Great minds plot alike

Am I the only one who noticed that the big concluding scene of THE NEWSROOM and SUITS was the exact same scene? I’ve held off writing this post for several weeks, giving you all ample time to catch up on the them on your DVR’s. But if you still haven’t seen them then SPOILER ALERT.

What’s fascinating to me is that this is obviously a coincidence. Both shows are extremely well-written, both shows are very clever, and I don’t even think they’re written on the same coast. They’re on two different networks so the odds that either had a chance to see the other before it aired are remote at best.

And yet, both scenes were so identical it was somewhat eerie.

Here’s the situation: In SUITS, ace lawyer Harvey is about to be fired for taking drugs. In THE NEWSROOM, ace anchor Will is about to be fired for taking drugs. They’re both going before the big board of directors. They both have an ally (Charlie in THE NEWSROOM, Jessica in SUITS). They both admit to taking drugs. They’re both fired.

But wait. They both have cards to play. They both have knowledge of wrongdoing from the corporate head that could explode into a big scandal. At first the charges are denied. Will and Harvey both have proof.

A manila envelope is slapped down on the boardroom table. Inside contains all the hard evidence that is needed. The evil-doers are trapped. They admit their indiscretions. The bad apples are weeded out. Will and Harvey keep their jobs. They use this smoking gun info as leverage to negotiate favorable terms for themselves in lieu of going public with the info. The day is saved.

And then there’s one final twist. They were both bluffing. The info in the envelopes were not the necessary proof. But by then the bad guys had confessed to their crimes.

Sounds like the same scene to me. The point is: it happens. I’m sure neither show plans to sue the other. Sure, they could use the manila envelope trick, but in this case I don’t think it’s going to work.