or, My Very Serious Attempt At Analysing The Billentines.
"BILL YOU GO OUT WITH ME?" - Gods, he's even worse than Stan. Jack of NO Trades, Master of PUN. (Not the actual intent here, but if you add a comma, it almost sounds like someone else is asking him out. In cute-sy speak. "Bill, you go out with me?!?! Pwease?")
"I'VE GOT MY ❤️EYE❤️ ON YOU" - Aww, his eye is so expressive. Also love the way he's just... sitting on the ground like that. His base is so thin, it's no wonder why he needs to prop himself up with his little noodle leg. Like a reverse kickstand.
"YOU'RE ACUTE-Y" - Bill torments his friends with terrible, nerdy geometry puns Confirmed. Stanford Filbrick Pines PhD x 12's dream partner amiright？
"I LIKE YOU FOR SOME REASON" - *apologetically glances towards Ford* What reason, Bill? You can confide in us. Or perhaps you don't know...
"LET'S GET ILLUMINAUGHTY" - HE REMOVED HIS BOWTIE WTF-I-I didn't even think that was possible. Welp, you learn something new every day. ...And, are those his cheeks? I’ve always assumed that his whole surface changes colour whenever he is feeling a particularly strong emotion. Huh.
"I'M BROKEN. WANNA FIX ME?" - ...now you're just mocking us. If this ends up spreading to the wider fandom- Oh. Oh dear. It already has. Well played, Hirsch. In all seriousness though, this one is surprisingly introspective of Bill. Has he been doing some postmortem soul-searching? Read a few self-help books? Perhaps Frills was the one who first suggested that he write his own book as a means of reaching a state of inner catharsis...Or maybe it’s just a reference to how Stan literally shattered his face before killing him.
"I DON'T WANT TO DIE ALONE" - See my previous post. Long story short, he stopped time for a reason. But. Also. He looks depressed. No offence, of course. (Is the floor comfortable? From data gathered during the period of my life that I spent as a Weird Human Child With Weird Human Quirks, I have come to the conclusion that the floor is not, in fact, the most comfortable of places to lie down and ponder one’s existence, but you do you I guess.)
"I SECRETLY COLLECTED YOUR SWEAT IN A JAR AND ACCORDING TO EXTENSIVE LAB TESTING. WE HAVE AN 88.3% PHEROMONE COMPATIBILITY MATCH" - Bill has pheromones. 88.3%...Is there a significance to this number? Does Bill Cipher even know, or care, about basic lab safety and scientific accuracy these days? The answer is a resounding “No. Definitely not. Absolutely not.”
"THEY CALL ME...THE LOVE TRIANGLE" - How To Become Besties With Mabel Pines In One (1) Quick & Easy Step. But you better watch out Bill, the Love God will probably be filing a lawsuit against you for Stealing His Look...and a minor case of Very Intentional And Blasphemous Blasphemy.
…
Whew. Done. Overanalysis is to me what Ichor is to the Greek Gods.
Alright, it's time. This will be my tentative suggestion at what the DPHW measures and a breakdown of how I got there. Feel free to skip the part where I show my work if you just want to hear my proposition towards end of the post. Note that this is probably not the final version of my theory, and I might have to revise it whenever we get new information.
So we know that the DPHW measures four variables independently, but they are somehow linked to each other, and the OIAR is trying to keep the variables balanced in the middle so that none of them becomes too dominant. This much was confirmed in episode 36. But we don't yet know what they actually measure, and that's what I'm here to try and find out. This will be a long post, so full explanation under the cut.
Revisiting the Tria Prima
If you've been reading my posts, you know that I've viewed the supernatural through the lens of the three primes, or Tria Prima: Salt, Sulphur and Mercury. To summarise, Salt 🜔 is the body, structure, rigidity or stagnation, Mercury ☿ is the spirit, mind, solvent and liminality, and Sulphur 🜍 is the soul, fire, passion, activity and catalysis. The incidents are caused by an imbalance between these principles, and each principle will manifest in its own way. You can read my first breakdown of them here, but I've since refined the concepts a little.
However, the OIAR assesses their cases with four parametres, not three. This is quite common in alchemy, where everything is viewed in quaternities. It's very typical to see a circle divided into four quarters, each of which symbolises part of a whole. The circle itself symbolises a unity, where everything comes together. Because of the importance of the quaternities, Carl Jung (the psychologist obsessed with alchemy) thought that trinities need to become quaternities before they can be fully applied. He also thought that the tria prima becomes a quaternity when you consider the dual nature of Mercury (solid/liquid, masculine/feminine).
