Pilot Pt. 1

Summary

Sidebar: A Suits Watch Podcast - Episode Summary: Pilot Pt. 1

Hosts: Patrick J. Adams & Sarah Rafferty Played Mike Ross and Donna Paulsen on Suits*

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1. Introduction to the Podcast

Patrick J. Adams [02:02]:
“Hi, I'm Patrick J. Adams. I played Mike Ross on the show Suits.”

Sarah Rafferty [02:07]:
“And I'm Sarah Rafferty. I play Donna Paulsen.”

The hosts warmly introduce themselves, establishing their firsthand connection to the beloved TV series Suits. They explain the podcast's name, "Sidebar," drawing a parallel to the confidential discussions that occur away from the jury's ear in a courtroom—a nod to their intent to share insider perspectives with their audience.

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2. Purpose and Motivation Behind the Podcast

Patrick J. Adams [04:09]:
“This show was something I avoided for so long... It’s changed the direction of my life and career in every way.”

Patrick shares his initial apprehension about revisiting Suits, highlighting the personal significance the show holds for him. The resurgence of interest in the series, particularly through platforms like TikTok, inspired him to confront his long-avoided work and embrace the opportunity to explore its impact alongside Sarah.

Sarah Rafferty [05:38]:
“This was also just like a wild privilege, just an amazing thing that happened to all of us... connecting with fans and castmates.”

Sarah emphasizes the privilege of having been part of something monumental and expresses her desire to connect more deeply with fans and fellow cast members, fostering a sense of gratitude and community through the podcast.

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3. Exploring the Pilot Episode

Brief Overview [14:23]:
Patrick introduces the pilot episode, detailing its creation by Aaron Korsh and direction by Kevin Bray. He mentions the extended shoot duration from September 29 to October 23, 2010, emphasizing the pilot's comprehensive storytelling approach.

Sarah Rafferty [15:06]:
“Brilliant young college dropout Mike Ross slips into a job interview with one of New York City's best legal closers, Harvey Specter...”

The hosts delve into the pilot's narrative, outlining Mike Ross's unconventional entry into the legal world through his interaction with Harvey Specter. They discuss the show's ability to blend character development with engaging plotlines.

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4. Behind-the-Scenes Insights

Shooting the Pilot [24:15]:
Patrick recounts the spontaneous moments during filming, such as shooting the opening sequence in real-time without a strict script, showcasing the organic collaboration between the director and cast. This flexibility contributed to the show's authentic feel.

First Day Jitters [49:07]:
Sarah and Patrick reflect on their nervousness during the initial scenes, revealing the genuine emotions they experienced while filming. This vulnerability adds depth to their discussions, highlighting the challenges faced during production.

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5. Character Impressions and Dynamics

First Impressions [08:38]:
Sarah shares her initial awe of Rick Hoffman (Louis Litt), describing him as intimidating yet incredibly friendly upon meeting. Patrick echoes this sentiment, portraying the main cast as seasoned professionals compared to his fresh perspective.

Donna and Harvey’s Relationship [27:22]:
They analyze the nuanced interactions between Donna Paulsen and Harvey Specter, particularly during social scenes that reveal their deep-seated camaraderie and professional bond.

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6. Notable Scenes Breakdown

Harvey's Poker Game [25:59]:
Patrick critiques the scene's portrayal of toxic masculinity, noting Harvey's refusal to engage in sexist behavior. Sarah praises the subtle character strengths demonstrated, emphasizing the show's commitment to nuanced character development.

Iconic Hiring Scene [58:38]:
The hosts highlight the pivotal moment where Harvey recognizes Mike's potential despite his lack of formal education. Patrick shares how this scene was transformative for him personally, marking a significant turning point in his career and the show's trajectory.

Donna’s Introduction [41:55]:
Sarah discusses Donna Paul's first appearance, focusing on her fashionable fishnet stockings—a bold costume choice symbolizing her multifaceted character. They explore how Donna's style evolves alongside her character's growth throughout the series.

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7. Audience Interaction and Q&A

Listener Questions [08:23]:
Patrick reads questions from listeners about first impressions of each other, revealing personal anecdotes and fostering a relatable connection with the audience.

Quote with Timestamp [08:38]:
Sarah Rafferty: “I think my most vivid memory in New York... I was so intimidated because I was like, oh, him.”

These interactions underscore the podcast's commitment to engaging with its listeners, providing a platform for fans to delve deeper into the show's nuances through the hosts' experiences.

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8. Technical Aspects and Production Quality

Direction and Editing [66:26]:
Patrick praises director Kevin Bray for establishing the show's vibe through effective directing and editing. Sarah complements the technical execution, noting the seamless pacing and integration of music that enhances storytelling.

Scene Crafting [62:52]:
They discuss the intricate blocking and technical choices in key scenes, such as the briefcase moment, highlighting how these elements contribute to the show's enduring appeal and cinematic quality.

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9. Reflections and Future Episodes

Personal Impact [60:19]:
Patrick reflects on how the pilot episode and specific scenes, particularly the hiring moment, have profoundly influenced his personal and professional life, illustrating the show's lasting impact.

Looking Forward [66:35]:
The hosts express excitement for future episodes, anticipating deeper dives into subsequent parts of the pilot and continued exploration of Suits' enduring legacy.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Patrick J. Adams [02:20]:
  “We are having a sidebar with the world.”

• Sarah Rafferty [05:38]:
  “Now if I want to feel the depth of gratitude, the place to do it is in connection with you and, you know, hopefully with Aaron and the directors...”

• Patrick J. Adams [58:38]:
  “...this show changed my whole life. It’s changed my career. It’s changed the way that I work. It’s changed the people in my life.”

• Sarah Rafferty [62:25]:
  “It’s about getting in the door.”

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Conclusion

Patrick and Sarah wrap up Part 1 of the pilot episode discussion by emphasizing the show's intricate storytelling, strong character dynamics, and the seamless blend of personal anecdotes with professional insights. They invite listeners to join them in unraveling the complexities of Suits, promising engaging conversations and deeper explorations in upcoming episodes.

Patrick J. Adams [65:57]:
“I think just an incredible amount of story told in 25 minutes. It’s hard to do. It’s hard to, like, get to know people this well, to feel this close to them. It was just done masterfully because of everybody, the writing, first and foremost.”

Sarah Rafferty [66:26]:
“Yes, yes, yes. Because we’re in the discovery of who these characters are.”

The podcast sets the stage for an enlightening and heartfelt journey through the iconic series, inviting both longtime fans and newcomers to gain unique perspectives from its original cast members.

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Stay Tuned:
Join Patrick and Sarah in the next episode as they continue dissecting Suits' pilot, delve into character arcs, and share more behind-the-scenes anecdotes. Engage with them by sending questions and thoughts to sidebarpodcasteriousxm.com.

Notable Quote Summary:
The hosts frequently reference the interconnectedness of their experiences on Suits and its profound influence on their lives, encapsulating the essence of their podcast's mission to explore and celebrate the series' legacy.

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Note: This summary excludes advertisements, non-content sections, and maintains the integrity of the hosts' discussions to provide a comprehensive overview for those unfamiliar with the podcast.

Transcript

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[Patrick J. Adams]

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[Sarah Rafferty]

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[Patrick J. Adams]

Me an S. I'm doing a TA DA. Give me an I T S. Ow.

[Sarah Rafferty]

I pulled a muscle. I pulled a muscle giving you the tea. Hi.

[Patrick J. Adams]

Hi.

[Sarah Rafferty]

Hi, friend.

[Patrick J. Adams]

How are you? Do you want to introduce yourself?

[Sarah Rafferty]

No, I'm. I'm too excited. I'm having like, my tail is wagging so much I can't even speak, which doesn't really work in this medium.

[Patrick J. Adams]

First of all, let's actually introduce ourselves. Hi, I'm Patrick J. Adams. I played Mike Ross on the show Suits.

[Sarah Rafferty]

And I'm Sarah Rafferty. I play Donna Paulson.

[Patrick J. Adams]

Sarah, can you tell us what the name of this podcast is that we're doing?

[Sarah Rafferty]

The name of this podcast is Sidebar.

[Patrick J. Adams]

What a great name.

[Sarah Rafferty]

Love it.

[Patrick J. Adams]

Why are we calling it Sidebar?

[Sarah Rafferty]

We are doing Sidebar specifically inviting our listeners into Sidebar with us. But in the courtroom, it's something that's like, out of earshot. We're like in earshot.

[Patrick J. Adams]

That's what it means in a courtroom is I want to do this not.

[Sarah Rafferty]

For other people to hear where the jury can't hear you.

[Patrick J. Adams]

And yet we're doing it for the entire world.

[Sarah Rafferty]

Well, we would like everybody to join us. Like, we're like, hey, let's tuck over here all together.

[Patrick J. Adams]

We're having a sidebar with the world.

[Sarah Rafferty]

Yeah, let's. Let's. Like, it's like a group hug. It's like a huddle.

[Patrick J. Adams]

I mean, that's what a podcast is, isn't it? To be more quiet, like, away from the maddening crowd. So welcome to sidebar. This is our Suits Watch podcast. A watch podcast. Because we've never watched this show and we want to. I'm scared to, but I'm also excited to with you.

[Sarah Rafferty]

Yes. I think since we're doing it together and since we're doing it with our listeners, we're safe. It's a safe space.

[Patrick J. Adams]

This is a safe space.

[Sarah Rafferty]

Do we need a safety wash until.

[Patrick J. Adams]

We read any Internet comments whatsoever? And then it becomes not a safe space. Keep it to yourself. Internet.

[Sarah Rafferty]

You know what? That's what we have our friends for. We have Kimmy, Cassie, and Kristen who.

[Patrick J. Adams]

Will read those things and then tell.

[Sarah Rafferty]

Us only the good ones and gently.

