Remember when Jim Halpert moved to the Stamford office of Dunder Mifflin during the beginning of the third season of The Office only to be back in the Scranton office by the middle of the season? Remember on Mad Men when Peggy Olson left Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce towards the end of Season 5 but was back in the fold due to a merger by the middle of Season 6? Remember when seemingly every season of 24, Jack Bauer would leave the counterintelligence business altogether, only to be dragged back to CTU to stop the latest terrorist threat? I have always found this television trope of upending the status quo to be hollow, because I always know that normalcy will eventually return. Such is the case with the sixth season of Suits (this column will contains spoilers up through last night’s episode).
As I wrote about a few weeks ago, by the end of last season, Mike Ross’s big secret – that he never went to law school and was practicing without a license – was out in the open, and Mike agreed to take a plea deal and go to prison in order to keep his colleagues at Pearson Specter Litt safe from prosecution. This season thus upended the status quo, with Mike in prison instead of practicing law.
I initially suspected that Mike’s tenure in prison would last only four or five episodes, particularly when early in the season, SEC attorney Sean Cahill provides Mike with a way to get out of prison early – convince his cellmate Kevin Miller (Erik Palladino) to testify against his father-in-law, financial kingpin William Sutter (Alan Rosenberg). I have therefore frankly been impressed at the show’s restraint to keep Mike in prison for seven-plus episodes. But in order to do so, Mike is involved in a plot that stretches credulity more than most Suits storylines. Harvey colludes with his ostensible opponent Cahill, who, among other things, basically breaks Mike out of prison (albeit semi-legally) for a night so that Mike’s fiancé Rachel can convince Mike to take the deal. Harvey also decides to represent Sutter, which he thinks will increase the plan’s chance of success. This leads to ridiculous scenes in which Harvey and Mike conduct deposition preparation at the prison with Sutter and Kevin at the same time. Even more absurd than the possibility of Sutter and Kevin being deposed together (leading to the joint deposition prep) is the inclusion of Mike in the room, eliminating any attorney-client privilege.
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Further, as Sutter’s attorney, Harvey has to keep Sutter happy with his representation but at the same time keep the case against Sutter alive so that Mike’s deal remains on the table. As a result, Harvey tries to convince Sutter that he should wait to file a motion to dismiss. Even worse, in last week’s episode, Cahill informs Harvey that the judge will not rule on the motion to dismiss the indictment until Sutter and Kevin are deposed. The judge subsequently does an about-face, deciding that she will in fact rule on the motion to dismiss. This week, the judge casually denies the motion to dismiss while engaged in a walk-and-talk with Harvey and Cahill (her clerks must be thrilled that they don’t have to work on a written opinion). Then, the judge schedules a trial to begin in five days (she must have the least busy calendar ever), seemingly forgetting about the depositions that were supposed to take place, not to mention any other form of discovery. I really do not require legal shows to be 100 percent accurate, but it is nice when they at least make an effort. And right now, Suits is throwing all verisimilitude out the window (don’t even get me started on Rachel’s death penalty case, which seems like it is taking place in New York, where there is no death penalty).
Moreover, because Suits spent five seasons building up to Mike going to prison for practicing law without a license, I find it hollow that Mike is probably going to be released for something that has absolutely nothing to do with his initial fraud. It feels like a cheat to link such an important plot point with characters like Sutter and Kevin who have never showed up before this season.
Back at Pearson Specter Litt, I initially enjoyed the attempt to illustrate how the firm would attempt to rebound after losing its entire staff due to Mike’s fraud. For example, one of the subplots this season involves the conflict between Pearson Specter Litt and its subtenant, an investment firm. While this is played for laughs (like Louis declaring war on the finance bros after they steal his prune juice), it shows the very real logistical challenges the firm would face upon losing such a high percentage of its workforce.
Unfortunately, while Harvey is busy representing Sutter and trying to get Mike out of prison and Jessica is attempting to get new business, the firm’s third name partner, Louis, is busy buying a vacation home so that he can spend more time with an architect on whom he has a crush, because he is too nervous to ask her out. Yes, you read that right. As I have written about before, Suits is often at its strongest when it treats Louis seriously. For example, in this week’s episode, Louis works on Harvey’s defense of Sutter because he wants to help Mike. It is a nice scene, but similar moments are few and far between, as Suits seems content to merely poke fun at Louis instead of treating him like a real person.
I will probably check back in at the end of this half-season, by which I would be very surprised if Mike is not back in his tailored suits instead of prison garb. And I am sure that Sutter’s judge’s casual, off-the-cuff decision will become the most important motion to dismiss opinion since Iqbal.
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 [email protected]. Be sure to follow Harry Graff on Twitter at @harrygraff19.