Whilst Suits sadly doesn't come close to the euphoric madness of BL, this is no shame or slur against Suits, which still ranks exceptionally high.
The opening scenes, which seem a bit forced in the establishment of Gabriel Macht's character, Harvey Specter as a no-nonsense, alpha male, soon pass, although the awkward exposition does continue sporadically throughout the episode. This isn't so much a fault of the series however, but rather the requirement for a premiere episode of a new series to establish the world and characters of the show. There are a few cliches, especially in the matter of realisation to a problem dawning from innocuous conversation.
Playing across from Specter is Louis Litt, portrayed by Rick Hoffman, an actor rivaled only by Timothy Spall for his rodent-esque features, although Hoffman displays more of the rat-like dominance and cunning than is generally associated with Spall's characters. Set up as the stereotypically nasty boss, Hoffman breaks the boundaries and becomes almost truly detestable.
Both Spect and Litt must answer to Jessica Pearson, a named partner in the law firm which houses the series, carried off with the self-assurance and strength of character which has typified many of Gina Torres' roles
Patrick J. Adams' super-smart Mike Ross, and the main protagonist of the show, is shown as a smart-alec kid with an unfortunate past. The character is carrying some strong Good Will Hunting vibes, and personally, I can see a lot of parallels to the first Spider-Man film at various points throughout the episode - the interaction between Ross and Jenny Griffith, played by Vanessa Ray, his best friends' girlfriend, particularly mimicing the tension of Toby McGuire and Kirsten Dunst, and Ross' orphan status and interactions with his grandmother are especially reminiscent of Peter Parker and Aunt May.
It's not ground-breaking, and whilst engaging, it is at times predictable. The strength of Suits comes from some excellent casting - which includes the beguiling Sarah Rafferty, who portrays a Pepper Potts-style secretary to Specter - and the innovation in how the threads of each story-line are interwoven across both each show, and the over-arcing series.
There's a limitation to how much can be discussed without giving out salient plot points, but the first season of Suits is funny, involving and builds upon the characters and relationships shown in the first episode.