[Patrick J. Adams]

Steer us actors protected from the world's opinion. I love it.

[Sarah Rafferty]

Anyway. I'm so excited to be here with you, Patrick.

[Patrick J. Adams]

Me too.

[Sarah Rafferty]

To sidebar our way through 134 episodes.

[Patrick J. Adams]

It's daunting of Suits looking up that mountain right now. Yeah, right.

[Sarah Rafferty]

Well, it forces us to be present to each one. It's a good exercise.

[Patrick J. Adams]

Yeah. Take our time. One step at a time. One day at a time, one episode at a time.

[Sarah Rafferty]

Why did you decide to do a podcast? What made you come up with this idea?

[Patrick J. Adams]

If you wanna know the truth? Well, this was a thing. This is a thing. These rewatch podcasts.

[Sarah Rafferty]

This isn't the first one.

[Patrick J. Adams]

We're not breaking new ground.

[Sarah Rafferty]

I thought you made it turns out.

[Patrick J. Adams]

We are not pioneers. Because I have avoided for so long watching Suits, I'm one of those actors. I think we share this, which is as if I've just directly worked on something or shot it. I can't watch it right away. I just couldn't do it. It puts me in a spiral. And so I've avoided this thing. That was ultimately the largest job I've ever had in my entire life. And it's changed the direction of my life and my career in every way, and I've just avoided it. And I did notice I had caught clips of it online. That was a big thing that was starting to happen on the old TikTok, which was, I think, responsible for this renaissance that we'll talk about in a second. But I noticed that when it came on, I was suddenly able to watch it and be like, oh, my God. That was a really remarkable thing that happened.

[Sarah Rafferty]

So you could look at the younger you with kinder eyes. Yeah.

[Patrick J. Adams]

You know that thing, like when someone takes a picture of you and you look at it right away and you're just like, I can never. I can't believe that's what I look like. And then you could look at that same photo in, like, two or three weeks even, maybe longer, maybe for three years. But you can look at it and go, why am I being so unkind to myself? I look great. I think that's the same thing that started happening with suits. And so I got excited about the idea. I'm still nervous to do this, but ultimately it felt like an amazing opportunity to kind of get to the bottom of what this whole experience was for me and what's clearly captured the attention of the entire planet. What about you?

[Sarah Rafferty]

I think one of the reasons why I'm excited to do this is that this was also just like a wild privilege, just an amazing thing that happened to all of us. And I didn't have time, while we were doing it to be present. I didn't have the skills. I'm not saying I have the skills now, but I didn't have time to be really present due to kind of the madness of it all. I feel like, well, now if I want to feel the depth of gratitude, the place to do it is in connection with you and, you know, hopefully with Aaron and the directors that come on and our castmates and the fans and the people who watched it and made it so that we could do what we love.

[Patrick J. Adams]

Right.

[Sarah Rafferty]

And to be able to actually connect with them in a real meaningful way. I feel like this might be a great route.

[Patrick J. Adams]

I think that's a great way to put it. The gratitude. I love that. And I'm so happy to be here with you.

[Sarah Rafferty]

And I'm so happy to be here with you.

[Patrick J. Adams]

So are you ready? Should we do this? You want to talk about suits?

[Sarah Rafferty]

Should we do this?

[Patrick J. Adams]

Let's talk suits.

[Sarah Rafferty]

Okay, Tell me stuff.

[Patrick J. Adams]

Can I tell you things?

[Sarah Rafferty]

Yes.

[Patrick J. Adams]

The suits aired on the pilot aired on June 23, 2011 that was my wedding anniversary.

[Sarah Rafferty]

Thank you so much.

[Patrick J. Adams]

Is it really?

[Sarah Rafferty]

Yes.

[Patrick J. Adams]

Wow, look at this. Fun facts already right from the beginning. Aired on USA Network. Let's see who are some of the heavy hitters of the cast. We've got Gabriel Mox as Harvey Spector.

[Sarah Rafferty]

We have you.

[Patrick J. Adams]

We have Patrick J Adams as Mike Ross. We have Rick Hoffman as Louis Litt. We have Sara Rafferty as Donna Paulson. We have Gina Torres as Jessica Pearson, and of course, Meghan Markle as Rachel Zane. Among many other cast members, we have.

[Sarah Rafferty]

The best guest cast and recurring cast in the world.

[Patrick J. Adams]

We can't wait to bring them onto this show and talk to all of them. Let's talk about what we're actually going to be doing week to week here.

[Sarah Rafferty]

Well, we're going to watch the episode every week, right?

[Patrick J. Adams]

Wait, what? Hard.

[Sarah Rafferty]

No.

[Patrick J. Adams]

Yes. We are going to watch the episode every single week, and we are going to come in here ready to talk about it, armed to the teeth with not only our opinions and our ideas and our questions and our memories, but also our friend Kristen here. And our amazing producers here at Sirius are going to help us with facts from the week. We're going to have guests.

[Sarah Rafferty]

We're going to talk to all of our collaborators.

[Patrick J. Adams]

We are going to have as many.

[Sarah Rafferty]

Collaborators from the front of the camera and from behind.

[Patrick J. Adams]

Yeah, we're going to have everybody on the show as much as possible.

[Sarah Rafferty]

And we really can't wait to speak.

[Patrick J. Adams]

To our viewers and maybe answer some of their questions.

[Sarah Rafferty]

Yes.

[Patrick J. Adams]

We really hope you come with us on this journey and we're excited to see where it takes us. Let's get a fan question. I know it's so early, but we've, you know, we're organized here.

[Sarah Rafferty]

Well, that's what we're here to do. We really want to engage with our listeners.

[Patrick J. Adams]

So I have a question from Kiana. What was your first impression of each other? I love you guys so much. And Sarah is a literal goddess. Taylor, Anissa, Jamie and Agatha also asked about first impressions of each other. So we've got a lot of questions about first impressions. What do you got for me?

[Sarah Rafferty]

Hi, ladies. Thank you for sending us your question. I think my most vivid memory in New York, outside of the trailers, I remember Rick was there and I remember going, oh, my God, that guy. Oh, I know that guy. What do I know that guy.

[Patrick J. Adams]

Oh, did you know his work?

[Sarah Rafferty]

I was like, that guy. He's so good. And then I was like, like a little intimidating. Wait, you were intimidating? I'm so intimidating. No, I laid eyes on Rick and I was so intimidated because I was like, oh, him. Oh, my God, I'm going to be in a thing with that guy.

[Patrick J. Adams]

Interesting. I had a. I didn't know Rick Hoffman, and then I got intimidated. When you saw we started working together, and I was like, oh, this guy's. On a whole different wavelength.

[Sarah Rafferty]

Yeah. He was so friendly because he had. I think I had seen him on that Wall street show or this. The street.

[Patrick J. Adams]

He used to remember. He used to talk about all the. When I was on the street, and.

[Sarah Rafferty]

I think he was a jerk on that show. I think he was like. I think he was playing a jerk. And I think when I met him, I was like, oh, my God, he's so nice. He has such a warm smile. He's so funny. Gina was there. I was, like, crossing the street with her, and I was just like, she is a goddess.

[Patrick J. Adams]

You all felt like that to me. I mean, every. Because I was the young one. I was the kid. And so that sort of goddess vibe you just described, which is very much a Gina Torres, good Gina description, but it truly was all of you. You were all kind of titans. You were like the older people I was. You know, you were the seniors, and I was the freshman. That's what it felt like.

[Sarah Rafferty]

I would like you to always refer to me as a senior.

[Patrick J. Adams]

Yeah, you're just a different kind of senior now. And we're going to help you to your car, so don't worry about it. Okay? So those were your impressions. That's your impression of Gina and everybody else. What was. What was your first impression of me? I mean, not that, like, I want to talk about myself or anything, but.

[Sarah Rafferty]

I don't remember you.

[Patrick J. Adams]

Standard.

[Sarah Rafferty]

I don't remember you.

[Patrick J. Adams]

You know who I am now, right?

[Sarah Rafferty]

I don't.

[Patrick J. Adams]

Can we get her some water?

[Sarah Rafferty]

My first impression of you was how hard you were working. Not efforting was your focus, your presence, your joy, and your gameness. There were just some blips because basically, I did the whole scene at the Waldorf in the hotel room. You just came in for a second before Donna winks and unkeeps the gate.

[Patrick J. Adams]

You had a bunch of other moments.

[Sarah Rafferty]

So I had other things to do. So I had that quick bit with you there. And then there's the very quick moment when Harvey tells you to go get some suits, and I'm there, and it's kind of late. We're gonna get to it pretty soon, but it's later in the season where we have our first scene together. And I remember it really well, and I remember being really excited, and I'm excited to get there. So, listener, I hope you'll hang with us till we get to the first real Donna Mike scene.

[Patrick J. Adams]

Here we are.

[Sarah Rafferty]

Wait, your impressions. Did we do that?

[Patrick J. Adams]

I told you, my. I get. That was, like, hot, stunning. I was like, oh my God, how am I going to work under these conditions?

[Sarah Rafferty]

Yeah. Yeah. Okay, well, enough of that silliness. We are going to take a quick break and when we get back, we're going to talk about the pilot episode.

[Patrick J. Adams]

This show is sponsored by BetterHelp. Sarah, you know we're going into the holidays and there's no more important time to talk about gratitude.

[Sarah Rafferty]

Look, I was so grateful last week when I was struggling with being away. We were both away on set and we had a nice phone call and you helped me get reconnected with my gratitude.

[Patrick J. Adams]

Yeah, I think it's so important in my life to practice gratitude as much as possible because sometimes life can get pretty heavy and it's the quickest way out of that slump. That's why we're so happy that the show is sponsored by BetterHelp. You know, this month is all about gratitude. And you know what I want to say to you, Sarah, is thank you. It's been such a pleasure getting to do this with you. And I know we've talked a lot about mental health, but it's really helpful with us both away shooting away from our families to have someone to talk to through it. So I want to say thank you.

