"Was John Boehner there?"

Donna is the best.  Case closed. 

Suits is back!  Finally!  Seriously, USA Network, this is not Game of Thrones.  Logistically and financially speaking, I think I think you could stand to make more than 12 episodes a year and air them with fewer than 9 months between seasons.  Just sayin'.  That said, if the interminable wait is the key to the show's quality, then, as with Justified, I will happily relent.

The basic premise for the show has always tied the writers hands in a certain way.  The feasibility of Mike and Harvey keeping this kind of secret in this day and age stretches believability and hamstrings certain storylines from time to time.  Fifty years ago, this would have been more than doable, but in the computer age, it's a reach (especially when he has been under direct suspicion on more than one occasion).  Indeed, prior to the episode early last season with the hacker girl (who magicked a Harvard Law degree for Mike), it was getting hard to suspend disbelief.  That said, this show started off as a fun little USA Network dramedy in the vein of all their other "blue skies" programming.  What I like best about the show is that it didn't stay there for long and tweaked the base concept in order to accommodate more sophisticated storytelling. 

Throughout the first season, Mike's secret was an albatross that was at the center of most of the ongoing conflict of the show.  The writers worked around it with surprising aplomb, however, taking what could have been a wacky, madcap show and giving it more layers and depth than I expected.  It'll never be Breaking Bad or The Wire, but it's not trying to be, and that is absolutely okay.  Delightful, even.  I do think the show is trying to bring more to the table than its network cohorts though, and I'm beyond pleased at how wildly successful they've been in this pursuit.  Not only are the characters explored more deeply, but the show is comfortable with ongoing arcs than just about any other show on the network.  They rely on cases-of-the-week the way any legal show would, but they do a much better job than most.  In general, A-plots like that aren't my cup of tea, but Suits does a lovely job marrying solid, interesting A-plots with captivating, ongoing, and meaningful B, C, and D plots.  I wouldn't say they succeed on the same level that The Good Wife does, but that's an exceptionally high bar.

As season 1 ended, and the albatross of "Mike's secret" was presumably exposed by Trevor to Jessica, I had to wonder just where the show would go with this.  Most USA shows would have taken this cliffhanger, resolved it quickly in the first episode back (no matter how much magic and stupidity was required to make it work), and basically hit the reset button on the series.  Hell, such resets have been Burn Notice's bread and butter for years.  And they've been fairly irksome for years.  As the episode progressed, the show kept presenting opportunities to take the easy way out and keep the increasingly untenable premise alive and kicking as it has always been.  When Jessica first confronted Harvey and said that she checked his credentials and everything was squeaky clean, they could have just gone with that and been done with it.  That would have make Jessica an idiot and would have given the albatross a big, shiny diamond-encrusted tiara to wear, but that's an easy out that many shows would have taken.  Character development and overall narrative be damned.  But Suits didn't do that.  They opted for better.  One of the best aspects of this choice was the agency it gives to Jessica.  She was a more minor player in season 1 than I would have liked and now that she is in the know, it gives her character a lot more options.  I love, love, loved the way she laid into Harvey, calm as can be, and terrifyingly just in her assertions.  She is tough and smart and calculating and the show didn't need to tell me these things, in that brief scene, coupled with past awesomeness, I know these things.  I love it when a show does that.

Yet another of many opportunities to take the easy way out looks to be the most promising new aspect of the season to come.  With heretofore unseen senior partner Hardman coming into the picture (following the death of his wife), things are going to be very, very different.  But they didn't have to be.  I honestly though Harvey's plot to implement another blackmail scheme to keep Hardman out of the picture was going to succeed, at least in the short run.  I assumed Hardman (played brilliantly by David Costabile, most recently known as Gale Boetticher from Breaking Bad) would likely crop up to make trouble somewhere down the road, giving Mike and Harvey the temporary win, but then resurfacing.  Not so.  In a bold and surprising move, Harvey's plan backfires spectacularly at the end of the premiere, opting not to hit the reset button and instead alter the game.  The "Mike's secret" of it all is still in place to a degree (Hardman could find out at any time and use that to railroad Jessica and Harvey), but it makes "Mike's secret" a more secondary problem.  In the simplest sense, Jessica has bigger fish to fry.  Jessica in no way condones or approves of this deception, but her and Mike's fates are now intertwined.

Indeed, in one of the most interesting and telling character developments of the premiere, Harvey makes it very clear that he and Mike are a package deal.  He also makes it clear to Jessica that he absolutely know about Mike's lack of credentials and has been lying to Jessica for months.  For all of Jessica's insistence that Mike be fired, she can't lose Harvey without losing the firm to Hardman entirely.  This fundamentally changes Harvey's and Jessica's relationship on a personal level, but it also changes the direction of the show and includes Jessica directly in the ruse.  Given how much I absolutely adore Gina Torres, this was a brilliant move.  More important than Harvey's changing dynamic with Jessica, a friend and mentor he betrayed, is Harvey's allegiance to Mike.  This wasn't surprising in terms of the set-up for the show (uh, without Mike and Harvey, ya got nothin'), but in terms of character, it was a bit surprising.  Before proceeding with this review, I actually went to see what other's thought about this situation and read a review of this episode on AV Club.  Many similar sentiments regarding the episode throughout.   The reviewer didn't feel that the Harvey's determination to save Mike was entirely earned and I can see what they mean.  Based solely on what we've seen of the two of them together, the witty banter and brotherly ribbing doesn't quite equate to "I'm going to screw over Jessica and risk my job for a guy I'm fairly fond of".  From where I'm sitting, however (and this may be the English major talking), I think Harvey was as surprised by this turn of events as we were.  When Mike walked into his office, I think Harvey actually did plan on firing him.  I think he had every intention of giving him the boot, just as Jessica had instructed.  I think it's when he couldn't bring himself to fire him that he realized just how much he cares about Mike.  The scene with Harvey and Donna just prior to this set the table beautifully for this to actually work without the necessary foundation.  The writers did an absolute brilliant job of making it plausible by tapping into what viewers appreciate most.  Not only did they get a delightful and illuminating scene with Donna (pretty much the best character ever), but they got backstory on Harvey that directly ties into his feelings for Mike.  Donna knows him better than anyone on the planet and can read him like an open book.  Based on what he's wearing, how he addressed her, and the look on his face, she assesses the situation in true Sherlock-ian style.  When challenged about Harvey's willingness to go out on this big of a limb for Mike, I refer back to this scene and proposes the Mike is family.  There's always been a brotherly vibe between the two, but for Donna to make a one-to-one comparison brings it home.  Not only that, but Mike's situation evokes a specifically protective impulse in Harvey with regards to his brother.  Did the show give me everything I'd ever need to believe Harvey would risk his career on some kid?  Probably not.  Did they give me enough though?  Yeah, I think they did.

