Jessica Pearson doesn’t cower in a corner when times are tough; she stands her ground and makes her teamwork! She is the real deal in ‘Suits’!
With a successful run of nine seasons, ‘Suits’ not only served us corporate/criminal law realness but also gave some us memorable characters to reminisce. The American legal drama TV series astounded fans with excellent sub-plots and compelling storylines. As many would debate, the show is fixated on two characters – Harvey Spectre and Mike Ross, who are well determined to conquer Manhattan’s legal sphere. But it takes a special person to keep a watch on such cocky dudes and that’s where Jessica Pearson takes the lead. Here are 6 moments when Jessica cleared the air and established who the “Real Boss” was!
Highlights —
- Jessica Pearson is the real deal of ‘Suits’
- Jessica Pearson is a symbol of strong-black women representation in Suits
- (Spoiler Alert) Gina Torres quit the show in season 6
1. Jessica kicks Hardman out
“Pearson-Hardman”, the most prestigious law firm in Manhattan, New York, that only hires Harvard graduates, is co-founded by Jessica Pearson and Daniel Hardman.
Hardman is a sour loser who wants to take down the mighty Jessica-Harvey duo but fails twice. Once when he gets fired when Jessica finds out about him embezzling money from the firm’s share (in season 2), and later on the grounds of fraudulently suing the firm in an attempt to frame Harvey for burying a piece of evidence. Jessica takes no prisoners. She is the epitome of a class fighter who wins with dignity.
2. Jessica doesn’t respond to threats
Jessica is a tenacious attorney who treats the firm like her own family. She can bear a loss but will definitely not tolerate dishonesty and threats. In episode 12 season 1, Jessica gives us an example of her charisma and power when she looks Louis straight in the eye and says, “Louis, I don’t respond to threats, I make them”.
This clearly is one of the most iconic one-liners we have heard from Gina Torres who plays Jessica Pearson on ‘Suits’.
3. Jessica shows Harvey his place
As Manhattan’s most successful “closer”, Harvey Spectre sure has few accolades to his name, but when it comes to managing the firm, you can’t upstage Jessica. She has been an excellent boss to everyone and even though there might be complaints about her favouring Harvey over others, Miss Pearson has never shied away from putting his protégé into place whenever needed.
During one of the many conflicts of interests between the two, Harvey claims that if she hadn’t done as much for him as she had, he’d be heading for the door, to which Jessica replies, “If I hadn’t done as much for you as I have, I’d be throwing you off the window”.
4. Mike becomes a “real lawyer” because of Jessica
Season 5 takes a sharp turn when Mike is thrown in jail by Anita Gibbs for committing fraud (as he never graduated from Harvard Law School). After a series of adrenaline- rushed episodes, he gets released from the prison (in season 6) but faces another Anita Gibbs conundrum when she mysteriously takes a seat at the board meeting which is supposed to rule out unanimously whether Mike Ross is fit to practice law again.
Jessica suddenly appears at the meeting and reminds Anita of that one time when she had shown mercy and offered probation to a woman; who (because of her decision) was now an E.R doctor – saving lives and changing the world. Jessica sacrificed her New York law license so that Mike could become a member of the New York State Bar. Only a leader like Jessica could do such a thing.
5. Jessica made Lewis and Harvey swallow their pride and make peace with each other
Fans have seldom argued that Jessica was way harsher to Lewis than she ever was to Harvey. But knowing their importance (to the firm), she always had to step in their quarrels. She puts an end to the bickering after she looks down upon Lewis, saying, “I will slap the taste out of your mouth”. It was only a matter of time before fans realised that Jessica doesn’t take crap from anyone, when she reprimanded her mentee (Harvey) saying, “Boy, I just kicked your ass. So now, you are going to stay here, be humble, and learn your goddamn place!”
6. Jessica is above all, an excellent attorney
Jessica Pearson is a powerful New York Attorney who has risen to the top because of her intellect, candour, and ability to keep cocky white dudes under her thumb. Episode 10 Season 6 shows Jessica stepping in court and proving that she’s still got her lawyer chops. With Mike and Rachel’s help, she is able to exonerate Leonard Bailey, a man who was wrongfully convicted of murder. We may not have seen much of Jessica’s magic in ‘Suits’ courtrooms, but fans can see her kick some ass in a new TV series – ‘Pearson’ on USA Network.
The strong character of Jessica Pearson represents all those successful black women who still own their power in a male-dominated profession. The Ivy-League-educated lawyer has impressed viewers with her calm demeanour, impeccable style, and quirky one-liners like, “I’m going to kick some ass and remind them that I’m fierce”.
