Line Item Rants

With the new fall season starting up in a few weeks, I've been taking it easy and haven't been posting very much in the last couple of weeks. Actually, as much as I'd like to think that "taking it easy" is the only reason, it is a distant second to the fact that there just hasn't been a whole lot to write about. There are plenty of shows in the summer these days (good lord, my Sundays are teeming with programs), but with a few exceptions, I've been underwhelmed. Nothing has really warranted its own 15 page post (front and back!), so here are some random thoughts on some random shows (several of which you probably didn't even know that I watch--oooh, the depths of television that I plumb when no one is looking...)

TRUE BLOOD

As mentioned in my recent query to Matt Roush, True Blood has been more entertaining this season than last, but that's not to say it isn't a complete mess at the same time. Don't get me wrong, I'll take just about anything over were-panthers, but the show is so unfocused, so sprawling, so haphazard that even the elements I'm enjoying are kind of driving me nuts lately. The vampires versus witches storyline has been entertaining, but it should be packing far more of a punch than it is. Why is it not hitting as hard as it should, you ask? Well, aside from the writing, which seems hell-bent on only raising the stakes so high as to be easy to manage, but more than anything, there are so many completely unrelated storylines being tossed in that the momentum gets quashed at every turn. We only have a couple of episodes left, so the tension should be blissfully, nail-bitingly unbearable, but at this point? Yep, those witches sure are causing some problems... Sigh. Every time they start to ratchet things up, we cut to some random event in the lives of Sam, Arlene, Tommy, Andy, Jessica, Debbie, and everyone else under the sun (or under the ground while the others are under the sun). I've complained before that the show needed to cut half the characters, but I'm feeling it now more than ever. It seems like every time the writers start to actually focus their attention on the primary story arc, I get hit in the face with 10 minutes of filler storylines that annoy the hell out of me. In and of themselves, I don't hate these characters, but when they're off on random tangents that take me away from the unholy apocalypse that should be drawing everyone's attention, it grates. I still enjoy the show, but it's a total mess. What few storylines it actually keeps an eye on (amid the hundreds) almost always fizzle out in the end or get completely forgotten. For as much as I hated the stupid, disgusting, ridiculous (in a bad way) were-panther crap, I kind of can't believe they just dropped it cold. On a purely selfish level, I'm thrilled that they realized what a colossal failure that was and casually wrote it out of the new season as quickly as possible, from a narrative standpoint, that was the biggest effing waste of time. They spent so much time and energy setting up all these people and their relationship with Jason and now what? Nothing? Hell, that situation only seems to have had the most superficial of effects on Jason, let alone the overall storyline of the show. I would hate for them to pop up in the future, but from a writer's perspective, I can't believe that was a throw-away. That's just one of the many, many storylines that suck, go nowhere, or ultimately mean nothing. From a show that I trusted more, I would know deep down that all the establishing stuff that's going on right now would mean something down the line, but with True Blood? They'll probably forget about all of it as soon as they get bored with it. Arlene's demon baby? Jason's blood-fueled affair with Jessica? Andy's V addiction? Sam in general? Alcide and Debbie's dysfunction? On a more reliable show, I could be assured that these tangential narratives would eventually build to something meaningful to the show as a whole, but here? Who the hell knows. They might just be a complete waste of time. Remember Russel Edgington, who, it was teased, would logically come back this season in some capacity? Sigh.

One the plus side, I'm pretty damn glad Eric is finally back. As much as I enjoyed his doe-eyed acting job, the Sookie-Eric relationship felt incredibly forced. That said, they do have some palpable chemistry, always have, and I kinda have to wonder how Stephen Moyer feels about all this... Probably the same way Bill feels, so, you know, he's working real hard this season. I'm intrigued to see how things play out now that Eric is back, but knowing True Blood, they'll probably drop the ball. This show has a whole lot to work with, but just gets distracted too easily. They need to pare down the cast, pick a central storyline to focus on, and build to a climax that is more central. The show isn't completely without merit, but at this point, I'd give it a C+ average. I get frustrated, but then it comes up with lines like, "I don't care what happens as long as I get to kill shit!" and it's hard to hold a grudge.