The albatross of Mike's secret is still around the show's neck, but it's lot looser, I'd say.  The events of the premiere throw a lot of relationships off balance and refocus the characters' priorities in a way that means the secret can't be the main conflict anymore.  The situation is simply bigger than that now.  While the implausibility and near silliness of the base conceit is still there, I think this season is going to be the show's way of moving past it.  In my heart of hearts, I think they will find a way to make it a non-issue.  How they might do so, I'm not sure, but even if they just casually forget about it, I'd be fine with that.  Okay, not totally fine with that, I mean really, there's no way it couldn't be an issue at some point, but as with the were-panther disaster on True Blood, I think I'd be so okay with it magically disappearing that I'd overlook the obvious narrative problems inherent in dropping it without a word.  I have to wonder if the writers of the show were unsure of the potential for story and drama early on and built in "Mike's secret" as a McGuffin to keep things going only to realize later that they really didn't need it.  This show is plenty strong without it and I think moving away from it as the primary source of conflict is a brilliant move.  The show will be all the better for it and will have the option to really explore these characters in a way that doesn't need gimmicks.

All in all, this first episode back far surpassed my already high expectations for the show.  They could have taken any number of easy ways out, but opted for more complexity, more drama, and a shifted focus.  All the better, they did all that while retaining the charm, warmth, and wit of the series.  Hardman throws a major wrench into the show and should prove to alter the dynamics between all the characters, the hierarchy of the firm, and power relationships therein.  I've been super excited for this show to come back since it signed off last summer, but now that I have a taste for where the show is going in its sophomore outing, I simply ecstatic. 

Other Tidbits:

• Rachel is still a problem.  She's been the weakest character of the series since minute one and I'm still having a hard time liking her or caring about her.  I think the writers may have realized this themselves because they are promoting her friendship with Donna in a way I'm really enjoying.  Donna can make anyone more likable.  That said, I don't see much chemistry between her and Mike and she's basically dead weight right now.  Here's hoping that turns around.
• Louis could be a real wildcard this season.  With Jessica's position threatened, people are going to have to choose sides and Louis has a sizable axe to grind.  Were he to side with Hardman, things go quickly go from bad to worse.
• The fact that the show cast a little known, but incredibly talented actor like David Costabile for Hardman is a very good sign.  They could easily have gone for some sort of stunt casting or obvious big bad, but they opted for a quietly menacing Breaking Bad alum.  Can't argue with that.
• Jenny appears to be a goner.  I can't say I adored her or anything, but I certainly liked her better than Rachel.  
• In season 1, I often quibbled with the overtly secondary status of the female characters on the show, relegating them to cardboard cutouts of "boss", "love interest", "comic relief", so I'm overjoyed at the turn the show has taken.  Rachel can still go find work elsewhere as far as I'm concerned, but bigger roles for Jessica and Donna is a boon to the show and a delight to see.  They still technically embody the superficial roles of before, but they seem to be moving toward more depth.
• Gabriel Macht is absolutely beautiful.  Not my usual type at all, but I'll be damned if I don't find myself just staring at him from time to time.
• As if I weren't already bowled over by Jessica throughout the episode, that closing scene with her and Mike was awesome.  She is such a badass.  "I don't need the computer."  So good!

My Top 10 TV Shows of 2011

I'm really hoping that with the new year, my zest for, well, anything really, will return, but until then, this blog is going to be pretty sparse. It's not that there isn't plenty to talk about TV wise (the fact that Once Upon a Time just killed off one of the few characters I liked is currently irking me and the fate of Boardwalk Empire sans Jimmy looms large), but I just can't seem to care enough to type. Venting to the kiddies at work is my current outlet. I highly recommend everyone get their coworkers hooked on all the same shows.

Anyhow, in spite of my apathy, I couldn't not put together a top 10 list of the best television programs of the year, and then some significantly pettier, dorkier lists as well. Without further ado, and in no particular order...

