Celebrities
Will Donna’s midlife crisis lead to a disastrous ‘Suits’ season finale?
Nearly every character on “Suits” has had a full mental breakdown at one time or another: Between working crazy hours at a high powered firm, dealing with family drama and trying to make time for a love life, there’s never a dull moment for the ranks of Specter Litt…
And their rock, the main reason everyone comes out the other side, is Donna Paulsen (Sarah Rafferty). She’s the person who somehow knows what other people need before they even realize they need it. Throughout the past six seasons, it has always been Donna saving everyone else’s tail, and their most supportive cheerleader.
But in Wednesday night’s episode (Feb. 22), “Quid Pro Quo,” Donna’s confidence takes a serious hit — her powerful inner light visibly dims. We haven’t seen a troubled Donna since the fallout of her legal mistake at the end of Season 4 — so it’s highly unsettling to see this seemingly infallible woman once again coming apart.
RELATED: Forget Harvey & Mike: The new ‘Suits’ power couple is Rachel & Katrina
Without Donna at full strength, Specter Litt would burn to the ground. No one else can calm Louis (Rick Hoffman) like she can. Donna’s the only person who can ever get through to Harvey (Gabriel Macht), and she’s never wavered in her support for Mike (Patrick J. Adams). To Rachel (Meghan Markle), Donna’s the supportive big sister she’s never had. Her ability to do always do the right thing, offer the most witty statement at the most perfect moment — it could be grating, but it never is. She’s so naturally loving and compassionate, it’s impossible to hate her. We all just want to be her.
It’s a strange twist that the thing to bring Donna down is… The Donna. The Siri-like device she and Ben are pitching is a game-changer, the future of assistant technology — but the reason their invention isn’t getting the deal they want is not because of the invention itself, it’s the women trying to sell it.
Donna does her signature “I forgot my pen” bit, after what she assumed was a home-run pitch, only to overhear the two stellar douchebag investors talk about how they only took the meeting as a favor to Harvey — they would never ever actually take a risk on a product hocked by a silly legal secretary.
While we could write an entire essay on the devastating truth of this scene, and its relevance mirroring the frightening actuality of misogyny and the tech world, our concern right now is Donna. She’s so well-respected in the bubble of Specter Litt that it’s possible she’s forgotten just difficult it is for women to be taken seriously in a male-dominated industry — and the hardships and struggles of once again trying to build your way up from the bottom.
It’s been a long time since she’s been outside her power-secretary comfort zone, but Donna was once an aspiring actress. She dreamed of playing the piano, and maybe performing on Broadway… But she gave it all up for a steady job. One that she turned out to be so impeccably good at, so she stayed.
Maybe she’s gotten too comfortable. What level of success could she reach, if she chilled out on helping other people achieve their dreams while ignoring her own? When’s the last time Donna truly challenged herself to be greater than she already is? Donna’s looking around now, and noticing that everyone around her’s doing just that, on a daily basis.
In short, Donna is having a midlife crisis, which could have serious repercussions for next week’s Season 6 finale. We all know there’s no Specter Litt without Donna: She can’t leave! (Well, she could — but it’s highly unlikely.) Perhaps she’ll remain Harvey’s assistant, but return to her professional acting career.
For so long, Donna’s been Rachel’s shoulder to cry on, and the woman who’s always there to catch Harvey when he falls — now it’s time for them to show up for her. Donna deserves to be happy — and we just know she’s destined for great things.
“Suits” Season 6 finale airs on Wednesday, March 1, at 10 p.m. ET/PT on USA.