[Sarah Rafferty]

Oh, thank you, Patrick. I'm so grateful for you too, as you know.

[Patrick J. Adams]

But there is one other person that we don't thank enough, and that is ourselves. Sometimes it's hard to remind ourselves that we're trying our best to make sense out of everything. And in this crazy world, well, that's just not that easy. Easy. So here's a reminder to all of you to send some thanks to the people in your life, including yourself. And if you're thinking of starting therapy, please give better help a try. It's entirely online, designed to be convenient, flexible, and suited to your schedule. Just fill out a brief questionnaire to get matched with a licensed therapist and switch therapists anytime for no additional charge.

[Sarah Rafferty]

Let the gratitude flow with BetterHelp. Visit betterhelp.comsidebarshow today to get 10% off your first month. That's BetterHelp H E L P.com Sidebarshow.

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[Patrick J. Adams]

Okay, we're hydrated, we're medicated, we're educated. Let's get into it. Our first segment to describe the episode I think we're calling the Brief because we're clever and we're using legal words on our podcasts. So this is the Brief. Today we're going to break down part one of the very first episode of Suits, titled Pilot. Imagine that. Great title. This episode was written by Aaron Korsh and directed by Kevin Bray. And it Originally aired on June 23, 2011.

[Sarah Rafferty]

In this episode, brilliant young college dropout Mike Ross slips into a job interview with one of New York City's best legal closers, Harvey Spector. Tired of cookie cutter law school grads, Harvey hires Mike on the spot after recognizing his raw talent and his photographic memory.

[Patrick J. Adams]

It is pretty raw talent, I gotta admit. This Pilot was shot September 29 to October 23, 2010, which is interesting to see. That was a long shoot for a pilot. We've been remembering it, but that's almost a month. By my math, I'm an actor, but when I'm looking at those dates, I'm seeing almost a month. Which listener is rare for a pilot. You usually get what, 10 days, 14 days top?

[Sarah Rafferty]

Well, yes, but that's because our pilot was especially long.

[Patrick J. Adams]

Yeah. Any sort of 50,000 foot view impressions of this episode, what it was like, what it was like to watch it.

[Sarah Rafferty]

Yes, I want to hear what it was like for you. I know. For me, Patrick, like I thought that I was going to sit down with this kind of time lapse, you know, with this many years going by that I was going to sit down and be able to just watch the episode all the way through. But immediately within the first few frames, I had to pause and I was going. And I was looking at it because I was so excited to see my friends I was so distracted by how good everybody was and how. What it meant in everybody's life. It was like I was this proud mom of the baby versions of ourselves. And I realized. I mean, even before there were actors in the frames, I realized that every frame is populated with somebody who's dear to us. So it's like, oh, my gosh, Kevin Bray shot that moment and that's so cool. And Aaron wrote that. And I just. I was really kind of moved by the whole thing because this strange time warp of watching it is really doing a number on me. And there's nothing that makes me more emotional than the passage of time. And watching this is like a fold in time. It's like both going into the past, but also being in the present. And in a strange way, I almost feel like I have my future self there. I kind of feel like. I don't know. If you feel this way. Do you feel like we're all kind of Russian dolls? Like all the versions of ourselves are packed away inside us? Maybe even some. This is gonna sound really.

[Patrick J. Adams]

Woo.

[Sarah Rafferty]

But, like. Yeah, okay.

[Patrick J. Adams]

Oh, no, it's good.

[Sarah Rafferty]

Sorry.

[Patrick J. Adams]

No, it's good.

[Sarah Rafferty]

Maybe we're not ready to go yet.

[Patrick J. Adams]

Did you. Did you smoke pot before you came in here? You got. You're a little. You took a gummy before you start doing that. Anyway, I hear. Actually, no, no, no, I don't want to. I hear exactly what you're talking about. I had the same exact experience, and I think you described it really well, which is time folding in on itself. Like, I thought that when I started watching this that I would not remember things. I was worried. It's like, oh, my God, I've agreed to do this podcast, but as soon as I started watching it, I was there. I am there. And I don't remember all of it. I mean, obviously years have gone by and it was a long time ago, but something about watching it actually did feel very like it is happening to me now. I can put myself in these rooms. I can put myself back into the feelings of shooting some of these scenes and being with these people. And so I feel exactly the same way. It's the past, present. I don't know if my future self's in there yet, but maybe I'm just not stoned enough. I don't know.

[Sarah Rafferty]

We'll find out.

[Patrick J. Adams]

So for me, you know, while we have not. I have not watched most of this show. This episode I have watched. And so for me, this is the one episode I have seen multiple times. I'm super proud of this pilot. I think this was a great pilot, and I think that's why I think it is a great episode of television. And watching it now, all these years later, I think it's still great. I think it holds up. And it's not a surprise to me that Suits is enjoying this sort of second life and hopefully third and fourth and fifth life and will continue to be a show that people come back to because there is a timeless quality and excellence to this pilot. I think it's just done so well. I think I can see everybody working so hard. I can see everybody bringing their A game in front of behind the camera. I just see a lot of love and passion, and that is really hard to do. I mean, we've both done a lot of pilots and it's so easy for them to go wrong, as they often do. And I. And I think the fact that this is as good as it is and I still enjoy it is such a great representation of so many people working so hard and caring about it.

[Sarah Rafferty]

Yeah. We were also not tired. We looked so not tired.

[Patrick J. Adams]

What was that like? I had Kiki, the firm's best researcher, pull up a couple of reviews.

[Sarah Rafferty]

Oh, dear. We're not supposed to look at reviews.

[Patrick J. Adams]

I think it's fun, given that here we are at the end. Not at the end, but 15 years later in Suits has been what it is and continues to be what it is. I think it's fun to go back to the reviews of the pilot. Louisiana Times critic Robert Lloyd called Suits impressive out of the gate. Kelly west of Cinema Blend says, Suits fits USA like a glove. The characters are fun, surprising and intriguing, and the writing is smart and consistent. The New York Times, Gina Belafonte says, Suits carries the banner of populism and wears the wardrobe of the elites. Ooh, the New York Times. They brought it. This is the one I wanted to read. This one's good. Robert Bianco at USA Today wrote, it's not dark, mind you. That's something the Blue Sky Network is yet ready to embrace. But it does count as Partly Cloudy. Unfortunately, it also counts as ludicrous, ill cast and ill conceived with a premise that's idiotic, even in a medium used to skimming past idiotic premises. Robert, we're going to send you some flowers.

[Sarah Rafferty]

Yeah.

[Patrick J. Adams]

Anyway, I thought that was fun.

[Sarah Rafferty]

I think it's really interesting to me when the issue that's taken is with the premise, because why are we saying that series television or cable television from the early 2010s is trying to be Realistic?

[Patrick J. Adams]

I mean, I guess. What does he mean by ludicrous? I think people would find the concept of anyone being able to fake out such a major thing, right?

[Sarah Rafferty]

Yeah, but Marvel movies are a ludicrous.

[Patrick J. Adams]

Oh yeah. We ask people to suspend disbelief all the time. I think it's just an easy way to say I don't like something. You don't like something, then you're just going to say, well, the premise is bad. That's why I don't like it. But it's like you just don't like it. That's okay. Anyway, let's dive into this episode, act one. In the first act, we meet Harvey Spector, star lawyer at Pearson Hardman, and we see him get a promotion. We also meet Mike Ross, who agrees to deliver drugs in exchange for the cash to pay for his Grammy's care.

[Sarah Rafferty]

Okay, can we talk about this? Patrick and I know we're gonna talk about this opening sequence more extensively with Aaron, but first of all, I was really surprised to learn that these particular images are not exactly on the first pages of the script.

[Patrick J. Adams]

No, I think the first scene of the script is actually Mike in the lsat.

[Sarah Rafferty]

So it's kind of this. This first intro is flip flopped. And what was really interesting for me to find out is that in our case, these first images of a TV series haven't necessarily been agonized over and written and rewritten and white knuckled, but rather they're emerging while we were shooting it. And they were discovered in collaboration because, like that idea to switch something that came later to the beginning so that Kevin, the way he pans down the building, then he zooms in, we discover Lewis. Lewis goes slow motion from the conference room down the hall to Jessica. Then we rise up from behind Jessica, we see Lewis come in. They have a almost wordless scene and we're off. And I just thought that that whole thing was so incredible. And now that I look back on it, knowing Kevin the way I know him, he does work so organically. He finds something, it's like a dance.

[Patrick J. Adams]

I remember that I'm not obviously in this whole sequence, but we were shooting that night some other scene that shot across to the building was figured out in real time that wasn't planned. He was I standing in that conference room at night shooting the scene. And he went, someone go to that building over there and shoot this.

[Sarah Rafferty]

How did they get up into the building?

[Patrick J. Adams]

I think they literally sent a camera crew over. I don't even think it was with the real camera because I don't think we had more than one. Again, we'll have to ask Kevin this. I might be making it up, but I seem to remember it was like, go take a Canon 5D.

[Sarah Rafferty]

Oh, wow.

[Patrick J. Adams]

And go over to that building and go talk to someone and get up and find out if you can get into a window shooting this way. It was that.

[Sarah Rafferty]

That's so random.

[Patrick J. Adams]

It was that gorilla a moment, which I remember kind of watching it happen and thinking, that's cool. Like, we've got the right team of people here. And to see it as the first shot is sort of great for me, just knowing. Knowing that because I'm like. It establishes, like, oh, this was a show where we were, right from the beginning, running and gunning, and we were making things up as we went along. And it's the sort of thing we never got to do with the rest of the show because it's a practical set. We are actually in a conference room dozens of stories up in the air in Manhattan. For the rest of the show, we're on a set. We are never actually shooting in a real conference room. You know, it's Pearson Hardman. And so that's Kevin being brilliant, going, all right, well, we're in New York. We probably won't be here again. Let's shoot this. We're in this room. Somebody go shoot it from a distance. So we get all that production value of, like, here we are. It's like, we own this building.