MY TOP 10 SHOWS OF 2011

JUSTIFIED
My love for this show knows no bounds, and the fact that it's been rather conspicuously absent from my schedule since March is kind of maddening. That said, the show is finally starting up in about a month and I can't wait. FX has been re-airing the first season and even though I've already seen it at least twice, I couldn't help but watch again. What's more, it didn't even occur to me to fast-forward through the boring or annoying parts because, well, there aren't any. It's not a crazy, fast-paced, explosion a minute kind of show or anything, but I find that I'm simply riveted from beginning to end. While season 1 was fantastic, season 2 brought something even more amazing to the table: Mags Bennet. When you have a cast of characters that includes the likes of the Crowder clan, it's hard to imagine someone stealing the spotlight, but Margo Martindale was electrifying. My one quibble with the show in general is that female characters tend to play the damsel, but the addition of Mags (and Loretta for that matter), balanced the scales in all the best ways. Oh sure, we started the "Oh, for hell's sakes, Winona!" drinking game during her tenure as the dithering damsel with sticky fingers, Mags was there to temper the gender gap. She was layered and warm and terrifying and ruthless and caring, oftentimes all at once. I'm incredibly sad that Mags won't be back for season 3, and her loss, coupled with the loss of Helen and Loretta, the other tremendous female characters on the show, means that we're left with Winona and Ava. If any show has the power to turn them into more than moronic damsels and fluttering love interests, it's Justified, but their treatment of these two thus far gives me pause... That said, the promos have Raylan and Boyd seemingly teaming up, so there's only so much I can worry about.

BREAKING BAD
Once upon a time, when television aficionados would herald the greatness of the medium or defend it against the slings and arrows of critics defaming it as pulp, they would call on The Wire to justify their cause. Now they call on Breaking Bad. This show is just so, so good. This is one of the few shows that I've actually addressed in fair measure lately, so I'll keep this short. Maybe. While it's been a powerhouse of awesome and artistry since day one, I think this most recent season might have been their best yet. The brilliance with which the writers balanced so many different factions, agendas, mental and emotional priorities, political concerns, and kingpins is nothing short of amazing. At any given time, I found myself pulling for someone different, condemning characters I once loved, and exalting the baddest of the bad. Then it would all change in the coming week. The best part of all is that these shifts in my loyalties were not based on the most ostentatious or sensational of events. By contrast, with Breaking Bad, it's the quiet moments that shed the most light and send me reeling. Which isn't to say that the show is lacking in big, insane, WTF moments or anything. There are certainly plenty of those. It's just that with Breaking Bad, a scene with a few guys sitting around a table talking (or a scene with no talking at all) is just as gripping and terrifying as the deadliest shootout, the biggest explosion, or a mass poisoning. This season saw the end of Tio Salamanca (ding! ding! ding!) and Gus Fring, two irreplaceable powerhouses, but I have every confidence that next season will see the introduction of even fiercer, quirkier baddies. In a lot of ways, I think the season 4 finale could have served well as the series finale, but I'm sure glad it wasn't.

REVENGE
Going into every fall pilot season, I have shows that I'm excited about, shows that I know I'll hate, and shows that I'm willing to give a shot, but fully suspect I'll drop them in a couple of weeks. Revenge definitely fell into the third category. Little did I know it would quickly turn into the sudsiest, juiciest, most delectably addictive soap opera to hit TV in years. The first few episodes had me a little worried that I was headed for a revenge procedural, with Emily dispatching of one of her father's foes each week, all wrapped up in a nice little bow. Much to my delight, those early episodes were only setting up the tangle web to come. This show is a soap opera, which is generally used in the pejorative, but there's not guilt in this pleasure. With any genre, there are going to be good ones and bad ones. For genres like "chick flick", "rom com", "soap opera", and "crime procedural", the bad so often outnumber the good that the genre as a whole gets a bad wrap. Well, Revenge may be a soap, but it's a bloody good one. The story-telling is lightning fast, but there's also a long con that sweeps maliciously from episode to episode, tying things tighter and raising the stakes. The characters are surprisingly layered and complex, giving the writers plenty of room to explore not just the outlandish soapy plot elements, but the more intriguing character elements as well. The cast in general is very strong, but my heart belongs to Nolan (which, given my propensity for siding with the smart, snarky game-changer should come as no surprise). Revenge is truly a watercooler show, even in an age when everyone seems to watch shows at different times. With Revenge, you simply can't afford to risk missing it or you'll be subject to 45 minutes of heated discussion without you. I'm not sure where the show is headed in the long run (although I hear a move to New York is in store for season 2), but I'm definitely along for the ride.

BEING HUMAN (UK)
Although the US version tries desperately to keep pace with it's British predecessor, it's an incredibly high bar that it will never surpass. The most recent season of the British version ended many months ago, but it was still one of the first shows to come to mind when compiling this list. Being Human, on paper, has one of the most absurd, campy, tween concepts in town. And yet, the writers brilliantly explore the human condition through werewolves, ghosts, and vampires. Indeed, by looking at what humans are when they aren't human at all, it sheds light on humanity as a whole. This most recent season was brutal and beautiful and heartbreaking. The writers had a plan from day one, plotted and executed it perfectly, and ended right where they should have, even if that was the most devastating place possible. It's months later and I still can't believe Mitchell is truly gone. As the season began, and it was foretold that he would be killed by a werewolf, fans couldn't help but wonder if that werewolf would be George. Against all inclinations to the contrary, as the season concluded, it only made sense that George would end Mitchell's life. It had to be done, I knew it had to be done, but it was devastating for all involved. No matter what Mitchell had done, no matter in how many ways his inhumanity wreaked havoc, he wanted so desperately to be a good person, but it just never happened. Until the bitter end. The wolf-shaped bullet ending his life was, in its own way, the most human thing to have happened. I honestly don't know where the show will go without his handsome mug, but even if it falls apart, I can always remember last season as being something truly special. The US version can try and try all it likes to match the darkness, the brutality, the hilarity, and the humanity of its predecessor, but I can't really fault it for falling short.

