| 1 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 2 | !Warning! Arrangement of Characters Reveals Spoilers |
| 3 | !!Litt Wheeler Williams Bennet [[note]]Formerly Gordon Schmidt Van Dyke/Pearson Hardman/Pearson/Pearson Darby/Pearson Darby Specter/Pearson Specter/Pearson Specter Litt/Specter Litt/Zane Specter Litt/Zane Specter Litt Wheeler Williams/Specter Litt Wheeler Williams/Specter Litt Williams[[/note]] |
| 4 | [[folder: General]] |
| 5 | An incredibly powerful New York law firm. It came under the control of Jessica Pearson after she and Daniel Hardman staged a coup against the original name partners. The firm is notable in that it has a long-standing policy of only hiring Harvard Law School graduates with less than a handful of exceptions. |
| 6 | ---- |
| 7 | * MeaningfulRename: [[https://suits.fandom.com/wiki/Suits_Wiki While the other wiki]] and InUniverse legal technicalities establish them as separate firms, it's really the same firm going all the way back to when it was originally Gordon Schmidt Van Dyke. |
| 8 | * RunningGag: There have been so many name partners coming and going at Pearson Specter Litt that it's become this trope. With Season 8, after the departures of Meagan Markle and Patrick Adams, the opening credits changed, and now include a montage of the various firm names over the years ... which changed ''again'' in Season 9. Once it becomes its current incarnation of Litt Wheeler Williams Bennet in the final episode, [[LampshadeHanging Louis places an embargo on changing the name for the next five years.]] |
| 9 | * TrainingFromHell: Louis Litt is the head of the Associates for a majority of the series and acts as a DrillSergeantNasty for the first years with a specific note that he enjoys making them as miserable as possible with massive caseloads. |
| 10 | -->'''Jessica Pearson''': ''[presents a copy of '' New York Lawyer'']'' Annual survey of associates came out. Pearson Hardman ranked second to last in quality of life. |
| 11 | -->'''Louis Litt''': [[ComicallyMissingThePoint Who beat us?]]\ |
| 12 | '''Jessica''': Louis. I know you take immense pride in making the Associates' lives miserable-\ |
| 13 | '''Louis''': [[InsaneTrollLogic Well I did until I found out I was the second best at it.]] |
| 14 | ** In this same episode where the exchange takes place two things are revealed: 1) Daniel Hardman, the former managing partner, was such a bigger {{Jerkass}} that he made Louis look like a NiceGuy. 2) There's a method to this madness as it turns out it runs on the philosophy that MiseryBuildsCharacter or skillset in this case. When he learns that the Associates think he dumps his work on them so he doesn't have to do it and have no respect for him, Louis proceeds to complete all of their assignments in a single night that they had all day to do. It should also be noted that whether it's an associate who trained under him or Louis himself looking for a job, his training methods are used as a ''selling point''. |
| 15 | [[/folder]] |
| 16 | |
| 17 | [[folder:Louis Litt]] |
| 18 | !Louis Litt |
| 19 | [[quoteright:393:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/4877121d6c6f03c5d0b550c2a86ff99f.png]] |
| 20 | ->'''Portrayed by:''' Creator/RickHoffman |
| 21 | |
| 22 | Louis is an ambitious lawyer who wants nothing more than to have his name in lights by the firm's entrance, but his off-putting behavior makes it difficult for him to win enough allies amongst the senior partners to make that dream a reality. |
| 23 | |
| 24 | He is a financial wiz who's been described as being like a bloodhound when it comes to finding irregularities. He is so good, in fact, that he brings in more billables than most other lawyers in the firm. |
| 25 | |
| 26 | He also oversees the firm's associates and does his utmost to make their lives a living hell so that only the very best remain. |
| 27 | |
| 28 | His dream finally comes true in Season 4 when the firm is renamed Pearson Specter Litt. |
| 29 | ---- |
| 30 | * AbhorrentAdmirer: He had a somewhat pathetic crush on his hot superior, Monica Eaton. He apparently always ate lunch at the same place she did and asked her out daily. She admitted at the time that this didn't really bother her, but it still bites him in the butt when she later claims sexual harassment. |
| 31 | * AlliterativeName: '''L'''ouis '''L'''itt |
| 32 | * AlwaysSecondBest: To Harvey. No matter how much he's good at his job, he always ends up being overshadowed by Harvey. |
| 33 | * AmoralAttorney: Whenever he is trying to show he is a better lawyer than Harvey (i.e. almost always). |
| 34 | * AntiVillain: Starts out as an antagonistic character but many episodes show him in a sympathetic light. |
| 35 | * BadBoss: Louis actually takes pride in how badly he treats the new associates. Once he becomes managing partner, he still struggles with this, such as shouting at Harvey and Robert in a blunt matter but he does try to be better. |
| 36 | * TheAtoner: Louis qualifies as he committed the same sin. Jessica refers to her sin and this is why she is creating the "Louis Litt Rehabilitation Program," so he can remove the stank of Hardman from him. |
| 37 | * ButtMonkey: He often screws up and puts himself in embarrassing situations. He is constantly made fun of and never given credit, unlike Harvey, despite making the firm a lot of money. Sometimes it's PlayedForLaughs considering how much of a jerk he can be. |
| 38 | * CampStraight: Despite being canonically straight, he does have some effeminate mannerisms, traits, and interests (such as ballet and theatre for example). |
| 39 | * CatchPhrase: "You just got Litt up". Katrina even got it printed into a cup for him as a gift. |
| 40 | * CharacterDevelopment: The biggest example of this in the entire series. An underhanded, petty man early on. A man of great courage, caring, and honor by the end of it. |
| 41 | * DeadpanSnarker: Louis is very snarky and sarcastic and he is one of the sources of sarcastic comedy and wit on the show. |
| 42 | * DidntThinkThisThrough: Harvey, Mike, and Jessica note this is one of Louis's key flaws, that he'll jump into a situation without figuring out all the angles. The results can range from looking like a joke to getting himself (and the firm) into serious hot water. |
| 43 | ** The best example is when he discovers the truth about Mike and immediately uses it to get himself rehired and a name partner. Louis figures he can fire Mike and Jessica can't do anything about it as he holds leverage with the secret. Instead, Jessica points out that by using the information for his own profit, Louis automatically became part of the fraud and is as exposed as the rest if he reveals it. |
| 44 | ** When the firm meets a lawyer regarding their possible bankruptcy, Louis hires a bunch of actors to pose as the staff (who left) to make the office look busier. Jessica coldly snaps that the point of this meeting is that the firm needs desperate financial help and making them look like "business as usual" isn't going to aid that. |
| 45 | * EveryoneHasStandards: Louis, even after going over to Hardman's side, [[spoiler: wouldn't vote to fire Harvey when Hardman called for it and voted to get rid of Hardman after finding out that Hardman faked the memo that caused the lawsuit against the firm]]. |
| 46 | * FatalFlaw: His {{pride}} and insecurities thereof keep leading him to make boneheaded, petty decisions that often cause a lot of trouble for everyone. As the show establishes, when he can keep it under control, he's a very good lawyer. |
| 47 | * FatComicRelief: He's the only regular member of the main cast who's not trim and conventionally attractive, emphasized by the fact that he wears suits that are much too small for him. This doesn't stop him from being one of the most popular characters. |
| 48 | * AFatherToHisMen: A zigzagged case. Louis, though a sadist teacher to his associates, cares for them on some level. Showing weakness may not be liked but when [[spoiler: he was quitting and saw Mike come out of an elevator with a bloody face, he dropped his stuff and rushed to help Mike, taking him to the bathroom to get cleaned up without a second thought]]. Likewise, though he was determined to make Katrina respect him, he nevertheless [[spoiler: ultimately assisted her in her case even as he was trying to make a fool of her.]] |
| 49 | * {{Flanderization}}: While he starts as an unsympathetic yet very competent BadBoss-type with a few quirks (his soft spot for cats and a couple of unusual hobbies), by season three these quirks started overriding his professionalism, making him go to a mock trial for custody over a cat with an opposing (and equally eccentric) lawyer that isn't even his in the first place, and later totally flunks extremely important negotiations with said lawyer because of that cat. The other guy told him that he didn't read the cat the letters he wrote her. He becomes more nuanced in the following seasons, however, especially when we see the private pain he displays in therapy sessions. |
| 50 | * {{Foil}}: To Harvey. They share many of the same traits and behaviors with the major difference being that if Harvey 'plays the man', Louis 'plays the law'. It is Louis's strict adherence to the letter of the law (especially when it benefits him) that most people tend to dislike him whereas Harvey's approach at least makes him seem somewhat charming. Also, Harvey is TheStoic, very handsome, successful, and TheAce, while Louis is very emotional, HotBlooded, average-looking, and a NoRespectGuy. Both of them have pride in some form as their biggest flaw, but while Harvey is often arrogant, Louis is often insecure [[InferioritySuperiorityComplex which he cloaks with smugness and bluster]]. |
| 51 | %%* FreudianTrio: The id. |
| 52 | * FreudianExcuse: He was bullied a lot in high school due to compensating his unpopularity with being TheSmartGuy, it explains his chip on his shoulder and beef with Harvey who acts more like a JerkJock in comparison. |
| 53 | * FriendlyEnemy: How he sees his relationship with Harvey. He compares it to [[WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes Ralph Wolf and Sam Sheepdog]]. |
| 54 | -->'''Louis:''' They came to the meadow every day to work, friendly. But then when they punched in the time clock, Ralph would try to steal the sheep, and Sam would stop him. I mean, it was brutal. And then they’d punch out again. Friends. And that was me and Harvey. |
| 55 | * HeelFaceRevolvingDoor: He often switches between being a {{Jerkass}} (particularly in the episodes where he antagonizes Mike) and a good friend to the other main characters. |
| 56 | * HeroWithBadPublicity: How he sees himself most of the time which is certainly not how everyone else sees him. |
| 57 | * ImprobableAimingSkills: On a shooting range, Louis is shown to be an extremely good marksman. All his shots are either headshots or a tight center of mass clustering. |
| 58 | * InferioritySuperiorityComplex: For all his smug attitude, Louis is shown to have a severe inferiority complex that causes him to constantly try to prove how competent he is and that he is a better lawyer than Harvey. |
| 59 | * InformedJudaism: The fact that Louis is Jewish is not brought up until season two when he casually mentions that he is going to call his rabbi to brag about his promotion. He later asks Jessica to have Rosh Hashanah off. |
| 60 | * InnocentInnuendo: Louis has a bad tendency to use flowery language when worked up which often comes out incredibly, unintentionally sexual. Whoever he's speaking to at the time finds it hilarious, but without fail, Louis fails to get the joke. |
