Suits: Samantha Wheeler Still Has Nothing On Mike Ross
When the news broke that Patrick J. Adams and Meghan Markle were leaving Suits, fans wondered how they will be replaced? Rachel was replaced with her father Robert Zane and Mike Ross was replaced with Samantha Wheeler. While we’re just two episodes into Season 8, it’s clear that there will only be one Mike Ross.
It’s not so much as a knock on the acting ability of Katherine Heigl but so much so that the chemistry is not what it once was. As a Suits fan, I’m on the fence in terms of the cast and the new direction Suits is heading in. For years, there has never been a real power struggle within the firm. Yes, Jessica, Harvey, and Louis have had their fair share of fights, but the pecking order was also in play. With Zane coming in and taking over a managing partner, it took away some of what makes Harvey Spector so dominating.
While I can get adjusted to Zane, it’s Samantha Wheeler that I have the real issue with.
Suits was built not only on the merits of the Law Firm but also the relationship between Harvey and Mike. With Mike gone, Suits has tried to replace him with moxy and brains but no compassion. This is what gave Mike and Harvey possibly the best bromance on TV. There is no way they can duplicate that.
While the writers are still trying to help Wheeler and Spector find some common ground, we can expect more of what we’ve seen the first two episodes. There will be lots of fighting but times when they will come together but still– she can never replace Mike Ross.
My biggest fear here is that Suits will try to turn this Samantha Wheeler and Harvey Spector rivalry into a relationship and that will not work. While some of the friction this season is good as each member is trying to gain some solid footing, adding another dimension like that to the storyline is not a good idea. Harvey, despite his brashness, has softened his approach thanks to Mike. Now he seems to be the same guy he was in the first season and it’s not working.
Instead of being the caregiver, he now seems to always be on the defensive with Zane and Wheeler around. I guess the real issue here is that we know nothing about Samantha Wheeler. We know of Zane but Wheeler is a mystery to us. It didn’t take long for fans to get attached to Mike Ross but are we asking too much too soon when it comes to Wheeler?
[BXReporter]
Mark has been covering Sports and Entertainment for the past six years. His work has been featured on Bleacher Report, ESPN, Fox Sports, Teen Vogue, and many other websites.
