I firmly believe that Donna Paulsen deserved better in Suits and they wasted her dynamic character

In the popular legal drama Suits, Donna Paulsen, played by Sarah Rafferty, often stole the limelight from the series' main leads, Gabriel Macht's Harvey Specter and Patrick J. Adams' Mike Ross. Introduced in Suits Season 1 as Harvey Specter's whip-smart secretary, the show often failed to realize the potential of the character. Her journey from a sassy secretary to a COO and finally Harvey's wife was mesmerizing.

Every time I watch Suits, I draw the same frustrating conclusion: Donna Paulsen deserved better. I felt she was the heart and soul of the show, and yet Suits, over nine seasons, failed to give her the depth, independence, and evolution her character demanded.

Donna Paulsen was the Suits' secret weapon — and they didn't know what to do with her

From the first episode, Donna Paulsen proved she is much more than a supporting character. She stole scenes with quick wit, emotional intelligence, and an unapologetic presence. Do you remember how in Suits, when Harvey got stuck in DA Cameron Dennis' scandal, it was Donna who helped Harvey with the key evidence? And the time when Donna Paulsen let Mike Ross enter Harvey's office for the interview when he was dodging the police? Iconic, Isn't it?

Or the time when Louis wanted to trade Donna for Harvey's case to be moved forward, Donna smoothly acted her way out. In Suits, Season 1 Episode 5, titled Bail Out, she faked crying to come out of the awkward situation, and well, who could forget her sassy lines?

"I read lips. I read body language, and I talk to Norma. I'm not some token you win at a fair, Louis, I'm a human being. You know that just made me feel... really cheap."

The problem was not with Sarah Raffertry's performance — in fact, she brought every scene to life. The issue was how the writing shackled Donna Paulsen to Harvey's storyline. Remember the time the IT guy, Benjamin, made a piece of AI software, The Donna. The writers, instead of focusing on her character arc and development, reduced her to an AI concept for the subplot. To date, it is considered one of the most baseless subplots by many Suits fans (count me in).

Over nine seasons, nearly every major arc she had was centered on Harvey; his needs, his fears, and his indecision. Even when she became the COO of the firm, a huge milestone, her storyline did not explore the challenges of the role. Her romance with Harvey while inevitable and long-awaited, but that never came with a proper backstory. I loved the chemistry — but hated that it came at the cost of Donna's independence. It wasn't just her relationship with Harvey — she was often used as a tool for someone else's narrative.

Even though Donna Paulsen's journey was noteworthy in Suits, there are certain aspects of the character that were missed, especially when she had the potential to be a powerful figure in the series.

The only time they got serious with Donna's character (the COO plot), they rushed the storyline, leaving several fans confused.

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Another issue is that although Sarah Rafferty's Donna Paulsen was a pivotal character of the series, she often received less screentime, especially in later seasons. Thus, I firmly believe Donna Paulsen, a fan favourite character of Suits deserved a better storyline and charcter arc.

Also read: One Suits episode made The Donna unbearable, and 8 years later it still gives us the creeps

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