| 61 | * InsufferableGenius: When it comes to financials, he never shuts up about it when the situation calls for it. |
| 62 | * ItsAllAboutMe: Has this problem after he uncovers Mike's secret and becomes more petty than ever. Donna calls him out on his ultra-selfish, oh-woe-is-me attitude. |
| 63 | * JerkassHasAPoint: |
| 64 | ** Louis often has a point when he calls Jessica out on her favoritism for Harvey while ignoring Louis. Also, his "Reason You Suck" Speech to the associates. |
| 65 | ** Again for Louis during the trial run. Harvey chastises him for badgering Donna. Louis points out that he was simply playing the part that Tanner definitely would have taken. And that all of this was Harvey's fault to begin with. |
| 66 | ** Louis treats Harold as a ButtMonkey but we later discover that Harold can be grossly incompetent and his mistakes could have cost the firm millions if Louis did not scrutinize his every action and covered for him. |
| 67 | * JerkassToOne: He treats Harold much worse than he treats everyone else, which is lampshaded in-universe. Harold hates him for this. |
| 68 | * JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Louis can be a major jerk at times which results in putting other people in danger. He can also be incredibly smug and condescending especially when things don't go his way but he's come to display a heart of gold as well. He has a degree of UndyingLoyalty to Jessica, Harvey, Rachel, Mike, and Donna and he views them as family. |
| 69 | * KindheartedCatLover: Kindhearted might be pushing it, but there is ''nothing'' too good for his felines. He is bereft when his first cat Bruno dies and when he cat-sits a notoriously picky cat for a British colleague, he spends every minute of his free time attending to every last fussy detail to keep her happy, later admitting to Rachel that he's never been happier while doing so. |
| 70 | * TheLancer: After season 6. He embraces Harvey as his best friend and serves as a loyal if contrasting colleague in his schemes. |
| 71 | * NeverMyFault: He's always quick to shift responsibility to others even if it's blatantly obvious that he's the one who caused the mess in the first place. This gets even worse in season 7. He sees a shrink, but his refusal to take responsibility becomes worse than ever. |
| 72 | * PetTheDog: He has his moments, though they usually take a while to happen and they're often for selfish reasons. Which makes the moments when he's sincere even more surprising, at least to everyone but himself. |
| 73 | ** When Rachel [[spoiler: is rejected from Harvard Law, he goes to bat for her out of genuine selflessness and the belief that she was wronged. While it’s somewhat corrupt how he uses his…personal connection with a Harvard recruiter to try and get her in, but fails due to her rejecting Rachel to spite him, he takes it hard and considers it a personal failure.]] |
| 74 | ** When Mike gets beaten up, Louis uses his own medkit to help disinfect and patch him up. |
| 75 | ** A straight example comes in season 4 that demonstrates a lot of CharacterDevelopment on his part. [[spoiler: When Mike is at his lowest, Louis at his highest, and Louis still upset with Mike for using his relationship with Sheila as leverage, Louis stops Mike from making a very terrible decision and gives up his happiness to help Mike out.]] |
| 76 | ** There's of course his later relationship with Sheila and happiness to be a father. |
| 77 | * PlatonicLifePartners: With Donna and Rachel, to a degree, especially the former. There was also a season where he had this relationship with Katrina. |
| 78 | * PluckyComicRelief: |
| 79 | ** Deconstructed; while he's a brilliant lawyer in his own right, he keeps getting crapped on, and his greatest desire is just to be respected and liked, which leads to self-sabotage. He's also just as well-developed a character as anyone else on the show, and arguably a BreakoutCharacter. |
| 80 | ** Further deconstructed in Season 4, where [[spoiler:his wacky antics as he tries to cover up a serious mistake lead to Mike figuring out something is up. Once he does that and goes to Harvey, they figure out what he's probably hiding in a few ''minutes''.]] |
| 81 | * ReformedButRejected: Louis certainly wants to believe he's this. The other characters are quick to point out that he hasn't completely put his dickish tendencies behind him. When Louis really proves himself and (with some prodding) acts truly selfless, the other characters begin to come around. |
| 82 | * RevengeBeforeReason: Louis can't seem to stop himself from screwing with Harvey even though by doing nothing he would have Harvey owe him a big personal favour. |
| 83 | * SmallNameBigEgo: While there's no doubt that he's an excellent lawyer and that he brings in more money than any other lawyer at the firm, he consistently overestimates his worth and often fails to realize that Jessica would have no problem losing the income if it means not having to deal with the drama he causes. |
| 84 | * SmugSnake: While Louis is by no means stupid, as he is a brilliant attorney, every time he lets his emotions dictate what to do, the results as always disastrous. He is prone to do very risky and stupid things to boost his ego, and his plans always backfire at him. |
| 85 | * StalkerWithACrush: To Monica. Louis kept asking her out every day she worked at Pearson Hardman. The only reason she did not file a sexual harassment complaint was that it would have made her look weak in the eyes of her coworkers. |
| 86 | * SternTeacher: At his best, but can be a borderline SadistTeacher in the way he used to treat Harold. |
| 87 | * StrongerThanTheyLook: He's usually wimpish-looking but puts Mike Ross in an impressive chokehold in Season 4. |
| 88 | * TokenEvilTeammate: Out of all the main characters, he's the most self-serving and the most likely to become TemporarilyAVillain. |
| 89 | * TookALevelInJerkass: Upon finding out Mike's secret and that people he considered to be friends have been hiding it from him, Louis lashes out at everyone with the express purpose of running Mike out of the firm. it doesn't last long and 2 episodes later he is teaching Mike to drive. |
| 90 | * TookALevelInKindness: While being basically Mike's and Harvey's antagonists at the beginning of the series (when the stakes weren't that high yet), he was shown to be very loyal towards the people he respects towards the end of season two. |
| 91 | * TheUnfavorite: He mentions to Donna that his father always preferred his sister Esther to him in an episode, and he's shown to be happy when he learns that she broke her leg. |
| 92 | * WardrobeFlawOfCharacterization: He is incredibly vain, unable to recognize his own flaws, and refuses to be more accepting of others while expecting the world to conform to his expectations. This is illustrated by how he wears suits that are clearly uncomfortably small[[note]]notice how his buttons strain, the lapels bulge outwards, the shoulders and collar lift up, and how the jacket awkwardly gets caught around his chest when he raises his arms[[/note]] rather than acknowledging his physique and choosing larger cuts that can be tailored to better flatter his body. |
| 93 | * WeaksauceWeakness: Louis will not give in to anyone or anything. Except for American Ballet Theatre tickets. |
| 94 | [[/folder]] |
| 95 | |
| 96 | [[folder: Samantha Wheeler]] |
| 97 | ->'''Portrayed by''': Creator/KatherineHeigl |
| 98 | Samantha Wheeler was a Senior Partner at Rand, Kaldor, & Zane when Robert Zane left to merge with Specter Litt and become Zane Specter Litt, following along with several other partners and associates. Extremely ruthless and hardworking, Samantha is Robert's NumberTwo filling the same role for him as Harvey did for Jessica eventually becoming Named Partner along with Alex Williams in Season 8. |
| 99 | ---- |
| 100 | * AmoralAttorney: More ruthless than Harvey and will do anything to win. |
| 101 | * NumberTwo: She was Robert Zane's main fixer till he got disbarred. |
| 102 | [[/folder]] |
| 103 | |
| 104 | [[folder: Alex Williams]] |
| 105 | ->'''Portrayed by''': Creator/DuleHill |
| 106 | A former friend of Harvey's, Alex worked for Bratton Gould for many years making his way up to Senior Partner when Harvey became Managing Partner of Specter Litt. Offered a job, Alex joined the firm with eyes on becoming Named Partner which comes to pass in Season 8 along with Samantha Wheeler. |
| 107 | ---- |
| 108 | * DarkSecret: Letting his former client company get away with corruption and get away with murder. |
| 109 | * HappilyMarried: Has a wife (Rosalie) and two daughters (Joy and Debbie) making Alex one of the only members of the main cast to have a stable homelife. |
| 110 | %%* ICouldaBeenAContender: |
| 111 | [[/folder]] |
| 112 | |
| 113 | [[folder: Katrina Bennet]] |
| 114 | !Katrina Bennett |
| 115 | |
| 116 | [[quoteright:181:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/amanda_as_katrina_in_suits_amanda_schull_40856584_1920_1080_7.jpg]] |
| 117 | |
| 118 | ->'''Portrayed by:''' Creator/AmandaSchull |
| 119 | Introduced as an Assistant District Attorney, Katrina makes a deal with Harvey allowing her to jump ship from criminal to corporate law like him and became a senior associate. She eventually began working for Louis Litt as his go-to associate until she was fired for helping him try to poach a client following his resignation. After working for Robert Zane for several years, she returned to Specter Litt with several other associates where she was promoted to junior partner. She eventually rises through the ranks to [[spoiler: become the "Bennet" in Litt Wheeler Williams Bennet in the final season.]] |
| 120 | ---- |
| 121 | * AlphaBitch: Her default mode with most people other than Louis, she's especially this to Rachel. |
| 122 | * TheBusCameBack: She returns from Barcelona in the episode "Bad Faith". |
| 123 | * CatchPhrase: Doesn't have one herself, but she's apparently a fan of "You just got Litt up!". Going so far as to trademark it and get it printed on a mug in order to cheer Louis up. |
| 124 | * DefeatMeansFriendship: Just as Harvey wanted 'another him', Katrina ultimately wins Louis's position as his personal associate by the fact that she went to war with Louis (and almost won), among other things. He appreciated the fact that she gave him respect and treated him as a threat. |
| 125 | * EstablishingCharacterMoment: Gets a job at Pearson & Hardman by essentially blackmailing Harvey - he'd get a win, she'd get a job. Subsequently, picks a fight with Mike in order to try and take his spot and ends up with Louis. |
| 126 | * {{Foil}}: What Mike is to Harvey, Katrina is to Louis. She shares Louis's hyper-competitive streak, his killer instinct, his penchant for trying to win respect through intimidation, fear, and humiliation. And as with Mike to Harvey, she also shares Louis's passion for the arts, his pool of references and hobbies, and respects/looks up to him as a mentor. |
| 127 | * GirlFriday: For Louis, with shades of BattleButler. She's a full-fledged lawyer, and damned good, too. |
| 128 | * HatedByAll: The reason she ultimately ends up being Louis' NumberTwo is simply because she antagonized literally everyone else so much and went so far in her petty feud with Mike that no one but Louis would even think about working together with her. Harvey flat-out spells it out to her that Louis' assistant is all she'll ever be because she made sure to burn every other bridge down to cinders. |