Lucky for me, we already have a quaternity right there on the OIAR's logo. This, I argue, will be the key in dissecting the DPHW.
Breaking apart the symbolism
What's striking to me about this portion of the logo is that they have fully separated the tria prima. Salt 🜔 and Mercury ☿ are within the unity, but there are four Sulphur symbols 🜍 outside of it, or should I say external to it. It might be worth noting that both the circle and the square are parts of the wider symbol of the philosopher's stone, where the circle symbolises the stone itself (or the unity of elements) and the square symbolises the four elements or the material plane. The sulphur symbols are reminiscent of arrows that either point at the corners or expand what's in the middle. It's an interesting side note, but to me it seems to say that Sulphur is directly related to the actions of the externals (or the alchemical fire they exert upon the world) and not measured with the quaternity. This could confirm what I already suspect, that the externals' role in this is to increase each variable in order to bring them to balance.
Okay, if the unity does not account for Sulphur but does include Salt and Mercury, then we have two spaces open. As far as I can tell, the double chevrons don't have any wide (or even niche) use in alchemy. The best I could find was if you chop up the double sawtooth symbol for water, but that feels like a stretch, and water is most commonly symbolised by a downwards pointing triangle. So most likely these are arbitrary symbols chosen for the podcast, either to obfuscate the meaning or because widely accepted symbolism couldn't be found.
What's notable about the double chevrons is that they evoke a syzygy pattern common for concepts that are two parts of a whole. The most common example would be the yin/yang, where you have light in darkness and darkness in light. Following this line of thinking, in alchemy we have the duality of active/passive principles, also associated with sun/moon, solve/coagula, masculine/feminine, celestial niter/celestial salt. These are some very common dualities, and they are also represented in the yin/yang syzygy itself.
Sun is associated with light, activity, fire, sources of life but also sources of destruction. The sun-associated celestial niter gives birth to the volatile elements, which include sulphur and the volatility of mercury. Its inclusion in the quaternity would explain the absence of sulphur, since the two align so closely. Moon is associated with darkness, reflectivity, passivity, nurturing and secrets. The moon-associated celestial salt gives birth to the passive or fixed elements, including salt and the calm, solid part of mercury.
Here's a diagram explaining the relations, image snatched from somewhere in the internet:
Note: I have found some symbols for celestial salt and niter, but they are (respectively) a circle with a horizontal line (identical to salt) and a circle with a perpendicular line. So not only would it look confusing, it would also look kind of dull. Which could explain the use of other symbols instead.
Applying this to DPHW
Now that we have broken down the quaternity, let's try and apply it to the DPHW. Through my Amazing Data Analysis skills (/s) I found a small inverse correlation between D/W (-0,21) and P/H (-0,26). It would stand to reason that these variables stand for opposite (but not contradictory) parts of the whole. I've tentatively slotted them as D/W = Salt/Mercury and P/H = Sol/Luna (or sun/moon). In the following I will lay out how I currently understand the values, but this is always subject to change. I also haven't been able to find any alchemical codewords that directly and neatly slot these into the DPHW abbreviation, so I must conclude that they have looked for words that somehow embody the concepts instead. I'm not that confident in my placeholder words, so let me know if you can think of something better.
D = Salt (Definition?)
Could measure the physical boundaries, and how rigidly they manifest. Might also apply to more abstract structure, discipline, societal roles? It can't only be about bodies or meat, or the demonic baby would be higher, and it can't be about preservation, or Hungry Man's Grill would be higher. I keep asking myself what's common between Doctor Tree (8) and the hungry violin (7). Honestly, this is the weakest link in my theory and I can't quite put my finger on how it fits. Let me know what you think.
P = Sol (Passion? Power?)
Measures the internal drive, passion and ambition. Artistic creation but also the destructive qualities of human nature. Something internal that wants to be seen in the light. I think of Plato's "soul" metaphor: a chariot drawn by two horses representing passion and appetite. This would be the passion. Basically "I have too much of X and it needs to come out." Overwhelming energy directed outwards. Jung's Animus archetype. High P cases have involved bursts of mindless violence and aggression, often with some theatrics or showing off.
H = Luna (Hunger? Heart?)
Measures the more reflective and passive forces associated with the moon. Transformation caused by the individual's dark thoughts/secrets/desires or by reflections of external expectations. Deeply tied to unresolved emotions and needs. This is the other horse in Plato's soul chariot, the appetite. Basically "There's a deep void in me and it needs to be filled". Overwhelming energy directed inwards. Jung's Anima. Almost all high H cases have involved memories, trauma or a deep desire (and there are a lot of them, too).