[Sarah Rafferty]

So incredible.

[Patrick J. Adams]

We had a great fan question from Christine. The episode opens with Lewis Litt. My question is, why do you think Lewis was the first character that we get to meet? Which is a great question. Again, in the script, I think Mike was the first character that we met at the lsat. But, you know, and I can't speak for Aaron. I think it's something that was probably just discovered in the edit, though I think it works really nicely. As you just pointed out, is you meet Lewis, he introduces you to Jessica. So now we've got a power dynamic. And then Harvey's the third. And even though Jessica is in charge, Harvey sort of is inherently our hero because he's the third to be introduced. It's a perfect setup to him.

[Sarah Rafferty]

Oh, I love that.

[Patrick J. Adams]

And while everyone's at the office dealing with the problem, this guy's so cool that he could be at a poker game and being the one to get the call, I thought that was a good introduction to him. So we're in the poker game. Harvey Specter's winning the poker game, obviously, and he leaves after receiving a text summoning him to the office. I have some nits to pick in this scene. Look, and here's the deal. I'm gonna do this sometimes, and it's obnoxious, and you're just gonna stare at me. This is not me saying there's anything wrong. I'm just this kind of television viewer. And for me to not bring that version of myself to this process would be dish.

[Sarah Rafferty]

So are you telling me that you and Robert Bianco are going to be friends?

[Patrick J. Adams]

Look, there's some things that I might see eye to eye with Robert about. In this case, Aaron, don't be mad at me. But in this scene, this guy who's asking Harvey when he's going to come work for a man. Time's up on that guy. He says he raises $5,000, but he only pushes 20 chips into the pot. You do the math. That's a $250 chip. That's not a thing in poker. So, you know, I don't know if I can do this whole watch suits thing.

[Sarah Rafferty]

Actually, I think the shot looked pretty, though.

[Patrick J. Adams]

It looked great. That's the sort of thing. This is just so you have a. You're gonna have to bear with me. Cause when I watch tv, that's the sort of thing I go, what? It's so dumb.

[Sarah Rafferty]

Fair. I hear you.

[Patrick J. Adams]

You know what I mean?

[Sarah Rafferty]

But I also wanna talk about. In those moments at that poker game, I love that we're introduced to, like, the toxic masculinity of the world. Like, you were like, time's up on that guy.

[Patrick J. Adams]

This was the first time. I know. Cause I've watched it a few times. And I was like, just say, when are you going to come work for a man?

[Sarah Rafferty]

And Aaron's going to make some great points about why he developed that world and how I think it's developed so well. Because I love how Harvey just isn't playing. He's not playing into the toxic masculinity at all. It's such a great, effortless setup of this world from Aaron that there's this sexist bro moment. And Harvey isn't going to take the bait. He's just. He's just going to rise above it and he's going to win the game and he's going to walk out. And it just is like. It's great.

[Patrick J. Adams]

What'd you got, Keke? The Netflix cut is much longer than what was originally aired. The line about that you were just repeating that didn't happen in.

[Sarah Rafferty]

When you would have first seen the Episode.

[Patrick J. Adams]

Oh, it's on Netflix, but it would have been in the aired version.

[Sarah Rafferty]

Oh, so that. That time's up line didn't air?

[Patrick J. Adams]

Yes, originally. The toxic masculinity of which you describe is present.

[Sarah Rafferty]

I'm really glad it's in the new cut that's on Netflix. I loved it.

[Patrick J. Adams]

Yeah, it's great. Yeah, it definitely tells the story of the world. Anyway, we're back in Jessica's office. She introduces Harvey, the firm's closer to client, Gerald Tate. Harvey closes the deal, but his tactics are questionable. I also noticed in this time, there's. There's this great moment where he does the thing with the memo, you know, and pulls it out, pretending it's a different document than it is. And then Jessica afterwards walks up to him and just takes it right out of Harvey's pocket. It's very intimate, and it's like, genius, because I just see I've learned so much about these two people and their level of comfort with each other with such a small, tiny action and how.

[Sarah Rafferty]

Long they've known each other and.

[Patrick J. Adams]

Yeah, like, that. We are that close and physical. Like, I'm in charge of you, and I already know that that piece of paper is total nonsense, and I'm going to pull it out of your pocket to prove it to you.

[Sarah Rafferty]

And it's like, further. There's a further bracket on that moment. And, like, exclamation point on it, because Harvey says, you're the. You're. You're the blue team captain. You get to wear a fire hat.

[Patrick J. Adams]

Yeah.

[Sarah Rafferty]

And he just has his Cheshire Cat grin. And they just. They just have so much fun with each other in this, like, blip. It's so perfect. And then this is where we cut into the other world. We cut into a classroom where a proctor recognizes and chases Mike Ross out of the room, and Mike is able to evade him.

[Patrick J. Adams]

I love this sequence. I'm trying to figure out why I've always loved this piece. And it's because, like, this is so not suits. In a weird kind of great way, right? Like, these. Like, I've never felt more like this is as close to being Jason Bourne as I may ever get is playing scenes like this, you know, ducking in and out, running from the guy, getting into the stall, changing the thing. And it's not a thing we ever really do on suits after this.

[Sarah Rafferty]

Right.

[Patrick J. Adams]

Not to say that it doesn't fit. It's a great setup of the world, but it's this sequence in the hotel sequence. Like, actually, we don't like this was the one and only time I ever feel like I did anything like that.

[Sarah Rafferty]

Well, I was actually technically wondering about that because you just said that we took so long to shoot the pilot. Not only because it was a longer episode, it was almost two episodes. But these are complicated things to shoot. I mean, you've got multiple sets to rush through, so it's gonna take longer. These are. I felt like we had a mini movie in the world of Pearson Hardman, and then the music picks back up, and then we have a mini movie inside Mike Ross's world where he's taking the test, he turns it in, he runs into the bathroom. He changes. There's the crowd scene. He gets lost in the crowd. He goes and gets paid. You know, all that happens, and it happens so quickly. That's. Isn't that just really time consuming?

[Patrick J. Adams]

It's a lot of scenes and a lot of setups.

[Sarah Rafferty]

Yeah, yeah. For little blips, and they're cut together so well, and it just gives so much pace to the whole beginning of this thing.

[Patrick J. Adams]

Yeah, it really makes a move. I mean, again, like, we're in practical sets. Again, like, you know, not that we weren't in practical sets when we shot suits. We'd be out in the world and find locations, but a lot of times things like this would be. Be on a set that we built, and it just has a different energy. And here we are, you know, in these places and running around, and whenever you see an apartment, it's a real apartment. So, yeah, we're moving around New York City and having to be pretty, you know, nimble as a production versus when you become sedentary and you're in a studio and you have your sets, you suddenly. It's a little more intentional, and you kind of. It's. It's. You can kind of plan things. You're right. When you're shooting a pilot, you're like, we're here today. We're over there tomorrow, we're here tomorrow. Like, we gotta get it here. We gotta get everything here. So we got to move pretty fast. Like, we don't have the chance to come back here and do it again. That's. I. You can feel that energy in the pilot. So Mike shows up at his client's place, and we learn that Mike has paid to take the exam on this guy's behalf. And we get the impression this is probably not the first time Mike's done such a thing. And he walks away.

[Sarah Rafferty]

And he doesn't get all his money.

[Patrick J. Adams]

He doesn't get paid. Or Mike. He's looking for money in all the wrong places. Mike needs money is what we learn.

[Sarah Rafferty]

And then we see a smash cut to the title card. And it's time for us to take another break.

[Indiana Jones Voiceover]

Uncover one of history's greatest mysteries in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, a first person single player adventure video game set between the events of Raiders of the Lost Ark and the Last Crusade. The year is 1937. Sinister forces are scouring the globe for the secret to an ancient power connected to the Great Circle. And only one person can stop them. Indiana Jones Adventure Call Indiana Jones and the Great Circle releases on December 9th on Xbox Series X&S Game Pass and PC Pre Order Indiana Jones and the Great circle now. Rated T14. Copyright and trademark 2024 Lucasfilm Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Patrick J. Adams]

NetCredit is here to say yes because you're more than a credit score. Apply in minutes and get a decision as soon as the same day. Loans offered by NetCredit or lending partner banks and service by NetCredit applications subject to review and approval. Learn more at netcredit.com partner partners. Net Credit credit to the people. All right, welcome back. We're in. Trevor's apartment is where we are. Mike and Trevor, played by Tom Lipinski, are smoking weed together, believe it or not. Trevor's girlfriend Jenny, played by Vanessa Ray, arrives mid conversation. We realize that she thinks her boyfriend writes code for a living. I love this scene because I love these two actors so much. I also just love getting to see Mike in his life before because suits becomes about suits, it becomes his new family. And it's really fun and cool to see a these two actors who I loved working with and to remember like this version of Mike's life, which is much more present in the first season than it is, you know, as we go on.

[Sarah Rafferty]

You guys had a lot of fun sort of behind the scenes. You guys like had a lot of playtime in Toronto. I remember.

[Patrick J. Adams]

I loved, I didn't, you know, you know, you guys are seniors, as we've already talked about and like these were my young. These were like people my age at the time. And in. So there was an immediate like, oh, like, you know, there's a thing that happens when you're all the sort of same age and you're all in that zone of like racing for the jobs and you're like, am I going to be an actor? Does this get to work? So once, you know, Vanessa and Tom and I got into scenes together, there was just sort of a fun understanding of how lucky we were. How good this material was and how much fun it was to play.