| 129 | * HelloAttorney: She's a blonde, gorgeous lawyer. |
| 130 | * LaserGuidedKarma: Downplayed. Her frequent condescension and arrogance towards everyone in the firm who isn't in a position of power, along with her trying to replace Mike as Harvey's personal assistant and her unnecessarily cruel revenge scheme when Mike finally has enough of her BS and calls her out lead to everyone but Louis absolutely hating her guts, which in turn pigeonholes her into being Louis' assistant with no hope of ever advancing in her career at Pearson & Hardman. It's downplayed in that she comes to like working for Louis and they actually make a pretty good team. |
| 131 | * TheMovieBuff: Well, more like TV show buff... in an episode in which she and Mike are forced to work together, the two grow closer due to both being fans of ''Series/TheWire'' and ''Series/TheSopranos''. |
| 132 | * NeverMyFault: A lot at the beginning of her career at Pearson & Hardman. She has a rather nasty tendency to shift blame and deflect whenever others call her out for her AlphaBitch attitude and her cutthroat methods. Even when she tries to apologize, she can't help but word said apology in a way that makes it sound like the recipient would be unreasonable not to immediately accept it, completely ignoring any reasons they might have for not doing so. |
| 133 | * NumberTwo: To Louis. So much so, that when Nigel seeks to win a mock trial against Louis, he intentionally sends Katrina to another country so Louis can't call on her help. |
| 134 | * PlatonicLifePartners: For the time she was on the show, she was this with Louis. |
| 135 | * PutOnABus: During Louis's mock trial, so that she can't help him, Nigel sends her to Barcelona. |
| 136 | * UndyingLoyalty: Katrina ends up being extremely loyal to Louis. She even helps him out when he is no longer her boss and doing so will most likely result in the end of her career. |
| 137 | [[/folder]] |
| 138 | |
| 139 | !!!Firm Staff |
| 140 | |
| 141 | [[folder:Norma]] |
| 142 | ->'''Portrayed by:''' [[TheGhost No One]] |
| 143 | [[TheGhost The oft-mentioned never-seen]] legal secretary of Louis Litt since he became a Junior Partner some years ago, her abilities apparently lead a lot to be desired if her boss' comments are any indication. [[spoiler: Sadly, she passes away in the Season 4 finale while caring for her sister being replaced by Donna Paulsen for a time and then Gretchen Bodinski.]] |
| 144 | ---- |
| 145 | * BeleagueredAssistant: [[PointyHairedBoss When your boss]] is [[BunnyEarsLawyer Louis]] [[InsaneTrollLogic Litt]], you're this by default. |
| 146 | * {{Foil}}: To Donna as a legal secretary for one of the main characters. Donna was a master of anticipating [=and/or=] meeting Harvey's needs, acted as a sounding board and anchor, and is a drop-dead gorgeous woman. Norma is none of these things with Louis constantly complaining that he has to do all the work himself, is never around, and was once referred by Jessica as "the mummified remains of a legal secretary". |
| 147 | %%* KilledOffScreen: |
| 148 | * UltimateJobSecurity: Louis's comments about her abilities indicate that she should've been fired a long time ago even by someone who didn't have the lawyer's insanely high standards and demands. |
| 149 | [[/folder]] |
| 150 | |
| 151 | [[folder: Gretchen Bodinski]] |
| 152 | ->'''Portrayed by''': Creator/AlomaWright |
| 153 | Harvey Specter's legal secretary after Donna leaves to work for Louis for a time before the two women would switch positions. |
| 154 | ---- |
| 155 | * BeleagueredAssistant: {{Subverted}} as Gretchen proves to keep up with Louis and can give as good as she gets in the snark department with him, Harvey, and any of the other characters. Needless to say she's a far and above improvement over Norma. |
| 156 | * ConnectedAllAlong: A half-season after being introduced, it turns out she was friends with Louis's infamous secretary Norma, playing Mahjong every Tuesday for 35 years. |
| 157 | %%* DeadpanSnarker: |
| 158 | [[/folder]] |
| 159 | |
| 160 | !!!Former Firm Staff |
| 161 | [[folder:Michael "Mike" Ross]] |
| 162 | [[quoteright:344:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/eb7cdebd8019845e2a380fc3a25dba3a.jpg]] |
| 163 | |
| 164 | ->'''Portrayed by:''' Creator/PatrickJAdams |
| 165 | |
| 166 | Mike is an associate at Pearson Specter who is renowned for his photographic memory. He also has a secret: he's not actually a lawyer. He never even graduated from university. But Harvey saw potential in Mike and hired him anyway with the two, and a select few, working to maintain the ruse lest everyone involved is imprisoned for fraud. [[spoiler: Which is exactly what happens in the midseason finale of Season 5... After a rigorous trial, a couple months in prison before cutting a deal to get out, he manages to pass and join the NY Bar thanks to the "Reading the Law" statute. He leaves the city with Rachel his wife to run a legal clinic in Seattle at the end of Season 7 but returns for OneLastJob in Season 9.]] |
| 167 | ---- |
| 168 | * BadassBookworm: The fact that he's able to outsmart Harvey in the pilot episode pretty much proves this. And as if that isn't enough, in the second season premiere, he does it to ''Jessica''. |
| 169 | * BettyAndVeronica: In season 1 he must choose between Jenny (Betty) and Rachel (Veronica). He chooses Rachel. |
| 170 | * BrilliantButLazy: Mike fits most of the trope conventions before he starts working as a lawyer. Once he starts working in the firm he's shown to be a dedicated employee, regularly working through the night when required. |
| 171 | * EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas: While not necessarily evil, he is committing fraud in order to be a lawyer. He is also extremely devoted to his grandmother and is happy to be making enough money to properly take care of her. He's devastated when she passes away suddenly before being able to move into the apartment he'd bought for her. |
| 172 | * GoodWithNumbers: It's part of his genius. In a flashback, it's revealed he can solve any hard math question immediately. |
| 173 | * HelloAttorney: Takes him a few episodes to dress the part, but... yes. |
| 174 | * HeterosexualLifePartners: He was this with Trevor, until the pilot episode that wrecks their friendship. As the series progresses, he starts to get this kind of relationship with Harvey. |
| 175 | * HyperAwareness: There's a reason why Harvey took him on: they have about the same level of it. |
| 176 | * {{Hypocrite}}: Mike's defining character trait, combined with an astonishing lack of self-awareness. |
| 177 | * JustifiedCriminal: In the premiere, Mike only agrees to act as a drug courier so he can pay for his grandmother's medical treatments. We later find out that he only agreed to help people cheat on the [=LSATs=] because he needed the money to pay for full-time care for his grandmother. In fact, the only reason he's unable to get into Harvard is because the dean's daughter was the one who got caught buying test answers from his friend Trevor, and Mike couldn't let Trevor take the fall. The dean, whose daughter is now blacklisted (her own fault) and his own career at risk, takes it out on Mike and ensures that no law school will take him. |
| 178 | * MamasBoy: Absolutely devoted to his grandmother and even buys a large apartment for the both of them so they can spend more time together. He's devastated when Rachel informs him of her death just before they were supposed to move in. |
| 179 | * MarriedToTheJob: Mike's life pretty much revolves around Harvey and Jessica. Not just because he's passionate but also because he really has no friends or family outside of the firm. |
| 180 | * TheMovieBuff: Another reason why Harvey took him on -- they trade [[ShoutOut Shout Outs]] and quotes from day one. |
| 181 | * NewMeat: Starts out very much like this. Has to get to grips with a very steep learning curve. For several reasons. |
| 182 | * NiceGuy: At heart, he's a big softie. But, he can let the thrill of the hunt shut it off if he's not careful. He tries to remember that, though. But, occasionally slips. |
| 183 | * NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: After Trevor got caught selling test answers, Mike realized that Trevor would never sell him out and take the blame himself. So, he went to the dean and confessed. Not only did the dean kick him out, but he used his contacts to blacklist Mike from going to law school. Apparently, the dean's daughter was the one who got caught buying said answers, and the dean chose to blame solely Mike for it. Had Mike stayed quiet, the dean would've had no proof of Mike's involvement beyond suspicion. |
| 184 | * NotSoDifferentRemark: Jessica admitted Mike was not so different from the best qualities in both her and Harvey. Though not to Mike's face. |
| 185 | * NumberTwo: To Harvey. Mentioned by name in "War" as such. |
| 186 | * OfficeRomance: He begins a secret relationship with Rachel in season 3, after [[spoiler: letting her in on his secret.]] |
| 187 | * PhotographicMemory: Early episodes even showed him playing back memories in perfect detail (in black-and-white) and noticing things he didn't the first time around. |
| 188 | * RedOniBlueOni: Red to Harvey's Blue. Since he's new to the legal profession, he's more likely to be driven by his emotions and tries to get the law to match how he feels about an issue. Harvey has to constantly pull him back and try to get him to see things with a cooler head. |
| 189 | * ScrewTheMoneyIHaveRules: He regularly comes into conflict with Jessica and Harvey because he wants to take on social justice cases that won't bring a meaningful amount of money into the firm. |
| 190 | * SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan: The boyish and naive Sensitive Guy to Harvey's confident, arrogant Manly Man. |
| 191 | * SharpDressedMan: It takes a while for him to understand that not all suits are made equal. He finally starts dressing on Harvey's level in Season 4 when he becomes an investment banker and has money to spend on extremely high-end suits. |
| 192 | * SherlockScan: Combined with his excellent memory, Mike can put clues together fast such as how a thug supposedly threatening him in jail is actually an undercover cop. |
| 193 | * ShoutOut: Harvey and Mike are compared to Franchise/{{Batman}} and Comicbook/{{Robin}} in-universe (after fans made such comparison for two whole seasons). |
| 194 | * SupportYourParents: Mike Ross gets in trouble more than once while trying to get money through less-than-legal means to support his grandmother, who took him in when his parents died, due to her health issues. |
| 195 | * TheSmartGuy: He's incredibly brilliant, and it's not just due to his phenomenal memory. |
| 196 | * TheStoner: Use to be one until he woke up one day and saw where he was heading thanks to the mistakes of others. |
| 197 | * TaughtByExperience: On-the-job experience, even. |
| 198 | * TokenGoodTeammate: Surprisingly enough, the fraud is usually the less morally ambiguous lawyer in the room. |
| 199 | * TookALevelInBadass: In the season two premiere Mike has more confidence than at the beginning of the series and is willing to stand up for himself when threatened. When a woman he tried to help backstabs him in a lawsuit, he turns the tables on her and forces her to accept a settlement. He later calls out Trevor on his betrayal and points out that he knows so much about Trevor that he could make his life hell if he wanted. |
| 200 | * TwoFirstNames: His first name Michael or Mike is a masculine first given name and his surname is also commonly a masculine first given name. |
