Previously on Suits…
Last week episode closed with Harvey telling Donna he loved her and walking away. This weeks’ episode opens with Harvey missing in action and Donna taking care of Louis because Norma died.
Woodall and Cahill are back, and Rachel and Mike try to figure out how to be a team regarding working for Harvey. The flashbacks showed how Donna and Harvey met, how their instant chemistry worked, and the audience got to know Marcus, Harvey’s younger brother. The thing is, as complicated as this week’s case might have been, or how interesting the subplot was, everything falls short to the conflict that was above the surface. What would happen with Donna and Harvey after the moment they shared in her apartment?
The flashbacks acknowledge how Donna presented herself as a moral compass, as someone that was willing to help him but if he gave her something in return; free days to pursue her acting career. The past opened a window for the audience to know Donna better. Most of what she says on those flashbacks are mirrored to what happens between her and Louis, specially when she says she knows people, even better than they know themselves. Cut to Louis' office telling her the exact same thing, and how lucky Harvey is to have her. And in that moment one can see the wheels inside Donna’s head starting to turn.
Donna confronting Harvey in that final scene is the natural outcome of that first discussion. He doesn't get that their relationship stopped being what it was, it’s complicated to say the least, but he put his foot in his mouth when he said the I love you was out of pity, even if he backtracked, he didn't meant it like that, and Donna deep down knows it, but she needs more. And he needs her. (He said it some seasons ago)
That’s probably why the final scene is so heartbreaking, because he didn't realize it could come to this. We’re talking about a man that sacrifice a part of his paycheck when he first started to work at the firm to have her by his side. A man that have said numerous times that he needs her, he didn't want to know what kind of lawyer he could be without her, he doesn't know how to be him without her… And next season he will have to find out.
Donna is not just a pretty face, everyone knows it. Sarah Rafferty brings to the role the boldness and energy Donna seems to have all the time, and she spots on her lines when they need to be comic relief, but the last two episodes showed a side of Donna the audience doesn't get to see all the time and Rafferty shines. She manages a full range of emotions with her body language and the changes in the tone of her voice, I sincerely hope she gets more scenes next season because they’re underusing her capacity and talent as an actress.
These last few episode reminiscence the characters' driven plots of season 1 and 2, making the show, at least for me, more appealing to watch. Suits is coming back during the summer: How Louis and Donna will work together will be fun to watch, Mike and Rachel will be recently engaged so let’s see how that unfolds, and Jessica is going through some crisis of her own after Jeff left. Season 5 has to deal with more tan a few storylines, and thank the writers, none of them have to do with Mike’s fraud status quo plot.
