Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Suits 5x05 "Toe to Toe" (Misplaced Anger and Some Mudding)


"Toe to Toe"
Original Airdate: July 22, 2015

Have you ever misplaced your emotions before? I have. Actually, I can't even count the number of times that I have. Maybe it's been a rough week at work and your friend's persistent text messages are annoying you, so you snap. Maybe you send a shade-filled tweet because your anger and bitterness have finally been set off by someone or something.

Or maybe, like Harvey Specter, you pick a fight because fighting is familiar -- and fighting a former enemy is the one thing that gives you a sense of control and purpose and justifiable anger. That's exactly what happens in "Toe to Toe," the latest episode of Suits which features a still-bitter and still-not-healed Harvey fighting his old foe, Tanner over their case. We're going to talk a lot about emotions throughout this review and a lot about what it means to heal or not heal from them: about what it looks like to have emotional honesty. And finally, we're going to look at the price that we have to pay in order to right our wrongs.

Ready? Let's go mudding!

Harvey/Mike/Tanner (+ Donna)

It's good to know that Harvey Specter isn't cured by television magic and anti-anxiety medication overnight. This episode finds our favorite tortured lawyer in therapy, where he's lying to his therapist about a dream he recently had. In the dream, Harvey was basking in a morning-after glow with Donna. He was happy. She was happy. ... And then the dream quickly turned, when Harvey saw Tanner in the bed, claiming Donna for himself.

Harvey claims that the reason he had the dream is because Tanner recently reappeared in his life, via a case that they are both working (and Tanner is trying to settle). But Harvey's therapist knows better. We'll talk about Harvey's revelation and moment (however brief) of enlightenment in a little bit, but let's talk about Tanner and Mike and Harvey for a while, because I find the theme of "Toe to Toe" really interesting. As we, who are Suits watchers, are well aware of, Tanner is a tool. He's a scumbag. He's a weasel. And we don't trust him at all because of that. I mean, why SHOULD we? He's done absolutely nothing in the past to prove that he's got any soul or conscience or anything remotely redeemable about him. So when it seems like Tanner is manipulating his client in order to gain some money and use a sexual harassment suit as scandalous leverage, we believe Tanner to be capable of that. Especially when he undermines Harvey and Mike early on in the episode by withholding information from them.

It's easy to direct your anger at someone who has proven to be worthy of it.

The problem in this episode is that Tanner eventually proves to Mike and Harvey that he really is looking out for his client and her best interests, not for himself. Mike -- because he's the only adult in this entire episode besides Jessica -- believes Tanner, but Harvey is staunchly against the idea of settling and the idea of settling with TANNER. Harvey keeps hitting Tanner and he eventually proposes something downright horrible and very Tanner-esque to take down the other lawyer's client. Mike is appalled and taken aback. That's not who Harvey is. Harvey is stubborn but he sees logic and reason. In "Toe to Toe," there's none of that logic present. Why? Because it's much easier for Harvey to take his aggression out on a justifiable target (Tanner) than who he really wants to take it out on (his mother and probably Donna). Yeah, that's right. Harvey still hasn't entirely dealt with his abandonment issues and -- as his therapist points out at the episode's end -- will never have a functional adult relationship until he DOES. But it's difficult. It's difficult to change who you are and to be vulnerable with people. It's much easier to see people as one-dimensional: good or evil. To Harvey, Tanner is evil. There's no way he can be remotely good or a changed man. Because Harvey needs a target to direct his anger at. He needs to believe that people like Tanner will always be the same.

He needs a constant because -- if you'll recall -- his life has been anything but constant.

Harvey Specter needs familiarity in any way he can get it. In "Toe to Toe," it's the familiarity of fighting Tanner. He loves it. He really does. Because it makes sense. Tanner being the bad guy and Harvey and Mike being the good guys. It's right. It's just like old times. Except... well, things are very much NOT like old times these days and the more Harvey tries to rebel against that notion, the harder he's being hit with reality. So he becomes ruthless and angry and punches Tanner at one point (because even if he's a little changed, Tanner is still a giant douchebag).

Mike knows what's happening. He knows that he needs to take the reins of the case or else Harvey will become the kind of person he'll regret -- the kind of person Tanner used to be, Desperate, angry people do desperate, angry things and I love that Mike knows exactly how to stop Harvey from pulling triggers.