| 201 | * UndyingLoyalty: To Harvey. Mike would never turn on Harvey even when things get really bad between them. |
| 202 | * WideEyedIdealist: Mike is very idealistic and naive by nature. This also makes him very easily influenced. |
| 203 | [[/folder]] |
| 204 | |
| 205 | [[folder:Harvey Specter]] |
| 206 | !!Harvey Specter |
| 207 | [[quoteright:322:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/be9df164429d212dd281fb0aabe9773b.jpg]] |
| 208 | |
| 209 | ->'''Portrayed by:''' Creator/GabrielMacht |
| 210 | |
| 211 | A vicious and highly skilled litigator. Harvey came from humble beginnings and was working as a mailroom clerk before Jessica Pearson recognized his potential and arranged for him to go to Harvard. After graduating from law school, he worked as a prosecutor before joining Pearson Hardman as an associate and quickly working his way up to being a name partner at the newly-christened Pearson Specter. |
| 212 | |
| 213 | * TheAce: Deconstructed in a sense. His huge win record has made him arrogant and self-serving. Although this ruthlessness wins cases for the clients he ends up annoying a lot of people (including the department heads), which has begun to backfire, especially since Daniel Hardman was [[spoiler: plotting with Louis to get rid of him]]. |
| 214 | * AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Is seen this way by Louis who, no matter how much he's good at his job, always ends up being overshadowed by Harvey. |
| 215 | * AmoralAttorney: Downplayed. He will often use questionable and underhanded tactics to win a case or close a deal, but he will also go out of his way to help out an innocent person even if it jeopardizes the case. His 'crusades' are usually motivated by his ego: he is showing off what a great lawyer he is. However, he seems able to sacrifice his ego if the case is really important. |
| 216 | * AwesomeButImpractical: He's an excellent closer, but his narcissism, his abrasiveness when dealing with the other partners, and his tendency to do stupid shit, like hiring Mike, make him almost more trouble than he's worth. |
| 217 | * BadassBookworm: He's not only an excellent closer but a highly capable boxer who can throw a mean right hook as poor Louis found out. |
| 218 | * BerserkButton: Adultery, since his mother cheated on his father and asked young Harvey to lie about it, resulting in him not speaking to her for years. |
| 219 | * BigBrotherInstinct: Harvey seems to have turned into one, despite his protestations to the contrary. In the season two premiere, he becomes fiercely protective of Mike, to the point where [[spoiler: he throws his PlausibleDeniability out the window to save Mike's job]]. This coming from the man who, twelve episodes earlier, had said: "I have to put my own interests above yours. It's nothing personal." Over time, it becomes more and more of a familial bond as the two get closer. It doesn't help that Harvey has a FreudianExcuse and Mike has no one else in his life. |
| 220 | * BigBrotherMentor: To Mike. Harvey has become somewhat of an older brother figure, a mentor figure, and even a father figure for Mike. Harvey has basically guided Mike throughout the course of the show. |
| 221 | * BrokenAce: In many ways. Working for the DA wasn't the start of it, but it helped. He has an almost pathological fear of looking weak and will go to great lengths to preserve an image as a win-at-any-cost AmoralAttorney. A former lover points out that this dooms any romantic relationships he has since he cannot open up and show vulnerability. |
| 222 | * TheCasanova: Harvey is very flirtatious and promiscuous when it comes to women. He doesn't seem to be the commitment type and seems to be more into one-night stands and flings. |
| 223 | * TheCharmer: Comes with the turf of being a closer. Harvey is very arrogant, cocky, and brash but at the same time, he is also incredibly charismatic. |
| 224 | * ClosetGeek: You'd never guess it from looking at him, but Harvey is an ardent [[Franchise/StarTrek Trekkie]], referencing the [[Film/StarTrekIITheWrathOfKhan Kobayashi Maru]] in some advice to Mike. |
| 225 | * CommitmentIssues: Harvey cannot seem to be in a committed romantic relationship with a woman for too long. It's mostly because of his serious trust and abandonment issues that stem all the way back to his issues with his mother. |
| 226 | * CynicalMentor: It's the only reason he became a mentor in the first place: the drugs falling out of the case was only a cherry on top of the darkly amusing package that walked through the door. |
| 227 | * DeadpanSnarker: Slightly, yes. Say, like, every five minutes. |
| 228 | * EveryoneHasStandards: |
| 229 | ** Harvey is quite angry to learn that the district attorney [[spoiler: suppressed evidence and put an innocent man in jail]]. He also frequently makes it clear that there are lines he'd never cross and expects Mike not to cross them either. He's quite offended when Louis accuses him of trying to take all the credit for a win they received together: |
| 230 | -->'''Harvey:''' I'd never do that Louis. But you would and that's your problem. |
| 231 | ** He is also a man of his word. If he says he has someone's back, he really does till the end. Unless of course you screw him over. |
| 232 | * FatalFlaw: His {{pride}}, in the form of arrogance, which tends to piss people off. It also makes him extremely reluctant to admit when he screwed up. |
| 233 | * AFatherToHisMen: To the younger associates, he even tries to get Mike out of prison due to their friendship. |
| 234 | * FreudianExcuse: Harvey does not take his mother's cheating well, even all these years later, at all. |
| 235 | %%* FreudianTrio: The ego. |
| 236 | * HelloAttorney: He's not hard on the eyes. And, he knows it. |
| 237 | * HeterosexualLifePartners: As the series progresses, he starts to get this kind of relationship with Mike. |
| 238 | * HorribleJudgeOfCharacter: His former mentor Cameron Dennis was a corrupt {{Jerkass}} but, according to Donna, Harvey didn't see it for a long time. |
| 239 | * HumbleHero: Harvey has shades of this. While he will gloat over his own genius, he will also give praise when it is due. [[spoiler: Even to Louis]]. |
| 240 | * HyperAwareness: Multiple instances of it. Sometimes per episode. |
| 241 | * InsufferableGenius: Oh, hell, yes. He can get ''terribly'' smug about being rather good at what he does. It occasionally bites him, but he usually manages to pull the bacon off the flames. |
| 242 | * JerkWithAHeartOfGold: He got a little surprised about how many times he can get tempted to exercise the gold. |
| 243 | * TheLancer: Though in practice he's TheDragon or even a DragonWithAnAgenda. The agenda being his own ego. |
| 244 | %%* TheLeader: After season 6. |
| 245 | * MarriedToTheJob: He's so committed to his work that he isn't able to get into a romantic relationship of any kind. |
| 246 | * TheMovieBuff: You name a film, and it probably has been mined. |
| 247 | * MrFanservice: Even women he's on adversarial terms with admit he's handsome and he's not an IndifferentBeauty about it. |
| 248 | * MustHaveCaffeine: One of the ways to get on his good side when there is bad news is to preface it with the right coffee. Unfortunately, it might not be enough coffee. |
| 249 | %%* NumberTwo: To Jessica. |
| 250 | * ObfuscatingStupidity: Harvey creates the vibe of an AmoralAttorney as bait for crooks - they have a harder time predicting his moves since they expect him to act just like them. |
| 251 | * OfficeRomance: Subverted; [[spoiler: Donna and Harvey did hook up once, but it was after the two of them resigned from the DA's office. When Harvey takes Jessica's offer to work at Pearson-Hardman and asks her to come as his secretary, she asks for one of her conditions for both to forget about that night, because she does not want to have an affair with anyone she works with, and he accepts.]] The season 4 finale [[spoiler: leaves their relationship uncertain, as Harvey told Donna he loves her in the season's penultimate episode]]. |
| 252 | * OmnidisciplinaryLawyer: Part of the reason why Harvey rose so quickly through the law firm ranks is because he is proficient in multiple areas of the law. His main specialty is mergers and tax law but he also spent a few years working as a criminal prosecutor specifically to get a solid background in criminal law. This is averted with most of the firm's other partners who specialize exclusively in certain areas of the law and can be very territorial when Harvey gets involved in a case that falls into their area of expertise. On the other hand, as part of their Training from Hell, the junior associates are supposed to work any case that is assigned to them no matter what areas of the law it touches on or how proficient they are in the subject matter. |
| 253 | * PlatonicLifePartners: With Donna and Jessica, despite occasional ShipTease with both of them. [[spoiler: Though in the past, he and Donna did have a fling. At the end of season 8, he and Donna end up together. In the next season, they end up getting married.]] |
| 254 | * {{Pride}}: His crowing joy... and, his major problem. The number of times he's got himself in and out of trouble thanks to his pride... |
| 255 | * RedOniBlueOni: Blue to Mike's Red. Being the more experienced lawyer, he knows how to use the law to suit his own purposes. |
| 256 | * RelationshipUpgrade: [[spoiler:With Donna. They're thick as thieves for the first 7 seasons. Then they end up together at the end of season 8 and marrying in season 9.]] |
| 257 | * ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight: He has very strong rules about personal conduct as a lawyer and he won't compromise himself to play office politics, even when Jessica wants him to do the bidding of another Senior Partner. Above all, Harvey won't betray his clients and lie to them, and he expects them not to lie in return. |
| 258 | * SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan: The confident, arrogant Manly Man to Mike's boyish and naive Sensitive Guy. |
| 259 | * SharpDressedMan: A show about high-priced lawyers couldn't be without this one. It's in the name of the show, for starters. |
| 260 | * ShoutOut: Harvey and Mike are compared to Franchise/{{Batman}} and Comicbook/{{Robin}} in-universe (after fans made such comparison for two whole seasons). |
| 261 | * SternTeacher: He ''really'' doesn't believe in spoon-feeding. Forget deep ends; he goes for rapids. |
| 262 | * TheStoic: He doesn't show much emotion around other people. Although he can lose his temper from time to time. |
| 263 | * TrademarkFavoriteDrink: He likes his coffee in the mornings. Not nearly as much as Donna, but he has a preference for the coffee from the cart on the street outside the office. At all other times, he goes for scotch. Specifically, he's a huge fan of high-end Macallan, the more bespoke the better. |
| 264 | * UndyingLoyalty: To Donna, Mike, and Jessica. He is willing to do anything for them and has consistently shown his loyalty to them. |
| 265 | * UnresolvedSexualTension: With Donna. Although Harvey and Donna are at PlatonicLifePartners status for much of the show, it's evident that there are still unresolved feelings of attraction between them. |
| 266 | * WellDoneSonGuy: In a {{flashback}} we see that Harvey's push to become a partner in the firm was motivated in large part by a desire to make his father proud. [[spoiler: His father dies the day before the promotion becomes official and Harvey never had a chance to tell him]]. Interesting for this trope: it seems like his father was already proud of him. |
