TV Show Review: Suits - Season 7

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Acting, characters, legal storylines

Cons: Romantic sub-plots really up the soap

The Bottom Line:

More legal drama

Romances cause biggest snag

End of era set

“I Know I’m Asking for the Impossible, but Isn’t That Kind of What You Do?”

I have been a fan of the legal soap opera that is Suits since season 1.  Yes, I’ve always found it, or at least parts of it, to be a soap opera, but that was never clearer than in season 7.  While I still enjoyed it for the most part, there were some things that bothered me.

Season 7 opens with Mike Ross (Patrick J. Adams) back at Spector Litt.  While he has returned, he has made a deal with Harvey Spector (Gabriel Macht) that he gets to take on some pro bono cases in addition to the work he does to bring in money for the firm.  Unfortunately, his first pro bono case lands him and Harvey in hot water with a long-time client.

Meanwhile, Harvey and Louis Litt (Rick Hoffman) are struggling with keeping the firm going without Jessica Pearson (recurring guest star Gina Torres).  As they butt heads over the direction to go, Donna Paulson (Sarah Rafferty) makes a bold career move.  And Mike’s fiancée Rachel Zane (Meghan Markle) finds herself in charge of the new associates.

The soap opera I mentioned earlier?  That comes from the character’s love lives.  While Mike and Rachel keep having trouble settling on anything for their own wedding, Louis runs into an old flame while Harvey gets a surprising new girlfriend, which throws Donna for a loop.

And, as I said, this was my biggest complaint with the season.  I especially hated while Louis did in the final part of the season.  I’ve never been one to root for Donna and Harvey to get together, but I’m also not rooting against it, and I found the evolution of their relationship interesting.

Before we go any further, let’s discuss the elephant in this season.  As you may have heard, Meghan had some minor life changes recently.  (Yes, I’m being slightly sarcastic.)  Obviously, that comes into play with how the season ends.  Fans who root for Rachel and Mike will be happy with where the characters end up, although I did feel they were short served by everything else the writers were trying to do with the final part of the season, including a planted pilot for Gina Torres’ Jessica Pearson.

So what did I like this season?  I loved the fact that they did work in Jessica a few times.  I always loved her character, so it is nice to see her again.  The legal trials and complications are fantastic as always.  I don’t know how the writers keep coming up with these twists and turns, but I find myself glued to the scene for each episode.  While they don’t have as many scenes together as I would like, I still love the Harvey/Mike and Donna/Rachel dynamics.  I also really enjoyed Alex Williams, a new character played by Dule Hill.

And, of course, there’s the acting.  The actors continue to do a fantastic job of bringing their character to life.  There isn’t a weak link in the cast, including the recurring characters and guest stars.

I’m very curious to see where the show will be heading in season 8.  I’m hoping I will still enjoy it as much as I always have.  But for now, fans can enjoy the goodness that is season 7 of Suits.