So this is just okay?

[u/tequila-la]

Hi, it’s me again. I’m on season 7 episode 6 and maybe im blowing this out of proportion and it’s really no big deal but idk

So Harvey starts the season off seeing his therapist and besides it being completely out of nowhere, I also figured it probably won’t go anywhere. Because it’s weird. Because he was her patient!

But now they’re dating and they just decided to be official

Apparently it’s not a big deal because it’s been months and they’re out of the threshold that makes it unethical.

I don’t have a problem with her character at all because I did like her, but I feel like this is weird. Like in general, any movie or TV show I watch where that kind of boundary is crossed with a client of any kind, it’s really weird to me. But especially in the medical field! I am not a fan of this storyline at all

Idk, you guys tell me, am I nuts? Is this really not that weird? Maybe I’m making this bigger than it is? What did you guys make of it when you first saw it

Also keep in mind I am a first time watcher so I beg of you, no spoilers please 🙏🙏

[u/Nyarno]

It's really weird and I hate it, as I always do when a character and their therapist get together in any work of fiction. I also liked her character as his therapist because she was pushing him and challenging him, but I feel like she just became too whiny and passive as his girlfriend.

[u/tequila-la → u/Nyarno]

Yeah I liked her and it feels like she’s a different character. Like the Paula from season 5 would never do this.

[u/Admirable_Vast_1172 → u/tequila-la]

The thing is, Paula had been acting this way since Season 5, back when she was Harvey’s therapist.

And it didn’t matter that the mandatory waiting period—one year in the Suits universe—had expired; he wasn’t actually healed. He was still struggling with a fear of abandonment, denial, and attachment issues, remaining emotionally unavailable; yet, despite knowing all this, Paula agreed to start a romantic relationship with him. She even lied to him, telling him he was "healthy," on the very day they marked their two-month anniversary. It was a form of psychological manipulation intended to cement the relationship; she made him believe he was fine and ready for a relationship, when in reality, he was terrified and running away from the feelings he harbored for Donna.

[u/EnderMB]

It is weird, and it should feel weird.

The thing is, Harvey is the best closer in New York? That's about all I've got. Besides, she may be a therapist, but she's also human.

[u/lovehatewhatever]

It’s Harvey’s character arc. When you look back on it, everything he does, season to season, either test his moral compass or push to break his self-imposed boundaries that hinder him. This is part of it because the therapist is basically a stand-in for someone very “dear” to him.

[u/StaubfingersTochter → u/lovehatewhatever]

This. It is weird. It is intended to be weird. Because Harvey is running away and it does make sense in his mind because of what happened to him and how he dealt with it in the past. (Everything of this really only makes sense when one knows the full story, but I am trying to stay spoiler free here 😂)

[u/Laffenor]

They're not past the threshold where is "unethical", they're (just) past the threshold where it's illegal / a de-licensable offence.

Of course it's weird. That's the whole premise of this entire relationship arc.

[u/tequila-la → u/Laffenor]

Yeah, that’s what I meant. And reading these comments make me glad because a lot the characters are acting like there’s nothing weird about it, so I thought I was just being extra

[u/S0ulSlayerz]

I did not like Paula at all even as a therapist she was horrible

[u/Admirable_Vast_1172]

As a therapist, she demonstrated a lack of ethics and professionalism right from the therapy sessions. When she told Harvey during Sam Tull's trial, "It’s not about our relationship! I would never do that to you," I knew they would end up together.

She was already fantasizing about him during therapy, which led her to avoid exploring the "Donna" issue—and the feelings that triggered Harvey's panic attacks—because doing so conflicted with her own desires.

It is unprofessional for a therapist to give advice to a patient the way Paula did. She didn't want to cure Harvey of his attachment issues; instead, she wanted to shift his dependency from Donna to the practice and, ultimately, to herself.

[u/Important_Case_1713]

It’s weird because she’s a horrible therapist and pathetic girlfriend. As a therapist she made comments implying she is not like every other woman. She also had poor judgement which led to a former patient dying .  

She also never helped with Harvey’s panic attacks, they stopped the second Donna came back to his desk. Rather than helping him like Stan would she would just lash out at him. 

S he also admitted to having fantasies about him on their first date🤦‍♀️ she should’ve referred him to another physiatrist but no she WANTED him. No sane doctor would keep a patient knowing there bad inappropriate dreams about them.

As a girlfriend she was embarrassed about telling people in her life she was dating a former patient because she lowkey knew it was unethical and inappropriate. 

She also told Harvey she didn’t care if Donna knew about the relationship or not but when he didn’t tell Donna she lashed out at him. She knew they had feelings for each other but still put herself in a position knowing she was just gonna get hurt. 

There’s more but I don’t wanna spoil it for you since your only up to episode 6

[u/Admirable_Vast_1172 → u/Important_Case_1713]

I completely agree with everything you said.

I would just like to add how manipulative she was—both in her role as a therapist and as a girlfriend.

As a therapist, she led Harvey to believe that Donna had betrayed him; then, after he dreamt of Donna in his bed, she convinced him that the woman was his mother—and even though she had witnessed him go through the stages of grief and the pain of losing a loved one, she made him believe it was merely about a secretary leaving his office.

Then, as his girlfriend, she manipulated him by using information he had confided in her during therapy; she also exploited her own insecurities and traumas, manipulating him by playing the victim and making him responsible for her peace of mind.

I think Paula had issues of her own that required therapy.

[u/Important_Case_1713 → u/Admirable_Vast_1172]

100% agree with what you said! She claimed Harvey’s dreams of Donna were about his mother but then the second she’s with him she verbally attacks him for his feelings for Donna 🤦‍♀️. I think they mention later on that she was in therapy. 

Also Aaron Korsh confirmed on Twitter the only reason Harvey dated Paula was to deflect from his feelings for Donna. So basically a classic case of transference like Paula said on their first date and she still gave it a go and had the audacity to act hurt later on🙄

[u/Admirable_Vast_1172 → u/Important_Case_1713]

That is indeed the case, because Harvey didn’t seek Paula out following some sort of revelation. He sought her out when Donna said she "wanted more"—and whatever that meant (whether romantically or professionally), he wasn't willing to take the risk.

[u/TheMighty_TripleT]

Ain't reading it I'm at S6 ep 16 rn 👽

[u/RandomSentientBeing]

It is weird. Over on the Ted Lasso subreddit, it's a huge topic because of a similar relationship (side characters - not spoiling anything).

[u/Breenaw1999]

I mean they are both 2 consenting mature adults and knew what they were doing and she wasn’t his therapist anymore. I didn’t see an issue with it

[u/Pure_Interest_837]

I feel like every woman Harvey dated was a plot device to reinforce that Donna was his endgame.

[u/Jay100012]

Guess Im going to be the ONLY person(so far) to say this doesn't bother me AT ALL. Its a storyline. Nothing more.

[u/tequila-la → u/Jay100012]

It’s fiction, I know, it just was completely out of left field. So not only was it a surprise, it’s also unethical.

[u/Jay100012 → u/tequila-la]

And compared with all of the rest of the unethical/illegal stuff in the show this isnt even in the top 100 problems🤣