SUITS
Last year, almost all of USA Network's line-up got a nod in my "Best Of" list, but this year, only their newest show garners a spot. While one-time favorites slumped, fell by the wayside, or decreased in quality, Suits arose as the banner show for the network. I assumed this would be yet another "blue skies" procedural for the network, taking the exact same principles and elements of their other shows and wrapping them in the guise of "lawyer show," I was very pleasantly surprised to find the network's most adult offering to date. It has "lawyer show" elements, of course, but it's more of a serial than I've ever seen on USA, it takes more chances narratively, and it even adopts the standards and practices for foul language that networks FX and AMC have employed for years. The occasional "shit" may not seem like much, but it marks a shift in terms of tone and audience. I recently noticed that Covert Affairs has taken a similar tack, so I'm hopeful that as the network takes more chances, the quality and originality would follow suit. Don't get me wrong, I've always enjoyed the "blue skies" approach taken by the network, but after a few years, it starts to wear on you with its sameness. For various reasons, USA's other options haven't retained their luster, but the sameness is one of the main factors. Burn Notice has played the same hand for the past three seasons, needing a reinvention sooner than later, In Plain Sight got pregnant and ruined the show, Covert Affairs is somehow surprisingly boring, seeming to have lost its narrative thrust, its sense of direction, and its understanding of its own characters, and Psych is... well, it's Psych. If you've seen one episode, you've seen them all. (White Collar is really the only other show on the network that has upped the ante and kept me totally enthralled.) Suits (oh yeah! we're talking about Suits!) bucks the trend of sameness in the best ways possible. It takes the best elements of the network's shows and adds so much more. Suits isn't afraid to have heroes that do bad things, characters that are unlikable, and real tension. All of this is undercut with an incredibly charming bromance, a lot of laughs, and several ongoing storylines to keep the show from stagnating or stalling. In the best surprise of all, they have crafted characters that are layered and intriguing in surprising ways for this network. Indeed, the show's lead, Harvey Spector, isn't particularly likeable on a number of levels, but that's what makes him so special. He's not the kind of character I usually latch onto, but I'm completely enamored. This kind of connection with characters, and the knowledge that they won't always do what you expect them to, makes for a surprising ride where I genuinely don't know what's going to happen every single minute of every episode. It's a lovely change of pace for USA and one that I hope continues. I can't wait for Suits to come back and have spent the downtime re-watching this year's episodes.

GAME OF THRONES
It honestly took me about half of the first season to really get invested in this show, but once I did, I found myself really looking forward to it week-to-week. Even if it weren't my kind of show, the size and scope and scale of the production should garner it a spot on most lists. My initial qualms with the show stemmed from the seeming marginalization of the female characters. Based on the time and setting, it made sense, but that didn't mean they deserved to be afterthoughts. As the season progressed, however, I was very pleased to see the female characters taking center stage and becoming substantive movers and shakers in the narrative. As the season drew to a close, my qualms were fully assuaged. Rumors of storylines to come have also bolstered my confidence. It's not the easiest show to jump into if you haven't read the books, but I think the writers and producers did a nice job of paring down the cast and explaining who was who in a mostly non-oppressive manner. I have always appreciated a show that's willing to kill people off (as long as it makes sense for the story and isn't to the clear detriment of the show... *cough* Once Upon a Time *cough*), and Game of Thrones does not hold back. I had heard that the characters who start off the series are not the ones you end up with in the end, but this didn't truly hit home until Ned was beheaded. That takes balls. As much as I enjoyed Ned, killing him off was true to form and turned the narrative on its head. That's the kind of storytelling that keeps me on my toes and genuinely surprises me. When all bets are off, there's a terrifying sense of the unknown that I absolutely love and dread with equal measure. For someone who watches as much television as I do, it's not easy to quash my expectations, so when a show manages to achieve such a feat, it gets rewarded with a place on this list. Game of Thrones wasn't perfect, but it came close enough. I'd tune in just for Petyr "Littlefinger" Baelish alone, but Robb Stark and Jon Snow don't hurt either. Now that the show has it's legs and a better grasp of how to turn this story into a series, I'm very hopeful that season 2 was be even more sensational that season 1. It'll certainly be just as expensive to produce. Wow, HBO knows how to loosen the purse-strings and I can't thank them enough.

COMMUNITY
No top 10 list would be complete without the best comedy on TV. No, not Modern Family. Indeed, while Community continues to push the boundaries and have me rolling in the aisles for new and surprising reasons each week, Modern Family seems to get more and more boring. I used to really enjoy the show, but more and more, I find myself smiling on occasion, and almost never laughing out loud. This is most delightedly not the case with Community. Most shows on TV can be likened to other contemporaries or predecessors, but Community is genuinely unlike any other show. In any given week, the show somehow manages to combine hilarious gags, clever jokes, erudite allusions, and a hell of a lot of heart with a willingness to play with form and narrative unlike any other show. You truly never know what exactly to expect from Community, whether it be a Spaghetti Western, a musical, an homage to an obscure movie, a parody of an entire genre, a more conventional comedy episode with a splash of anime, or anything and everything in between. They play with storytelling in a way that makes me smile every time. All the while, the show maintains its warmth and heart. The show isn't too cool for school, and it embraces it. Indeed, this collection of characters is probably the most endearing family on TV. Other comedies find themselves hitting the same beats again and again, what with comedy being a genre where true character growth and development is difficult to manage, but Community throws out the rulebook, giving it's characters real journeys to follow all the while making me crack up. I'm heartbroken that NBC has shelved the show until who-knows-when. I realize that the ratings are bad, but so are the ratings of every other show on the network. I don't want to live in a world where dreck like Whitney and dumbass shlock like Two and Half Men survive, but Community gets put on hiatus. Oh, America. You make me sad sometimes. I do hope that NBC keeps sucking just long enough for Community to get another season. They're only about a season away from being able to be sold into syndication, so hopefully NBC will take that into consideration. Come back, Community! Come back!!!