THE GLADES

This show has gone from third-tier "nothing else is on" filler to completely unwatchable. The cause? Kiele Sanchez, who, as far as I'm concerned, should be buried alive in real life, not just on Lost. God, she's unbearable. In her defense (just a tad), her unrelenting hate-ability has more than a little to do with the writing. On The Glades, she's just horrendous. It's a show that's clearly written by nothing but men who infuse drama into the show by relying on the irritating fallacy that "women are emotional and crazy" and very little else. Callie's every action, every comment, and every reaction is completely irrational and pissy, almost 100% of the time. That's annoying in and of itself, but when she's been posited as the "will they or won't they" love interest of the series, it's unbearable. Dear Show, NO ONE WANTS THEM TOGETHER. Hell, when Jim's ex showed up on the scene to act as an obstacle to the non-epic romance that is Jim and Callie, I speak for everyone I know who watches the show when I say, "Pick the new girl!!!!" She's gone now, much to my chagrin, but when the central romance on your show is the worst part of your show, you're in trouble. Next week Callie gets held at gunpoint by a patient at the hospital. I don't think I'm alone in hoping he suffers from a severe case of Itchy Trigger Finger. I'll be breaking up with this show after next week if she lives. (Oh, and now she's a "forensic nurse"??? WTF? Not only am I pretty sure that's just a ridiculous, made-up profession, the last thing this show needed was more Callie, so what do they do? Make her a pseudo-cop. Smooth. Real smooth.)


LEVERAGE

You know, it's hard to put this show in this category because, in and of itself, it's as good as it ever was. The real problem is that it was never very good. This is mainly because it has little to no over-arching storyline, the head of the team is practically unwatchable (seriously, anyone but Timothy Hutton would be an improvement), and the capers each week are pretty much exactly the same, only with different names. I'm no big fan of procedurals in general, but this one is driving me crazy these days. It's bad enough that it's the same people doing the same things every week with very little personal or emotional development, but it seems to be getting harder and harder for the writers to think up ways for each member of the team to be useful. Beyond that, what they come up with is getting less and less convincing. Sophie is an actractive woman, don't get me wrong, but she's not the head-turning vixen the show seems to think she is. Hate to break it to you, but relying on her wiles and sex appeal at every turn makes no sense whatsoever. The writing is just plain bad. Jesus, that episode where Hardison gets buried alive (because, you know, it's required to have such an episode at this point in a series) should have been a tour de force, and for Aldis Hodge's performance alone, it was one of the better episodes, but everything beyond him was laughable. The dialogue was cringe-worthily bad at every turn. I kept expecting wacky, mad cap music to cue up as people ran in and out of different doors down a long hallway. Awful. I need to break up with it, I really do, but I enjoy Hardison quite a lot and Parker has her charms. Everyone else can jump off a cliff. Man alive, the last time it went to commercial break with its standard, "You're watching Leverage, on TNT," I keep changing it in my head to, "You're watching Leverage, on TNT, and you don't know why." You're damn straight, mental re-write of standard advertising. As with most of the shows on this list, it could be so good, and yet, it just isn't.


IN PLAIN SIGHT

Okay, so In Plain Sight has already concluded its summer run, but it's still a disappointment. I realize that Mary MacCormack got knocked up in real life (which should be a fire-able offense when you're on this kind of show), but that does NOT mean you should write it into the storyline. Ever. I used to really love this show, but pregnant Mary was an epic fail in every possible regard. In my heart of hearts, I've been carrying a torch for Mary and Marshall to hook up, and her random, ridiculous pregnancy completely ruined their vibe this season. What's worse, there wasn't even the slightest suggestion of terminating the pregnancy as an option. It would be absolutely fine for Mary to be against abortion, and frankly, I think that could be consistent with her character's need to protect others, but then they should mention that. To not even put a throw-away line in there is absurd. A woman of her age, with a high risk, unwanted pregnancy would at least consider it as an option, and even if she didn't, everyone else certainly would. I was actually a little relieved when I heard that the show would be back for another season, but that that would be the final season, if for no other reason than the demoralizing prospect that she might actually keep the baby. She might not abort the baby, but she sure as hell wouldn't keep it, no matter how lazy the writers get. As with so many other ridiculous pregnancies on television, this one ruined the show. Even if you like children, you'd be hard-pressed to argue that it didn't ruin this show and Alias before it. It should be part of their contract that they can't get pregnant if they're on this kind of a show. How I Met Your Mother? No big deal. Action shows? Awful. I'm sorry, but when you're 8 months pregnant, you're not going to be chasing down bad guys... Oh wait, that's her job. And the entire foundation of the show. Seriously, people, this is not rocket science. Is it ridiculous to cover her huge pregnant belly with giant handbags and potted plants? Sure. Is it necessary? YES. Wow, she's a beautiful woman, but she's one of those women who seem to get pregnant with every fiber of their being. She looked unbelievably uncomfortable all season.