Obviously there's something else at play in addition to Harvey's bubbling anger over Tanner becoming a changed man -- a flip side, if you will. I think that Harvey is angry and bitter BECAUSE a part of him sees Tanner being changed and that terrifies him, because Harvey -- himself -- has remained pretty much the same in the last few years. This is something that's brought up at therapy repeatedly in this episode, where Harvey cannot admit to his therapist who the woman in his dream really was (he claims he doesn't know or remember). But at the episode's end -- after his therapist opens up about a tragic patient-related story -- Harvey finally admits that the woman in his dream is Donna.

And then... his therapist tells him that he's wrong and Harvey immediately goes on the defense. It's amazing how quickly he can build his walls up, break them down, and then reconstruct them. The therapist clarifies: she didn't mean to imply that Harvey is lying but that Donna's presence in the dream was symbolism for larger, unresolved issues with his mother. It's then that Harvey makes the same decision he always does whenever things get to real -- he walks out the door. That's how he keeps himself from getting hurt, really: he tries to not deal with his pain in hopes that it will go away. But it doesn't. And it never will until he confronts it.

Throughout "Toe to Toe," I think we get some really interesting glimpses into Harvey's characterization. We see that he does desire happiness and stability in a relationship. He was so happy in his dream, looking at Donna. And the best part was that so was she. They were content. He WANTS that life whether or not he can admit it. He doesn't want the work that it takes to get there, though. He wants the solution without the struggle and that is his problem.

And unfortunately, until Harvey can learn how to open up without immediately shutting down the moment he fears someone is getting too close (because when he fears people are getting too close, he lashes out because he believes they're only going to hurt him or leave him, which POOR BABY), he'll never really resolve his problems. He'll just keep cycling, like a hamster in a suit and tie on a giant wheel.

Louis/Jessica (+ Rachel, Donna)

Okay, remember the policy that Louis and Jack came up with? Well, Louis lied to Jessica (and pretty much everyone else) about his involvement in it. He lied to Donna about putting Harvey's income statements on the copier for everyone to see and in "Toe to Toe," he lies to Jessica too and tells her it was an accident. Of course, since it was not an accident, Louis enacts a convoluted plan in order to get Jack to go back on his policy. It involves tricking Jack and let's just say that it does not work in Louis' favor.

And that leads us to Jessica finding out (cue anger) and that leads to Donna and Louis having a heart-to-heart about what he needs to do. You know what? I really love the Louis/Donna dynamic this season. The first few episodes back were a bit rocky, but Louis trusts Donna implicitly now. He knows that she will always have his best interests at heart, even if he thinks she's trying to hurt him. AH, AND THEREIN LIES THE PARALLELISM. Where Harvey shuts down because he thinks others are trying to hurt him when they really just want him to grow and become better as a person, Louis' default is the same. But he's growing. He's learning to not shut other people out. He's learning to become a better person by owning his failures -- by looking them straight in the eye and choosing to place his trust in something outside of himself. That's brave.

And when Donna encourages Louis to make things right -- to be strong and brave enough to confront Jessica and confess his wrongdoings to her -- he does it because he knows Donna would never want to hurt him; she only wants to see him succeed and sometimes, unfortunately, we have to face pain to do that. Jessica proves why she's the queen-boss of Pearson Specter Litt by bringing Jack and Louis into her office, after Louis confesses to being the one to place Harvey's statements on the copier. Instead of threatening Louis, Jessica threatens Jack and causes him to realize that with one wrong word and one slip-up, he nearly admitted to knowing about what Louis did, which would mean he didn't bring that information forward. Whoops. 

Louis hilariously asks Jessica at the end of their story: "... when am I gonna learn not to defy you?" And Jessica essentially tells him that he will never really learn that. But as long as he comes to her when he does, they'll be okay.

I love that Pearson Specter is becoming the kind of place where people mess up and forgive each other and grow closer because of it, much like a real family. But in "Toe to Toe," while Louis had an important step in his character growth, Harvey took one step backward out the door. Eventually, as we learned, it's not just mistakes that have a way of catching up to and haunting you. Heck, it's not even your PAST that does that. No, eventually the thing that catches back up to you and hurts you the most... is you.

