Standard Of Review: In Praise Of Jack Soloff, Suits's Smarmy Savior

So what does culture columnist Harry Graff actually like about the TV show Suits?

Trust me – you would have liked my initial lede for this column. I was going to describe the last three weeks or so of Harvey’s plotline on Suits in general terms, without giving character names, and I was going to ask whether it sounded more like a soap opera or a legal show. Although I was sad to delete such a solid lede, I decided that I don’t want to be that negative. I have already spent a lot of words this season describing how annoyed I have been by the soapy plotlines on Suits. So let me write something positive about this show for once. I want to praise the “Big Bad” of the season so far, whose plotlines have been extremely effective – Jack Soloff (this column will contain spoilers through the August 12 episode).

Played by Australian actor John Pyper-Ferguson, Soloff was introduced as the head of Pearson Specter Litt’s Compensation Committee. As the season began, Soloff pitted name partners Harvey Specter (Gabriel Macht) and Louis Litt (Rick Hoffman) against each other, using Louis’s inferiority complex to obtain Louis’s support for a wholesale change to the firm’s compensation structure, making compensation tied to billable hours instead of contingent fees. Over the course of the season, Soloff has continued to be a thorn in the other characters’ sides, making power plays for clients and for a higher position at the firm. In the July 29 episode “Privilege,” Soloff even leaks information that leads to Louis and Mike Ross (Patrick J. Adams) almost getting fired by their client MacCurnin Motors so that Soloff can sign MacCurnin’s competitor Fletcher Engines. Soloff’s coup is ultimately derailed by firm Managing Partner Jessica Pearson (Gina Torres), who threatens to fire Soloff and forces him to drop Fletcher.

After he was admonished by Jessica, the past couple of episodes have portrayed Soloff’s attempts to play nice with his colleagues. First, he works on a case with Mike that leads to the two men gaining a grudging respect for each other. Next, after Harvey punches Louis and throws Louis through a table after Louis blows up at Harvey for sleeping with Louis’s sister (sigh), Soloff sticks up for Harvey in the partners’ meeting, buying Harvey time before the partners vote on Harvey’s discipline.

Nevertheless, Suits continues to drop hints that Soloff’s villainy has not abated. Soloff has secretly been communicating with Jessica’s nemesis Daniel Hardman (David Constable) and received an ominous package from Hardman in the August 12 episode. Soloff also nominates Mike for junior partner, causing panic between Mike and Jessica that Mike’s secret (that he never went to law school) will be revealed. The show so far has not indicated whether Soloff is unaware of Mike’s secret or whether he intentionally nominated him for partner in order to undermine Jessica.

I am well aware that Suits is never going to be the legal show I really want it to be. It is always going to have ridiculous, soapy plotlines and it’s always going to annoy lawyers like me because of its disdain for authenticity and especially because of its tiny computers (seriously, I think I would like this show about twice as much if Pearson Specter Litt invested in some bigger computers). Accordingly, I have tried exceedingly hard to view the show through that lens, aware of Roger Ebert’s ethos that a reviewer should review a film or show based on what it aspires to be (i.e., judge a big dumb action movie against other big dumb action movies).

Accordingly, a character like Jack Soloff is exactly the kind of villain Suits needs so badly. Unlike Louis — who is occasionally villainous but too often comes across as a buffoon (in an episode earlier this season, Louis asks every single female character to go “mudding” with him, which (I guess) was supposed to be played for laughs but came across as borderline sexual harassment) — Soloff is extraordinarily competent, seemingly one step ahead of the show’s protagonists at every step. The fact that I don’t even know whether Soloff’s nomination of Mike was nefarious or not means that Suits is writing Soloff with the right amount of ambiguity. Accordingly, unlike the soap opera Harvey has found himself in, there are actual stakes to what Soloff is doing; his ruthlessness has the potential to have real consequences for Harvey, Mike, Jessica, and Louis.

The other reason that Soloff has been so successful as a character is Pyper-Ferguson’s performance, which is memorable without being too over the top. One of Soloff’s acting ticks is to gesticulate using whatever object is in his hand, whether it is a pen or a letter opener. This small acting choice adds a nice level of subtle menace to the character. I have also enjoyed Soloff’s New York accent, which is subtle but noticeable enough to evidence that Soloff was not born with a silver spoon in his mouth.  Lastly, I don’t know how much of this can be credited to Pyper-Ferguson, but unlike most of the other characters on the show (save Louis), Soloff truly looks like a lawyer instead of an actor playing dress-up.

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One of my goals in writing this column is to pinpoint certain elements of legal television shows, movies, and books that are effective. Soloff has proved that when done correctly, law firm office politicking can make for exciting television. Whenever Soloff pops up, he always makes Suits a show worth watching and not just the show that airs right before Mr. Robot (seriously, drop whatever you are doing and watch Mr. Robot). If only I could say the same thing for the rest of the show.


Harry Graff is a litigation associate at a firm, but he spends days wishing that he was writing about film, television, literature, and pop culture instead of writing briefs. If there is a law-related movie, television show, book, or any other form of media that you would like Harry Graff to discuss, he can be reached at harrygraff19@gmail.com. Be sure to follow Harry Graff on Twitter at @harrygraff19.

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