Every Dog Has His Degas

I tell you what, wow! White Collar may have started off a little shaky for me in the first season, but these last two have been pretty damn impressive. Sure, there are the off episodes here or there or errant storyline that I could live without (*cough* Sarah and Neal's "romance" *cough*), but overall, I've been pleasantly surprised. Tuesday's midseason finale was incredibly suspenseful from beginning to end, pulling together several secondary storylines and tying them all together with the ongoing story arc.

First thing's first. Who all is glad beyond glad that we haven't had to listen to one word about that stupid music box or Kate this season? Everyone? Super. Man alive I'm enjoying the stolen Nazi art plotline better than the convoluted, only occasionally enthralling music box angle. Vast improvement. Given that I never liked or cared about Kate, I had a hard time really investing in the music box or Neal's inexplicable need to track down said bland and boring ex-girlfriend. I cared at all because Neal cared and I care about him. That said, the stakes just never seemed all that high. So you're saying, if he fails, we WON'T have to see Kate? Um, go Neal go? Yeah, no. I hate seeing Neal failing, but when the alternative is Kate von Vacanteyes, I'll take it. With the Nazi art, not only do we have a central item that's truly worth fighting for, but it brings a gravity and nail-biting suspense to every aspect of the show. If Neal fails now, he'll go back to prison, Peter will be devastated, Mozzie could be implicated, and the entire fiber of the show will collapse. Now those are high stakes.

USA Network is no stranger to finales (what with every show having three or four a year), but Tuesday's outing for White Collar was extremely good and could easily have served as a season ender instead. Procedural shows are at their best when the A-plot directly affects every other aspect of the show. My main quibble with procedurals is that they don't do this often enough, or when they do, they do it poorly. Not so with White Collar's most recent pulse-pounding, slick, efficient, well-structured caper. Kudos to that.

While I've always enjoyed the bromance between Peter and Neal, I've always chaffed at the idea that Neal would be such a compliant lap dog who would sell out his criminal friends and associates with such ease. Sure he does his own thing and gives Peter a hard time, but those incidents are almost always self-serving. I don't know, I guess it just always annoyed me that he would turn his back on his peeps so blithely. It's like there's no honor among thieves or something... Anyway, that's why this season has been so appealing to me. Neal is still as self-serving as ever, going so far as to lying to Mozzie of all people out of pure self-interest, but at least his roots are showing. The writers have done a lovely job this season exploring individual nature, turning a magnifying glass on whether or not people can change. Is Neal a con man through and through? Or has he really turned a new leaf? I've always come down on the side of Neal being the master criminal that we all know and love. In the back of my mind, I've always thought of Neal's dalliance with the FBI as another con, another part for Neal to play, another mark for Neal to dupe. This season has been the first to really explore Neal's duality in a tangible way, and while Neal ultimately opted to stay in New York (rather than making a run for it like I would have wanted), I felt like the writers really looked at both options and led Neal to a justifiable conclusion. I have a much easier time sympathizing with his decision when I've seen him truly, honestly consider the feasible alternative. This is the first time his willingness to stay on the tether has truly been a choice, not a nuisance. In my book, that makes it matter a whole lot more. He's no longer Peter's prisoner by law, he's a partner by choice.

