Thanks for this chronological detail surrounding the evolution of
Suits. The essence of what I said earlier still applies. I never said it was that cut-and-dried in the first place. Complexities and unknown factors are involved in a relationship that doesn't last between two people. In fact, there have been reports from Meghan sources that the reason for the marriage breakup had to do with trouble salvaging a long distance relationship. The exact date of their marriage relative to the dates surrounding the initial production of
Suits do not make or break the fact that they were already in a relationship for 7 years, and that their decision to marry coincided around the time Meghan landed the role, or near the time that the pilot was picked up and filming of the first season began. We do know that Meghan had to audition first in order to land the role of Rachel Zane.
We don't know exactly when Engelson popped the question or how long they were planning their wedding after the marriage proposal. We do know that they were married on September 10, 2011 in Jamaica. Keep in mind that the relationship lasted longer than the marriage.
Maybe Engelson did not propose until after the pilot was picked up and Meghan learned that she'd be relocating to Toronto. She would likely have signed a contract after the pilot had been picked up. Whether the marriage proposal came in 2010 when she was auditioning or in 2011 after the pilot was picked up, makes little difference. Their marriage happened after they'd been together about 7 years. The point I was making is that their relationship could have actually run it's course by then. But that it's hard to break up suddenly when you've been together that long. Both parties could have been trying to hold onto something that was not going to last whether or not Meghan had moved to Toronto.
It could also be that it was Engelson who was concerned about losing Meghan once he learned she'd be relocating. It's difficult to know what their thoughts were, but obviously even after she landed the role and filmed the pilot, there was no guarantee the pilot would be picked up, as I mentioned. Meghan might have filmed other pilots in L.A. that never got picked up. So a lot of things were up in the air. Also, she'd been with Engelson at a young age and for a long time, so it couldn't have been easy for her to see into a crystal ball or to have enough experience to realize that her life was changing and that it would be difficult to maintain a long distance relationship.
Since I only had general information, I wasn't trying to tie down the exact chronology. Even with specific dates, the scenario is still the same:
Meghan begins filming the first season in Toronto in early 2011 (at which time Engelson had likely already asked her to marry him; even if he hadn't, they must have had some kind of understanding, especially by the beginning of summer 2011). We don't have any specific details about exactly what Meghan's living arrangements were when she began filming, or exactly when she relocated to Toronto and found her apartment. She may have flown back and forth to L.A. in between breaks in filming the first and second seasons. Meanwhile, I think we can be assured that the Jamaican wedding in September 2011 required advance planning. It must have been a hectic and glorious time for Meghan. Again, there was no guarantee how long the show would last. Fortunately, for Meghan and the cast of
Suits, the show became increasingly popular over the first two years of filming from 2011 to 2013, which coincides with the length of Meghan's marriage.
Since Meghan and Engelson did get married and they stayed married for two years, I would assume they were trying to hold things together against some long distance odds. Your adding the chronology surrounding the filming of
Suits, frankly doesn't detract from what I was surmising about Meghan's growth evolution in Toronto, and the breakdown of her relationship with Engelson. Once again, the seeds of the breakdown could have already existed before they married since their relationship could have run its course after being together for 7 years. But it was difficult for them to fully recognize or admit. Let's face it that the distance between them which started prior to their marriage*, likely became worse as
Suits became increasingly successful.
*which we know based on the date timeline of
Suits and the date of their marriage, that you have provided