Movies and television collectively serve as a recurrent motif throughout John Grisham’s The Client. Film and television are intrinsically linked to Mark; when mentioned in the book, it is typically from Mark’s perspective, with few exceptions. For example, in Chapter 3, when Mark is debating whether to call 911 to report Romey’s body, the narration explains, “Mark watched all kinds of rescue shows on television, and knew for certain that every 911 call was recorded” (34). This example is only one of many instances in which Mark thinks of movies and television throughout the book. The motif is often presented in this format: Mark, in a time of pressure, danger, and/or stress, thinks on what he has seen on television and in movies to calculate his next move.

The television motif serves several purposes in The Client. Perhaps most important is its link to and support in building the novel’s theme of childhood trauma. Mark’s reliance on television to inform his next move highlights that he has had no real parental figure in his life to teach and guide him. His father was abusive and, by the book’s beginning, is absent from Mark’s life; his mother, Dianne, is largely absent as well, preoccupied with work and the stresses of affording the costs of living.