Leading Neal down such a path of soul-searching and priority-sorting makes the climax of the episode all the more thrilling and terrifying. Having managed to recover the Degas that would have sealed Neal's and Mozzie's fates in a true nail-biter of a plan, the audience is finally given a few seconds to breath, only to have it snatched away again in the final two minutes of the episode. Honestly, from the word go, I was on pins and needles worrying about whether or not Neal and Mozzie would succeed. Peter's trust in Neal has been on cracked ice for the whole season and with the midpoint fast approaching, the stakes have gotten high right along with my blood pressure. This show has proven that it's willing to take a chance here and there an reinvent the game, so the prospect of Peter actually catching Neal in a lie is a possibility. It's for this reason that the death-defying gambit to recover the Degas got me on the edge of my seat. In my heart of hearts, I knew Neal would succeed, but at the end of the day, he's been caught twice before. The writers did a fantastic job ratcheting up the suspense, notch by notch, right until the bitter end when the painting is deemed a forgery. Even then, Peter is so shaken that it's hardly a moment to relax. He's been so certain that Neal was the guy that he can't let go, which means neither can the audience. We're allowed a moment to let the tension slack, but then they go and turn it up to 11, pulling the rug right out from under us with Elizabeth's abduction.

I always appreciate it when, especially for a procedural, foundations of storylines were set up several episodes ago. Keller is an excellent and menacing villain, so bringing him back was an inspired move. The writers specifically pointed out how nervous Keller makes Elizabeth in the last episode, but smoothly veiled it in terms of her concern for Peter, whom Keller had kidnapped. I honestly didn't see it as a set-up for her own abduction at Keller's hands, which makes it all the more satisfying and surprising. The fact that she finds him so terrifying only serves to up the ante, which, quite frankly was pretty sky-high. When Peter walks into his home, so out of him mind with worry that the walls are shaking and everyone sounds like they're underwater, you can feel just how rattled he is. The direction may have been a bit over the top, but in that moment, the viewer can feel how panic-stricken he is, and can see it too. The art direction was pitch-perfect as well, with a pot of red sauce spilling onto the floor in the kitchen, looking just enough like a grisly murder scene to upend Peter even more. That was a very nice touch. The aspect that hit me the hardest though, was when Neal walked into the room and locked eyes with Peter. I thought it was interesting and even off-putting that when Keller called Peter and said confirmed that Neal had the treasure, that Peter took his word at face value. At least I think he did. Anyway, I guess Peter was so sure he was right that it didn't matter the source. That, or he still has no idea, but has to take him at his word. Having just been told that his wife is in danger because Keller wants the treasure Neal has been hiding, I was really scared for how Peter would react to seeing Neal across the room. For a second, I thought Peter would explode, screaming, "You! This is all because of you!" at Neal, but turns out, he's so overcome that all he can say is that his wife is gone. In its own way, that hits so much harder.

This turn of events changes the whole game and in an even bigger way than if Peter had caught Neal with his hand in the impressionist jar. The difference here is that it's all on Neal now. Peter has Keller's word that Neal has the art, but in the end, it's up to Neal to cop to it. This really is Neal's fault in a number of ways and Neal knows it. Compounding the internal turmoil, Neal finally decided to stay in New York, with Peter. He watched Mozzie walk out the door to begin the life they'd always dreamed of, and opted to stay with his new family, his new priorities, and his leash. In that one moment, Neal had made his decision and was in a position to make it come true. Keller taking Elizabeth rocks that situation to the core. If Neal gives up the art to save Elizabeth, he's been caught and his relationship with Peter is ruined, if he keeps the lie intact and tries to save Elizabeth in some other way, he risks losing her altogether. This is a no win situation in just about every sense of the term and Neal knows. Peter knows it too. This development sets up the second half of the season for even more intensity and emotional nuclear war than we've already had, and that's saying something. Surely Elizabeth will be fine, and odds are they'll save her in the first episode back, but however they go about it, things will never be the same.