[Sarah Rafferty]

You guys have a really special connection. And I have to ask you, since you have that amazing handshake at the end when you're saying goodbye.

[Patrick J. Adams]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Sarah Rafferty]

Which one of you had the courage in the moment to say to the other, hey, bro, can we, like, make up a handshake with each other? I know it's a question.

[Patrick J. Adams]

I wish I remembered. I think I feel like I was full of. Like, my whole energy in this pilot was just like, all right, there's a little piece here. Let's do something with it.

[Sarah Rafferty]

Let's make it a nugget.

[Patrick J. Adams]

Let's make it more. And they'll cut it. Like, if it doesn't work, then, like. I just didn't want to leave anything off the field. Is that how that saying goes off the field? I wanted to be on the field. I wanted to be on the bench, but not on the bench. I wanted to make sure you wanted.

[Sarah Rafferty]

To leave it all on the dance floor.

[Patrick J. Adams]

I wanted. That's it. I wanted to leave it all on the field. Dance floor. There were things like this, which I was just. I think I probably would have said to Tom, like, what's our. What do we. What's our. Like, if it said handshake, or it probably just says, they say goodbye. But I wanted to really establish these relationships. For me, it's also the same as I kiss her on the way out.

[Sarah Rafferty]

With both your hands on her hair, like, either side of her, which is such a.

[Patrick J. Adams]

Like, I love that moment. And again, this is not me clapping myself on the back, but I love that moment because I'm like, oh, again, I know these people know each other. Like, they are so close that he can kiss his girlfriend on the way out the door. And it's normal. Like, this is how these guys have been in it together or what? We'll find out later.

[Sarah Rafferty]

Anyway, so then we get to Jessica and Harvey, who are celebrating in a bar where Harvey hits on Lisa, played by Chloe Brooks, the waitress, who turns him down.

[Patrick J. Adams]

A charging bull always looks at the red cape, not the man with the sword.

[Sarah Rafferty]

That's something that Jessica says.

[Patrick J. Adams]

No, that's something Harvey says. It's a real. It's a fire line. That's classic Harvey coming at you whole hog.

[Sarah Rafferty]

How did you feel about this scene? What were your feels?

[Patrick J. Adams]

I find this a bit of a weird scene. I mean, look, it's great. I love seeing these two people together. I love seeing them celebrate a win. I like seeing Harvey, be his debonair self. There's just a weird moment when he's hitting on this, and let's walk through what happens. Beautiful woman comes over, you know, not asked to come over. How you guys doing over here? It looks like you're having a good time. They have a nice reform.

[Sarah Rafferty]

Wait. Not asked to come over. She's the waitress.

[Patrick J. Adams]

She's not waved down is my point.

[Sarah Rafferty]

She comes over, but she's doing her job.

[Patrick J. Adams]

Yeah, she's a waitress, but it's not like, you know, she. She volunteers in that moment to come over and be like, you guys seem like you're having a good time over here.

[Sarah Rafferty]

Okay.

[Patrick J. Adams]

She's friendly.

[Sarah Rafferty]

Yeah.

[Patrick J. Adams]

And she's being a little, dare I say, flirty with our guy Harvey. Right. You're picking up on her flirt or. No, she is that. Not really.

[Sarah Rafferty]

I was so distracted by what was going on with Jessica and Harvey, which is what I liked.

[Patrick J. Adams]

So there's this weird moment where Harvey starts hitting on her, but he glances over at Jessica as if to say, like, cool if I do this? And Jessica gives him a quick, like, you go ahead. Like, enjoy. I think she even maybe raises a glass to him or something. Maybe I'm making that part up. But it's a real, like, go for it, champ. And then he turns back and, like, really lays on the charm and basically asks when she's done with work. And the whole moment, I was like, huh?

[Sarah Rafferty]

Like, did he ask for permission?

[Patrick J. Adams]

Did he just get permission to hit on her?

[Sarah Rafferty]

I hope. I hope that's what that was.

[Patrick J. Adams]

Is Jessica enjoying this? Like, what is this? What is this about?

[Sarah Rafferty]

The mystery is great.

[Patrick J. Adams]

But then also, strangely, she just, like, again, maybe a credit to the show where it always goes in a direction you don't necessarily expect. But then this waitress just turns on Harvey Hart, like, 10 past, I'm never going out with you. And I'm like, whoa, What?

[Sarah Rafferty]

And Gabriel has the best reaction as Harvey.

[Patrick J. Adams]

Yeah, it's perfect, because he also knows how this is actually going to end. That's the look I get from him. Well, he looks back at Jessica. She goes, I guess you're not the best clothes. And he kind of looks back at her. And then we cut to him with her in the apartment. Okay, so to me, I'm like, that was not the end of this interaction for Harvey.

[Sarah Rafferty]

Okay. Okay. I thought that Harvey was just kind of like, oh, egg in my face. Okay.

[Patrick J. Adams]

But then he ends up with her.

[Sarah Rafferty]

No, exactly. But I didn't know that moment was coming.

[Patrick J. Adams]

But, you know, it in the moment after when you see.

[Sarah Rafferty]

I sure do. Okay, so then the next morning, Harvey admires the view from his apartment. And we see that Lisa decided to spend the night with him. It's a pretty apartment, huh?

[Patrick J. Adams]

Another insane apartment. And again, like, so fun to be on the practical sets. Like, you know, we obviously rebuilt Harvey's apartment as a set in Toronto when we ended up going there to shoot for the rest of the season. But to be there in this actual moment with the real thing and the doors open and him out on that view of New York City at what time is it. Also, his apartment could use some curtains. It's very bright in there. I mean, it is a beautiful apartment, but nary a curtain.

[Sarah Rafferty]

I couldn't live there, not with my complexion.

[Patrick J. Adams]

Also, like, a real. Like, if you're having. If you've had someone over and you leave all those blinds open, I mean, I'm presuming there have to be blinds. You're really telling that person they gotta go. Like, there's no letting that person sleep in. You are in a sauna. You are. You are sunbathing in bed. Epic apartment, though. And I don't remember the set, but it's. It was a hotel. It wasn't an apartment. Yeah, it was the top of a hotel. Insane apartment.

[Sarah Rafferty]

Well, there's amazing from that scene, right, to Mike visiting Grammy in her nursing home.

[Patrick J. Adams]

From Harvey about to eat breakfast off someone's stomach. To Mike in his. With Grammy in the nursing home. Which is great. I mean, such a contrast between our two characters. This is where they're both coming from perfectly.

[Sarah Rafferty]

And I have to say, I'm really sad that I never really crossed paths in all the years with Rebecca Scholl. She seemed amazing.

[Patrick J. Adams]

Such a sweetheart. Yeah, she was great. I love the line in this scene. Dr. Schrager gave me her words. She wouldn't poison you until January. If she does it before then, she can't count it towards this year's quota.

[Sarah Rafferty]

So then we cut to Lewis and Harvey, who are meeting with Jessica in her office where she informs Harvey that he'll need to hire an associate now because, surprise, he's being promoted to senior partner. I just wanna shout out to, like, Rick's entire posture in this entire scene. I mean, he's so transformed. And the fact that he actually moves really slowly and kind of has this relaxed.

[Patrick J. Adams]

He gives. I think it's a masterclass, this scene in Rick. I have the same thing written down. I mean, I think he. He always makes the different choice. There's moments where you think he'd yell or get mad. And he plays it really small and kind of menacing and hurt. He's a wounded puppy, but then he'll kind of snap back. And then at the end, when Harvey finally says that thing about his.

[Sarah Rafferty]

Harvey is such a jerk. At the end, he's such a jerk.

[Patrick J. Adams]

And instead of storming out, which, again, I'm reading it, I'm thinking, I'll probably storm out of here. I'm so pissed. He kind of just sort of, like, slinks. Like, slinks is the perfect word. He slinks out of the room slowly, like he's been here a thousand times before, and he's not gonna give him the pleasure. You know what I mean?

[Sarah Rafferty]

He's, like, holding onto his dignity, I guess, in a way, maybe.

[Patrick J. Adams]

Yeah.

[Sarah Rafferty]

Oh, he's so good.

[Patrick J. Adams]

I love this scene. I think this is up there for maybe one of my favorite scenes. Just seeing these three people together, how they work, the chemistry, the rhythm, their comfort with each other. I just. Again, it is so hard to do this on a pilot. We don't know each other. We're just getting to know each other, you know, and we have to establish this rapport right off the bat. And watching this scene in these three people, I'm like, oh, that's. That's it. I want to watch. I want to watch these people next week.

[Sarah Rafferty]

Absolutely.

[Patrick J. Adams]

Back at the nursing home, scenes like this are tough for me. When it's like. It's a doctor's. Just like, I have to deliver to you the facts to make the case here. Yeah, this is way. Cut this out. If we want. I'm just saying it's you, my friend Sarah, walking down a hall in a doctor's, like, give us 25k. And I'm like, what do doctors ask for? The money.

[Sarah Rafferty]

Right.

[Patrick J. Adams]

How does this work again? Nitpicks.

[Sarah Rafferty]

Ignore it. She's the doctor.

[Patrick J. Adams]

She's the doctor.

[Sarah Rafferty]

She's not an administrative.

[Patrick J. Adams]

You know how. You know she's got the stethoscope around her neck?

[Sarah Rafferty]

Oh, that's how I knew I was one once.

[Patrick J. Adams]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay. I'm playing a doctor. What do we have? Oh, stethoscope. All right, well, not in the ears. What about around the neck? All right, clipboard. Let's go. Give me 25. Again, it's one of those silly things where we just need to get the information. But we do learn that Mike needs to come up with 25k in order to keep Grammy in this home.

[Sarah Rafferty]

So that forces Mike to decide to accept Trevor's offer to help with the drug deal.

