The SUITS mid-season premiere was the perfect example of what can happen when, despite a less-than-pleasing setup, a story suddenly takes off. Set immediately after Donna took matters into her own hands (and lips) with Harvey, “Hard Truths” explored just exactly what it meant for each of those characters to face the angsty consequences of their actions — or lack thereof — up until this point. In actual law firm business, Harvey and Louis found themselves making a difficult decision after every attempt at creating Jessica Pearson’s graceful exit was a spectacular failure.
And this is why Donna has (had?) “rules.” SUITS’ Donna/Harvey/Paula love triangle came out of nowhere; but somehow, 11 episodes in, series creator Aaron Korsh is managing to make it work. And here’s the key: Unlike in the first chunk of episodes, his characters, whom viewers have known and loved for years, suddenly started acting like themselves. In television, too much predictability can make a plot stale; but as we saw in the first 10 episodes of SUITS’ seventh season, too little familiarity can make a story borderline unwatchable.
As SUITS 7×10 ended and Harvey Specter was, as the youths would say, “shooketh,” viewers knew right away that trouble was on the horizon. “Hard Truths” explored every negative emotion, as well as every bitter portrayal of it, that Harvey was expected to have — and then some. After over a decade of closeness and of relying on her, Harvey suddenly felt betrayed by Donna, which caused him to behave like his worst self and try everything possible to push her away.
Harvey’s first move was to get out of the office where it happened as quickly as possible, barely side-stepping Louis’ suggestion that they do something about the Jessica situation right away. All Harvey wanted to do was run home to lick his wounds — and there were definitely some wounds hiding underneath of all of that shock and anger. Home, unfortunately, featured a girlfriend with whom Harvey couldn’t be honest: Rather than outright tell her what had happened with Donna, he…made up some line about Paula making the world go away and asked her to move in with him.
As frustrating as watching that conversation may have been — and it was — it made perfect sense within the context of Harvey’s existing relationship and his long history of avoiding one problem by throwing himself into another. Not to mention, if he felt like he’d done something to compromise his relationship (such as, I don’t know…having feelings for someone else?), the best way to prove his commitment to both himself and Paula was for Harvey to double down on it. Doubling down has always worked when he’s had his back against the wall for a case, so why shouldn’t it work here?
Well…it shouldn’t work for a lot of reasons, but Harvey Specter’s thought process is what it is.
Paula, thankfully, didn’t take the move-in bait. In a rare moment of rational thinking, she said that she didn’t want to rush into anything. Oh. And that was only after immediately asking if Harvey’s generally bad state of mind upon walking through the door had anything to do with Donna. Score one more frustration for Harvey, though…which meant even more pent up emotion for him to unleash on the perceived cause of all of his latest problems: Donna.
In an almost too striking to be intentional parallel, just as Paula had been waiting for Harvey at home after a terrible day, Donna was waiting in his office after what — one would assume — was (at best) a bit of an awkward night. Donna wanted to talk about everything from the kiss to the firm’s current situation, but Harvey refused to listen to anything. He immediately went on the offense (more like defense) and cut off Donna’s every attempt at speaking, forced her to promise that “what [she] did is never going to happen again,” and even took her down a peg in terms of her role at the firm. No, she couldn’t look for new senior partners to make (Not-Pearson) Specter Litt look strong; that was a name partner conversation only. And no, she couldn’t sit in on Harvey’s meeting with Louis. It was name partner business only.
The situation only went downhill from there when Donna, following a kind of sketchy conversation with Louis, set up an interview behind Harvey’s back, so to speak. After being “forced” into kissing her, Harvey now felt like Donna was taking over his professional life by springing a last-minute meeting on him…And. He. Just. Flipped. Out. The entire “interview,” if it could even be called that, was nothing more than Harvey Specter punishing Donna Paulsen in front of Kyle Clemente…who will probably never, ever have any dealings with that firm ever again.
Every line tossed back and forth between the two characters was some warped, subtextual way of having the one conversation that they had avoided all day. The dialogue featured everything from Harvey accusing Donna of teasing him away from someone he loved (sure, Harvey), to Donna insinuating that Harvey can’t take it when someone else puts their own needs first. The scene was, at once, both exciting and horribly uncomfortable to watch; and it was, by far, one of the best scenes SUITS has delivered to date.
You can fight me on this.
Both the build-up, with Donna giving Harvey an ultimatum that “either we go in there, and we interview a legitimate candidate. Or, we go, right now, and we talk about what you don’t want to talk about because I’m not letting it get in the way of me doing my job for another minute,” and the low-blow-filled interview itself were utterly flawless. And, quite frankly, the passive aggressive argument was long overdue…much like the actively aggressive knock-down-drag-out that came after it.
9-1-1? I’d like to report a murder. I am the victim, and Darvey did it, in the hallway, with their feelings. When Donna called Harvey on the selfish way he’d sabotaged a valid business meeting just to get back at her, Harvey was finally ready to get personal: “You want to talk about what happened? Let’s talk about what happened. Because if anyone knows about selfish, it’s you.” Donna’s response was to remind Harvey that she had put his everything over her own needs for years.