| 267 | * WouldHitAGirl: Reluctantly steps in the boxing ring to fight Samantha Wheeler under Donna's behest that not doing so would be disrespecting Wheeler. |
| 268 | [[/folder]] |
| 269 | |
| 270 | [[folder:Donna Paulsen]] |
| 271 | !!Donna Paulsen |
| 272 | [[quoteright:193:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/5ad505e29b1fc223d35c3b5e6fa15192.png]] |
| 273 | ->'''Portrayed by:''' Creator/SarahRafferty |
| 274 | |
| 275 | Harvey's assistant. They've been working together ever since Harvey was at the [=DA's=] office and many of Harvey's great victories would not have been possible without her help. |
| 276 | |
| 277 | She is one of the most powerful figures in the office, to the point where not even the most senior members of the firm dare to take her head on. |
| 278 | ---- |
| 279 | * TheAce: More than everyone else in the cast. She's hypercompetent at everything, she knows it and so does everyone else. |
| 280 | * AlmightyJanitor: While not a lawyer, she wields an incredible amount of influence because she is just that good at her job. Even Jessica will turn to her for advice. Her value is demonstrated in monetary terms when Louis takes a look at her salary and then asks if an extra zero was added by accident. As it turns out, Harvey considered her to be so valuable that he's been paying her out of his own pocket (unbeknownst to her) on top of what the firm pays and it's implied that the firm only covers a small portion of her paycheck. |
| 281 | * BigSisterInstinct: Towards Mike and Rachel. She is strongly protective of both of them and looks out for them as much as possible. |
| 282 | * CatchPhrase: "I'm Donna" |
| 283 | * TheConscience: For pretty much everyone but especially for Harvey and Louis. She is often the one who makes the two of them question their morality and whether or not they are doing something wrong. It often takes either a talk or a lecture from Donna to get either Harvey or Louis to second-guess their actions. |
| 284 | * DatingCatwoman: Gender-flipped in regards her relationship with [[spoiler: Stephen Huntley.]] |
| 285 | * DeadpanSnarker: One of the wittiest and sassiest characters: |
| 286 | --> '''Harvey''': Hey Donna, did you take care of that--\ |
| 287 | ''[Donna hands him a folder]''\ |
| 288 | '''Harvey''': Also, I didn't have a chance to--\ |
| 289 | ''[Donna hands him a coffee]''\ |
| 290 | '''Harvey''': ...Marry me?\ |
| 291 | '''Donna''': I took care of that too--we've been married for the past seven years.\ |
| 292 | '''Harvey''': Excellent. ''[walks away smirking]'' |
| 293 | * FieryRedhead: Has red hair and is very feisty. She is not afraid to call people out on their nonsense. |
| 294 | * GirlFriday: For Harvey, Mike, and Louis. She is often the one who helps them out when they need information for cases and whatnot. Donna is considered to be the "Go-To Girl" whenever a problem or issue comes up and needs to be solved. |
| 295 | * GuileHero: Donna often uses manipulation and smarts to get what she wants. |
| 296 | * TheHeart: Combined with something of a MoralityChain. More so than Mike, she's usually the one everyone looks towards for stability and the one to question if they're crossing moral and ethical lines. [[spoiler: Which makes the story arc where she destroys a memo all the more shocking, all else aside, as it is a major ethical line she has crossed.]] |
| 297 | * HeterosexualLifePartners: With Rachel. They give each other advice on everything and you ''know'' shit's hit the fan if they fall out over something. |
| 298 | * HyperAwareness: Often aware of minor details around the office. As she puts it, "I know what I know." |
| 299 | * HyperCompetentSidekick: Barring Jessica, she's possibly the most consistently competent person at the entire law firm. |
| 300 | * ImprobableAimingSkills: When Donna visits Louis at the range she outshoots him with ease. She then revealed that she was a champion competitive shooter in her youth. |
| 301 | * LargeHam: Befitting her formidable acting skills (both the character In-Universe and the actress who plays her), Donna is this on a regular basis until she gets pushed over the edge later. |
| 302 | %%* MamaBear: To Mike. |
| 303 | * MoralityPet: To both Harvey and Louis. Both tend to show their nice side around her. |
| 304 | * MsFanservice: A tall voluptuous redhead with a penchant for low-cut dresses, she's like Joan from ''Series/MadMen'' with a slightly smaller chest. |
| 305 | * MustHaveCaffeine: Donna is a huge coffee lover. There is never a time when Donna does not have coffee in her possession. |
| 306 | * NumberTwo: To Harvey. She is basically his right-hand woman, his confidant, and his MoralityPet. |
| 307 | * OfficeRomance: Subverted; [[spoiler: Donna and Harvey did hook up once, but it was after the two of them resigned from the DA's office. When Harvey takes Jessica's offer to work at Pearson-Hardman and asks her to come as his secretary, she asks for one of her conditions for both to forget about that night, because she does not want to have an affair with anyone she works with, and he accepts.]] |
| 308 | * TheOmniscient: Donna knows pretty much everything that goes on in the office. |
| 309 | * PlatonicLifePartners: With Harvey, and to a lesser extent, with Louis. She also has a BigSisterInstinct towards Mike. |
| 310 | * PluckyOfficeGirl: For the most part, Donna is actually the most optimistic and hopeful character on the show. She is also the one to try to relieve tension amongst situations and other characters from time to time. |
| 311 | * ReactionShot: [[http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lzonk9vSB21r45er3o1_500.png Donna]] [[http://static.tumblr.com/ezfojqr/686lrqp8d/donna.gif may well be]] [[http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m1mkk92u9h1r45er3o1_500.png the goddamn]] [[http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lpwit2HKyq1qafrbxo2_250.gif Goddess]] [[http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lpwit2HKyq1qafrbxo3_500.gif of this trope]]. |
| 312 | * SassySecretary: Donna is very sarcastic and witty. She always has a solid comeback and good one-liners, which often results in SnarkToSnarkCombat with other characters, especially Harvey. |
| 313 | * SecretKeeper: For Harvey in general. |
| 314 | * SexySecretary: Donna is a physically appealing MsFanservice and she is a legal secretary at Pearson Specter Litt. |
| 315 | * SparingThemTheDirtyWork: To Harvey when he stubbornly refuses to testify against an old boss. [[spoiler: She worked for him as well, and has no qualms turning over evidence of his illegal activities]]. |
| 316 | * StatuesqueStunner: Donna is the second tallest female character on the show after Jessica. Her portrayer Sarah Rafferty is 5'9" or 5'10". In addition, her height is even more emphasized when she wears high heels. |
| 317 | * TeamMom: For the entire firm. |
| 318 | * UndyingLoyalty: Donna is extremely loyal to Harvey and will do anything she can to protect him. By proxy, she's a bit more protective and helpful towards Mike than to anyone else not named Harvey. |
| 319 | * UnresolvedSexualTension: With Harvey. Although Harvey and Donna are usually at PlatonicLifePartners status, it's evident that there are still unresolved feelings of attraction between them. |
| 320 | * WomenAreWiser: Donna seems to be much more wise, logical, and practical in her thinking and outlook than her male counterparts such as Harvey, Louis, and even Mike at times. |
| 321 | [[/folder]] |
| 322 | |
| 323 | [[folder:Rachel Zane]] |
| 324 | !!Rachel Zane |
| 325 | |
| 326 | [[quoteright:282:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/4b8a65ea3a5fcce80de45cfe878146a7.jpg]] |
| 327 | |
| 328 | ->'''Portrayed by:''' Creator/MeghanMarkle |
| 329 | |
| 330 | A paralegal at the firm. Rachel wants to be a lawyer but had to put that dream on hold because she suffers from severe test anxiety that prevents her from getting an adequate score on the [=LSATs=]. She eventually manages to get over it and does well on the exam, but fails to get into Harvard Law School. Instead, she decides to go to Columbia after pressuring Jessica into paying her law school tuition and to make an exception to the firm's policy that it will only hire Harvard graduates. |
| 331 | |
| 332 | She and Mike have been in a relationship since Season 3. |
| 333 | ---- |
| 334 | * AlmightyJanitor: To emphasize how important paralegals are to a law firm and just how good she is in that regard, Rachel has her own office. While it's smaller than that of a partner, it's still larger than that of an associate. |
| 335 | * BookDumb: Not exactly, but there isn't a trope for Test Dumb. Rachel isn't a lawyer because she can't pass law school entrance exams or the bar. It's not a lack of intelligence or knowledge, but simple test anxiety. Which is why [[spoiler: she is so proud when Mike tells her she has finally passed the [=LSATs=]]] in the second season. |
| 336 | * BrainyBrunette: She's the firm's best researcher. |
| 337 | * FemmeFatale: Rachel dips her toe into this category in "Normandy". |
| 338 | * HelloAttorney: She is very physically appealing and she has an abundance of sex appeal. |
| 339 | %%* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Donna. |
| 340 | * HyperCompetentSidekick: Rachel is very competent at her job as a researcher and a paralegal at the firm despite not being a lawyer yet. The best lawyers are heavily dependent on her when it comes to information regarding cases. |
| 341 | * InsecureLoveInterest: She displays signs of this when Mike breaks it off. Despite all her explanations of how important she is to the firm, she still believes he looks down on her for never passing the [=LSATs=] and remaining a paralegal. |
| 342 | * MoralityPet: Rachel begins to evolve into this for Louis during Season 3. It helps that he had already respected her before working closely with her and that she was one of the few who treated him with such in return. |
| 343 | * MsFanservice: Rachel shows a lot of skin and she seems to have no problem using her sexuality to get what she wants. |
| 344 | * NiceGirl: Despite allusions to a less-than-moral past, she is definitely this. She is generally friendly to everyone in the office and will even go out of her way to help those in need, even if they have mistreated her. Her interactions with Louis's associate are a good example. And you ''have'' to be this trope to be able to be civil with early seasons Louis. |
| 345 | * NonIdleRich: Her parents are loaded, but she still wants to make her own way. |
| 346 | * OfficeRomance: As of the third season, he begins a secret affair with Mike. |
| 347 | * OvershadowedByAwesome: Despite being smart, accomplished, beautiful, and having a spine to even stand against her father, Rachel simply doesn't measure up to Mike (legal prodigy /w photographic memory), Donna (the all-knowing), Louis (ruthlessly effective and financial wizard), Harvey (extremely slick and successful), and Jessica (one of the few capable of pulling one over on Harvey). Poor Rachel doesn't really have much going for her in the department of "extraordinary ridiculous superhuman craziness". She also sees herself as this in her own family ("Everyone has always said that my mom is beautiful and that my dad is smart and powerful"). |
| 348 | * ThePerfectionist: {{Deconstructed}}, as her perfectionism makes her afraid to make mistakes. |
| 349 | * PlatonicLifePartners: With Louis, to a degree. She comforts him when Tara breaks his heart at the end of Season 6. |