And now, bonus points:
  • Suits MVP this week goes to Gabriel Macht. I've always been really impressed with how Gabriel handles portraying Harvey Specter. Harvey can be kind of a douche sometimes, and that's a really hard line to walk -- to make a character to jerkish things but also make them redeemable and lovable and sympathetic. Well, Macht has always done that with Harvey and this season he is shining as we watch our beloved lawyer continue to unravel and try and re-spin himself back into a semblance of normalcy. I loved that we got all of the facets of Harvey on display this episode -- wit and sarcasm, humor, pride, anger, vulnerability, and even happiness in the dream. I'm excited to see where he grows in the rest of the season and to see Gabriel Macht continue to portray him with such assuming ease.
  • Thank God someone in-show finally commented on MIKE'S HORRIBLE HAIR. It was about dang time.
  • "Well, if you give me a gift every time I'm right, I'm gonna need a bigger apartment."
  • Sarah Rafferty was so funny in her opening scene.
  • All of the women on this show have AMAZING clothes but dang if I don't want Donna's white dress and Jessica's blush one. Seriously gorgeous.
  • Tanner and Gretchen had a miniature showdown and honestly, that's one of the best things about this episode.
  • You'd think that after five years of watching this show consistently, I would be able to tell you what the cases were about. BUT NOPE. Not even a little bit. It's a good thing I focus on character here and not plot so much. Whoops.
  • "Don't you mean: 'Hey, Rachel. How did your test go?'" Sassy Rachel made an appearance tonight. I like her. I also like when Rachel is well-utilized and tonight's episode was a good example of how to make her fit organically into the stories.
  • Mike is not very subtle at anything. See: his coffee shop "accidental" run-in with Tanner's client.
  • "Rachel Zane, you glorious creature."
  • Seriously, Tanner and Harvey got into a fist fight and Mike was the adult.
  • "I remember when you used to ride a bike." Okay, Tanner, I may still not trust you in spite of your whole "changed man" thing, but that was good.
  • "You're acting like the bad guy. Not him."
  • DONNA AND RACHEL AGREED TO GO MUDDING WITH LOUIS AND I CRACKED UP DURING THAT SCENE.
  • "The woman in my dream... is Donna."
Well you guys, what did you think of "Toe to Toe"? Hit up the comments below with your thoughts. Until next week! :)

22 comments:

  1. "He'll just keep cycling, like a hamster in a suit and tie on a giant wheel."

    highlight of the review really. great analysis as always!!! <3

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    1. I'm especially proud of that! Can you imagine a little Harvey hamster? ;)

      Thanks so much for reading and your comment!

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  2. I have always thought that Donna acted totally motherly towards Harvey so good call by the therapist!

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    1. I don't know if that necessarily was what she was suggesting (though Donna did always take care of Harvey). I think she was saying that Donna's presence in the dream is symbolic for unresolved issues in general (because Harvey does still have unresolved issues with Donna), but that those unresolved issues include issues with his mother, too.

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  3. Great review!! I nearly choked when i saw the dream sequence OMGGGG!! Please can that be a reality some day?!?!?!

    I really like how you've pointed out the difference in Louis and Harvey in this episode. Louis is moving forward but Harvey is sooo not.

    Is it just me or is Mike not even blonde anymore? His hair looked brown on my laptop! What is happening to the universe?

    I also really loved Donna and Jessica. I have a special love for their scenes =P

    Jessica is just a BAMF lately. Dayum.

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    1. Thanks for your comments harumscarum! Man, the episode opened with me going: "NO, BAD HARVEY" until I saw who it was and then immediately went: "YESSSSSSSS. WAIT. NO. IT'S A DREAM." Still, what a way to open the episode, right? ;)

      I honestly hadn't really thought of the parallelism until I started writing. And then I thought: "Woah, yeah. That's exactly what is happening."

      Mike's hair is like, SUPER dark now. I don't know if Patrick had to dye it for something, or if the new look just makes it look darker? I'm glad NO ONE is a fan of the new hairdo though, haha.

      DONNA AND JESSICA. SO AMAZING. SO BEAUTIFUL. I want all of their dresses and jewelry. One dress would probably cost, like, four months' rent.

      Thanks again for your comment!

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    2. about Mike's hair, I think this season is meant to show us a harvey who is not getting his shit together (his words, not mine) and a Mike who is becoming the Harvey we met in season one, all together, winning and at his best days. The hair is a symbol of that. Also, I think the color looks darker because of whatever product they r using on the hair to give it that look, the same way Gabriel's hair used to look dark in season one.