The incredibly, frustratingly brilliant part of the entire confrontation (aside from the fact that it was happening after all these years) was that both characters were right. But both Harvey and Donna were also equally wrong. They shared in the blame for their relationship coming to this unraveling point; and now it was time to pay the price. In this argument, there was no winner — except, of course, for SUITS viewers who were able to experience yet another fantastic outing by Sarah Rafferty and Gabriel Macht — because both parties were simultaneously justified in their own actions and valid in their feelings regarding the other’s. By the end of the scene, nothing was settled; and I, for one, am happy that it wasn’t. This has been brewing for over twelve years. Cleaning up the boiled over mess had better take more than one quick swipe with a rag.
On the other hand, the amount of screaming caused by having to witness this was…not entirely human or ladlylike for me. And. Um. After Harvey’s whole, “Well, I’m not interested in your advice, Donna. As far as I’m concerned, your judgment sucks” line? The words I both yelled at my screen and wrote in my episode notes were not actually appropriate for a SUITS recap. Let’s just say Harvey Specter gets a full five out of five toasters to the face for that one.
It was awful to watch Harvey treating Donna like she was less-than after over twelve years of seeing her as his equal; but then one has to stop and think. SUITS viewers have known, for quite a long time, that one thing central to the character of Harvey Specter is his strong stance against cheating. Whether he initiated it or not, Donna knowingly put him in a bad place by kissing him; and it was as much his self-loathing at not coming clean to Paula right away as it was his having been completely thrown for a loop by the whole thing that caused his awful behavior.
Was it mature or right? No. Was it easy to witness? God, no. Was it the Harvey Specter we know and love, in spite of his myriad terrible relationship choices? Absolutely, and that’s what made watching this latest SUITS episode so enjoyable: Here were these characters we cared about, going through some shit together, and every emotion was real and human in ways that, while not always relatable, always generated a great sense of empathy and engagement. Empathy because it was easy to understand where Harvey and Donna were each coming from, knowing who they were as people. Engagement because we do care, even to the point of feeling all of that pain and frustration with them.
It’s also interesting to point out that, despite his otherwise unpleasant behavior, Harvey made at least one adult decision in his argument with Donna: He admitted that the kiss affected him. Donna, on the other hand, claimed that she finally knew the answer to whether or not she wanted more with Harvey; and that answer was no.
Sure, Donna.
Anyone who believed that, especially after her sad, solo scotch-sipping and her discussion with Louis, should probably go back and rewatch SUITS’ “previously on” at the beginning of this episode.
Donna, please pass the booze.
The beginning of something like amends. After learning what had happened between Donna and Harvey, including the gory fallout, Louis gave his best friend his best advice: Apologize. Unlike Louis’ (still morally deficient!) affair with Sheila, Harvey had never asked for Donna’s advances. She crossed a line, whether it was what she needed (and deserved!) to do for herself or not. Donna asked if crossing that line made Louis think that she was “a horrible person.” His answer? “No! Of course not. I’m saying that you made a mistake, and you did something that you shouldn’t have done to someone you care about.”
We love a supportive best friend with a giant heart!
Anyway.
After Harvey had (taken Donna’s advice and) told Paula what happened, only to have it result in driving a major wedge between himself and his girlfriend, Donna found him taking some time to himself on the roof. She apologized for putting him in a bad position and for blindsiding him…But for someone who supposedly hadn’t been affected by kissing him, she wasn’t exactly saying that she wished go back in time and make sure it never happened, either. In fact, she almost said the exact opposite: “I messed with your life. And I made you think that you couldn’t trust my judgment. I’ve never heard you say that before. I can’t go back and undo what happened. Even if I could, I don’t know what I’d do. But what I can do is tell you I’m sorry.”
Once again, nothing was completely settled; but at least, there was a definite feeling that something had softened there.
Later, Harvey made a surprise visit to Donna’s office to ask for her advice on whether or not to make Mike Ross senior partner. And there it was: something like an olive branch. Something like proof that, somehow, things would be okay. Because you don’t throw away all of that history over one debatably questionable choice.
Donna and Harvey both recognized that they had to share the hard truths with one another because “if we can’t tell each other hard truths, then, what are we doing.” Harvey accepted the “hard truth” that Donna had put him first for (too many) years; and Donna showed she’d learned the hard way that she should probably ask before stepping into the man’s personal space.
But it’s cool: Harvey said that Donna could “always” hug him and gave her that goofy smile of his, so time for some more bittersweet emotions!
These two can listen and learn from one another; and even when they don’t like what the other has to say, Donna and Harvey find a way to come to something like acceptance. On the other hand, when Harvey shared the hardest of truths of all with his girlfriend — that he’d slept with Donna “the other time” — she did not seem to be able to handle it.
