Tonight we meet Harvey’s new secretary and she promises to be just as fierce as Donna! Get a sneak peek of Suits episode “Compensation”, airing at 9:00pm ET|PT on USA Network.
The season 5 premiere of Suits was entitled”Denial“, and it proved to be incredibly accurate as we watched several characters try to adjust to the new circumstances and have difficulty doing so.
The episode began with Harvey (Gabriel Macht) meeting his new therapist (Christina Cole) and recounting a dream for her. The dreams and resulting anxiety were causing him sleepless nights, he wanted anxiety medication. However, the doctor insisted on getting to the core of Harvey’s issues and discussing his feelings. Yet, as far as Harvey was concerned, he only needed the prescription to get him through Donna’s (Sarah Rafferty) temporary departure. She’d be back…
After the doctor’s insisting, Harvey told her the full truth, taking us back six weeks.
Mike (Patrick J. Adams) and Rachel (Meghan Markle) were in their post-engagement happy bubble and had even told Rachel’s parents the news. She didn’t want to share the engagement with everyone at work, but planned to bring Donna into the bubble. Later when Rachel got to the office, Donna confessed that she’d left Harvey and was now Louis’ (Rick Hoffman) new secretary. The invitation to the good news bubble was put on hold.
Louis was happy with the new development, but also in denial. Harvey would likely win Donna back, just like how he swooped in and took Mike away from Team Litt. However, Harvey made the break with Donna a lot cleaner: when she gave her formal notice and promised to help him find a new secretary, Harvey told her to leave immediately. At the same time, he still believed Donna would be back. Harvey even manipulated Louis into thinking that Donna was still searching for a replacement secretary for Louis, thereby causing him to lash out at her.
Harvey’s denial of Donna’s resignation also influenced his dealings with a new client. Kevin Slattery’s (Cornell Womack) trucking company was facing bankruptcy and Harvey agreed to help hold off his creditors in exchange for 20% shares. But Harvey was overwhelmed. Rachel tried to step in to fill the gap, and after telling Mike about Donna leaving, they both agreed to cut Harvey slack. But when Rachel accidentally botched Harvey and Mike’s plan for Slattery Corp. by forgetting a creditor, Harvey was ready to come down on Rachel. However, Mike wouldn’t let him. Wasn’t this Harvey’s fault for not hiring a new secretary? It was time for him to either beg Donna to come back or move on.
When Harvey went to Donna to ask for help, she refused. This was the new normal and Harvey was on his own.
The truth of the matter was that Harvey was experiencing severe panic attacks—vomiting, difficulty breathing, heart palpitations and pain, dizziness—and was desperate to make it all stop. Jessica (Gina Torres) even offered to force Donna to come back to Harvey, but he refused. He believed she would eventually come back on her own.
In the present, the therapist agreed to give Harvey a one-week supply of anti-anxiety medication, meaning that she expected him to come back and talk to her. After all, his episodes wouldn’t stop until he dealt with the fact that Donna might not return.
Harvey finally took responsibility and with Mike’s help, came up with a new plan where Slattery’s company entered into an arrangement with their chief competitor.
Donna and Louis were back on good terms and even created a new celebration ritual after closing a new client (MOCHA FUDGE CAKE!). Donna also figured out that Rachel was engaged, scolded her for not sharing the good news, and gave her a gift from Tiffany’s.
And in the end, Harvey decided to get a new secretary, dump his meds, and take Mike out to a Nets game to celebrate his engagement.
In tonight’s episode “Compensation”:
Harvey searches for a replacement for Donna. Mike takes a case as a favor, which he must justify to Jessica – while Rachel’s father, Robert Zane, offers some unsolicited advice about Rachel’s engagement to Mike. And Louis is embroiled in surprising money matters, while an up-and-coming partner, Jack, makes his presence known to Jessica, confronting her about whether Harvey’s way of doing business is beneficial to the firm. (via USA Network/NBCUniversal)
Yesterday, Zap2it confirmed that actress Aloma Wright (Days of Our Lives, Scrubs) will make her debut in the upcoming episode as Gretchen Bodinski, Harvey’s new secretary:
“With more than two decades of experience, Gretchen is a legal secretary who isn’t afraid to tell it like it is and brings a fresh perspective to the firm,” reads her character description from USA.That means that Harvey’s new right hand girl won’t have time for any of his outlandish demands or temper tantrums — she’s there to tell him how it is. Gretchen arrives just in time, because Jack Soloff (John Pyper-Ferguson) will also begin his attack on Harvey and he’ll need every ally he can get.
In the trailer for “Compensation” we see that Louis is about to team up with Jack Soloff (John Pyper-Ferguson) to come after Harvey’s position at the firm, and it looks like they might be successful. On the other hand, Donna seems ready to step in to protect Harvey from her new boss:
Harvey’s on his own and the deck is stacked against him. Catch the next all-new episode of Suits, Wed at 9/8c. https://t.co/3R6V7jvugD
— Suits (@Suits_USA) June 29, 2015
Check out images from “Compensation” and remember to tune into USA Network tonight at 9:00pm ET|PT for the new Suits. I’ll be live tweeting, so come join me while we watch!