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  4. I enjoyed this episode and your review, i really hope that they come back to the dream and dissect it more. I hate that the therapist didn't break it down more, she just jumped to its a mommy issue thing. I feel there were two parts of the dream. First when harvey is happy and looking at donna from the mirror and ready to come over to her. Symbolizing as you pointed out more in life he wants a relationship that intimacy and happiness. so as he is going to pursue it and wants to go through that door, he stops. Literally in the door way. and this is when the dream takes a new meaning because thats when he sees her with Tanner at which point its about his fear that stops him from passing through that door. obviously the fear stems from mom issues and tension about unresolved issues with her. but I just did not like how the therapist jumped straight to the whole mom thing, ugh like it scares me that they are trying to embrace this harvey and donna are like family because that makes it easier to make them platonic and they are putting us down easy in fact fans will be like "okay why do we even want to see them together romantically, its kinda ew if they are fam". i was totally turned off when at the end the therapist is like "yo H its ur mom". I was literally like yo shut up doc, she docent even know enough about his mom or their relationship to draw that type of conclusion. ...As seen in the promo for next week The therapist is involved in a case as a character witness at their firm for a mutual client, so I'm hopping this lady sees Donna in the flesh and goes "oh shit no way was that dream about his mom"

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    1. Hello and welcome Farwa! Thank you for your kind comment. :D I really do hope we return to the dream soon and that it isn't brushed aside as this one-off thing. Harvey though did mention in therapy that the dream has been what he's thought about all week and it's bugged him. I do believe Harvey knows the way he can really be happy with Donna but is totally unwilling to take that step because it could backfire.

      Amazing analysis of the dream scene, by the way. Everything you said, I definitely think is true, too.

      ugh like it scares me that they are trying to embrace this harvey and donna are like family because that makes it easier to make them platonic and they are putting us down easy in fact fans will be like "okay why do we even want to see them together romantically, its kinda ew if they are fam".

      I kind of do worry about that. I would hope they would respect the romantic nature of their relationship, but, you know... Korsh is kind of a troll so I'm not sure how much I trust him as far as that goes, haha. Still, hopefully they don't try and go down the platonic route because THEY PLAYED THE SCIENTIST DURING ONE OF THEIR SCENES THIS SEASON. THAT'S JUST NOT PLATONIC.

      I can't wait for the therapist to make an appearance at Pearson Specter Litt! I'm really loving her. I hope they don't ever give me a reason to stop.

      Thanks again for your comment!

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    2. whatever the meaning of the dream was Donna was sitting NAKED in harvey's bed! I think they have crossed the line now and can't describe it as platonic anymore. I mean c'mon would you have your friend/sister/cousin/any type of family naked on your bed? No right?

      I think the dream means this: he would like to have a relationship with donna because deep down he know he loves her but he is scared. and he is scared because of his commitment issues. and he has commitment issues because of what his mom did. and donna ''represents his mom'' in the dream like the doc said because donna he is the he wants to be with. if it were not any random woman would have been in that bed besides donna. that is what i think!

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    3. YES TO ALL OF THIS.

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  5. Ah I loved how you interpreted the dream! Really a lot better than the therapist :D
    But I don't think that his realtionship with Donna is made platonic or mother-like because she represents his issues with his mother. It's more about his general abandonment issues stem from his mom and Donna's departure reiforced that issue.
    Man, I really liked when he punched Tanner in the face, ooh yes...
    And this: "We see that he does desire happiness and stability in a relationship. He was so happy in his dream, looking at Donna. And the best part was that so was she. They were content. He WANTS that life whether or not he can admit it." YES, absolutely YES TO ALL OF THIS.
    I think it's important he couldn't admit that it was Donna for so long... he just can't have anyone know how he really feels about her ;) The therapist could have focussed a little more on THAT before dropping the mom bomb IMO :D But I'm more than ready to have Harvey work on that, too! This psychological stuff is hella interesting :D

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    1. yea thats so true its like you side "it's more about his general abandonment issues stem from his mom and Donna's departure reiforced that issue." I just hope that they make that clear to Harvey because he's pretty slow at figuring that type of stuff out.. I also have a feeling that perhaps the therapist is sort of playing him in the sense that she wants him to come to terms about his feelings for Donna on his own because she understands his personality now and that if she flat out says "oh H maybe you're in love with her", he will brush it off. As oppose to her down playing donna so that he actually up plays it. if that makes any sense lol.
      And I guess the therapist went straight to the mom issue because clearly she recognizes what he needs to work on. so that he can finally pursue a relationship which his dream revealed he wants. so she was like 'okay forget donna's role lets get straight to the issue here.
      I can't believe there are only 5 episodes left before the mid summer finale, they seriously better give us a solid clear cut darvey interaction regarding their feelings.

