Previewing Season 2 of 'Suits'

By: Greg Payne



Warning: This post contains spoilers for Season 1 of Suits. If you haven't seen the first season and are planning to, don't continue reading. Also, I'm writing this assuming those who are reading have seen the first season, that way we can keep this focused primarily on the second season, without needing to really recap any of the major points from the first season.

Suits became a hit for USA Network last summer, largely due to the great dynamic between its two lead characters, Harvey Specter (Gabriel Macht) and Mike Ross (Patrick J. Adams, who earned a Golden Globe nomination for his performance), but also for a great string of supporting characters and a less formulaic approach than some of USA's other standout programs, including White Collar and Burn Notice.

It's assumed that Trevor has gone through with spilling the beans on Harvey and Mike to Jessica, and that will serve as the main plot point of the first episode of Season 2, as well as an overarching angle for the entire sophomore run. While we've been presented with a distinct problem to focus on, the first season thrived primarily because of the great dynamics and relationships between the primary characters: Harvey, Mike, Jessica, Louis, Rachel, Donna, and Jenny, who became more and more prominent as the season went along.

The cases were often interesting, but it always came back to how the characters worked those cases, dealt with one another throughout those cases, and, perhaps most importantly, helped each other with those cases, that made the show as entertaining as it is. While we'll be in for a host of new scenarios for the crew of Pearson Hardman to work through in Season 2, I'm fully expecting the character relationships to continue to drive things, so it's worth examining where those relationships stand with Thursday right on the horizon.



Harvey and Mike: The good news is these two didn't end Season 1 on rocky footing. Truth be told, their relationship might be as strong as it's ever been, as Mike was an instrumental part of Harvey getting Clifford out of jail. The pair just closed arguably their biggest case of the season, they're beginning to trust each other with more important information, and we're even seeing them open up a bit to each other about some of the darker tidbits of their respective pasts. As of right now, Season 2 appears to be all about trust between these two. The promo above hints that, if Jessica has heard Mike's dark secret, he's going to have to trust Harvey to lobby for him, lie for him, campaign on his behalf, or otherwise convince Jessica that he should be allowed to stay with the firm.

Mike and Rachel: It was genuinely enjoyable watching the relationship between these two develop over the course of the first season. You knew it would culminate in some sort of kiss or other romantic act, but before we knew it, Jenny was in the picture (seriously, we blinked and suddenly she was back in the fold), and Mike had to turn down Rachel's advances, and, as any normal person would, she reacted in anger, seemingly ending their relationship just prior to the season finale. They had a reconciliation of sorts as she helped Mike figure out precedent for Clifford's release, and she eventually, thanks to the help of Donna, realized that she can't "go back" to being just friends with Mike. So while they might not be exchanging verbal and emotional blows at the start of Season 2, Mike's still the one with a decision to make. Will Rachel back off as he ponders his future with Jenny, or will the subtle moves -- the shoulder pats, the arm rubs, etc. -- grow into even more significant actions? And, perhaps most importantly, what role will she play in Mike potentially leaving or staying with the firm, if any at all?



Mike and Jenny: The other part of the love triangle. Jenny had her doubts about Mike's feelings for her, and was seriously convinced his heart lied with Rachel, but things appeared to be relatively smoothed over by the end of the first season. Neither of them yet knows what Trevor has done, but one of the TV spots I've seen indicates that Jenny catches on first. Their dynamic is crucial to Mike and Rachel's relationship, so I'm willing to bet we see things take a pretty hard direction, one way or the other, over the first few episodes. I feel like this relationship remaining cloudy complicates things too much, which would result in some repetitive interaction between Mike and Rachel at the office.

Harvey and Jessica: These two had their fair share of rifts throughout the first season for one reason or another, but not so deep down we know they're fiercely loyal to each other. But that's what's going to make the second season so interesting, particularly if Jessica believes, or can prove, that Mike never went to Harvard. While trust will be essential between Harvey and Mike throughout the second season, loyalty might be the name of the game for Harvey and Jessica. How far will her loyalty to Harvey extend? While you might think she'll have an easier time throwing Mike to the wolves, she knows that will have an effect on Harvey as well, so what will her course of action be? Will she fire Mike, ignore Harvey's testimony, and tell him to find another associate? This will surely be one of the most interesting parts of the Season 2 premiere, if not the entire season.

Mike, Harvey, and Louis: You know the story: Louis feels completely overshadowed by Harvey and is secretly jealous of him; Harvey dismisses Louis regularly; and Mike's loyalties clearly lie with Harvey, but he can never escape Louis' menacing grasp. Louis has tried standing up to Jessica before, like he did in the Season 1 finale, but because she's able to threaten him with the senior partner title, he's usually forced to back down. But what if he gets word of Mike's secret -- something he, perhaps more than any other character, suspected all along? Will we see him lobby to Jessica to have him fired? And if that doesn't happen, will we see him riddle Mike with work that only a law school-trained associate would be able to accomplish, thus diminishing the quality of Mike's work to the point where the firm would consider firing him simply due to poor performance? Mike's gotten pretty good at navigating Louis' landmines, but he's still at his mercy in plenty of scenarios. Rarely do we see him run to Harvey for help in these circumstances, but maybe that'll be Mike's only play in Season 2.

Harvey and Donna: My good friend Steve and I agree: Donna is one of the show's quiet gems, and we'd love for her to have an expanded role in Season 2. Sarah Rafferty, the actress who plays Donna, is tremendous, as she brings a no-nonsense attitude to the character that fits virtually every situation. She's quick, witty, and usually always a step ahead of everyone else in the office, particularly Louis. Her exchanges with Harvey are typically very well written and it ingests some needed comedic attitude into the show. It was awesome seeing her come to Harvey's aid when his issues with the DA came to the forefront, and one of the season's most tense moments came when Harvey called her out for lying to him, claiming that they only work because he knows he can trust her. What would an expanded role look like for Donna? She made it clear she would never get involved romantically with Harvey, but if nothing else, hopefully she's granted more screen time to just be Donna. That'll be more than enough for me (and Steve).

Mike and Trevor: Harvey once told Mike early in the first season to "get rid" of Trevor, and it appears Mike would have been wise to heed those words of advice. Unfortunately, the bonds of a longstanding friendship are never easy to sever, particularly for someone as sympathetic as Mike. But Trevor came through with the ultimate act of betrayal at the end of Season 1 (sure, Mike dating Jenny broke the girlfriend rule, but it would have been way worse had Jenny cheated on Trevor with Mike), so it's hard to imagine this relationship ever being repaired to the point where they can legitimately be friends again. Mike's better off, as Harvey suggested, but how big of a role will Trevor have in the second season? Will he continue posing problems for Mike, or will he be out of the picture for good after the first few episodes?

I might have been oblivious to the fact that True Blood's fifth season premiered this past Sunday until roughly an hour before it did, but I've been excited for the new season of Suits for a while now, so I'll be firmly planted on my couch at 10:00pm this Thursday. All of my questions won't be answered in the first hour, but I'm excited to see what verdicts we are able to see, and to get a better sense of where the season as a whole is heading.

Season 2 of Suits debuts this Thursday at 10:00pm (eastern time) on USA.