[Patrick J. Adams]

Yep. And then in our first scene with Donna Paulson, Harvey asks if his suit makes him look like a pimp. Yeah, a little bit. She says, can you give us a reading on that? Give us a reading.

[Sarah Rafferty]

A little bit.

[Patrick J. Adams]

There it was. Look at it there. That's it. Little bit. This is our first time meeting Donna.

[Sarah Rafferty]

It is our first time meeting Donna, and I just have to say that I loved Gabriel's reaction to the fact that she tells him that he does look a little bit like a pimp in his outfit.

[Patrick J. Adams]

Now, was that an improv line? Do we know? Have we looked at the script?

[Sarah Rafferty]

We did improv that line.

[Patrick J. Adams]

You improv that line.

[Sarah Rafferty]

It was supposed to just be played in a look. And I do remember, I think I've told you this, that I remember being afraid every time I added something like, am I allowed? Am I going to get in trouble? Excuse me, sir, may I please try to add lines?

[Patrick J. Adams]

I always. I have that on sets all the time. There's always that first day where you're like, what kind of set is this?

[Sarah Rafferty]

You don't know whether it's the word perfect or whether it's the, like, try stuff. Whether it's like, yeah, make it your own, or whether it's like, no, I wrote a specific thing, but this was you. You felt the vibe.

[Patrick J. Adams]

How do you do that now? How do you deal with it now? Now I just ask, day one, I'm like, what kind of set are we? Can I say, can I play? Do you want me to play or do you. Is this a word Perfect environment?

[Sarah Rafferty]

Yeah. And I also ask if we. If we can do things like keep rolling and reset ourselves, are we the place where we can do that? Would you like to talk the night before? Would you like to talk the week before? If I have any notes on those kinds of things. I imagine, though, there are some sets that I will go to where I'm like, I will just keep my mouth shut and show up.

[Patrick J. Adams]

Luckily, this wasn't one of those sets. It was pretty clear I think from the beginning that especially because Aaron was on set for the pilot, it was like, do whatever. Let's make it like we are. The goal was to always make everything as funny as possible where funny was the goal. You know what I mean? That was. My memory of the pilot was like, whoever has the funniest, like, if you make us laugh at Video Village, then that's a win.

[Sarah Rafferty]

Yes, yes, yes. Because we're in the discovery of who These characters are.

[Patrick J. Adams]

Yeah. And Aaron, to his credit, was like, I wrote it. But, like, if you make me sound like an even better writer by making something even funnier, then let's go.

[Sarah Rafferty]

And then they began to write towards us later as we moved into it. Patrick, you want to hear a fun pack?

[Patrick J. Adams]

I do want to hear a fun pack.

[Sarah Rafferty]

For the first few episodes, all the way through the pilot, in the first few episodes, I was wearing fishnet stockings.

[Patrick J. Adams]

Scandalous.

[Sarah Rafferty]

Yeah. Okay, so let me ask you, what makes you say scandalous?

[Patrick J. Adams]

I don't know. I don't know anything about fishnet stockings, but I always assumed it's sort of like a French Parisian woman of the night kind of a thing. Tell me about fishnet stockings. I don't know anything about it.

[Sarah Rafferty]

I mean, there's a hole history to them. They became very popular in the 20s, the roaring 20s, with the showgirls and the flappers.

[Patrick J. Adams]

Hold on, I'm going to write this down.

[Sarah Rafferty]

Okay, go on.

[Patrick J. Adams]

Taking notes.

[Sarah Rafferty]

Ladies. The ladies wanted me to.

[Patrick J. Adams]

Flappers. Okay. No, go ahead. I'm genuinely curious.

[Sarah Rafferty]

And the flappers.

[Patrick J. Adams]

And is it a thing that someone would wear in an office?

[Sarah Rafferty]

Well, see, that's the thing that I thought was so interesting about our costumer at the time choosing them for Donna.

[Patrick J. Adams]

Are you using the word interesting? Like, interesting?

[Sarah Rafferty]

Well, I think it's a choice. It's a bold choice.

[Patrick J. Adams]

Would anyone ever wear that in an office environment?

[Sarah Rafferty]

I think, well, women, all women have different relationships to their hosiery. But what was interesting to me, look, fishnets. Fishnets became popular and have that lady of the night vibe thing that you're saying, that sexy vibe. Because they were open. They revealed more. Like in the 20s and 30s, fishness were like, ooh, you see more of the leg. It's not like an open. And then they became a really punk rock thing. Right. It became very like Courtney Love. It became very Madonna.

[Patrick J. Adams]

So Donna has a bit of punk rock in her.

[Sarah Rafferty]

It became so some people, like, I read a little bit about how they were embracing the male gaze, but also, like, flipping the bird to the male gaze. Like it was a reclamation, like an ownership of sensuality. When I saw for a second. When I saw in that scene where you noticed that I was a little bit nervous and I sat down and crossed my legs. I was like, oh, right. I wore fishnets for a while. Like, I had a whole drawer of fishnets. Originally, we were thinking that Donna had this kind of. I don't know, was it a punk rock thing or was it a sensuality Thing, like, what was he going for? I just remember being like, oh, head scratcher. Oh, you're looking.

[Patrick J. Adams]

I'm looking right now. I'm pulling it up so I can see what babies we were.

[Sarah Rafferty]

We were so babies young.

[Patrick J. Adams]

Yeah, I'm seeing the fishnet. There we go, zooming in.

[Sarah Rafferty]

I mean, ultimately, when Jolie came on board, and then in the years later, like, Donna went in a different direction in terms of the kind of elegance that she had. But this was just an interesting thing that I think we started with and moved away from.

[Patrick J. Adams]

I love the idea that, like, you put that Donna punches out at the end of the day and goes hits like a punk bar. Never occurred to me. But, like, totally makes sense that she could either go like to a Michelin star restaurant and, like, do that, but she's also going to catch a punk show and, like, maybe smoke a couple sneaky cigarettes and, like, you know, stay out late. Do you not? I mean, just dangerous.

[Sarah Rafferty]

So basically we go from this moment where we meet Donna for the first time. Harvey's psyched that he looks like a pimp. And then Trevor picks up the drugs for Mike to deliver, but he finds out that the whole deal might be a setup.

[Patrick J. Adams]

Fun fact from our researcher. This was the very first scene to be shot of suits. It was first scene of the pilot shots in a fun fact. A hot dog cart warehouse in Brooklyn, which is strangely. We have hot dog carts.

[Sarah Rafferty]

We have hot dog carts. But do all the hot dog carts in all of New York have to go to that hot dog cart warehouse at night to go to sleep?

[Patrick J. Adams]

I'm imagining there's probably like a few of them. There's probably many a hot dog cart warehouse.

[Sarah Rafferty]

It feels weird to me that I live there for 12 years and I.

[Patrick J. Adams]

Never noticed this, like, underworld of hot dog infrastructure.

[Sarah Rafferty]

No, that there's this gonna be this whole, like, moving of the hot dog carts at night. Like a. Like a procession of hot dog carts going back to their warehouses. I'm serious.

[Patrick J. Adams]

I wonder if they just keep the hot dogs in that water all night. Anyway, let's move into Act 2. So right from the beginning, Mike's picking up the briefcase full of weed at Trevor's apartment when Jenny walks in. She adjusts his tie for his first day of work.

[Sarah Rafferty]

And we feel things feel a lot.

[Patrick J. Adams]

I really can't tell you enough. And hopefully we'll have her on the pod at some point. But Vanessa Ray is truly just a ray of sunlight. She was the so fun to play this part with her and to play this relationship and figure it out and find it. And I think we knew from the beginning it was, you know, that Mike was on this new trajectory and she was a part of the past. And that's a tricky thing to play in a pilot. You're like, are we going to be a thing? Is this going to be a thing? Or is it not playing? All that unsureness was great, and I think she did such a beautiful job. You know, in this scene, you sort of feel them. I guess we. Kristen found out that there was a line cut at the end when Jenny said, do you ever wonder what would have happened if you and I had met first?

[Sarah Rafferty]

Oh, Jenny says it.

[Patrick J. Adams]

She said it in the script, but we don't say it. And it's perfect because you don't need to say it. You can feel it because you showed.

[Sarah Rafferty]

It and you didn't tell it.

[Patrick J. Adams]

Yeah, I think you just feel it in the scene. Beautiful. Anyway, then we're in the New York hotel suite. Harvey's interviewing a line of Harvard graduates for his associate position, and Donna's helping him to find another Harvard. I had a question. Was this your first day of shooting? Did we discover that this was probably. I think Kiki has confirmed that this was probably your first day of shooting.

[Sarah Rafferty]

I think it was. And it's one of the days that I have pictures in my phone from. I have. Because Santu came to meet us. I think he was working nearby. He came, and it was just funny to us that, like, Santu was in his suit for work, and then Gabriel was in a suit. And I think maybe it was, like, the third time in our lives we'd ever seen Gabriel in a suit.

[Patrick J. Adams]

So annoying how good he looks in a suit for somebody who doesn't wear a suit.

[Sarah Rafferty]

Yeah. I took a picture of, like, our chairs next to each other, just kind of like, oh, we did a thing. In case it would never went anywhere. I had, like, Donna and Harvey chairs somewhere. Just to remember it.

[Patrick J. Adams]

I don't know if you like this. The reason I'm asking if it's your first day of shooting is because you've said you're nervous before, and I've never seen it. But watching this. This time I went serious. Just in the first shot. It's in the ones you get from the side and you go, can't. It's a whole. You have to deliver a whole, like, oh, so you want it to be someone who's stuck up and has got his head up his butt and da, da, da, da, da, da. That one shot I went, oh, my friend Sarah's nervous.

[Sarah Rafferty]

Oh, my gosh.

[Patrick J. Adams]

I could see it.

[Sarah Rafferty]

I did the same exact thing.

[Patrick J. Adams]

You could feel it.