THE VAMPIRE DIARIES
The CW doesn't often get a lot of love when it comes to critical acclaim, but more and more, even the hold-outs have had to admit that The Vampire Diaries is one hell of a show. No longer mistakenly thought of as a Twilight rip-off or True Blood lite, The Vampire Diaries has set itself apart as a kickass supernatural thriller. It's storytelling is tight and compelling, giving viewers a thrill-a-minute, tantalizing cliffhangers, and a surprising amount of depth and character advancement. Sure it has its flaws, but ounce for ounce, it's one of the best shows out there. While the last part of season two got a bit muddled with the moonstone and the curse, season 3 has been its best yet. Two of the best aspects of the show are that it's willing to kill off important and beloved characters and if a character doesn't need to be in an episode he/she isn't in it. True Blood could learn a lot from TVD in this regard. TVD blazes through story at a breakneck pace, introducing new characters and killing off others in near equal measure. This keeps the cast from spiraling out of control the way that True Blood has. What's more, the storytelling is tight and interlaced among the characters. While True Blood has about 87 different storylines going at once, half of which have nothing to do with the others, TVD brings everything together in the most tantalizing of possible ways, ending each episode (if not each segment) with a jaw-dropping cliffhanger. There's an insane amount of character history and supernatural mythology that has been doled out over the past two and a half seasons, but somehow the show makes it all work (well, mostly). When Rebekah revealed the history of her family, the origins of werewolves, the original vampires, her brother as a hybrid, the sun and the moon curse, and everything in between, it... actually made a lot of sense! Sure there are certain things that we just kind of ignore, but for the most part, the writers put it altogether in a way that worked. No small feat, that. The show also manages to impart all of that history and mythology in a captivating way. Seriously, where most shows put me to sleep with plot exposition and info dumps, TVD makes those some of their best episodes. Seriously, in a recent episode, the entirety of the actual action that took place was Elena talking to Rebekah while Damon and Stefan hung out. Sounds like a snooze-fest, but it was exciting, revelatory, and fabulous. Best of all? Elena and Stefan, who used to be on the bland and boring side, have become interesting and badass in their own ways. Evil Stefan is even better than I would have guessed and Elena has finally taken some control over her life. Now if we can just kill off Bonnie and Matt, we'll be good to go!

THE GOOD WIFE
This is one show that has received a fair bit of press on this blog (more so than the other deserving entries on this list), but I promise, it's still not enough. That this is one of the best dramas on TV goes against so many factors. The show airs on network TV, said network is CBS of all things, the show features actual adults, it tackles sensitive issues like religion, politics, and money in just about every episode, it's been moved around on the schedule, and it skews older in terms of demographic (for some unknown reason). And yet, it survives. This show is smart and sexy and has more than a few serial elements to it. In a network viewing landscape that has seen the success of one crappy crime procedural after another, The Good Wife bucks the trend. Thank god! Season 2 was absolutely amazing. Seriously, the last 5 or 6 episodes could each have served as the jaw-dropping, gut-wrenching season finale, but they just kept piling on the awesome, episode after episode, culminating in one of the best season finales I've ever seen. So good, in fact, that had the show been unjustly axed after season 2, it could have served as one hell of a send off. Season 3 hasn't quite kept pace with the insanity of the last half of season 2, but it's building slowly and surely. One of the most heartbreaking factors of season 2, Kalinda and Alicia's falling out, reverberates through season 3 in a very real, restrained way. One of the things I've always loved best about the show is that the female characters are allowed to have layers, agendas, and a well-rounded presence on the screen. They're also allowed to be friends. On most shows, women are invariably pitted as sexual rivals. On The Good Wife, as with the real world, women are friends, they support one another, and form complex bonds and relationships with one another. Seeing Kalinda and Alicia, the best of friends, fall apart was devastating, but seeing the slow easing of tensions over season 3 has been incredibly rewarding. This show knows how to hit all the right buttons and it doesn't casually forget about things that have happened before. I'm constantly amazed at how a person, an event, or a piece of information comes back many episodes later like a lightning bolt. This show has an amazing cast, an enviable list of guest stars, and Eli Gold to boot. Alan Cumming is completely magnetic as Eli, but this is so good that even when he's not in an episode, I don't notice until long after the show is done. As with The Vampire Diaries, The Good Wife knows how to economize storytelling. If they don't need a character, they don't have that character. Case closed. (Heh, get it? Case closed? They're lawyers? I'll shut up now.)

