SUITS premieres JUNE 23, 10/9c on USA
"Two lawyers. One degree."
I almost threw up reading that line. How boring does THAT sound?
Fresh from the first, and somewhat underwhelming episode of another legal cable drama (TNT's Franklin & Bash), I was like "Really? ANOTHER ONE?"
However, the pilot was absolutely brilliant. Pilots are tricky, as you have to announce your show to the world, start a plot, develop your cast, and keep the audience entertained all at the same time. It's the episode that starts everything, and if dealt with ineffectively, it's where everything ends. This is not how the pilot for Suits played out. Not even remotely. From the quick-
witted sly opening, (that was reminiscent of the mind-blowingly fantastic Clooney film Michael Clayton) to the credits, I was nothing but impressed.Of course, I will remain silent on the actual proceedings of the episode so that I don't spoil anyone, but the casting, the writing, the cinematography--it all just fell right into place. I found that (much like someone on the show itself was accused of...) I actually CARED about what was happening. This is not a common thing for me on many television shows anymore... I felt the consequences of what was going on actually weigh on me, all because of the well-crafted characters.
I think that it will be imperative to make the development of these characters the forefront of the show, because weekly cases can only take a viewer so far. Of course there will be the mandatory tools that shows use to have cases relate almost directly with what is happening in the characters' personal lives, but I hope this show takes it even further. This show is nothing if not promising, and while the pilot weaved between predictable and familiar, (the leads borrow the tried-and-true USA-favorite "I can remember EVERYTHING but he is the snarky mentor" dynamic) I hope it's just to set a foundation for a great new summer series. I'd give this one some attention if you enjoy cutthroat cases, repartee, and strong characters. 4/5 Stars
Wilson Crawford