This show started out very fluffy, very "blue skies," and fairly ordinary in its first season. The second season it really upped its game, and with the third, it's changed a lot of the rules. My only fear is that the writers are so stuck on "capers-of-the-week" that they won't be able to explore this new dynamic in all the ways I hope they will. Whatever the fallout, it'll be hard to believe Peter and Neal working together to foil bad guys in the same way ever again. Even if they do retain the procedural quality of the show (and I'm sure they will), at the very least, every seemingly fluffy A plot will be tinged with all the weight thrust upon it by the current situation. This show took a while to become appointment TV, and it certainly has its flaws, but in its own way, it has turned into a solid drama and a top tier program all the way.

I'm hopeful that this story arc, and other steps by USA network to retool their brand, will take the show in a new, more intense, and more adult direction. I love the laughs, which surely will remain in tact, but I'm a delighted nail-biter when the occasion merits it. Here's hoping for more.

In the immortal words of Willy Wonka, "The suspense is terrible. I hope it'll last."

Grayer Skies, Better Shows

Even if you who don't eat, live, and breathe TV like I do, you probably have a fair grasp of network branding. CBS tends toward law enforcement procedurals, the CW is errs on the side of teen soaps, FX is gritty and masculine, etc. I happen to watch programming on nearly every network whether I'm the key demographic or not, so it's mainly academic for me, but in general, branding is a concept I have love-hate relationship with. For example, when a new show airs on CBS, I have a fair idea what I'm in for, whether that's accurate or not. On the one hand, it's nice to know what kind of a tone and narrative structure you're probably in for, but on the other, I almost passed by The Good Wife, expecting it to be a crappy law procedural, a la the brand, rather than the hard-hitting, brilliant serial drama that it is. It's a double-edged sword that can help build a loyal fanbase for a network, but can also bite that network in the ass when they try to draw outside the lines. More than a few shows have fallen victim to off-branding. Southland was hardly a decent fit for whatever is left of NBC, but is right at home on TNT. Dollhouse and Firefly were at least brand-adjacent with Fox's emphasis on younger males, but it's hard to argue that they wouldn't have found better footing on Syfy. As these two examples illustrate, cable has the luxury of niche programming in a way that the big four generally don't. Basic cable networks especially can tap into a very specific demographic and can survive without the huge numbers that network TV demands. In this sense, cable networks oftentimes have a more defined brand, but they also have the power to step outside that branding with relative impunity.

That lengthy preamble brings me to one of basic cable's most successful networks, USA. Show for show, season for season, USA has hardly had a misstep. It's actually incredibly impressive the way the network uses its current programs to set its new shows up for success. I honestly can't even think of a the last time a new show didn't get a second season. Fairly Legal came the closest, but rather than pulling the plug, USA decided to retool and relaunch it instead. The reason they can use their current shows to boost their new shows is branding. USA has what is called "Blue Skies" programming in the biz. If you like one of their shows, odds are you'll like some of the others because in terms of tone, narrative approach, basic structure, and amount of risk-taking, all of their shows fall within a fairly narrow spectrum. There's a certain amount of deviation from the midline, but in general, USA shows are light and breezy to watch, are exciting, but not gut-wrenchingly suspenseful, and tend to wrap up the A-plot in a neat bow at the end, keeping the ongoing storylines ever-present, but clearly secondary. The term "Blue Skies" doesn't only mean that the stakes are never all that high, but also comes from the fact that these shows quite simply have a lot of blue sky. Seriously, next time you watch a USA show, take a look at the weather.

It's a brand that has a wide appeal and is easy to enjoy. I'd put Burn Notice and In Plain Sight at the gritty end of the spectrum, if you can believe it, and put shows like Psych and Royal Pains at the fluffiest end. It's a brand that I clearly enjoy, given how many USA shows are in my regular rotation (with the exceptions of Royal Pains, Fairly Legal, and Necessary Roughness, I watch them all), but it gets tedious. I know that even when things are at their worst, it will all probably work out okay in the end. Heretofore, BN and IPS have taken the most chances and imparted the most heartbreak, but at the end of the day, our heroes come out on top. It makes for fun and entertaining programming, but also makes for a predictable show and occasionally unsatisfying aftertaste.