SHAMELESS
Any and all US imports of British shows are met with extreme scrutiny and prejudice from this humble TV watcher. The same goes for animated shows being adapted to live action. In general, I simply don't see the point. In most cases, the original is by far the superior and a remake or adaptation seems unnecessary and counter-intuitive. It's with this bias in mind that I'm surprised at how much I grew to love Showtime's US adaptation of Shameless, a raunchy British program that I was honestly not too familiar with. To this day, I've only seen a couple of the episodes of the British series, but to my delight, the US adaptation took the principles of its predecessor, made the show its own, and made it really damn good. It took me a couple of episodes to really invest in the show, finding William H. Macy's character to be more of a hindrance than a celebrity draw, but as the show settled in and found its feet, it managed to craft interesting, complex characters whose interdynamics sucked me right in. At its heart, Shameless is about a family. For all of its dysfunction, and there plenty to go around, at the end of the day, the burdens and traumas they suffer makes them one of the closest knit families on TV. When you're that poor, that desperate, and that downtrodden, all you have is each other. The family simply has to work together just to survive. On a less dire level, I can relate. My family was by no means as bad off as the Gallagher clan, but it was very clear to all of us from a very young age that we don't have the luxury of bickering or fighting or holding petty grudges. We're all in this together, and a lot of the time, that's all we have. In speaking with other people, I'm constantly amazed at how well my family got along, how close we all were (and are), and how willing we are to give relatives money without any expectation of repayment. I always assumed all families were like that when I was a kid, but as it turns out, we were in the minority. Anyhow, with the Gallaghers, this hits home in a number of social, psychological, and financial ways. It was so heartbreaking to watch Fiona, the eldest daughter turned mother, trying to break free of all the responsibility, only to find that she simply couldn't. The last few episodes of the season were tremendous and showed how this kind of close-knit dependence on one another has its wonderful aspects and also its insidious underpinnings. Her siblings want her to go, they know she's paid her dues, but she just can't leave them. What started out as a raunchy dramedy that was trying too hard to be shocking quickly morphed into a searing character piece with the family unit as a whole being the most important single character of all. It's been gone for entirely too long and I can't wait for season 2 to premiere early next year.

**HONORABLE MENTIONS**

Alphas
It's a genre show, but it genuinely managed to put a new spin on an old routine. Most importantly for any genre show, it focused on the characters as much as the storyline, so that helped turn it into quite a quality program by the end of its first season.

The Chicago Code
Gone, but not forgotten. I'm not a huge fan of cop shows, but this one was excellent. It's ratings weren't spectacular, but they were steady and decent. This show really had Fox's once chance at any kind of dramatic critical acclaim, but they opted for poorly crafted CG dinosaurs and a bickering family that just refused to get eaten by them instead. Boo.

Nikita
Season 2 hasn't quite had the same focus or narrative drive as season 1, but this show is still a solid genre show that knows how to craft a spy thriller. Covert Affairs should take notice. This show is 15 times more entertaining and exciting on 1/10th the budget. Where Covert Affairs is so bland this year the background is more interesting than the story, Nikita takes what it has and makes the most of it.

Hell on Wheels
I'm... not entirely sure why I'm enjoying this show so much. Nothing... really... happens. But, I find I get swept up in whatever is happening on screen and I don't seem to mind that over the course of several episodes, we've basically built 10 feet of railroad and... ridden some horses? Whatever the reason, I'm digging it.

Boardwalk Empire
If my list above were a top 11, this would have made the cut. It made last year's list, but their second season took a lot time to really get me enthralled. I got several episodes behind because I just didn't feel very invested anymore, but once I got caught up, I could appreciate that in a number of ways, it was better than ever.

White Collar
Aside from Suits, this is really the only other USA network offering that I'm excited about. This last year the show hit quite a stride, and while there were some casting decisions I still can't believe, on the whole, this is a light, fun caper with enough depth to keep me eagerly anticipating its return next month. And then, of course, there's Matt Bomer, so it may as well be a freeze-frame for 42 minutes and I'd be just as pleased.

Aside from my overall top shows of the year (and well-deserving honorable mentions), there were some other odds and ends and categories that I just had to include in my year-end review as well. Here are some random judgments and dubious distinctions...

Shows that Showed Signs of Recovery Only to Flatline Once Again:

• Glee
  After the craptastic second season, I had pretty low expectations for season 3. When the season started off and seemed to have gained a slight grasp of continuity and storytelling, I was ready to put this in the Most Improved Show category... Until a few episodes ago when it all got shitty again. Seriously, that Christmas episode was even more painful than usual.
  
  
• How I Met Your Mother
  Started off a bit better than expected, but then Lily and Marshall got pregnant, then Robin got pregnant, or didn't... oh, who the hell cares. It was awful either way.
  
  

Worst Hair and/or Clothes:

• Robin (How I Met Your Mother)
  Apparently barrenness leads to hideous hair and horrible wardrobe choices? That's all I can guess, because why else would they make her look that way?
  
  
• The Entire Cast (Parenthood)
  Okay, maybe not the entire cast, but I think it's safe to say they hit critical mass about 3 characters back. When you hit 80%, is there any real reason to split hairs? (Heh, get it? Oh lord, that pun was almost as bad as Haddie's permed bangs... sorry about that.)
  
  
• Dr. Reid (Criminal Minds)
  Not going to lie, he's the reason I started watching the show. His look and persona were a huge part of the draw. Now he has this unfortunate fuzzy, choppy something or other on his head and it just takes the charm away...
  
  
• Rachel (Glee)
  The storytelling wasn't the only casualty during season 2...
  
  

Best Chemistry:

• Damon and Elena (The Vampire Diaries)
  A lot of real-life couples fall flat on screen, but these two totally sizzle. Seriously, that (fully-clothed) scene where he ran his hand along her ribs was sexier than some of the most explicit sex scenes I've seen.
  
  
• Eli and Kalinda (The Good Wife)
  They may not be sleeping together (that I know of... that would be kind of awesome, actually), but the rapport between Alan Cumming and Archie Panjabi is completely irresistible. Eli's chemistry with just about anyone is giggle-worthy and fabulous, but with Kalinda, he sees a true peer. He doesn't bullshit her the way he does other people and she doesn't try to manipulate him the way should would someone else. The professional courtesy is hilarious and undeniable.
  
