Suits season 5, episode 1, “Denial,” allowed the show to show it’s age — and it’s matured like a fine wine. Check out the recap!

Welcome back suitors! Before we dive into tonight’s recap, let’s take a step back. This is Suits‘s fifth season. So much has happened that when someone binge watches this show once the series is over, they’ll be shocked and awed at its break-neck speed. Anyways… tonight’s episode had an electric undercurrent in it that told us something: this is Harvey’s season.

Harvey is having panic attacks. Harvey is seeing a therapist. We’ve rarely seen Harvey connect with someone on a personal level, but he also wants anti-anxiety medication because these attacks have been happen for about a month and a half now.

There is a tiny time jump, as we predicted, that cuts through the episode — Harvey’s therapy session is in “present day” and everyone else is placed “six weeks earlier.”

Mike and Rachel are in post-engagement bliss, but wary about their friends reactions to the news. When Rachel goes to tell Donna, Donna’s issues with Harvey take precedent, but the woman knows anyway. Rachel’s ‘glow’ gave her away. By the end of the episode, Donna gives Rachel two tiny Tiffany boxes to congratulate her, and Harvey whips out court-side seats to a Brooklyn Nets game next to Jay-Z.

Louis is, once again, as always, worried and insecure about people being nice to him. Once Donna commits to being his secretary, she takes it upon herself to pass along her resources to help Harvey get a new assistant. But Louis of course, freaks out when he sees the resumes and tries to overwork Donna and piss her off.

Harvey and Louis are so similar when it comes to their emotional meltdowns. They both shut down, they both push people away, angry and frustrated. Two sides of the same coin, they’re practically twins on paper. Then they both hurt the people that do care about them, and realize they’re grown men and have to own their mistakes.

Harvey is in denial about Donna leaving him for a while — “I’m sorry Harvey, you’re on your own.” Donna saying that to Harvey, destroyed him. It caused him to have a psychological break. Harvey’s dealt with a lot of shit in his life, but nothing more than Donna leaving him, for Louis of all people, has triggered his panic attacks.

“Denial” set up a huge storyline (we predict) for this season: Harvey’s instability. One minute, it seems like he’s crushing under the weight of a few emotional elephants, the next, he’s ready to fight (metaphorically) like a pitbull. We saw a clue at the top of the episode: Harvey’s therapist denying him a drug prescription without a more in-depth consultation. He barely reacts when Mike reveals his engagement, and barks at him demands and requests.

But then, by the end of the episode, he’s flushing the pills down the toilet. We cannot assume this is the last of his troubles, but how will he adjust to this new reality around the office.

Will he try to siphon Rachel from her law school and paralegal duties? Because she’s a good person, Rachel steps in to help fill Donna’s shoes — she reassures Mike that it’s just one day, not forever — but we always know that when someone says “one day, not forever,” we know that she might be Harvey’s next secretary. And that terrifies Mike. Be prepared to circle back to that issue later in the season.

Meanwhile, tonight we have to give it up for Donna Pearson, aka, the incredible actress Sarah Rafferty. She embodies Donna’s demure yet unsteady grasp on things right now. Yes, she’s Donna and you certainly do not want to cross her anymore than you want to meet Black Widow in an alley, but the fine line between vulnerability — she does still love Harvey — and strength to move on, is immaculate.

For those wondering: the song played towards the end of the episode was “First” by Cold War Kids.

What did you think about the ‘Suits’ season 5 premiere, ‘Denial’?

Where do you think Suits season 5 is heading?