W = Mercury (???)
Measures the presence of an intangible psychic mass of concepts, ideas, thoughts and memories that are constantly present in everything. Sort of like the psychic energy or collective unconscious that includes all of history but is constantly contributed to. High W is often paired with high H, which makes sense if you consider the reflective quality and introspection required to tap into the unconscious and bring it to reality. Bonzo's W is 8, which signifies that he's a solid construct in the collective mind, and his music is a strong symbol that seems to summon him. If Mercury is not counterbalanced by Salt, it can blur or even dissolve physical boundaries, leading to some weird liminal occurrences.
Please let me know what you think of this theory. Does it make any sense? Do you have suggestions for what the letters could stand for? Do you think I have some of them backwards? I could also be totally, absolutely wrong on all of it. I know for a fact that I'm still missing something, but I have dug deep and I at least hope it shows.
Ok so besides Klaus seeming to float, he is also the only one holding the umbrella with the handle facing up. This might just be a nod to his individuality (like with the pink umbrella as opposed to the black one everyone else is holding), but I've got this HC that while they all lost his powers, his connection to the void is there. If he were to die, maybe he could actually rematerialise himself back in their original timeline in s1. Also, it could be a reference to how he's always stumbling onto the plot hook and letting the audience figure it out before any of them.
Then there's obviously Five holding it in his left hand - which fair enough, he is left-handed. But so is Klaus, so why isn't he holding it in the left? I feel like there's more to it, maybe he's the only one actually pushing the drive to restore their powers? Maybe to highlight his restored missing arm?
Diego also decided to hold his umbrella weird, almost like he's ready to use it as a weapon. He's always been a little tense, can't imagine he's any better with a baby to watch out for.
Aside from everyone's language learning experiences, the main thing I find interesting about QSMP is watching how certain words fall into common knowledge.
When two or more speakers of different languages start talking, very often on QSMP, they will default to English. The English language acts as a common space for a lot of cross-linguistic communication on QSMP. But there are also non-English words that fall into that common space, such as 'fofoca', 'enigmas'*, and 'no mames'.
A fun consequence of them entering the common space is that the English creators don't really "leave" that common space. The English language is the common space, so they all just speak in the common space all the time. And thus we get 'fofoca', 'enigmas'*, and 'no mames' replacing their English alternatives among the English creators like Philza and FitMC.
FitMC has gone up to Phil claiming to have 'fofoca'. Phil says 'no mames' in normal speech. I myself have seen these phrases actively replace their English alternatives among the English speaking fans when they talk about QSMP.
And the best part is that there is potential for more. Obviously there's the barrier that the borrowed word has to be in very high frequency and have a meaning that others will also want to convey. This is often the case for linguistic borrowing. But hopefully, over time, we will see more non-English words enter the common space of QSMP.
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*While 'enigmas' is a word in English as well, the way it is used on QSMP uses the Portuguese meaning, which is different to the English meaning. English would use 'puzzles' or 'riddles' instead of 'enigmas'.
Harvey Specter – Clothing + Costume Design in Suits
So, a couple days ago, I made a post about this essay, and I've gotten a lot of requests to drop it, so... here it is.
Please be aware, this is decidedly NOT edited.
Harvey Specter is a pivotal character in the 2011 legal drama Suits. He often describes himself as the “best closer in [New York]” and is Jessica Pearson’s (the managing partner of Pearson Hardman, as of the Pilot episode) right hand man. During the shows Pilot, he is promoted from Junior Partner to Senior Partner, causing him to hire Mike Ross, a young, fraudulent attorney as his associate, creating the overarching plot of the show. Throughout the show, particularly in earlier seasons, Harvey is shown to be unfeeling and cold, constantly preaching about how he has no emotions, and, “…doesn’t care about [his] clients.” However, as the show progresses and his character develops, it’s eventually shown that he does care deeply about, “…the people [he] works with… the people [he] works for and… every one of [his] clients.” (As described by Jessica Pearson, during the Season 2 mock trial.)
