
How will Mike and Harvey’s partnership go on?
How will Jessica and Harvey’s work relationship develop after she showed him who’s in charge?
How will the firm be doing when we meet again after their English counterpart is finally settled?
For me, Summer can’t get here soon enough. What about you? Fill me in on twitter or in the comments.
