Everyone is familiar with the love story between Mike Ross (Patrick J. Adams) and Rachel Zane (Meghan Markle), which is at the heart of “Suits.” However, throughout the show’s nine-season run, the fiery romance between Harvey Specter (Gabriel Macht) and Donna Paulsen (Sarah Rafferty) was the real best love story on the show.
Unlike Mike and Rachel, their love story began before Episode 1 even aired. As a result, the audience isn’t privy to their first meet-cute except through flashbacks, where it’s revealed it was far from cute. Donna is a no-nonsense legal secretary who is exceptional at her job, and her style of fixing problems before they even happen works perfectly with Harvey’s ready, fire, aim work style.
There was an immediate sexual attraction between them, but Donna has a strict rulenot to get involved with co-workers that she maintains throughout the series — with a few huge exceptions, of course. She keeps him at arm's length despite his flirtations until they finally broke that tension one wild night after Harvey left his position at the District Attorney’s Office.
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That’s when their love story truly began.
After sleeping together, Harvey realized his entire career doesn’t work without Donna beside him as a counterbalance. So, he brought her in at Pearson Hardman, where the series finds them having agreed to never speak about their wild night ever again.
Still, the love between them was there. Harvey trusts Donna with personal things he doesn’t let any other human being know. She's one of the only people whose opinion he cares about. Meanwhile, she goes out of her way to protect him before he even knows he’s in trouble. Unfortunately, that sometimes causes big rifts between them and likely set back their eventual marriage by years.
When Cameron Dennis poses a threat to Harvey, Donna takes it upon herself to give Jessica Pearson some dirt on Dennis. Harvey doesn’t like having someone else fight his battles but agrees it was a life-saving move. However, that behavior rears its head again in a way Harvey is significantly less on board with.
When she discovers a mistake in Harvey’s past that now implicates her in the present, she takes steps to hide the evidence not only from investigators but from her boss and oldest friend. When Harvey finds out, he’s furious. Although he won’t fire her over what she did, he doesn’t put up a huge fight to avoid Jessica firing her.
That separates them for the first real chunk of time since they met and, frankly, neither of them thrives without the other. Eventually, they find their way back to each other personally and professionally and Harvey gets the chance to repay the illegal favor, committing a crime just to keep her out of jail. It’s at that time they both admit they love each other but still don’t get together.
It’s not until the end of Season 8 that they both feel free and empowered to pursue this unspoken thing between them that was always there from even before the beginning of “Suits.” So, why are they the real best couple on the show? Simply put, theirs is a complicated romance in which both have to recognize the hard way how much they make each other better. One doesn't work without the other.
Sure Mike and Rachel get married before the end of the series, but it’s that moment when Harvey finally pops the question to Donna that real “Suits” fans know as the dramatic and happy ending to a story that felt inevitable since the premiere.
Find out for yourself by catching up on all of the USA Network original “Suits,” currently streaming on Peaco*ck.
FAQs
While the legal drama featured other compelling relationships (including one with a future duch*ess), Harvey and Donna's love story rightfully took the crown as the best romance of Suits.
Who is the most loved character in Suits? ›
Harvey's influence in the law and on lawyers is immense, all the while having a great fan following, making him the most likable character on the show.
Does Harvey really love Donna? ›
Eventually, they find their way back to each other personally and professionally and Harvey gets the chance to repay the illegal favor, committing a crime just to keep her out of jail. It's at that time they both admit they love each other but still don't get together.
Why did Mike and Rachel leave the show Suits? ›
The reason Mike left Suits along with Rachel was due to behind-the-scenes decisions by both Meghan Markle and Mike actor Patrick J. Adams. Markle exited because of her impending duties as a member of the British Royal Family, and Adams was confident that there was no more story to tell for his character.
Are Mike and Harvey friends in real life? ›
As many fans of Suits now know, Macht and Rafferty were friends for years before they were cast on the show together. The pair met back in 1993 at the Williamstown Theatre Festival and have been close friends ever since.
Do the Suits cast like each other? ›
From attending weddings and birthday parties to press appearances and casual hangouts, the employees at Pearson Hardman - or Pearson Specter Litt, depending on where you are in your rewatch - are just as much of a family in real life.
Who was better Mike or Harvey? ›
Harvey has the experience and he has a few strategies that would work well in different types of court cases but he suffers in others. meanwhile Mike is a jack of all trades and has photographic memory but he didn't go to law school like Harvey.
Who is the real villain in Suits? ›
The co-founder of the original firm and its name, Pearson Hardman, Daniel Hardman was one of the series' most chilling villains.
Who is the mole in Suits? ›
With the Bratton Gould-PSL feud behind him, Harvey realizes that Jessica Pearson was the one who leaked the insider information to Bratton.
Why did Donna leave Suits? ›
At the end of Season 4, after working for nearly 13 years together, Donna quits being Harvey's assistant and is now working for Louis. She decided this because her relationship with Harvey is not working for her.
Summary. Harvey fell in love with Donna in Suits without realizing it, showcased in a viral TikTok video that highlights their deep connection. Despite their undeniable chemistry, Suits chose to keep Harvey and Donna's relationship platonic for the majority of the show's run.
Why did Jessica leave Suits? ›
She told The New York Times, "My contract was up, so this wasn't a power play that went terribly wrong. My personal life needed to be tended to." The actress explained that she needed a break from the "rigors" of filming.
Why was Meghan Markle written out of Suits? ›
Why was Meghan written out of Suits? Because she was getting married and would be unavailable to play the part. The showrunners have said that they were happy with her work in Seasons 1–7 and she would have continued under other circ*mstances.
Who turned in Mike Ross? ›
Louis dated Sheila (Rachael Harris), a Harvard employee, off and on. After Mike's promotion, she saw an article about him attending Harvard. When she couldn't find records to prove that, she sent in the tip.
Who replaced Rachel in Suits? ›
After her Royal Wedding to Prince Harry, Meghan Markle officially retired from acting and bowed out of Suits. Her character Rachel Zane was replaced by Grey's Anatomy star Katherine Heigl.
Who ends up with who in Suits? ›
Suits ends with Louis and Sheila getting married, and Sheila giving birth immediately afterward. Harvey and Donna get engaged and married on the spot as well. Harvey then tells everyone about the deal he made with Faye – he's leaving the firm to join Mike and Rachel (Meghan Markle) in Seattle.
Who does Harvey love in Suits? ›
1 Donna Paulsen Was Harvey's End Game
Her loyalty had been unparalleled, as she had proven many times. Despite Suits waiting until season 8 to bring Donna and Harvey together, their backstory established that they always had romantic feelings for each other, they just didn't entertain them.
Who did Mike Ross end up with? ›
In the last episode of season 7, Mike marries Rachel and they both leave the firm to run a legal clinic in Seattle. Mike returns from Seattle in season 9 with a case that intersects with one of the firm's clients. The case ultimately leads to special master Faye Richardson firing Samantha Wheeler.
Who does Jessica end up with in Suits? ›
She wants to focus on her relationship with Jeff Malone (D.B. Woodside), and at the end of season 6, two move to Chicago and she starts a new legal career there. Fans of the series know that Jessica's life in Chicago is the subject of the 2019 Suits spinoff, Pearson.