| 350 | * RealLifeWritesThePlot: Her departure at the end of season 7 is due to Meghan Markle's [[UsefulNotes/TheBritishRoyalFamily other commitments]]. |
| 351 | * SheCleansUpNicely: Rachel is actually very GirlNextDoor but when she dresses up, she can be quite chic and sophisticated. |
| 352 | * SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan: It's worth noting that Rachel is most attracted to Mike whenever he is acting selfless or sticking to his ideals, and promptly calls him out or straight up ignores him whenever he veers from the good path. |
| 353 | * TwoFirstNames: Her first name Rachel is a feminine given first name while her surname Zane is commonly a masculine given first name. |
| 354 | * WellDoneSonGuy: Rachel can be partly said to be driven by this, though there's more to it than that. She and Robert eventually work through it when working on cases together in later seasons. |
| 355 | [[/folder]] |
| 356 | |
| 357 | [[folder:Jessica Pearson]] |
| 358 | !Jessica Pearson |
| 359 | [[quoteright:289:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/937f68b79b91aef48680fe21c9cc4cf8.jpg]] |
| 360 | |
| 361 | ->'''Portrayed by:''' Creator/GinaTorres |
| 362 | |
| 363 | The firm's managing partner. She got to where she is both by being an excellent lawyer and by knowing how to manipulate everyone around her in order to ensure that the outcome is always in her favor. |
| 364 | ---- |
| 365 | * AloofDarkHairedGirl: She's a beautiful, composed, aloof woman with black hair. |
| 366 | * AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Harvey's good, but Jessica's even better. Even if a situation gets bad enough for Harvey to start panicking, Jessica's already thought of multiple winning strategies with contingencies for each possible outcome without changing the serene expression on her face. |
| 367 | * AndStarring: "And Gina Torres" |
| 368 | * AntiVillain: In context of Mike and Harvey's story. She is generally very benevolent, but she'd be perfectly justified in firing Mike over knowing he has no degree because rightfully so, if anyone found out, it would cause a tremendous amount of harm to the entire firm, both from a business standpoint as well as legal. |
| 369 | * TheAtoner: Jessica sees herself as this. Her sin was trusting [[spoiler:Daniel Hardman nearly blindly. This almost brought the firm she helped build to ruin five years ago. And with her as one of the scapegoats]]. |
| 370 | * BenevolentBoss: Donna uses this trope to find out how good her bosses are. She tells Jessica she has liked her for being nice to her and others lower than her, for example. |
| 371 | * BerserkButton: Jessica does ''not'' respond well to threats, from whoever they may be, as it's frequently pointed out through the show. |
| 372 | * BigDamnHeroes: In "Character and Fitness". Fitting, as [[Series/{{Firefly}} another one]] of Creator/GinaTorres' characters gave us this trope. |
| 373 | * BlackBossLady: A black woman who is Harvey's boss and founder of the law firm. |
| 374 | * TheChessmaster: She was explicitly called this by Robert Zane. |
| 375 | %%* FreudianTrio: The Superego. |
| 376 | * HelloAttorney: Jessica shows off her looks with great pride and she is played by Gina Torres. |
| 377 | * HorribleJudgeOfCharacter: In the backstory, she looked up to her mentor (later managing partner) Daniel Hardman, before realizing he was stealing from the firm. She was also the one who sent Harvey to Cameron Dennis and told him to learn everything from him, but he turns out to be an EvilMentor as well. |
| 378 | * InformedAbility: She definitely needs Harvey on her most important cases and would certainly be in a lot worse position without him. However, when push comes to shove, she at least has the one-up on Harvey himself. However, while she is very good at managing Harvey, she is horrible at managing the firm overall, and many of the firm's larger problems stem directly from the fact that she is busy playing chess with the partners and associates all the time. Ironically, she says Harvey is not forward-thinking enough to run a law firm. Yet she herself is forever under siege and needs Harvey to help her keep control. |
| 379 | * IronLady: She usually shows a somewhat nicer side when she's talking to Harvey. The ruthlessness becomes much more prominent after her BrokenPedestal moment. |
| 380 | * TheLeader: Type I. |
| 381 | * OnlySaneWoman: She often serves as the mediator, especially when Harvey and Louis are at each other's throats. |
| 382 | * PlatonicLifePartners: With Harvey, despite a few moments of ShipTease. They are very close but there's no romantic feelings between them. |
| 383 | * PrettyInMink: Wore a silver fox fur wrap to a date. |
| 384 | * RageBreakingPoint: In "Faith" (season 5), [[spoiler:after it seems that Hardman has her cornered and that she will have no choice but to leave the firm, for the first time ever in the series Jessica can't contain her frustration and takes it out on the furniture]]. |
| 385 | %%* SexyMentor: To Harvey. |
| 386 | * StatuesqueStunner: The tallest female character on the show, and she's as stunning as the other women. Gina Torres, who moved on to spinoff ''Series/{{Pearson}}'', is 5' 10" in her bare feet. When Jessica is in heels, she towers over ''everybody''. |
| 387 | * SternTeacher: Apparently Jessica was one to Harvey when he was the newbie, as she notes that Harvey has used the same lines with Mike that she used with him. |
| 388 | * TantrumThrowing: Jessica never loses her cool, but when she is finally pushed over the edge, her reaction is to throw a few objects in her office. Her tantrum doesn't last long, and she calms down quickly afterwards. |
| 389 | * TeamMom: Jessica is the authority figure who intervenes to make Louis and Harvey play nice. |
| 390 | * VerbalTic: Has a tendency to insert "goddamn" into phrases when upset, especially when it comes to names. EG: "Mike goddamn Ross". |
| 391 | * XanatosSpeedChess: It doesn't matter how well or how badly things are going. It's (almost) guaranteed that Jessica will manipulate events so that she comes out on top even as everything burns around her. |
| 392 | [[/folder]] |
| 393 | |
| 394 | [[folder:Daniel Hardman]] |
| 395 | !!Daniel Hardman |
| 396 | ->'''Portrayed by:''' Creator/DavidCostabile |
| 397 | The "Hardman" of Pearson Hardman who was TheGhost and not even mentioned in the first season. Then he comes back with a vengeance (literally) after a five-year absence looking to retake his former position as managing partner. |
| 398 | ---- |
| 399 | * AffablyEvil: He's a friendly guy, but he's also a lying, cheating, philandering, embezzling backstabber who values no relationship above getting what he and only he wants. |
| 400 | * BigBad: The closest the series has to one being the most frequent recurring antagonist and one whose actions have long-reaching consequences. His attempted takeover causes huge losses for the firm that they merge with Darby International, this leads to Harvey and Mike's temporary rift and the mess with Ava Hessington's criminal trial. |
| 401 | ** He {{blackmail}}s Jeff Solof into helping in a second attempt in season 5 to be allowed to return to the firm and one of the Senior Partner's moves was [[spoiler:to appoint Mike as a Junior Partner which draws too much attention and being revealed as a fraud.]] |
| 402 | ** His third and final appearance is as Simon Lowe's attorney in an attempt to get Harvey disbarred for breaking privilege and regain his reputation as a serious lawyer. [[spoiler:Instead Robert Zane gets disbarred and Faye Richardson gets appointed as managing partner via Special Master]] and the events of the final season. |
| 403 | * ConsummateLiar: The whole reason why Harvey doesn't trust him when he returns to the firm is because, if he lied about funding his wife's cancer treatment, he could lie about anything. |
| 404 | * CorruptCorporateExecutive: The former senior partner who was stealing from his firm and playing other dirty tricks. |
| 405 | * NiceToTheWaiter: He isn't, and it comes to bite him in the ass. He gave insultingly small tips to the staff of a hotel where he met with his mistress. Years after the affair, they still remember him and are fully willing to testify against him. |
| 406 | * SmugSnake: His smugness stands out in a show about lawyers, for crying out loud. |
| 407 | [[/folder]] |
| 408 | |
| 409 | [[folder: Zoe Lawford]] |
| 410 | ! Zoe Lawford |
| 411 | ->'''Portrayed by:''' Creator/JacindaBarrett |
| 412 | A former Senior Partner who left Pearson Hardman five years ago and chose to give up work as an attorney, she's brought back for her expertise in jury selection and analysis during the [=MC=] Motors lawsuit. |
| 413 | ---- |
| 414 | %%* DeadpanSnarker |
| 415 | * HelloAttorney: She's incredibly good-looking which she is well aware of. |
| 416 | -->'''Zoe''': OK, first of all, I'm younger than Creator/AnneBancroft.\ |
| 417 | '''Harvey''': Anne Bancroft was hot.\ |
| 418 | '''Zoe''': Which brings me to second of all. I'm hotter than Anne Bancroft. |
| 419 | * TheOneThatGotAway: To Harvey. Just when he starts to really fall in love with her, she has to return to England. Donna later calls bullshit on this as he could've fought for her but didn't out of fear which Harvey refutes. |
| 420 | * PromotionToParent: She takes custody of her niece Olivia when her brother is diagnosed with a terminal condition. |
| 421 | %%* PutOnABus: Towards the end of season 2. |
| 422 | [[/folder]] |
| 423 | |
| 424 | [[folder: Harold Gunderson]] |
| 425 | !!Harold Gunderson |
| 426 | ->'''Portrayed by:''' Creator/MaxTopplin |
| 427 | ---- |
| 428 | * BosssUnfavoriteEmployee: Louis is not nice to any of his associates, but he likes to treat Harold as his personal ButtMonkey. Not only he's verbally abusive towards him, he also makes Harold take care of his cat even though it is clearly evident that Harold is extremely allergic. |
| 429 | * ButtMonkey: For the first two seasons, until Louis fires him on a tantrum and the audience realizes it isn't funny anymore. [[spoiler:He then gets fired from his new job without even being told why]]. |
| 430 | * DitzyGenius: He appears to be awkward and completely inept but was apparently a brilliant student at Harvard, much to Mike's surprise. |
| 431 | * TheDogBitesBack: His testimony on Louis's mock trial was clearly this (although Rachel is able to twist it to Louis's favour in the end). |
| 432 | * ExtremeDoormat: Unable to stand up to Louis, his BadBoss. |
| 433 | * PlotAllergy: He's allergic to cats, yet Louis assigns him to take care of his cat Bruno. |
| 434 | * WhosLaughingNow: He sues Louis from his new firm and even manages to one-up him until Louis goes after his career. After Rachel points this out to Louis, Louis gives in and accepts Harold's original statement. |
| 435 | [[/folder]] |
| 436 | |
| 437 | [[folder: Kyle Durant]] |
| 438 | ! Kyle Durant |
| 439 | ->'''Portrayed by:''' Creator/BenHollingsworth |
| 440 | A junior associate who acted as Louis' protege during Mike's first year and seemed to be set up as TheRival [[ChuckCunninghamSyndrome though he disappears after the first season.]] |
| 441 | ---- |
| 442 | * ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: Last seen in the second to last episode of Season 1 and never gets a mention ever again, even his actions in that episode aren't brought up again. |
| 443 | * TheRival: To Mike in season 1 and seemed to be set up as [[{{Foil}} the Louis to Mike's Harvey]] but he disappears and never even gets mentioned afterwards with Katrina Bennet taking on the role of becoming Louis' Associate. |