In the early episodes of the show, Harvey frequently lectures Mike about the importance of dressing well and maintaining a respectable appearance. He insists that Mike buys some new suits before he begins working with Harvey at Pearson Hardman, saying that, “…people respond to the way [they] are dressed,” and that it is therefore important for them to always be dressed well. When Mike says that this suggests Harvey cares about him, he denies it, saying that Mike is simply a reflection of Harvey, and he, “…absolutely [cares] about [himself.]” Due to Harvey’s relentless pushing, Mike eventually gives in and buys new suits. However, the important of clothing in the show, is far from over, particularly in relation to Harvey’s character. Throughout the shows nine seasons, clothing is used to show Harvey’s relationships and emotional connections with other characters. This is demonstrated through how casual his clothing is, how ‘professional’ his attire, even down to the colour of his clothing. This is particularly obvious when looking at the characters of Zoe Lawford, Dana “Scottie” Scott, Dr Paula Agard, Mike Ross, and Donna Paulsen.
Zoe Lawford:
Zoe Lawford was Harvey’s first main love interest in the show. She worked at Pearson Hardman while Harvey was still and associate, where she worked in escrow and tax law. The pair developed feelings for each other, but ultimately nothing came of the relationship. However, in season 2 of Suits, Zoe is reintroduced as outside council during the Tanner lawsuit. Harvey convinces Jessica to hire her, despite Jessica being initially against the idea. As Zoe is Harvey’s first serious love interest, she is also one of the earliest examples of Harvey letting down his walls and showing emotionally vulnerability. Zoe’s character introduction takes place at a bar, during episode 7 of season 2. She and Harvey are playing pool together at said bar. During this scene, Harvey tries to recruit Zoe to come represent Pearson Hardman in the Tanner suit. Harvey is shown to be wearing a black crew neck top and dark jeans. This reveals the fact that Harvey already has an emotional connection with Zoe, due to their extensive romantic history. Both the casual attire and the dark/black colouring of Harvey’s outfit highlights the fact that he trusts Zoe. Additionally, Harvey is seeking Zoe out in a time of vulnerability, as he needs help with the Tanner suit, making the lack of a suit (Harvey’s ‘armour’) particularly important.
Later in the season, Harvey and Zoe go on two dates. On the first date, Harvey arrives at Zoe’s apartment wearing a black suit jacket, and a button up shirt. However, unlike his usual formal attire, he isn’t wearing a tie, and the first few buttons are undone. This creates a more casual outfit, demonstrating Harvey’s trust in Zoe, and how he feels comfortable being more ‘relaxed’ around her. This is the first time that Harvey and Zoe sleep together, which is a major step for their relationship, as Harvey had been angling to sleep with her since she worked at the firm years ago. On this date, Harvey also meets Zoe’s niece, and ends up spending a significant amount of time with her in the evening. While this was an emotionally significant moment for Harvey, it is not the most important event in his relationship with Zoe, which is highlighted by the contrast in Harvey’s outfit between this date and his attempted second one.
Only a few days after their first date, Harvey once again shows up at Zoe’s apartment. This date, however, does not end as successfully as the last one. Harvey arrives with the intention of taking Zoe away on a weekend trip to his cabin in the Berkshires, however, she rejects him. Her brother is dying of cancer, and she must take over care of his kid, whom Harvey met on their previous date. Unfortunately, due to this, the relationship doesn’t progress past this. During this interaction, Harvey is once again wearing a partially undone button up shirt, however this one is made of a dark grey linen. He is also wearing an open black jacket, made of what looks like denim. This outfit is remarkably similar to the one he wore on the last date with the main difference being that it’s made of different materials. This reveals how, while both events are significant to Harvey and Zoe’s relationship, this one has a larger effect on Harvey himself. The outfit also highlights the lack of boundaries Harvey is setting between himself and Zoe and is showing the trust he is putting in her. Furthermore, Zoe’s rejection is an emotionally charged moment which upsets Harvey immensely. His clothing choices are used to show his emotional connection to Zoe, and further highlight the vulnerability his is showing by both engaging with her niece, and inviting her to go away with him, which ultimately ends in heartbreak.
Dana “Scottie” Scott:
Dana “Scottie” Scott is Harvey’s next significant love interest. While she is introduced prior to Zoe, she doesn’t become a major interest until season 3. Scottie and Harvey were in the same class at Harvard Law where Harvey was 5th in his class, and Scottie was 1st. Due to this, throughout the show, they have an intense rivalry. Whenever the pair are working on the same suit, they have a rivals-with-benefits arrangement, something that started while they were still at Harvard. Scottie’s character is introduced in season 1, where she is the opposing council on a merger Harvey is working on. During her introduction, Harvey is seen to be wearing a black suit jacket, which is buttoned up. The black jacket indicates that he and Scottie have some history, and that there is already an emotional connection between them. However, the buttoned-up jacket can be considered a physical representation of Harvey’s refusal to emotionally open up to Scottie and keep their relationship purely physical and professional.