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    2. Thank you for reading and commenting, anon! :D

      I think it's important he couldn't admit that it was Donna for so long... he just can't have anyone know how he really feels about her ;) The therapist could have focussed a little more on THAT before dropping the mom bomb IMO :D

      RIGHT? And he noted specifically that it had been bothering him all week. It's really important that yeah, Harvey didn't reveal that because we all know Donna is still a trigger point for him. Re-watch the scene where he talks to the therapist about... I believe it was moving past things and people who have hurt him. Because the therapist is talking about Tanner and she asks him to name examples of ways he's trusted people who have wronged him. And he mentions Louis at first. And then Mike. And... he literally pauses before he can even UTTER Donna's name. He's still really fragile there, so much so that he can barely say her name. Because that makes it real. Same reason he couldn't mention Donna's name in conjunction with the dream. If it's real, he has to address it.

      I'm totally with you though: I think the therapy inclusion this year is really making Suits more well-rounded and cohesive than it has been!

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  6. IMO what they are doing right now is leaving everything up to interpretations on purpose so they can continue to keep all their options open regarding what direction they are going to move Harvey and Donna’s relationship. Aaron himself said that they don´t know what to do with them basically, which honestly it shows in the show. Right now they are pleasing on one hand the Darvey fans by giving some scenes and onthe other hand the fans that don´t want them to be together.

    It worries me so much that they don´t have a clear picture about Harvey and Donna. I can´t believe that the therapist hasn´t asked him about Donna and their relationship for the last 12 years. But well it´s all about dragging out the whole situation.

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    1. Hi Silvia! First off: thank you for your comments.

      I think you're right. It seriously reminds me of how Dan Harmon ended Community for Jeff and Annie. He LITERALLY had a moment between them but left the rest ambiguous. If you loved the pairing, you could imagine they became a couple; if you didn't, he left that open too. Which is... it's dangerous but I guess I can kind of see why creators do it. They don't want to jump the gun in committing to something, but at the same time, I think you lose your authenticity and something very human about your show if you forgo romance for as long as Suits has with Harvey and Donna.

      I think we'll see more inclusion of Donna in therapy in the coming episodes. From the USA press site, here's part of the official description for 5x07, titled "Hitting Home": ... And Donna and Harvey try to get their friendship back to normal, but Harvey has a hard time stomaching Donna's "friendly advice."

      So, I'm really interested to see how this all plays out. EEP.

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    2. I so agree with you Jen...not committing to something when you are a writer or creator and always living in the grey makes the show loose its authenticity. I always found Suits had clever writing but if they don't make a decision in the end and let it all unresolved I will be so incredibly disappointed and for me that would be some very good writing turned to crap. Sorry but yeah :P So i hope they make Harvey and Donna get together soon because that dream sequence can't possibly be platonic. I mean she was naked! At this point if they don't resolve the Darvey issues by the end of season 5 or lets say max the middle of season 6, it would become annoying and they will drag it on for far to long. I can bet you anything that's when fans will start loosing interest.

      And I don't know, maybe it's just me but I really don't like Aaron Korsh. I follow him on Twitter and man can he be an ass sometimes. I don't like his attitude when he answers fan questions he can really come off as arrogant. Not a good image for the show!

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  7. Hello again Jennifer!

    Great review as always! I have to say, in case you aren't aware of it, that one of the things that make your reviews different (and better) from all the others I've seen, is the sectioning/discussion you do per character interaction (e.g. Harvey/Mike/Tanner (+ Donna) , Louis/Jessica, etc). So, thumbs up for this! :)

    On with the episode, I enjoyed this one better than the previous. Definitely the Louis-Donna thing is working so much better than I expected! Also, I'm glad I get to like Louis again. In the previous season the damage in his character was too much for me, I almost couldn't bear to watch. He has his flaws, but they actually made him look "evil", while I thing he is more like a big-baby.

    Btw I just had an observation: the interaction between Harvey and Donna is really, really limited to non-existent in almost every episode. Especially if you consider that their broken relationship is a great part of the plot for this season.
    In this aspect, I also think we are lacking the "how-Donna-handles-the-situation" plot. I can see Harvey dealing with it, but how is Donna? Considering she is the one that initiated the breakup.