[Sarah Rafferty]

Oh, right away. And right away, that whole thing, actually, because it's all cut, like little bits cut together. And I knew ultimately that I would just be shooting kind of line by line without, like, a scene to play. And so I remember I so hard on it because I was so nervous. I wanted to work on it. You were proud so that I could let it go. And I don't know about you, but I know for me, with the small part, it almost made me way more nervous to do it. It was like, I have to prepare extra hard with backstory, and it's gonna be. Maybe I'm gonna be just saying it to the wall, or maybe it's gonna be rushed because they're not gonna have time to figure it out. And. And I was able to. I was surprised I was able to see it this time with a little bit of empathy for myself, because when I think about where I was in my life. We've talked about this. I had done so many pilots. I had been a guest on so many things, and all of that is ultimately, like, really dysregulating. Like, all the rejection, all the disappointments, all the thing not getting picked up, all the, like, bouncing from being a guest to a guest to a guest, you like, there's so much effort that goes into it. And so I could see the effort in this scene.

[Patrick J. Adams]

And then you're supposed to show up on a set and look, it's great, it's funny, it's so charming, and it's wonderful. And I can see exactly why the world's gonna fall in love with Donna Paulson. But because I know my friend Sarah, I was like, I bet that's first day. We all have first day jitters. It's like on every job, no matter how much experience you have, you always have the like, oh, is this the moment where I realize I don't know how to act? And everybody's gonna tell me that I'm terrible? And I just saw maybe a bit of it in this one moment.

[Sarah Rafferty]

I did, too. I love that we both saw that. Aw.

[Patrick J. Adams]

Okay. Then we cut to Jessica meeting with her mentor mentor Philip, played by Victor Garber, at his home. I think we're going to get into a little bit of this when we talk to Aaron, because the Victor Garber of it, playing this role. Anyway, back at the hotel, a nervous Mike walks through the lobby with a briefcase in the hotel bathroom. He's splashing water on his face, giving himself a pep talk. And then he gets in the elevator. He's nervous. Mike is nervous. He doesn't want to deal drugs. This isn't what he wants for himself.

[Sarah Rafferty]

He doesn't want to get caught.

[Patrick J. Adams]

But he, but he's doing it because he's got to get that money for Grammy.

[Sarah Rafferty]

Yes. So we can't blame him.

[Patrick J. Adams]

Yeah, I feel bad for him.

[Sarah Rafferty]

Any means necessary to save Granny.

[Patrick J. Adams]

This is not a great situation to be in. I love all the music through this sequence. I want to say it's got like a very. Do you remember the score for Social Network?

[Sarah Rafferty]

Oh, yeah.

[Patrick J. Adams]

Do you remember that? It's kind of like a techie, like do, do, do. I'm going to do an impression. You ready? Can we acknowledge your gifts for this trademark that. Let's make sure that if anyone uses that audio that I get paid.

[Sarah Rafferty]

Okay. I did. I noticed the music too, and I feel like it gave it the. Just. It just like teed it up.

[Patrick J. Adams]

Yeah, it just. I, it, it, it, it.

[Sarah Rafferty]

There's builds.

[Patrick J. Adams]

Swaddled. Yeah, swaddled builds. There's a building. There's a building tension. Meanwhile, Donna's not having any luck finding the right person for the job.

[Sarah Rafferty]

She is not. And you know what else? That guy was not named Chip.

[Patrick J. Adams]

You heard it here first, folks. That's the sort of hard hitting not named Chip. Look, you came to this podcast for some behind.

[Sarah Rafferty]

I remember nothing but that dude's name wasn't Chip.

[Patrick J. Adams]

You're saying that that actor's name wasn't Chip?

[Sarah Rafferty]

That. No, that Chip wasn't in the thing. I was afraid I was going to get in trouble for calling him Chip.

[Patrick J. Adams]

Oh, you made up the name Chip.

[Sarah Rafferty]

Yeah. And again, I was nervous. I was like, can I say Chip? Can I call him Chip? It's funny.

[Patrick J. Adams]

You did it. I mean, I believed it.

[Sarah Rafferty]

Apologies to the chips in my life that I know.

[Patrick J. Adams]

I believe. Okay. Then Mike walks towards the hotel room designated for the drop.

[Sarah Rafferty]

This.

[Patrick J. Adams]

There's that interesting thing that we sort of establish here that Mike has seen. Right. We're trying to establish. He's got this photographic memory. The show is trying to figure out how to tell that story. We're seeing that he sees the kid coming from the pool with his father and he's seeing the sign about how the pool is closed. He's putting all these things together. So we get to see Mike really be kind of in superhero mode where he's processed a lot of information very quickly that most people would probably miss. And he asked the question of these guys at the hotel room door if the pool's open or how the pool is at the hotel, and they don't say anything about it being closed. And he knows. He's like. He puts two and two together. Because our guy Mike is smart.

[Sarah Rafferty]

Yeah. Yep.

[Patrick J. Adams]

I don't know if you noticed.

[Sarah Rafferty]

Yep.

[Patrick J. Adams]

But he's smart.

[Sarah Rafferty]

We're about to get into a scene where he really demonstrates how smart he is.

[Patrick J. Adams]

Right. But he's not so smart that he hasn't found himself in a situation where he's running from the police in a hotel with a bag full of weed.

[Sarah Rafferty]

Well, he got knocked into another life.

[Patrick J. Adams]

God bless you. Mike finds himself in the lobby of the suite with Donna. He's running from the police, and he takes the interview slot meant for Rick Sorkin. Donna gives Harvey the wink. This might be the one. Okay, there's a meme.

[Sarah Rafferty]

What?

[Patrick J. Adams]

This is. This is the episode where you wink. I mean, this is the episode. This is the scene where you give Harvey that wink. And that is a. That. That became meme worthy.

[Sarah Rafferty]

That became. That became.

[Patrick J. Adams]

That is the thing on my phone when I go looking for the old gif. I see. I see your face winking a lot. So that might be like, suits first meme. You might be suit's first meme.

[Sarah Rafferty]

Can I have a T shirt? I need a sticker.

[Patrick J. Adams]

You're a meme.

[Sarah Rafferty]

Can I have a sticker? So the way I didn't know that we could do that thing on your phone where you can look up a gif and then send it. I didn't know it until my friend Erica, she was texting me. She was like, sarah, you're not going to believe it. I was just texting with Noah, her husband, and she was like. I think it was Valentine's Day or something. And she was like. And, you know, we were just being cute and flirty and loving. And so then I go and I search a gif, and I just put in sexy. And you're not going to believe what comes up. And I'm reading this. I have no idea where she's going with it. And then she sends me the one of me winking, and I was like, dear God, please tell me you did not send that to your husband.

[Patrick J. Adams]

You don't like it? Not sexy.

[Sarah Rafferty]

I'm like, it's just, like, not appropriate because I. I'm, like, really close friends with both of them. It's just funny. It was funny to me. And I was like, oh, she's like, no, I chose the Beyonce one. I was like, I think that's the better choice.

[Patrick J. Adams]

You're not particularly tech savvy, are you? Generally. But do you know how to send a gift now?

[Sarah Rafferty]

Are you trying to hurt me?

[Patrick J. Adams]

No, no, no. You've admitted it before. I'm not saying anything out of school. Do you know how to send a gif?

[Sarah Rafferty]

Yeah, I totally know how to.

[Patrick J. Adams]

You're giffing now with.

[Sarah Rafferty]

And I have a great gif game.

[Patrick J. Adams]

Oh, your gif game is strong.

[Sarah Rafferty]

It's so good.

[Patrick J. Adams]

Why aren't you giving with me?

[Sarah Rafferty]

Yeah, you know, Rick and I have a very special gift game, and it involves a lot of donkeys.

[Patrick J. Adams]

Oh, God. It's a different pod.

[Sarah Rafferty]

Gina has a strong gift game, too, I gotta say. But, Patrick, I just thought of something in real time.

[Patrick J. Adams]

Tell me in real time what you're thinking.

[Sarah Rafferty]

It's amazing for me to think in real time. Donna actually hired Mike. Donna unkept the gate, gave Harvey the wink. So all the ensuing dramas are everything. No, I'm saying it's her fault. She needs to feel way worse about some things in the future.

[Patrick J. Adams]

You changed everybody's lives for the better. What do you mean? No, I think that's a really good actual observation, though, is that you made.

[Sarah Rafferty]

This possible with the power of the gatekeepers, though. I really thought about it last night when I was watching this again. I was like, you know, it's about getting in the door.

[Patrick J. Adams]

You could have just been like, whoa, who are you? You're a whole mess. Get out of here.

[Sarah Rafferty]

Yeah, but, like, think about the casting directors who let us in the rooms or the. You know, whatever it is. You just need to.

[Patrick J. Adams]

You saw something? Yeah, in Mike and me. She.

[Sarah Rafferty]

Sure.

[Patrick J. Adams]

You see something in me.

[Sarah Rafferty]

I don't remember you.

[Patrick J. Adams]

What do you see in me? All right, well, then Mike introduces himself to Harvey, walks in the room. He's Rick Sorkin. Just in time for the briefcase to spill open, revealing the weed. A moment that lives in infamy on the Internet and social media forever. Gabriel's. Whoa, what's this? Just a 10 out of 10 delivery. Intrigued, super.

[Sarah Rafferty]

Into it.

[Patrick J. Adams]

Kind of like, into it, but also, like, kind of indignant.

[Sarah Rafferty]

Was there a story about the briefcase not opening?

[Patrick J. Adams]

Yeah, there was something.

[Sarah Rafferty]

I remember.

[Patrick J. Adams]

It's hard to get props to do what you need them to do in the moment. So I think we did a few runs at, like, it just not opening at the perfect time where you kind of have to, like, shake the briefcase a certain way. But it took a few Goes, that's for sure.