I think USA has finally noticed that this is the case. There are only so many episodes of these shows you can watch before you can tell exactly what is going to happen and at what minute. I've felt that USA needed to switch things up and takes some real risks for a long time. Well, in the biggest surprise the network has doled out in years, they are managing to take the most risks and play with their brand in the most satisfying ways with one of the most overpopulated genres in town: the legal show. I started watching Suits with the assumption that it would be like every other USA show, but, you know, with lawyers and stuff, but I'm very pleased to report that I sold the show and the network short. What could have been, and by all accounts should have been your typical blue skies buddy show about a wacky law office has proved itself to be more engaging, mature, and off-brand than I ever would have expected. It actually does fit with the network brand in a fair few regards, but in so many little ways, Suits is taking USA in a new and far more satisfying direction.

It isn't overt and it isn't brazen, but the seeds of change are there and I'm loving them. I think the first thing that really struck me is the more liberal use of language on Suits. While other USA shows are unrealistically squeaky clean, relying on only the occasional "damn" or "hell," Suits uses a vocabulary that would be more akin to an episode of Justified. It still pales in comparison to pay cable, but for USA, the occasional "shit" makes a statement. It may seem like nothing, but in its own little way, it's telling the audience that this is a more adult show and that it isn't intended for the whole family. The biggest problem with the network, as far as my enjoyment of its programming is concerned, is that they have always cast too wide a net. When you're appealing to all ages and demographics, your hands are tied. Suits unties those hands ever so slightly, and seems to be upping the ante more and more as the show goes on. Where the pilot held to the party line in most ways, merely dipping a toe outside the blue skies mantra, the subsequent episodes have gone further and further into that delightful gray area that makes a good serial a good serial. What I initially thought would be another USA fluff piece has unexpectedly turned into a smart, sexy serial replete with characters who aren't always likable, which paradoxically, makes me like them a whole lot more.

I had heard rumor that the most recent episode, titled "Play the Man", would be the episode that, if you weren't already invested, you absolutely would be afterward. Well, I was already pretty invested in the show, but I can absolutely see what they mean. Only 7 episodes into its freshman season and I'm blown away by how good it is and how committed I am to the show. Most shows take me a few episodes to really get me hooked, but Suits not only has me hooked, it has me thoroughly impressed in a way that most USA shows simply don't. The show's willingness to diverge from the mold is what makes it great. Suits is, more than anything, a serial. In the same way that The Good Wife is a procedural wrapped in a gripping serial, Suits has its cases of the week, but at its core, it's about the characters involved. The cases of the week are never throwaways and even the most seemingly irrelevant court case finds a way to relate to the characters or illustrate a new aspect of their personalities. I really feel like these characters are on a journey that continues week to week and that doesn't get wrapped up at the end of the hour and doesn't get reset sometime between the end of the previous episode and the beginning of the next. For me, that's what great television is. If I wanted an encapsulated experience, I'd watch a movie. The beauty of TV is that you get to see what happens next. With far too many programs out there (and certainly not just on USA), what happens next is exactly what happened before, only with different guest stars.

