I was very, very apprehensive to start watching Suits.
My first impressions were of a bunch of men, literally always wearing suits, and having a lot of conversations I didn’t understand. To be honest, I didn’t jump on the Suits bandwagon for the same reason I never got into Entourage – the idea of watching groups of men being wealthy and successful feels less like entertainment and more like… my life?
That was until it happened. My partner and I ran out of things to watch on Netflix.
Okay, that’s a complete and utter lie. But we needed to start a new show that had some HYPE around it. That’s the rule. So we chose Suits, and within twenty minutes I was angrily yelling about how the entire story line was full of clichés, could this be any more predictable, etc, etc. Then we watched six seasons. Which equates to roughly 92 hours.
Suits begins with a young Mike Ross (Patrick J Adams) accidentally ending up in an interview for a job as a law associate. While he doesn't have a law degree, he does have an extraordinary mind, and impresses successful corporate lawyer Harvey Specter (Gabriel Macht) enough to land the job.
The series, for the most part, revolves around Mike and Harvey closing cases, while working to maintain Mike's secret.
While my assumption about 'men in suits talking about lots of things I don't understand' was very accurate, I was quietly impressed by the fact that three of the leading (and best) characters are women.
Jessica Pearson (Gina Torres) is the highly impressive managing partner at Mike and Harvey's firm, and it's hard to take your eyes off her as she routinely outsmarts her competitors. Donna Paulson (Sarah Rafferty) is an executive assistant who does her job better than you've ever seen anyone do anything. And Rachel Zane (Meghan Markle) is a well-respected paralegal whose career substantially develops throughout the course of the series.
Listen to Clare Stephens and Laura Brodnik discuss whether Suits should've ended on The Binge. Post continues after audio.
Over six seasons I became... obsessed. Suits is funny and addictive and even though I'm quite sure cases usually aren't resolved in the space of half an hour, it makes you feel like you're really in a top tier law firm.
But since season seven was released on 12 July, there's something no one's saying.
Suits is one of those shows that needed to end, but didn't. And I'm furious.
*** Spoilers ***
At the end of season five, Mike was actually caught, charged and sentenced for whatever crime it is when you pretend to be a lawyer without having a law degree. He even went to prison. Season six explored his time in jail as he and Harvey strategised to arrange his release.
By the end, he had served his time in prison, and was working at a legal clinic for a modest salary where he didn't need a law degree.
WHAT A WAY TO END A SERIES.
But, of course, it didn't end there. Somehow (it's still not quite clear - I could write a whole article on this issue alone) Mike passed the bar, and can now work as a real lawyer. So he's back working with Harvey and the show seems a lot like it was in the beginning, except for one thing.
It's not the same at all. Because the entire premise of this show was based on Mike's secret, and now he doesn't have one. So now Suits is just a legal drama, but I'm not sure it was ever clever enough to pull that off.
Suits, like many series, is suffering from the necessary time limit that comes with the 'awful truth' TV trope. A single secret that propels the story line as more and more people find out. It was compelling viewing when his now-fiancé Rachel learnt the truth, and then her family, and then big names at the firm. But once everyone knows - what's left?
Suits needed to end with season six, at the latest.
WHY MUST EVERYTHING I LOVE BE RUINED.
I need this show to end, because quite frankly, I don't have the willpower to stop watching. And with each episode, my memories of a series I thoroughly enjoyed are diminishing.
Mike's secret is over, and Suits needs to be, too.