Scottie has been in love with Harvey since they were in law school together, something Harvey only realizes when Donna Paulsen, his secretary, outright tells him. When Scottie is reintroduced in Season 3, during the Pearson Darby merger, it is as a major love interest. When the Pearson Darby merger is dissolved, and replaced by Pearson Specter, Scottie is set to return to London, where she worked previously. However, Harvey, having realized and accepted that his is interested in her in a romantic way, as opposed to just physically, tries to get her to stay in Manhattan and work for him at Pearson Specter. He tells Scottie that, “…[he] wants [her] in [his] life,” and all but begs her to stay with him. During this pivotal conversation, Harvey is wearing a partially unbuttoned shirt, with the sleeves rolled up. It also takes place in his kitchen, adding another layer of emotional intimacy. The fact that Harvey is still in ‘professional’ attire further emphasizes how he, while breaking down some of his walls for Scottie, is still barricading himself to a degree. Nevertheless, this is still an important moment for Scottie and Harvey’s relationship and shows Harvey in a very emotionally vulnerable position.
Further into the relationship, Scottie and Harvey start having issues, because Harvey isn’t opening up to Scottie emotionally (a common theme in his relationships) and isn’t telling her the things she wants to know. During a particularly emotional moment, Scottie begs Harvey to start opening up to her, telling him that, “…[they] need to start being honest with each other,” and telling each other everything. Despite his protests, and the fact that he can’t tell Scottie about Mike’s fraud, Harvey promises that he will start opening up emotionally, and being honest with Scottie. During this encounter, Harvey is wearing a simple grey tee shirt. This is easily the most casual outfit Harvey is shown in for the entirety of season 3, which demonstrates how this is an incredibly important moment in Harvey and Scotties relationship.
Eventually, however, Scottie and Harvey’s relationship comes to an emotionally devastating end. Scottie, refusing to continue to be with Harvey when he is hiding things from her and not opening up to her, decides to leave both Harvey and Pearson Specter. Harvey, while knowing he won’t be able to change her mind, decides to tell her the truth about Mike, as his secret has been a key factor in the failure of Scottie and Harvey’s relationship. During this scene, Harvey is wearing a black suit and tie, with the jacket buttoned up. Black, being the colour of emotional intimacy in Harvey’s wardrobe, showcases how he is trying to tell Scottie the truth in a last-ditch attempt to get her to stay. He even goes to far as to tell her that he’s, “…tired of lying to the people [he loves].” Similarly, when Harvey talks to Scottie for the first time after their breakup for the first time, he is wearing practically the same suit. This highlights how his interaction with Scottie is emotionally charged, and Harvey is particularly vulnerable, as he is coming to Scottie to desperately request her help.
Dr Paula Agard:
Dr Paula Agard is both Harvey’s therapist during season 5, and his primary love interest in season 7. Harvey initially starts seeing her when he begins having panic attacks after Donna leaves his desk to go and work for Louis. She is prominently featured during season 5 as a clinical psychiatrist and talk therapist, and later returned to the show as a love interest in season 7. While she is ultimately helpful to helping Harvey overcome his panic attacks, and is a significant factor in his reconciliation with his mother, he ultimately stopped seeing her during season 6, presumably due to Mike’s trial and prison sentence.
The first time Paula is introduced is also one of the first times Harvey is shown to have a panic attack. After speaking with Donna, and all but receiving confirmation that she wouldn’t be leaving Louis and returning to him, he has a panic attack. Interspersed throughout this attack, are scenes of Harvey and Paula discussing it, and talking about what exactly caused it. During this scene, Harvey is being very open with Paula as he described the attack. He relates it to, “…feeling like [he] was under water,” and that he, “…couldn’t breathe,” and, “…couldn’t think.” As he discusses this, Harvey is wearing a dark black three-piece suit. The dark black represents Harvey’s emotional connection to Paula, which, when paired with the unbuttoned/open suit jacket, demonstrates how he is willing to open up emotionally to her. While there are more occasions of this occurring during Harvey’s time as a patient of Dr. Agard’s, I am going to focus further on his romantic relationship with her in season 7.
The season 7 opening shows Harvey arriving at Paula’s house in an expensive car and asking her out on a date. While Paula is originally opposed to the idea, Harvey manages to convince her. He gives her a massive speech about how he has changed – he’s, “…reconnected with [his] mum… gotten [his] old associate back, and… became Managing Partner of [his] firm.” This speech is an important moment in their relationship, as it shows Paula how Harvey has emotionally matured since they last met, and that he is willing to be vulnerable around her, something he struggled with in his past two significant relationships. Whilst this is happening, Harvey again wears a black suit, further showcasing the use of black to show emotional vulnerability and trust in Harvey’s relationships.