Suits is drawing a line in the sand for USA network. If "Play the Man" is an indication of where the series is heading, I'm in. I am all in. Rather than providing a forgettable throwaway A-plot, the wacky misadventures of which to be discarded at the end of the hour, this episode, of this show, examines the cost of winning in a way that illuminates the characters in a surprisingly captivating way. Through Harvey (whose hair is looking a whole lot better and a whole lot less shellacked) and Mike, the show looks at the toll being a winner can take on those around you and on yourself. It sounds incredibly cheesy and cliche, but the show pulled it off in a truly lovely way. The hallmark of an excellent show is the ability to establish characters quickly and in a way that gets that audience invested effortlessly. Abigail Spencer guest stars as Scottie, an old college rival/friend/casual sexual partner of Harvey's. The love-hate competition between the two could have been a trite retread of the same dynamic we've seen a million times, but I found myself instantly invested in her character, her and Harvey's relationship, the case they were working on, and the fallout their rivalry would have on their mutual affection. In only one half of one episode, the storyline had me completely enthralled. The bare bones of the case they were working on were interesting enough in their own way, but it was the ways in which it affected Harvey and Scottie that really hit me. I've always been a sucker for this kind of contentious romantic vibe, but rarely do I fall into it so easily. The chemistry between the pair was so palpable that when they part ways at the end, I was already pondering ways in which she could casually become a series regular on the show, living in a lovely town called Denial where her character would call off her wedding and move to New York. That that final scene to have the necessary impact, the writers had to establish this couple as one you'd fall in love with, and amazingly, they succeeded in spades. For as wonderful as Scottie was, more than anything, I loved what it brought out in Harvey's character. He's a winner first, last, and always, so to place him in a set of circumstances in which he truly was sorry to have won was heartbreaking and endearing. He and Scottie are so much the same that they were both willing to annihilate the other in order to win the case. Harvey felt duped by her, realizing he'd been played after a steamy romp ("You think I don't recognize victory sex when I see it?"), and took all necessary countermeasures to crush her for it. On paper, two worthy opponents met and fought and Harvey won. But in terms of the cost of winning, Harvey lost, and he knows it. There were a lot of wonderful scenes in this episode, but it was the scene at the bar at the end that hit me the hardest. I went back and rewatched it immediately after the show ended. It was really, truly beautiful. It's all fun and games until someone crushes his/her opponent and leaves the loser plummeting. The best part of this scene was that they both knew exactly how horrible things were. Most shows would have written it with the loser being completely pissed or whiny, refusing to even engage the winner, but here, these two foes, who adore each other in their own way, walked away from the Pyrrhic victory licking their wounds. Heartbreak is written all over both their faces when they see each other and its immediately clear to both that the games are over. There's no coming back from this one. They both played the game well, but the stakes were too high and the downfall too harsh. Technically, Harvey walked away with a big win and Scottie simply lost the battle, but in reality, Harvey was the cutthroat lawyer he always is and Scottie got fired and lost her footing in her firm. Had the tide turned, and it's nice to have a show where that's an actual possibility (honestly, one of the best parts of the show is that they allow their characters to fail), and Harvey had been crushed, this scene would have played out in much the same way. As it stands, Scottie makes the break that deep down they both know is necessary. Their relationship is fun and sexy and exciting, but also brutal. She decides she's going to marry her boyfriend back in London and walk out of Harvey's life. It's a heartbreaker in the best possible way. What I liked best was that no one was bitter. When she starts to walk away and Harvey stops her, wrapping her in his arms, it's clear that these are two people who really needed a hug. They put each other through the wringer and neither came out unscathed. When Harvey says, "I'm sorry I won," I believe it. I believe it more than anything else he's ever said. Is it true? I think so. Harvey is a straight shooter who doesn't mince words. He says what he means. And here he's a winner who's sorry he won. "No, Harvey. I would hate it if you were sorry for that," she responds. This interaction goes against both of their natures and they know it. They are both super-competitive winners who live for the kill. Until now. Which is why Scottie leaves and Harvey lets her go. I'm amazed at how much I cared about this storyline, but that's what good writing does to me. I don't need to see the same people solving the same crimes or winning the same cases week-in and week-out, I need a true examination of the human condition, and that's what I got.

Not only did this episode explore the true cost of winning with Harvey, but it looked at the flip side of the coin with Mike. They've been posed as foils for one another since day one, but it was with this episode that I truly appreciated how wonderful these two are together, which is strange, because they spent almost no time together onscreen. This episode took these two very different men and walked them down the same path, but with one winning the case and the other winning at life. Mike's flirtation with Rachel is put to the test with a mock trial, the results of which I was even more invested in than with Harvey's real case. Mike is the screw-up, but he's ultimately very capable of being an amazing lawyer just by being himself. The show does a lovely job of putting Mike and Rachel at odds and throwing Jenny into the mix to really stir things up. At the end, when Rachel asks Mike to think about the reasons she was so made at him, it drives it home how much she cares about him. Mike may be a genius, but it seems above his head that the reason she expects so much more of him is that she genuinely like him. However dense he may be, he knows how much he likes her and he won't compromise that. Mike has the opportunity to crush his opponent, just as Harvey did, but Mike looks at the collateral damage and begs off. He's takes the loss in order to win, something that Harvey scorns and scoffs at just prior to the bar scene with Scottie. I think that's why I believe him so much when he says he's sorry he lost. He just balled out Mike for taking the loss to save someone he cares about, only to realize he wishes he'd done the same. Harvey accuses Mike of having a weak stomach and no killer instinct, but ultimately? It took a lot more fortitude to take the loss and the outcome was a lot more satisfying for Mike in the end. After all was said and done, both our male leads met with the women they love at a bar. Harvey's ends in loss because he won, Mike's ends in a win because he lost. The show did a lovely job paralleling the two men and the different outcomes. It wasn't oppressive or cheesy, but was symmetrical and powerful. Well played, show. Well played.