  
• Nolan and Tyler (Revenge)
  These two are both so conniving, so manipulative, and so driven that it's hard to know just what to make of them as a pair, but one thing is for sure, their chemistry is sexy as hell. Although Tyler might claim otherwise, I'm guessing they're both about a 3 on the Kinsey scale, so anything goes. Their couple portmanteau is "TyleNol" by the way, which is just about the best I've ever seen.
  
  

Speaking of Magnetism on Screen, Here are My Irrational TV Crushes of 2011:

• Robb Stark (Game of Thrones)
  It took me a while to really connect with the show, but his presence among the cast was never an equivocal one.
  
  
• Jesse Pinkman (Breaking Bad)
  Aaron Paul is such a tremendous actor that yes, I kinda sorta really adore a murderer/drug dealer. I mainly just want to give the guy a hug. He certainly needs one.
  
  
• Harvey Specter (Suits)
  As I mentioned above, I'm a little surprised by this one, but Gabriel Macht is just beautiful and he manages to make a slick, corporate, 1 percenter unbelievably sexy.
  
  
• Johnny Iuzzini (Top Chef: Just Desserts)
  Love him. Aside from being talented, charming, and easy on the eyes, he's a bit of a gay icon and he's totally fine with that (even though he's straight). That wins him a hell of a lot of points in my book. Rather than being threatened by attention from the gay community, he embraces it. WIN.
  
  
• Seymour Birkoff (Nikita)
  I know, I know, of all the beautiful people on that show, I'm in love with the snarky computer nerd. That's just how I roll. Not that Michael or Owen or Ryan or anyone else isn't a winner, but my heart belongs to Birkoff.
  
  
• Nikita (Nikita)
  Okay, it belongs to Birkoff or Nikita. It's a toss-up. Maggie Q is amazing. She simply could not be any more fabulous. Or badass. Or gorgeous. Could I be her when I grow up? Pretty please? Ooh, or Kalinda!
  
  
• Hardison (Leverage)
  It's a mid-level show, to be sure, but Hardison makes it all worth it. He's far and away the best part of the show and certainly the easiest to look at.
  
  
• Mitchell (Being Human UK)
  Goddamn, he's beautiful. Yeah, yeah, he slaughtered a train full of people... Still beautiful. Sometimes, it's what's on the outside that counts.
  
  
• Paulo (The Borgias)
  Okay, I admit his hair is not doing him any favors, but that's what you get when you're cast in a period piece. That said, Luke Pasqualino will always be Freddie to me and that's really all it takes. My darling Freddie (sob). Love him. Unfortunate historically-accurate haircut and all.
  
  
• Nolan (Revenge)
  He may not be the most conventionally attractive guy on the show, but for me, personality, character, and intelligence count for about 80%. Being a 3 on the Kinsey scale certainly doesn't hurt either.
  
  
• Tim Gutterson (Justified)
  His character is pretty much the exact opposite of what I would ever really want, but I just adore him. Seriously, a law enforcement officer with a history in the military? Yikes. And yet, his manner is so appealing and his demeanor so chill, I just can't help myself.
  
  
• Jai Wilcox (Covert Affairs)
  Sure it took me an entire season to stop calling him Mohinder, but that in no way diminishes the pretty. It's a very attractive cast in general (you know, as opposed to all those shows with ugly people), but he takes the cake. Not that he'd be able to eat it, but still. It may be a boring show, but the scenery is nice.
  
  
• Damon (The Vampire Diaries)
  No list of TV crushes would be complete without Damon Salvatore making an entry. It's a plain and simple fact that's beyond reproach or argument.

Well, kiddies, I think that's it for me this year. I'm hoping to be less of a slacker as the new year begins, but I excel at not giving a shit. We'll see. Happy viewing!

Line Item Raves and Nods to Not-bad-ishness

As mentioned in the previous post, there's been a lot to be disappointed by lately. I didn't even include my recent weariness with Burn Notice, but it's there. It's still better than many shows out there, so it got a pass, but I have to admit, the formula is really getting to me these days. I used to be able to "just go with it," but lately, I can predict with frightening accuracy at what minute the "twist that makes it look like the plan won't work" is going to happen. Sigh.

Amid the mediocrities and disappointments though, there really are some winners that I should give their due, whether they fall into the stellar category or the "well, that was a lot better than expected" category.

Here are my recent raves:

SUITS

I decided I was in love with this show (as well as with Gabriel Macht, who, after the dramatic improvement in his hair, warrants a poster above my bed) several episodes ago and I've been very pleased to find that it holds up. So often, I'll decide I'm in love just in time for the next episode to suck. Not so with Suits. Each episode is solid on its own, but altogether, they're making for a cohesive, driven, thoroughly entertaining freshman year. Unlike so many USA shows, the writers for Suits have a clear purpose in mind and defined character arcs to explore. This isn't your typical procedural where all but little tidbits of personal life and ongoing "big bad" get reset at the end of the hour. Indeed, after their last stellar outing, which sets up the season finale in fine, nail-biting form, my mom actually said, "So... it just continues next week?" I cheekily gave her a hard time saying, "Yep, television shows tend to air week-to-week," but I knew what she meant. It points to the best part of the show. It's serialized. It's not as serialized as more hard-hitting dramas like Breaking Bad or Justified, but it's far more of a serial than anything else USA has ever attempted. That points USA in the right direction, gives them a broader brand with which to work, and clearly improves the quality of this new series. I hope the unmitigated success of the show tells USA to do more of this in the future, because it's working. Thursday's offering was intense and twisty and layered in a way I just don't expect from this network. By the end of the hour, I was in no way certain that everything would work out just fine next week. I'm wagering it will, but the fact that there's even a chance in my mind that it could possible not resolve itself is a hell of a step in the right direction. Best of all? Mike finally called Rachel on her shit and threw her petty sexual politics in her face. Yeah, that's right, missy, you ignored him for months and blew him off until it was too late. Deal with it. (I'm not much of a Rachel fan, so that confrontation had me twiddling my fingers in Mr. Burns' fashion of diabolical glee.)


