Suits Season 6- Review

Being a fan of “Suits” since its debut in 2011, I was eager to see what creator and showrunner, Aaron Korsh had had in mind after its amazing season five finale last winter. What felt like an actual “series” finale rather than a typical season closer, the story of “Suits” appeared to have come to an end as it entered season six. Because of this potentially deleterious situation, there was a fear that its “end of an era” scenario would hinder the show from creating anything original for the audience to chew over.

Season six began with the promising “Breakfast Club”-esque episode, “To Trouble”, and after its premiere, a potentially auspicious season of “Suits” was presented to us. That feeling, however, quickly diminished. Similarly to season six’s mid-season premiere, a multitude of favorable and relevant storylines were presented to us, but were eventually not executed properly due to the lackluster abundance of unnecessary side plots. Although the main diegesis of season six was Mike’s journey to becoming a practicing lawyer again, it was often difficult to pinpoint its plot with its constant referrals to different storylines such as Rachel getting a man off of death row, Louis’s love relationship, Donna and her Artificial Intelligence device, and Jessica and Louis trying to keep their beloved law firm, Pearson Spectre Litt from falling apart (which should have honestly been the focus of the entire season). This in return, led to the need to keep all the characters relevant to the show which further results in EVERY SINGLE character (even the side characters) having a forced intense backstory for their actions. Even with the main plot being focused on Mike, the first ten episodes of season six were bogged down by a cliché prison survival story that was predictable almost every single step of the way, and the last quarter of the season was dragged out by a storyline that kept bouncing back and forth with a somewhat satisfactory season ending.

The acting on the other hand from Gabriel Macht, Patrick J. Adams, Rick Hoffman, Meghan Markle, Sarah Rafferty, and Gina Torres was splendid as usual. However, because of the script’s tacky dialogue, and the characters’ need to say the phrase, “What the hell did you say to me?” twice almost every single episode of the season, many of the scenes felt artificial, and unalike to a conversation an actual human would have. This further resulted in potentially intense occurrences that could have addressed essential character moments to being skimmed over by strange rapid-like dialogue that ensued in many scenes lasting only a couple of seconds.

Now with almost every season of “Suits” there is always that one particular 10/10 episode that manages to completely astound us. With season two there was “She Knows”, with season three there was the intense “No Way Out” (my personal favorite), season four had the hilarious “Fork in the Road”, and with season six we had the heartwarming “The Painting”. What “The Painting” was able to beautifully capture so well was both the internal and external conflict that the infamous Harvey Spectre had with his mother. Moreover, “The Painting” was gloriously reminiscent of the style of storytelling “Suits” had in its earlier days. Unlike trying to focus on a multitude of storylines, “The Painting” honed in on one specific plot point which eventually led to an emotionally satisfying conclusion. With its outstanding symbolism and themes, this 10/10 episode was able to educate us on how family is truly the ultimate backbone of our well-being.

Another great part of season six was in its finale, “Character and Fitness” when Mike implores his prison phycologist, Julius (Malcom-Jamal Warner), to testify in front of the ethics committee to enter the Bar under the notion that he is a changed man. Although I myself was skeptical of this assertion based on the level of corruption that occurred during season six, I was later convinced by the statements Mike made on how prison transformed him into an honest individual of society. In addition to this, another applaudable feature of season six was the lovable character, Louis Litt (and possibly the best part). A man who sacrificed almost everything important in his life to keep his law firm together. In the episode, “She’s Gone”, it is brought up who should replace Jessica Pearson as managing partner. It is later decided that Harvey and Louis focus on the dire predicament of their firm rather than squabbling over who fills in Pearson’s vacancy. That being stated, Harvey eventually shifts his focus on making Mike Ross a practicing lawyer again while Louis is essentially left to handle the firm on his own. With this, basic arguments that were expected to take place, like Louis confronting Harvey on the responsibility of the firm over personal gain, are yet again quickly skimmed over. Indispensable moments like these being rapidly passed over are what truly hindered the season from actual greatness.

When analyzing any type of television, film, book, etc., it is crucial to take into account the most essential component of all pieces of art- the characters and their interactions with their conflicts. It is important for these essential moments to properly marinate, and if not done acceptably, we will not be able to wholly appreciate the characters, in this case, that we have come to love so dearly over the past six years. Ultimately, season six of “Suits” had its occasional moments of greatness, its typical lines of humor, its somewhat energizing spunk, but eventually ended up being more disappointing than assumed. I look forward to a better seventh season of "Suits". 6/10