Additionally, Paula is the first of Harvey’s romantic partners who he introduces to his mother. After his reconciliation with his mother, Harvey invites her to join him and Paula for dinner. This is an incredibly important moment for Harvey, as we are led to believe that Paula is the only romantic partner so far that Harvey has introduced to his mother. In this scene, Harvey once again wears a black suit, one that is immensely similar to the suit he wears when he breaks things off with Paula only a week or so later. Both suits have both black jackets and ties. The most significant difference between the suits, is that while at dinner, Harvey leaves his suit jacket unbuttoned, indicating that he is opening himself up to both Paula and his mother. Contrastingly, when Harvey breaks up with Paula, his jacket is buttoned up, showing that, through ending their relationship, he is closing himself off from her in any emotional or intimate capacity.
Finally, between these moments, Paula confronts Harvey about his relationship with Donna. During the dinner, Harvey’s mother thanked Paula for being the ultimate reason that Harvey chose reconciliation with her, not realizing that it was actually Donna who caused this. Due to her own traumas from past relationships, Paula confronted Harvey about this, and told him that he would need to choose between having her in his life, or having Donna. This conversation takes place almost directly after the dinner with Harvey’s mother. Harvey, interestingly, is the one who initiates this conversation, wishing to reassure Paula of the fact that, “… [she was] the special woman in [his] life now.” During this scene, Harvey has changed out of his black suit into a simple black sleep shirt. This shirt is remarkably similar to the one he wears during his ‘honesty conversation’ with Scottie, although this shirt is darker. Again, it represents how he is laying himself completely bare for Paula, and opening himself up to her emotionally in a way that he wouldn’t usually.
Mike Ross:
Mike Ross, a character almost as pivotal as Harvey himself. The premise of the entire show relies on Harvey and Mike’s relationship, and immediate connection with each other. Without their connection, Harvey would never have hired Mike whilst knowing he was a fraud, and there would be no show. While the pair never have an explicitly stated romance, they clearly share an extremely deep emotional connection, which could easily be seen as romantic. The first time Mike and Harvey meet, during the Pilot episode, Harvey is seen to be wearing a black suit. It’s extremely uncommon for Harvey to be wearing black when he first meets a character, as it is usually used to show his emotional connection to that person. This only serves to highlight the immediate and vital connection that Mike and Harvey have, which is drastically important to the show’s existence.
A significant moment in Mike and Harvey's relationship is when Harvey goes to Mike's apartment after his grandmother dies. The pair proceeds to get high together, and Harvey opens up to Mike about his childhood, and his relationship with his mother. This is a massive step for Harvey, as he usually is very secretive about his childhood, especially in regard to his mother and her infidelity. In this moment, Harvey is wearing a black suit jacket and a grey tie. The black jacket is unbuttoned and sitting open, representing Harvey’s openness and willingness to share personal information with Mike. Additionally, his tie is pulled loose, a noticeable difference to how put-together he usually is. Wearing or being seen in casual clothing, or simply taking off the ‘armor’ of his suits, is a significant indicator that Harvey has an emotional connection with someone and that he trusts them. Harvey’s unbuttoned jacket and undone tie reveal the deep trust that he has in Mike, even at such an early stage in their relationship.
During their time working together, Harvey and Mike fight frequently. Perhaps the most significant fight they have is when Mike ‘betrays’ Harvey after Jessica blackmails him. This ends with Harvey firing Mike, and all but saying that he’s dead to him. After this fight, Mike confronts Harvey in the lobby of Pearson Hardman. Harvey yells at Mike, expressing his hurt and betrayal as he tells him that he should’ve come to him about the threat. He declares that if anyone, “…comes at [him] with any threat at all,” he should tell Harvey, because “…that’s what goddamn loyalty is.” During this confrontation, Harvey is wearing a black suit jacket and tie. The jacket is buttoned up, effectively barricading Harvey from being emotionally vulnerable, or trusting of Mike. However, the dark colour suggests that there is still an emotional connection there, and that this is an important moment for both Harvey, and his relationship with Mike. Similarly, when Mike tells Harvey he’s leaving him to go work for Jonathan Sidwell, Harvey is wearing an almost identical suit. Harvey is visibly upset by this news, and the buttoned-up suit jacket can be seen as a physical representation of his attempt to ignore the pain he is in, due to Mike’s leaving. Additionally, during the entire showtime where Mike works at Sidwell Investment Group, Harvey isn't seen in casual clothes, a clear representation of the damage done to their relationship when Mike leaves Pearson Specter.