    //Not even gonna mention anything about the first scene...it was *awesome* but the minute I saw it, I knew it was a dream and that somehow they would diminish its importance by the end of the episode.
    //Also, I am seriously concerned with Aaron Korsh. He stated that he is expecting a season 8, and if he really thinks that, there is no way he will give out anything Darvey-like. And I am worried that we might miss the right moment. I don't know what you think, but imho, there is point in every show where the relationship between characters is "right" and ready to progress. I think season 5 (even if Korsh didn't plan it) IS this point for Harvey and Donna. If he actually drag it out or (even worst) doesn't go there after all this mess, he will ruin the feeling of the show. Maybe even more than if he gave out the pairing too early.

    Cheers! :D

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    1. ninet I couldn´t agree more with you, well with the exception a little bit of Donna and Louis relationship, not a big fan, for me its repetitive and Donna shines more with Harvey, and furthermore to be honest, I really miss Donna and Harvey together.

      As for the rest of your opinion, totally agree with you every word.We don´t have many Donna and Harvey scenes because they want to delay as much as they can to go there with them (romantic wise) and even I am not sure if they ever will go there.

      I don´t expect a big change in their relationship as far as this season is concern, in fact I expect Donna to have someone in her life (maybe a serious relationship??)

      The game of will they or won´t they it´s interesting but (at least for me) up to a certain point, because not only the audience may get tired of them and many times when the couple get together, you think it´s not that believable now, also IMO shows a lack of ideas and creativity in the writing.

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    2. I agree, I'm a little frustrated because we don't really know how Donna feels about this separation from Harvey. I mean, I know she's the one who wanted it, and I know she seems a whole lot more put-together than Harvey does, but it would be nice to just have a little scene where she is maybe talking to Rachel about how much she misses him, or just maybe seeing him work with Gretchen and feeling nostalgic or SOMETHING. The woman has emotions. I just want to see them.

      Btw I think it's extremely strange that literally no one is trying to figure out exactly what happened between Donna and Harvey. NO ONE. One day Donna decides she's leaving Harvey after working for him for 12 years and everyone is like, "ok, cool" no questions asked? All Mike and Rachel know is that it has something to do with their feelings. But that's not really much and I find it hard to believe that neither of them is interested in what actually happened. I thought for sure we would have gotten a scene each where Mike/Rachel ask Harvey/Donna, "so what happened?" before getting shut down...

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    3. yea exactly like you put it The woman has feelings we want to see them, i have a feeling we will get some insight into her emotional state somewhere in the next two episodes. Im so curious and eager to see where they are taking this whole Harvey/Donna thing.
      Also i think everyone kind of knows what happened. Donna told Rachel in a really distorted way in the first episode, and Rachel told Mike, who at one point in the first episode did ask Harvey about "the Donna situation".Obvs Harvey shut it down. And Jessica just knows their dynamic well enough to figure out what could have happen that donna wanted more and harvey is too closed off. However i find it odd that Lois hasn't asked Donna since he is so nosey with them. But i think we will soon see Lois have a moment with either one of them in which he will calmly ask what exactly happen.
      Im pretty much just watching the show for Donna and Harvey lol

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    4. Ninet -- First of all, thank you so much for your comment and compliment! I'm so honored that you not only love the reviews but the thing you love is the thing I love about writing them! I care about plot, but not nearly as much as the these characters. Thank you for saying that!

      Onto other things: I, too, am loving this Louis/Donna more than I thought I would and I completely agree with you. Louis is best when he's being the lovable goofball (like the insertion of the mudding this episode made it SO fantastic), not when they're trying to make him the villain. I'm glad this episode seemed to return us firmly in that direction.

      I really am curious to know how Donna is feeling and you're all correct: we've seen so much of how the separation has impacted Harvey but we really know next to nothing about how it's hitting Donna. As I said in a comment above, it seems we will be getting more Harvey/Donna in two episodes, so I really hope they take time and let her express her feelings. She's done that a little bit by calling Harvey out on the whole "treating her like a stranger" thing. So we get glimpses of her pain but not what the actual root of it is.

      And honestly, when it comes to showrunners and ships, I've kind of given up hope on men being able to successfully write an endgame relationship without dragging it out or waiting until the very last episode. Honestly, I've always stuck by the idea that if you refuse to write romance honestly in your show, you lose something fundamentally human about it because there is nothing more human than love. I wish I could believe that they have a plan or that it'll swing in the Harvey/Donna favor... and I hope it will, but I'm not holding my breath. I've been burned before so I'm a bit bitter, lol.

      Anyway thank you SO much for your comments! :)

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