[Sarah Rafferty]

So we cut from that to Lewis meeting with Gerald Tate behind Jessica and Harvey's back. And what's interesting is that this scene also was cut from the original pilot version and put back in for the Netflix version. And it just shows that Lewis kind of will stop at nothing and is driven to that. So then we cut back to Mike and Harvey, and in one of the most famous scenes from the series, Harvey is impressed by Mike's photographic memory, sees his potential. Harvey ultimately decides he's gonna hire Mike as an associate despite Mike never having gone to law school.

[Patrick J. Adams]

And this is it.

[Sarah Rafferty]

I mean, this is the scene.

[Patrick J. Adams]

This is the scene we've talked about, you know, whether or not we want to be like, what's our favorite scene of the episode? Maybe we will and maybe we won't. But in this case, I think this scene. This is the scene. This is the scene. And, you know, for me personally, it's. This scene changed my life. You know, when I watch the scene, I see it, I feel it. I'm like, oh, this is the scene. And it's funny that it's the one that plays on social media and on TikTok, and I think had actually a lot to do with why the show has been so popular again, because I think it was all over TikTok and everything. And it's so lovely to me that that's the thing that maybe brings people in, because it was the scene that brought me in. This was my audition scene. This was the scene that I ran at home with Troian. This is the scene that I was first was like, I think I could do this. I love this scene. I love the interplay of this. I love playing a character who's just so kind of desperate and at wit's end and just like, begging. Not even begging. It's not begging. It's. It's saying, so honestly, I am ready for this opportunity. Like, I may not be the best guy on paper. I may not be. You know, there are other people who might be technically more qualified for this job, but I will work harder than any of them because I want it that bad. And that was really me, that was Patrick in that moment, auditioning for this show. I didn't have to do any acting, so it's really. It's always powerful to watch it. It always makes me smile. It always makes me happy. And also, I think it's just such a great scene.

[Sarah Rafferty]

It's such a great scene.

[Patrick J. Adams]

It's such a. So well written.

[Sarah Rafferty]

It's such A long scene. We don't have scenes this long with so many pieces. I don't think either really going forward as much.

[Patrick J. Adams]

Yeah. And I think it's also buildup. You know, we've had 22 minutes of buildup to this scene with watching these two people walk these two different paths, essentially knowing that they're gonna meet, knowing that this whole show is about putting these two people in the same room. But because we had an minute pilot, we had all this Runway to build before they meet. In a normal hour long pilot, you would have to put these people together in the same room, scene two, and you wouldn't get all that lead up to it. And I think that's part of what makes this scene so great, is like, oh, I'm really ready to see the. I know these two people much better.

[Sarah Rafferty]

Yes.

[Patrick J. Adams]

And so to see them cross paths is exciting. It's almost cinematic. It's almost filmic more than it is television. It's weird to have a moment on camera where you could see your life change. Do you know? Because this is where my life changed. This show changed my whole life. It's changed my career. It's changed the way that I work. It's changed the people in my life. So many things wouldn't have happened were it not for this show. And I can kind of distill it all down to this one scene between Harvey and Mike in this room. It's pretty wild.

[Sarah Rafferty]

Love it.

[Patrick J. Adams]

And I just love the technicality of it. I love the blocking of it. I love what Kevin did. I love that we switched seats. I love that we're like, you know, he's in the power position. I'm sitting there. And then we sort of like roll up our sleeves and become little boys. And he's like, all right, you go. And I get behind his computer and just blocked beautifully. I think Kevin did such a beautiful job. So anyway, I could go on and on, but a great scene. How do you feel about this scene?

[Sarah Rafferty]

I heartily, heartily agree. I love how many kind of different sides of each gent that we get to see. Like, especially that moment when you turn the laptop around and you show that you're playing cards and that it's not a terribly cocky moment that you're kind of playing against it, against the, like, I'm playing hearts thing that you could do. And instead it's like, I'm good at this. This is what I. This is the thing.

[Patrick J. Adams]

This is the only, like, I can do this.

[Sarah Rafferty]

And you have empathy. And you also are a Character who's kind of got nothing left to lose.

[Patrick J. Adams]

Exactly.

[Sarah Rafferty]

Right. It's just like, talk about leaving it all on the dance floor.

[Patrick J. Adams]

Which is how I felt, you know, very much in my life at that.

[Sarah Rafferty]

Moment in real life. Yeah, totally. So I really zeroed in on that moment, and I just thought, it's funny because you're turning the thing. It's a turning point in the scene. It's the moment when Harvey decides he's going to go look out the door and kind of see who's out there and look at the guys and then just say, you know, I'm going to take a different path too. It's that moment.

[Patrick J. Adams]

It's amazing.

[Sarah Rafferty]

Choosing a new path. So it's going to be fun to talk about it again with Aaron. Yeah.

[Patrick J. Adams]

So then Harvey decides Mike's the guy, and he starts schooling him, telling him what he needs to do to prepare for his first day at Pearson Hardman. Harvey sends Mike to Harvard, where he's gonna learn everything there is to know about going to law school. Great needle drop here. Maybe my favorite of the episode. Howling for your by the Black Keys. Perfect for this moment. And then at Harvard, the administrator says that the only way to take a tour is to go back in time six months. Great line. And then we.

[Sarah Rafferty]

I love this scene. I love this little scene so much.

[Patrick J. Adams]

We see Mike with this prospective student shout out to actor Andrew. We see Mike conning him out of his name tag so that Mike can join the tour.

[Sarah Rafferty]

He is so all improvised, too. I think the fact that he was able to improv this level of douchebaggery, I mean, my hat is totally off to him.

[Patrick J. Adams]

But it's like what you talked about in the scene with you where you're like, the camera's up and they're like, okay, we're gonna be coming in. You need to say something to make this more interesting. Or are you, like, you're not off camera? So you. You need to live in this moment now. And you've shown up to set and you're like, oh, it's not what I expected. I assumed you would be over there and I wouldn't be on camera until you do that. And it's like, no, you're on camera and you have to like, okay, who is this guy? You know, you don't have any lines for me. I'm going to talk, and you'll cut it out if it doesn't work. He just nailed it.

[Sarah Rafferty]

Andrew came prepared.

[Patrick J. Adams]

He came to play.

[Sarah Rafferty]

He did.

[Patrick J. Adams]

He really, really did.

[Sarah Rafferty]

It was Amazing. It was so exciting.

[Patrick J. Adams]

And so that's the end of this first section of the pilot, you know, because after this, we are into a first case. And that's why we decided to kind of cut it here. What an amazing first. Again, this is only 20. Imagine how much story we've covered and how much we know about these people. I think we're at like minute 25, if that.

[Sarah Rafferty]

And it's. It's the perfect prologue. It feels like it's a million scenes and it feels like it's all one scene. It's just. You're just in. You're just in.

[Patrick J. Adams]

Yeah, really in. And it. And it's so weird because I guess we don't really do this with pilots anymore. I don't know. It doesn't seem like people shoot these extra long pilots, but I think it has so much to do with why the show is successful. Because it didn't have to rush. And now you've got these people, you've got this great premise. You get to, you know, you're like, oh, my God, what's the first day of work going to be like? And then you're going to get into the case of it all, which we are so excited to talk about in our next episode. This has been amazing. Thank you, Sarah.

[Sarah Rafferty]

Wait. Thank you. This will be so fun.

[Patrick J. Adams]

We had an idea. There is a word that comes up a lot in our show, and we used to have to deal with a lot online. The word God damn it got said a lot because we weren't really allowed to curse too much.

[Sarah Rafferty]

No.

[Patrick J. Adams]

And yet we wanted to be emphatic at times.

[Sarah Rafferty]

Look, and we should say that it was controversial because people feel strongly about that word, but also some people have it as a drinking game.

[Patrick J. Adams]

So it was a big part of the show. Like it or not, it was a part of the show. And we're going to count it. We're going to see how many are in the whole series as we go. Where are we in just part one of Suits. How many goddamn suit we have in the first 25 minutes?

[Sarah Rafferty]

There were four. Four goddamns. Wow.

[Patrick J. Adams]

That's a lot. All right, well, closing statements.

[Sarah Rafferty]

Okay.

[Patrick J. Adams]

How we feel about this whole thing. I think just an incredible amount of story told in 25 minutes. It's hard to do. It's hard to, like, get to know people this well, to feel this close to them. It was just done masterfully because of everybody, the writing, first and foremost. But then I think I can see how close this cast is right off the bat. And like we said before, we've been a part of enough things where we go in with the best intentions and want to have that connection and create that intimacy and it just doesn't work. It's really hard to do.

[Sarah Rafferty]

And the directing and the music and the editing, the pacing, everything.

[Patrick J. Adams]

Yeah, we haven't talked enough. Hopefully next time we'll talk more about Kevin in that how special and important he was. Yes.

[Sarah Rafferty]

And one day we've got to. I know he's busy right now, but at some point he's going to have to come join us.

[Patrick J. Adams]

Kevin Bray. Yeah, Just an amazing director and he did so many of the series and I think the show owes him so much. Just establishing so much of the vibe of the show. All right, well, that's a wrap on part one of the Suits pilot. We want to thank you all so much for coming and listening to us, and we hope you join us next week to chat about part two. And of course, right from the beginning, we want to hear from all of you. So if you do have questions, thoughts or ideas of other things you'd like to hear from us on the pod, please send your emails to sidebarpodcasteriousxm.com if you want to record record an audio clip of the question. Go for it. Maybe we can play it on the show.

[Sarah Rafferty]

Can't wait to hear from you. Thank you, Patrick.

[Patrick J. Adams]

Thank you, Sarah.

[Sarah Rafferty]

My God.

[Patrick J. Adams]

That was a good rehearsal. Should we do the actual one? We ready? Should we hit record? Are we ready to go? All right, let's go.

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