So, what is Paula doing here?
They practice law here, too. While his personal life was a trainwreck of his own making, Harvey was dealing with an even bigger disaster (also of his own making!) within the firm. Following her disbarment, the only way to do right by Jessica turned out to be…dragging her “good” name through the mud. Harvey and Louis needed to restructure the firm in order to buy her out, but they couldn’t do that a second time — Louis had previously restructured to screw over Van Dyke, which we’re supposed to remember, I guess? — without at least one former head honcho’s signature.
The only remotely viable option was Stanley Gordon, who hated Jessica more than he loved either money or his name on a building. In order to make enough time to get Gordon to do what they wanted, Louis and Harvey had to make sure that the Ethics Committee delayed the announcement of Jessica’s demise; but even Louis’ low blow attempt to threaten Seidel’s family failed to make any impact. As soon as Gordon knew what Harvey was really after, he reneged on their deal — interesting since the whole deal he’d made with Harvey was for Harvey to…stick it to someone who’d gone back on their word with him — meaning there was no hope left.
…except. Well.
Louis had a plan that was so terrible it worked: All Stanley Gordon ever wanted was to get back at Jessica Pearson, so all Louis and Harvey had to do was draft a memo that placed all the blame for Harvey’s actions in hiring Mike Ross on Jessica. At least Louis called ahead to get Jessica’s consent before drafting the thing, so she was able to prepare herself for being thrown under the bus.
There was nothing quite like seeing that slow shot of “Pearson” coming down off the wall, as the voiceover with the memo’s contents played against the episode’s soundtrack. “Two days ago, the New York State Board of Ethics voted to disbar Jessica Pearson. As the firm’s managing partner, I completely support this decision. Jessica Pearson’s conduct was not only selfish and unethical; it was also reckless.”
Harvey was one hundred percent correct in pointing out that he and Louis were saying about Jessica what they really had to be saying about him.
Because sometimes, when we make stupid decisions, the people we love are the ones who get hurt. If Mike’s time in prison didn’t teach anyone any lessons, perhaps Harvey’s final consequence — having to destroy the woman who made him what he is today — has finally gotten through to him.
Here’s hoping.
Extra thoughts:
- So, here we are. SUITS has brought us to a bad place; but the way that we’re working our way out of it is simultaneously exactly what’s expected and a rollercoaster of emotions. There’s nothing quite as surprising as absolutely hating the start of a story but suddenly finding yourself so invested that you don’t remember to breathe.
- “Well, a lot of junior partners aren’t marrying up, either.” Mike Ross, giving Rachel Zane her credit. It’s what she deserves.
- Yes, I would pay to see Louis “straighten Harvey out” for treating Donna like crap.
- Also: “Louis, something happened between me and Harvey.” “Oh, my God. You slept with him again?” I love how Louis thinks!
- Harvey learned more about relationships from five minutes of chatting with Donna than he ever learned in all his sessions with his therapist. He had to both repeat Donna’s “hard truths” line and show he understood it — twice! — after she made use of it. What a good student.
- “Our lines are as blurry as lines can get. I’m the person you call at 6:00 in the morning. Or at midnight when you need someone. We smile, we drink, we flirt.” Where’s the lie? Right. There isn’t one…until Donna says she doesn’t want more. Where was this dialogue in the first few episodes of SUITS season 7? Where was this brilliance? I would like to report a robbery.
- “I thought you didn’t trust my judgment.” “I’ve always trusted your judgment. It’s why I promoted you.” Straight to the feels, especially with that Harvey half-smile to back up his statement.
- “Karma’s a bitch. For that matter, so is Jessica.” I don’t understand how this guy didn’t get his face bashed in, but ok.
- “You made me the one thing I never wanted to be” was a loaded line, full of so much justification for Harvey’s behavior in “Hard Truths,” that it was about as painful to watch as, well…all of the rest of it. We love an angst-fest!!!
- Donna and Harvey really kept referring to the kiss as variations on “what happened.” That speaks volumes to how much neither character was brave enough to really face the facts. After all, people don’t spend 12 years in massive denial and then suddenly wake up. It takes more effort than just flipping a switch.
- “But what you meant was, I made you forget about your feelings for Donna.” Right. “I don’t have feelings for Donna.” Sure, Harvey. I almost felt bad for Paula here — almost — but then I remembered that she knew about Harvey’s feelings for Donna but was too busy fantasizing about her patient to help him admit that they existed. So, yeah…You reap what you sow, honey.
- “She was the firm.” Mike Ross, proving he’s the actual genius we’ve been told he is — and not just because he can recite the contents of his own freezer on command. His food spoilage case seemed to be somewhat of a footnote in this episode, but he’s certainly not a footnote in the SUITS story. We’ll go ahead and close out our final thoughts with just how much we appreciated seeing him work on something, without being shady, and even with the help of Rachel. Amazing.
Catch the next episode of SUITS on Wednesday, April 4 at 9/8c on USA.