| 444 | * WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Despite being introduced as Louis's best pupil and Mike's rival, he disappears after season one. |
| 445 | [[/folder]] |
| 446 | |
| 447 | [[folder: Jeff Malone]] |
| 448 | ! Jeff Malone |
| 449 | -> '''Portrayed by:''' D.B. Woodside |
| 450 | A former SEC prosecutor who started dating Jessica in secret, before coming to Pearson Specter. [[spoiler: After leaving Pearson Specter Litt when he discovered Jessica lied about the reasons for Louis' promotion, she later moves to Chicago to start again with him.]] |
| 451 | ---- |
| 452 | * MistakenForGay: While Jeff is using Louis to get close to Jessica, Louis misreads this as Jeff being interested in him. |
| 453 | * OfficeRomance: While they were dating prior to his coming to work for Pearson Specter and she initially broke things off when she hired him, he and Jessica eventually count as this. |
| 454 | * WasItAllALie: |
| 455 | ** Louis initially reacts this way when he realizes Jeff used his friendship and lied to him, though later recants this when he realizes Jeff was just doing it for love. |
| 456 | ** [[spoiler: Jeff's trust in Jessica is broken after he discovers she lied about the reason behind Louis' promotion to partner. Even when she tells him she was about to tell him the truth, he can't believe her.]] |
| 457 | [[/folder]] |
| 458 | |
| 459 | !!Darby International |
| 460 | [[folder: Edward Darby]] |
| 461 | !!Edward Darby |
| 462 | ->'''Portrayed by:''' Creator/ConlethHill |
| 463 | ---- |
| 464 | * ArmouredClosetGay: He was in the past; as he confesses to Jessica, the times were different in the past, and back when he was with [[spoiler:Ava's father]], he stayed in the closet. |
| 465 | %%* StraightGay |
| 466 | [[/folder]] |
| 467 | |
| 468 | [[folder: Scottie]] |
| 469 | ! Dana "Scottie" Scott |
| 470 | ->'''Portrayed by:''' Creator/AbigailSpencer |
| 471 | One of Harvey's academic rivals from Harvard and his on-off FriendsWithBenefits despite often being on the opposite sides of legal battles. Later after the merger and dissolving of Pearson Darby, she becomes a Senior Partner at Pearson Specter and attempts a relationship with him but ultimately leaves. |
| 472 | ---- |
| 473 | * AcademicAlphaBitch: She was the top of her class at Harvard and something of a smug know-it-all according to Harvey. |
| 474 | * AffectionateNickname: She's called Scottie by Harvey since they met in Harvard. |
| 475 | * BookSmart: She's an intelligent and accomplished attorney with even better grades at Harvard than Harvey, although he enjoys pointing out that while she's better on paper, he tends to outperform her in actual cases since she thinks too much "by the book". |
| 476 | * {{Bookworm}}: She's very studious and enjoys burying herself in books. Harvey teases her about it, claiming she was "married to the library" during their days at Harvard. |
| 477 | * DatingCatwoman: Has a FriendsWithBenefits relationship with Harvey, despite them being rivals who often find themselves on opposite sides of legal battles, and often act very antagonistic towards each other. The constant rivalry and attempts to one-up the other seem to be a turn-on for both of them. |
| 478 | * FriendlyRival: She has a very competitive rivalry with Harvey, that dates back to their Harvard days and they're often trying to one-up each other in cases, sometimes even resorting to dirty tricks. But they also have feelings for each other and work as allies when the situation demands it. |
| 479 | * HeelFaceRevolvingDoor: She's an antagonist in season one, an ally in season two, and an antagonist again in season three. In later appearances, she's back to being an ally. |
| 480 | * HelloAttorney: She fits the stereotype of a young, attractive, and successful single attorney who has a sensual and confident demeanor. |
| 481 | * NewOldFlame: She and Harvey had years of RivalryAsCourtship before the series started and she was introduced again as a LoveInterest to him. |
| 482 | * RivalryAsCourtship: Her rivalry with Harvey turned into mutual lust even during their days at Harvard. When the series begins, they already have a sort of FriendsWithBenefits arrangement. |
| 483 | * SexGoddess: According to Harvey she's even more formidable in bed than at court. One post-coital scene shows her leaving bed leaving an exhausted Harvey behind and then teasing him about how he needs to hydrate after she made him "ran a marathon". Another scene had them engaging in a DuelOfSeduction over who takes the lead on a case, and |
| 484 | [[/folder]] |
| 485 | |
| 486 | [[folder: Stephen Huntley]] |
| 487 | ! Stephen Huntley |
| 488 | ->'''Potrayed by:''' Creator/MaxBeesley |
| 489 | ---- |
| 490 | * BadassBookworm: He's not only a lawyer but partook in rugby. [[spoiler:It says a lot about Harvey's strength that he can take Stephen down.]] |
| 491 | * CorruptedCharacterCopy: He's outright stated to be basically the British version of Harvey in that he's NumberTwo to the Managing Partner of a prominent law firm. [[spoiler: However, Harvey for all his arrogance and willingness to bend won't stoop to the same lows he does]] |
| 492 | * EvilBrit: He turns out to be one shady dude with a southern English accent. |
| 493 | * NumberTwo: To Darby. It's even explicitly mentioned that he's to him what Harvey is to Jessica, making him very much this trope. |
| 494 | [[/folder]] |
| 495 | |
| 496 | [[folder: Nigel Nesbitt]] |
| 497 | !!Nigel Nesbitt |
| 498 | ->'''Portrayed by:''' Creator/AdamGodley |
| 499 | Senior Partner at Darby International and briefly [=Pearson Darby/Pearson Darby Specter=] who shared many similarities and a petty feud with Louis Litt. |
| 500 | ---- |
| 501 | %%* EtTuBrute: |
| 502 | %%* {{Foil}}: |
| 503 | %%* IGaveMyWord: |
| 504 | * ParentalNeglect: His father sent him weekly memos via his secretary and according to him, Nigel was the tender age of ''4'' when he was sent away to boarding school. This ends up translating to him having a hands-off approach to training the Associates which drives Louis, who believes in being a DrillSergeantNasty, nuts and believes lessens the quality of their work (which is indicated to be true). |
| 505 | [[/folder]] |
| 506 | |
| 507 | !!Government and Law Enforcement |
| 508 | [[folder:General]] |
| 509 | * HeroAntagonist: Ordinarily, these people would be the protagonists and heroes going after {{Corrupt Corporate Executive}}s and facing off against the {{Amoral Attorney}}s protecting them. However, the audience knows that the main characters are willing to bend the rules but have clear moral lines they won't cross and their clients are {{Honest Corporate Executive}}s for the most part. |
| 510 | * {{Hypocrite}}: A common point of contention amongst these characters is they see the main characters and corporate attorneys in general as corrupt with no respect for the law and using it to suit their needs. So naturally they see the need to bend the rules and use LoopholeAbuse in the law to make their cases. |
| 511 | * ItsPersonal: A lot of the firm's trouble with Law Enforcement or the DA's office come up because of personal grudges, usually against Harvey. |
| 512 | [[/folder]] |
| 513 | |
| 514 | [[folder:Cameron Dennis]] |
| 515 | !!Cameron Dennis |
| 516 | ->'''Portrayed by:''' Creator/GaryCole |
| 517 | The Manhattan [=DA=] and Harvey's mentor during his time as an Assistant District Attorney, he comes back into his protege's life when he's investigated for burying evidence to get convictions. |
| 518 | ---- |
| 519 | * BigBad: Season 3, at least the first half. [[spoiler: And we later learn the real bad guy is Stephen, who got all those people killed and was going to place the blame on Ava.]] |
| 520 | %%* EvilMentor: To Harvey. |
| 521 | * GoodHairEvilHair: He sports a cop mustache in season three and the ten years ago flashbacks. Not in season one. |
| 522 | * IDidWhatIHadToDo: He's infamous for burying evidence in order to incriminate people he knows are guilty. |
| 523 | * IKnowYoureInThereSomewhereFight: Harvey tries to pull this during Ava Hassington's murder trial since Dennis used to be all about "putting the bad guy behind bars" no matter what, and Ava is, against all odds, innocent. |
| 524 | * PersecutingProsecutor |
| 525 | * ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight: A darker version of this trope; Cameron twists and bends the law, going as far as to commit illegal acts such as burying evidence, if he thinks the person is guilty and should be locked up. |
| 526 | * TheBusCameBack: After a single appearance in season one, he comes back as the BigBad of season three. |
| 527 | [[/folder]] |
| 528 | |
| 529 | [[folder: Terrence Wolf]] |
| 530 | ->'''Portrayed by:''': Creator/ChiMcBride |
| 531 | The Manhattan District Attorney who replaced Cameron Dennis after he was forced to step down, despite his reputation as a fair man Wolf proves to be little better than his predecessor in some aspects. |
| 532 | ---- |
| 533 | * {{Jerkass}}: He seems to have no real reason for some of his actions beyond being petty towards Harvey. In particular, his decision to seek life in prison for Clifford Danner comes off as incredibly cruel to a man who's already spent 12 years in jail. Obviously, Wolf didn't know for certain he was innocent but he's still potentially punishing a man who's already served most of his sentence with life in prison to send a message. |
| 534 | [[/folder]] |
| 535 | |
| 536 | [[folder: Eric Woodall]] |
| 537 | ->'''Portrayed by:''' Creator/ZeljkoIvanek |
| 538 | A U.S. Attorney who investigates Pearson Hardman for bribing witnesses during the Ava Hessington trial with a reputation for hating dirty lawyers [[{{Hypocrite}} despite being willing to use unscrupulous methods to do so.]] |
| 539 | ---- |
| 540 | [[/folder]] |
| 541 | |
| 542 | [[folder: Sean Cahill]] |
| 543 | ->'''Portrayed by:''' Creator/NealMcDonough |
| 544 | A prosecutor for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission who investigates Pearson Specter at the suggestion of his friend and new boss Eric Woodall after the latter is appointed the head of S.E.C. |
| 545 | ---- |
| 546 | * AtLeastIAdmitIt: He may be willing to use underhanded methods to gather evidence against those investigations but he won't delude himself into thinking he's a saint. |
| 547 | * ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Despite being introduced as an InspectorJavert who firmly believed in the firm's guilt, he was willing to let go of his vendetta once he learned of Woodall's corruption. |
| 548 | [[/folder]] |
| 549 | |
| 550 | [[folder: Anita Gibbs]] |
| 551 | ->'''Portrayed by''': Creator/LeslieHope |
| 552 | The lead prosecutor in Mike's case when he's arrested for fraud, Gibbs works as an assistant attorney for the United States Attorney's Office. |
| 553 | ---- |
| 554 | * HeroAntagonist: She's prosecuting the fraud case against Mike, which puts her opposed to our heroes, but also completely in the right. Mike, Harvey, and the rest who know absolutely had defrauded dozens if not hundreds of clients, regardless of how nice a guy Mike is or how good he is at his job. Even her dirty tactics aren't all that far from things Harvey himself would do if roles were reversed. |
| 555 | * JerkassHasAPoint: While she is a jerk about it, Anita's point that Mike's lack of a formal education easily could have resulted in inadequate representation for his clients is very valid. Considering the high stakes of many of his cases like [[MiscarriageOfJustice Clifford Danner]] [[FromBadToWorse potential ending up in prison for life during his retrial]], Mike and his clients are ultimately VERY lucky that he did end up being very good at his job. |