After finding out that Rachel cheated on him, Mike went to Harvey’s condo, seeking comfort. When Mike shows up, Harvey is wearing an untucked, partially unbuttoned shirt, and black trousers. The casual outfit demonstrates the connection between Mike and Harvey, as Harvey is the person Mike immediately went to when he needed support. Harvey is obviously trying to help Mike, and he uses their emotional connection to do so, which is shown through his clothing. Additionally, the next day, when Harvey is comforting Mike, and giving him advice on how to deal with the Rachel situation, he wears a black tie. During this scene, Harvey suggests that Mike goes home to Rachel, essentially closing himself off slightly from Mike, hence the grey suit. However, he ensures Mike that he can stay with him for longer if he needs, showing that he still wishes to help and comfort Mike, hence the dark black tie.
Mike going to prison is one of the most emotionally devastating things to happen to Harvey in the shows duration. During Mike's trial and the time he spent in jail, Harvey started having panic attacks again, something he had only been having while Donna had been working at Louis's desk. Mike's arrest sends Harvey into a desperate spiral of trying to keep him out of prison, and he is devastated when he realizes he 'failed' to do so, after Mike sacrificed himself. During one scene, Harvey tells Donna that Mike going to prison is, "…all [his] goddamn fault." As he speaks, he is in near tears and obviously distressed. In that moment, he is wearing a dark, unbuttoned black suit jacket, showing the emotional connection he has with both Mike and Donna. His shirt is also partially unbuttoned, which, paired with the unbuttoned jacket, demonstrates how he is opening himself up to the devastating emotions he's feeling in response to Mike's trip to prison. Finally, both Harvey's suits when he takes Mike to prison, and when he gets out, are all black, worn buttoned up to shield himself from the pain of losing what is probably the most important person in his life.
Donna Paulsen:
Donna Paulsen is Harvey’s final love interest. The pair met when Harvey was still working at the DA’s office, and Donna was still an aspiring actress. She quickly became one of the people Harvey trusted most, and has had a significant effect on his life, whether that be by simply helping him understand his emotions, or by urging him to reconnect with his mother. Harvey has gone so far as to say that he, “…can’t be [himself] without [her],” and refused to return to Gordon, Shmidt and Van Dyke (as it was known then) without Donna joining him. The pair has many ups and downs throughout the show, including Donna leaving Harvey to go work for Louis, Donna watching Harvey flit through lovers and partners and countless times where one has put themselves on the line for the other.
Throughout their time together at the DAs office, it is no secret that Harvey and Donna constantly flirt. Despite this, Donna refuses Harvey’s attempts to progress their relationship past flirting, due to the fact that she won’t sleep with someone she works with. Even later in the show, Donna tells Rachel Zane that once you cross that boundary, “…you can never go back.” However, in the brief moment between when Harvey leaves the DAs office and returns to Gordon, Shmidt and Van Dyke, he and Donna do sleep together. Harvey shows up to Donna’s apartment wearing with a white, partially unbuttoned shirt (with black pinstripes – noticeably very similar to the suit he wears in the Pilot) and a black suit jacket. While, for Harvey, “a serial womanizer” sex isn’t necessarily an emotional thing, it is still an important step in his relationship with Donna, one that he finds it near impossible to come back from.
When Donna returns to work for Harvey at Gordon, Schmidt, and Van Dyke, they vow that what happened “that night” can never happen again. However, Harvey never truly recovers from his feelings for Donna, only falling for her deeper. After a scare where Donna almost ended up in jail, she and Harvey spend time at her apartment together. Harvey opens up to Donna about how he doesn’t care if anyone loses faith in him, but, “…with [her] it’s different.” Right before he leaves, he tells Donna that he loves her. This is one of the few times in the show that Harvey has explicitly stated to a love interest that he loves them. While this is happening, Harvey is wearing a black three-piece suit, however, the suit jacket is removed, leaving only the vest and tie. Interestingly, for that entire episode, Harvey is shown almost exclusively in black, or mostly black suits. This is a clear demonstration of Harvey’s emotional connection with Donna, and how much he values having her in his life. Interestingly, in the scene where Harvey confesses his love for Donna, she is also wearing all black, in the same fashion as Harvey. This further demonstrates that the pair have an unbreakable bond, and that their emotional connection is reflected and shared equally.
