Thinking Out Loud #5 (Suits Edition)

Several months ago, like many of you, Heather and I fell into the streaming vortex that is eight seasons of Suits on Netflix.¹ We finished the final episode earlier this week and I have some observations. (If you haven’t watched Suits, you can hit the delete button now.)

1. How did I miss this show the first time around? Smart aleck humor. Classic movie references. Lawyer shenanigans. It seems like a show I would have checked out ten years ago, if for no other reason than to get some wardrobe ideas as I adapted to preaching in a suit every week to a congregation with what seemed like at least one lawyer in every pew.

2. The main characters are all overdrawn, with little nuance, especially early on. Harvey is a charismatic closer who never loses. Mike is a genius. Louis is neurotic. Jessica is calculating. Donna is all-knowing. Rachel is a loyal do-gooder. Watching these extremes bounce off each other like billiard balls made the show a fun, easy-to-watch diversion from an increasingly complicated world.

3. Much like Narcos, which in the first few episodes made being a drug kingpin seem like an attractive vocation, my initial impression of Suits was that I would enjoy being a corporate lawyer. But by the final episode, just like with Narcos, I realized I desire to be neither Harvey Specter, nor Pablo Escobar.

4. Of course this assumes that Suits is even halfway accurate in portraying the workaday life of corporate lawyers. I’m guessing my lawyer friends who watched it found it quite unrealistic. Can lawyers even watch and enjoy a show like Suits? Did doctors like watching ER? Would I want to watch a show about preachers? Would anyone?

5. I assume one of the more unrealistic legal aspects of Suits is how all the main lawyers are adept at practicing all kinds of law. Did they ever refer a juicy case to a specialist?

6. For me, the most unrealistic non-legal part of the show was the number of impromptu meetings in restrooms. Especially when a female character walks into the men’s room looking for a male character. She always manages to catch him washing his hands at the sink, just after doing his business. Ladies, trust me, you don’t want to have a business meeting in a men’s room. I assume the same about the ladies’ room.

7. Meghan Markle’s character is likable and plays a more central role on the show than I anticipated. It was impossible to watch her scenes without filtering it through her current status though. Contrary to logic and reason and knowing actors are not the characters they play on TV, I do find myself having a more favorable opinion of her after watching the show.

8. As much as I enjoyed it, I was glad to see it end. It felt like every storyline had run its course and every possible crisis had been covered from multiple angles. How many more times could the gang be facing certain defeat only to find a hidden file to use as leverage for a settlement?

9. While Suits is definitely binge-worthy, we were able to pace ourselves and watch only an episode or two a night, except for the occasional three episodes on Fridays. My secret to not burning through shows like Suits too quickly is having an early-rising wife who starts nodding off around 9pm. Our agreement is that if she falls asleep mid-episode, I can finish it, but I can’t commit “Netflix adultery”and go on watching episodes without her. It is her responsibility to catch up on the portion of the episode she slept through before our next viewing window. I’m more faithful to my vow than she is to hers, so I had to watch the final twenty minutes of multiple episodes twice.

10. Is mudding really a thing? I’m afraid to google it.

1. You have to go to Peacock for season 9.