| 556 | [[/folder]] |
| 557 | |
| 558 | [[folder: Andrew Malik]] |
| 559 | ->'''Portrayed by''': Creator/UsmanAlly |
| 560 | A Manhattan Assistant District Attorney and later a Deputy Attorney General for the State of New York, his time at the [=DA=]'s office started out the same as Harvey with the two having a complex past. |
| 561 | ---- |
| 562 | * ICouldaBeenAContender: His main point of anger with Harvey was that he got tapped as Cameron Dennis' "favorite" and protege which gave him access to newsworthy high-profile cases. Meanwhile, Malik was stuck with the day-to-day cases and had to climb his way up the ladder. |
| 563 | * RememberTheNewGuy: {{Deconstructed}}. Harvey barely remembers the man despite being at the [=DA=]'s office at the same time which is actually one of Malik's points that makes him dislike the corporate lawyer. |
| 564 | [[/folder]] |
| 565 | |
| 566 | !!Family and Friends |
| 567 | |
| 568 | [[folder: Edith Ross]] |
| 569 | ->'''Portrayed by''': Creator/RebeccaSchull |
| 570 | The paternal grandmother of Mike Ross and his legal guardian growing up after his parents were killed in a car crash, her increasing health issues over the years is what ultimately leads him to Harvey Specter and joining Pearson Hardman by chance. |
| 571 | ---- |
| 572 | * AffectionateNickname: Is called Grammy by her grandson despite being an adult and she in turn calls him "Michael" while everyone else calls him Mike. |
| 573 | * KilledOffscreen: Mike is preparing an apartment that he bought for her when Rachel arrives, delivering the bad news that she's passed away. Worse he had gotten it partly out of guilt for allowing work to take time away from her and had been planning to be more attentive. |
| 574 | * OutlivingOnesOffspring: Her son (Mike's dad) died in a car accident when Mike was a kid. |
| 575 | * RaisedByGrandparents: Edith took over caring for her only grandson after both her son and his wife were killed in a drunk driving accident. |
| 576 | [[/folder]] |
| 577 | |
| 578 | [[folder:Trevor Evans]] |
| 579 | !!Trevor Evans |
| 580 | ->'''Portrayed by:''' Creator/TomLipinski |
| 581 | ---- |
| 582 | * EvilFormerFriend: To Mike. ''Evil'' is kind of a stretch, but he's certainly not burdened with a strong moral compass. He's a drug dealer who's been lying to his girlfriend about it and is constantly using Mike's abilities to his own benefit, usually to Mike's detriment. In general he's a complete {{Jerkass}} and basically everyone in Mike's life, including his grandmother, tells him to drop the bum. |
| 583 | * HeterosexualLifePartners: Was this with Mike, prior to the pilot episode. Probably a failed version of ChildhoodFriends. |
| 584 | * JerkWithAHeartOfJerk: In season 5, Trevor, no longer a drug dealer, seemingly becomes a better person and has a friendly conversation with Mike...except that he has also become very judgmental about Mike breaking the law (even if it was Trevor's fault in the first place) and refuses to attend his wedding. In a later episode, he even turns against Mike at the trial, ready to reveal everything about him. |
| 585 | * TheMillstone: For Mike. Everything that went wrong for Mike between his tenure at the University and the beginning of the series was because of Trevor's douchebaggery. But because they were the best of friends before that Mike stood by him no matter what. As Mike's grandmother put it, Trevor is an anchor. At the same time, after getting caught selling test answers that Mike got for him, he refuses to give up his friend, claiming that he got the answers all by himself. |
| 586 | * TheStoner: He was the one who introduced Mike in his weed-smoking life. In later seasons he grows out of it but he's still the same {{Jerkass}} he always was. |
| 587 | * ToxicFriendInfluence: Over the years, Trevor has talked Mike into a number of illegal schemes that derailed Mike's life and dreams of attending law school. In the pilot, he talks Mike into doing a drug deal that almost gets Mike arrested and thrown in prison. |
| 588 | * UngratefulBastard: Mike did a lot for him but Trevor just wanted to take advantage of his friend's genius and he ends up betraying him many times. |
| 589 | [[/folder]] |
| 590 | |
| 591 | [[folder: Gordon Specter]] |
| 592 | ->'''Portrayed by''': Creator/JamesMcCaffrey |
| 593 | The father of Harvey Specter, a Jazz musician who divorced his wife after learning she had been cheating on him for several years. Sadly been dead for some time, happening the same day Harvey made senior partner. |
| 594 | ---- |
| 595 | * {{Cuckold}}: His wife cheated on him for years becoming the source of Harvey's BerserkButton as well [[FreudianExcuse his commitment issues.]] |
| 596 | * DeceasedParentsAreTheBest: {{Deconstructed}} When Harvey speaks about his father in the beginning, he seems like a perfect dad who had the misfortune of being cheated on. Subsequent flashbacks show that while Gordon was a good man, he was also a neglectful husband and father due to his traveling for his music career. |
| 597 | * IWarnedYou: His father warned Gordon about his future wife Lily cheating on him. It wasn't unfounded either, since Gordon was the man she had cheated on her first husband with. |
| 598 | * WrongGenreSavvy: He thought that his wife would be loyal to him despite the fact that they met via an affair behind the back of her previous husband. |
| 599 | [[/folder]] |
| 600 | |
| 601 | [[folder:Lily Specter]] |
| 602 | ->'''Portrayed by''': Creator/LauraAllen, Creator/BrynnThayer |
| 603 | Harvey Specter's mother, an Art professor at a university who has been estranged from her son for years following her affair and forcing to keep it a secret as a teenager. |
| 604 | ---- |
| 605 | * BedroomAdulteryScene: Happened off-screen but this was the straw that broke the camel's back for Harvey keeping her infidelity a secret. The reason this happened was because she broke the one rule Harvey had which was to never bring their affair home. |
| 606 | * BothSidesHaveAPoint: The first step towards proper reconciliation between her and Harvey is admitting this. Harvey blaming her for everything for his entire life is not fair, especially when her other son and late husband had forgiven her. Lily in turn admits that having her teenage son keep her ongoing infidelity from his father was an obviously horrible decision. |
| 607 | * KilledOffscreen: [[spoiler: Lily dies of a heart attack, ironically like her ex-husband Gordon, late in Season 9 only a couple years after finally reconciling with Harvey that her death hits him hard.]] |
| 608 | * ParentsAsPeople: She obviously wasn't the best parent or wife, but it's also acknowledged that Harvey blaming her for the rest of their lives isn't fair either. Gordon wasn't exactly a great husband either, and while her cheating is never treated as justified, it is portrayed as an understandable mistake. |
| 609 | [[/folder]] |
| 610 | |
| 611 | [[folder:Marcus Specter]] |
| 612 | ->'''Portrayed by''': Creator/BillyMiller |
| 613 | Harvey's younger brother, the son of Gordon and Lily Specter, who owns and runs a restaurant and a recovering gambling addict. |
| 614 | ---- |
| 615 | * TheGamblingAddict |
| 616 | * WhatTheHellHero: Gives this to Harvey for the way he continues to treat his mother to the point that the elder Specter has missed out on a chunk of time with his family in general. |
| 617 | -->'''Gordon''': Do you have any idea what it's like to explain to a five-year-old why Grandma and Uncle Harvey can't be in the same room? |
| 618 | ** He gets it right back when he falls off the wagon with his gambling addiction which causes his wife to leave him. Then an even worse one comes when it turns out he got caught by his daughter and asked her to keep it a secret. |
| 619 | [[/folder]] |
| 620 | |
| 621 | [[folder:Laura Zane]] |
| 622 | ->'''Portrayed by''': Creator/MeganGallagher |
| 623 | Rachel's mother and the wife of Robert Zane. |
| 624 | ---- |
| 625 | * BrokenPedestal: After he's arrested for fraud, Laura's understandably angry with both Mike and Jessica that they have been lying to them for years and worse, endangered their daughter's future. [[spoiler: What's more it can inferred that they would have been still angry but would have agreed to be fellow {{Secret Keeper}}s.]] |
| 626 | -->'''Jessica''': How was I supposed to know you'd protect [Mike]?\ |
| 627 | '''[[TranquilFury Laura]]''': [[MamaBear Look at that picture on his desk]] and [[PapaBear ask that again Jessica]]. ''[Camera pans down to show a picture of Rachel]'' |
| 628 | * FlatCharacter: You don't hear much about her other than her disapproval of Mike's lies and Rachel constantly hawing and hemming over marriage dates. |
| 629 | * OutOfFocus: Given that she's not a lawyer, she only shows up occasionally and is never really key to the plot. Even as her husband becomes a more significant character she doesn't show up often. |
| 630 | [[/folder]] |
| 631 | |
| 632 | [[folder: Esther Litt]] |
| 633 | ->'''Portrayed by''': [[spoiler:Creator/AmyAcker]] |
| 634 | The sister of Louis Litt whom he has a relationship typical of teenagers despite both being adults, Esther makes her first onscreen appearance in season 5 looking to Pearson Specter Litt for legal help. |
| 635 | ---- |
| 636 | * HonestCorporateExecutive: Her company makes and sells baked goods, specifically muffins, and Esther takes care to protect her company and her consumers by checking the inventory and suppliers to ensure that her products use safe ingredients. |
| 637 | %%* MadScientistsBeautifulDaughter |
| 638 | * MaidenNameDebate: When his parents pull the IWantGrandkids card on Louis after making senior partner, he points out Esther has children to which his father responds that her children aren't "Litts" and carry on the family name. |
| 639 | * OnTheRebound: She shows an attraction to Harvey and the two spend the night together; however, Harvey believes that she's simply still hurting from the divorce and turns down pursuing anything further. |
| 640 | * StrongFamilyResemblance: {{Averted}} ''hard'' as people are dumbfounded to find out that a woman who looks like Esther could come from the same gene pool as Louis Litt both in terms of looks and personality. |
| 641 | [[/folder]] |
| 642 | |
| 643 | !!Other Attorneys |
| 644 | [[folder: Travis Tanner]] |
| 645 | !!Travis Tannner |
| 646 | ->'''Portrayed by:''' Creator/EricClose |
| 647 | ---- |
| 648 | * AmoralAttorney: While many of the lawyers in the show work in grey areas, Tanner is probably the most obvious example of one. In his first appearance, he commits multiple outright crimes, albeit in ways that can't be traced back to him. He tends to assume that other lawyers will operate this way as well, which Harvey uses to his advantage. |
| 649 | * EvilCounterpart: To Harvey, given that he's actually willing to cross the line into illegal territory to win cases. He's also from a rival city (Boston to Harvey's New York) and went to a rival law school (Yale to Harvey's Harvard). |
| 650 | * HeelFaceTurn: He claims to have made this when he resurfaces in "Toe to Toe". Harvey doesn't believe it for a second, but he does in fact behave in a completely reputable manner, even offering to recuse himself from the case because he knows Harvey doesn't trust or believe him. |
| 651 | [[/folder]] |
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