I'm loving this show so much more than I ever thought I would and for reasons I never would have expected. When the series began, I thought I had all the characters pretty well pegged. Harvey is the arrogant dick, Mike is the adorable wayward screw-up with a heart of gold, Louis is just plain evil, and the woman are simply eye candy supporting players. I'm rarely so happy to be wrong. The biggest surprise I'd say is the characterization of Harvey. USA has a tendency to make characters a little too likable most of the time, but at its basis, Harvey is a character I never thought I'd gravitate toward. To my delight, Gabriel Macht luxuriates in the role and makes him attractive and interesting without being "blue skies" likable. Probably more than any other character on the show, Harvey lives in the gray area. He's a cuttroat lawyer who knows how to win, but he barely even tries to mask how much he truly cares about people. Finding the balance between those dual roles is thrilling to watch. He's not the kind of character I ever would have expected to gravitate toward, but I find myself oddly attracted to him. He's almost like a modern Don Draper (made all the more palpable by the fact that Abigail Spencer used to be on Mad Men) and I can't seem to tear my eyes off of him. Let me just say, the view is pretty nice from here. He's layered and can be an ass sometimes, but that's what makes him all the more captivating.

The other major surprise and delight is the depiction of women on the show. Initially, I was unimpressed. Jessica, Rachel, and Donna seemed like little more than second fiddle supporting players whom I assumed would pop up when needed then receded to the background. In another divergence from the norm, these supporting players are actually well-rounded and engaging characters on their own. Would they exist without Harvey and Mike at the center of the show? No. But would Harvey and Mike have much without them? Certainly not. I assumed Jessica would be the boss with brass balls, Rachel would be the hard-to-get love interest, and Donna would just sort of be there. Once again, I'm thrilled to be wrong. Jessica is fabulous in so many ways and brings a snarky humor to the table that belies the stereotypical "woman in power". Rachel has a lot more going for her than Mike's affections, and Donna is the biggest surprise of all. She doesn't get as much screentime as the others, but her dynamic with Harvey is pitch perfect. He's a slick legal eagle who knows how to take charge, but she brings out a wonderfully playful side of him. Their chemistry together is hilarious and warm and he plays the straight man to her comedy flawlessly. Rather than chastising her for not working or giving him a hard time, Harvey happily plays along. One of the aspects I like best about his character is that he appreciates different kinds of people and he recognizes the gem he has in Donna. She was absolutely wonderful this week and I hope the writers take that into account when penning future episodes.

It speaks volumes about the show that I just spoke volumes about the show. I fully intended this to be a simple little post about my admiration for a new show, but turned into an epic tome about humanity. The short of it is, if you aren't watching Suits, you should be. It's close enough to the brand to appeal to true "Blue Skies" aficionados, but strays into grayer skies enough to be distinctive and addictive. While some USA staples have been hit or miss lately, I find myself looking forward to Suits more than most of my other shows. It has seen a near unprecedented and meteoric rise to my top tier, and if it keeps up its game to even a small degree, it'll stay there for the long-haul. Suits allows it characters to fail, to be unlikable at times, and to jump feet first into ethical and moral gray areas in a way that most of their shows don't. To that I say, more please.

I, for one, hope those gray skies never clear up. That's what puts on my happy face.