ROOKIE BLUE

Yes, that's right. Rookie Blue. I initially wrote this show off as Grey's Anatomy with Cops, and to large extent, it still is, but the more annoying elements of season 1 (the voiceover, Ephram's characterization, the forced will-they-or-won't-they-ishness) have morphed into a thoroughly enjoyable show that ups the ante every chance it gets. It's a light show, very easy to watch, but it's not devoid of substance. A lot of that substance is squishy, squee-worthy relationship stuff, but a lot of it is people getting shot too. They actually maintain a pretty nice balance. The will-they-or-won't-they-ishness is still there, but it's way more fun to watch because I like the characters involved so much more. Ephram has settled into the role and is actually pretty fabulous now, and they dropped the stupid, sanctimonious voiceover entirely. On top of that, the show is a lot more exciting this time around. Geez, who knew Canada was so dangerous? One of the main characters gets shot in the chest in the premiere for hell's sakes. Pretty freaking fantastic. This used to be the kind of show that I didn't tell people I watched it because it was a tad embarrassing, but I've always secretly enjoyed it will enough. This season however, I'm out and proud. It's a hell of a lot of fun and is actually pretty damn funny a lot of the time. In one episode, Andy, the main girl, is undercover as a car saleswoman (salesperson?). When asked about the engine, she peers under the hood, deer in the headlights, but goes for it with, "Dual..." And that's it. Hehe. I busted up. Her line delivery is what really sells it. Anyhow, I have found myself looking forward to it week-to-week and have saved the whole season on my DVR. That's right, I'll admit it.


BREAKING BAD

This show quite simply kicks ass. It's absolutely amazing and is far and away one of the most intelligent, adult, well-written shows on air. It's also one of the darkest. If you're looking to get caught up, be forewarned. It's not the kind of show that you can burn through 5 episodes in a day. It's incredibly dark a lot of the time and very cerebral. It doesn't spoonfeed and it doesn't pull punches. This show is more terrifying and exhilarating in its quiet moments than most shows are when buildings are exploding. This whole season has been about quiet, but earth-shattering shifts in power and I can't wait for more. As Jesse becomes the new Walt and Walt slowly turns into Jesse, all hell is breaking loose around them. It's, quite simply, gripping. If you've seen the show, you know. If you haven't, I couldn't possibly do it justice with a random paragraph on a blogpost. So I'mza gonna stop tryin'.


Those three shows are the real standouts in a summer of burnouts, but there are some honorable mentions as well.

Here are my nods to not-bad-ishness (oh, it's a word):

AGAINST THE WALL

I'm as shocked as you are. I'm still not entirely sure why I gave this one a shot, but I did, and I've been pleasantly surprised. I don't even think that's the impossibly low standards talking either. The fact that it's a largely procedural cop show wasn't doing my initial perceptions any favors, but knowing it was on Lifetime, Television for Women... Who Really Love Stories About Unfaithful Husbands Getting Murdered, was probably the biggest bias-creator. To my surprise, it's actually a very warm, funny little show about a woman who works in Internal Affairs. I'm no fan of cops in general (my admiration for Rookie Blue notwithstanding), so the thought of a show about a cop who nails other cops for being terrible at their jobs or just downright dirty has its appeal. More than anything though, it's about the interpersonal relationships among the main character's family, her friends, and how being the cop of cops affects her life. It's not perfect, and it's hardly top tier, but I'm enjoying it. It's well-made and charming in its own way. It has its issues (chief among them the annoying-as-hell realism in fiction that strong women have to have some sort of ridiculous foible (usually ridiculous levels of clumsiness) so that they can be vulnerable), but it has really grown on me. If the subject matter and overall treatment were more up my alley, I think I'd be quite the fan. As is, why not.


ALPHAS

I gave the pilot a lukewarm, yet mostly hopeful review and I'm pleased to say it has turned into a nice little show. Their most recent episode (the obligatory "everyone has been bewitched by a cult leader" episode) was by no means their best outing, but on the whole, it's a pretty good show. It's entirely too procedural for me to really get sucked in entirely, but that has more to do with me than the show. It taps into Sci Fi tropes without going overboard (usually) and that allows it to stay pretty grounded, while still interesting. I think my main hang-up is that I'm having a hard time really getting attached to the characters, but they're growing on me. It's been slow to find its way into my heart, but I think it'll get there eventually. They teased an overall mythology that they should pay more attention to and if at all possible, phase out the procedural aspect. If they could just do that, I'd be sold. As is, it's good enough to keep me going, and I'm enjoying it far more than I expected I would, but it's not yet living up to its full potential.


AWKWARD.

MTV doesn't exactly have the best track record for original programming, so imagine my surprise when this show caught my attention. I've seen 6 or 7 episodes, and while it has its moments, I can't quite decide if I really like it. That said, I keep watching, so it must have something that keeps me coming back. It's more ribald and raunchy that my usual fare, but the main character is female and that manages to keep it from being cliche most of the time. The lead actress does a really nice job and queen bee bitch is shockingly successful at making me want to punch her in the face, so the show must be doing something right. I can't say I'd recommend this show to everyone, but if you were at all interested but opted out assuming it would suck, it actually doesn't. Who'd have guessed?

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.