However, due to his unwillingness to commit, Donna essentially rebuts Harvey, and leaves his desk to go work as Louis’s secretary. This triggers Harvey to start having panic attacks (and eventually see a psychiatrist) and leaves him feeling incredibly betrayed. During the moment where Donna informs Harvey of her decision to leave his desk, Harvey again wears an all-black suit, including a black pocket square. While at the start of the scene, Harvey is open and receptive to Donna, shown through his suit jacket being unbuttoned, when she tells him that she’s leaving him, he quickly fastens the jacket, highlighting his immediate desire to close himself off to her, because of this perceived “betrayal.”
Interestingly, the night Harvey finally makes the decision to commit himself to Donna, permanently, he isn’t wearing all black, instead he wears a dark grey suit with only a black tie. While his suit jacket is still unbuttoned (and he doesn’t stay in the suit for long) it is interesting to note the change in his attire, as opposed to how his connection to Donna is usually shown.
Throughout the duration of Suits, Harvey Specter has many relationships, both professional, romantic, and platonic. Many of these relationships overlap, progressing from one, to another, back to something else. However, the common denominator of these relationships, is that Harvey struggles to express himself emotionally. He even goes so far as to describe himself as “…emotionally unavailable,” even as early as season 2. Where Harvey cannot express how much he values, trusts or cares about a character, his clothing, the colouring of his suits, and how casual his outfits are, express this for him, time and time again. While there are examples of this with almost every character whom Harvey is close to, it is most clearly shown through Zoe, Scottie, Paula, Mike, and Donna.
*mic drop*
TAGS: @bewarethesmirk, @vettelmeisterr, @theactressstaringinyourbaddream, @huneyism and @alinanvjsmom-blog
I just started to read the book yesterday and... I definitelly am NOT disappointed!😍
Just first 3 chapters and it feels like film prequel!!!🤯
There's Maurice's fear of darkness and him playing with his sisters, and the way he treats their servants, and there's that fucking doctor Barry (NOT really a "family friend"), and also there's Dicky...
And there comes the most decent story about how does it feel to be adolescenting boy, and gay, and from hundret years ago, and not realising what's going on, even less that there might be anything "wrong" with him, and it's so innocent in his naivety (there's the "dream about the friend that last your whole life" - aaaaargh!!!😍), and it feels so simple and sincere, and so true - and when you know it's autobiographic novel of actually homosexual writer living hundret years ago - and so it's just literally a first hand description of how did HE felt when being a boy and it' like...
OMG I did not deserve this!!!🥲 My inner psychologist is already drooling all over the floor...🤤 What teen Maurice experienced when reading "Martial" might be similar to what I feel when reading "Maurice"!
But then when I see how author was describing his main character in such cruel way, always emphasing how average, unintelligent and lazy he was, and I'm thinking if that was some kind of fashion to put so much sarcasm into your character description and to lower his personality and motivations so much or could it be just some manner of excessive self-criticism - because I remembered once again it's autobiographic - but then isn't it even more weird if he was so critical toward his own self and then I'm like... Isn't it the way I myself try to underestimate my work and art because it actually feels so dear to me that I'd rather be the most critical so that you don't guess how much it matters to me and you won't bother to criticise it yourself or even if you would it won't be so painful as I already tried to believe that it is worthless anyway or maybe I'd rather hear you laugh about my lame joke than letting you know my true feelings because then you might be sympathising or pity me and that'll make me feel humiliated and bringing me to tears and - I don't want to be pitiful and I want to feel I still have control over my own feelings and I want not to be seen crying and vulnerable - and especially if I was a guy...
So maybe the author was describing his character in such cruel manner just to hide how dear he actually was to him?🤔
Overanalysing? Obviously! I just need to feed that empathetic beast sometimes. Why else would I ever be reading?
it's empathy for the devil spoilers and rasa overanalysing everything like he always does time
in chapter 3 of EFTD, i'm still trying to figure out why timber and sunset switched bodies (and those two not knowing why as well is very smart writing wise and frustrating for reader me, kudos).
and then i saw this line. i feel like it means more than what it lets on.
something is going on here, maybe im overthinking but the way he says this makes me think, yeah, there's smth wrong
i was originally thinking: since sunset was upset at timber for crashing their date, maybe timber's upset as to why they're on a date where his boyfriend works?
i don't think it's jealousy on timber's part unlike sunset but i think it may have something to do with flash
im just so . WHY WOULD HE ASK THIS IN THIS WAY
because if there wasn't anything going on, timber would say "oh yk flash works here right?" but he's asking for clarification for some reason???? grrrr answers where r u
anyways this was episode 183740 of overanalysing with rasa i hope you enjoyed
