Professional Lines Blur as Stuart and Ted Finally Face Off

Editor’s note: The below recap contains spoilers for Suits LA Episode 3.Suits LA pulls out the big guest star guns for its third episode, as both The Office alum Brian Baumgartner and Patton Oswalt stop by Ted’s (Stephen Amell) office. The storyline feels like an Entourage side plot, but how fun would Suits LA be if it was more Entourage shenanigans instead of pretentious Law & Order?

We are not here to complain! This episode also fills in some big blanks left unanswered by the pilot. Flashbacks to Ted’s mobster case in New York reveal the depth of his friendship with Stuart (Josh McDermitt) and also gives more context around the timing of Eddie’s (Carson A. Egan) death. In the present timeline, Stuart and Ted’s relationship becomes even more complicated as they face off once more, and Stuart has to reveal that he’s been appointed to a very personal job in Ted’s life. The extra details are starting to make character dynamics make sense — at least the characters who aren’t Ted. Suits LA is still trying to figure out exactly what kind of show it wants to be, and we are hanging in for the ride.

Erica Has Never Seen a Tom Hanks Movie, and Other Crimes in ‘Suits LA’ Episode 3

Erica (Lex Scott Davis) and Leah (Alice Lee) are tasked with meeting with Ted’s client, Baumgartner. The actor plays a satirized version of himself, desperate to shed his Office alter ego. In fact, his exact words are that he wants to kill Kevin Malone. His idea for transitioning from comedy to “Oscar-worthy” dramatic roles is to talk to Robin Williams, Jamie Foxx, or Tom Hanks about their legendary transitions. Robin Williams is no longer with us on this plane or the Suits LA plane, and this show does not have a Jamie Foxx appearance budget. That leaves Tom Hanks, but don’t get your hopes up. NBC can namedrop America’s dad as one of Ted’s clients because he’s in the family, narrating The Americas, which airs right before Suits LA.

Fun fact: Brian wasn’t crazy about this idea. It’s the same tactic Justin Timberlake used in 2010 when campaigning to get an Oscar nod for his supporting role in The Social Network. However, Suits LA still doesn’t have access to Hanks, so Leah counters with pitching Alfonso Ribeiro as an example of someone who’s reinvented themselves in Hollywood. The conversation leads to Erica attempting to do the Carlton dance, and that is going to be burned in my retinas forever. I don’t know what Lex Scott Davis did to deserve that, but I hope she has repented.

Meanwhile, Leah goes through Ted’s client list and finds a closer (as in better than Alfonso but in no way actually close) person for Brian to talk to: Patton Oswalt. He’s a multi-faceted actor and well within the Suits LA appearance budget. Unfortunately for Brian, Patton doesn’t believe in his mission to become an Academy Award-level talent and the two get into a shouting match about whether Kevin Malone or Remy from Ratatouille is a more distinguished IMDb credit. The fight ends with Brian storming out of the office and threatening to fire Erica if she doesn’t get him exactly what he wants the next time she asks. But Erica is always a few steps ahead. She’d told Patton to bait Brian into the fight so that he would be proactive about his dramatic ambition — and he books himself a lead role in an off-Broadway play. He just needed the push to put himself out there and Erica provided that, so she lives to fight another day. This storyline proves that Suits LA can actually be fun if it wants to be, and if it isn’t weighed down by all the other stuff.

A Murder Trial Becomes a Divorce Negotiation in ‘Suits LA’ Episode 3

Ted and Kevin (Troy Winbush) have the fun task of telling Lester (Kevin Weisman) that his wife is sleeping with his business partner. The good news is that Lester is genuinely shocked by the revelation. The bad news is that he immediately goes into a violent rage and starts smashing his office apart. Things do not go better for Ted after talking to Lester’s wife, Valerie (Kristen Hager). She refuses to talk to him about Lester or her relationship with his partner, Simon, because she’s been advised by her attorney – Stuart Lane – not to say anything to anyone without him present. Lester and Valerie are getting a divorce, which would put Ted and Stuart on opposite sides of the mediation table (because legal specialties mean nothing on this show, so why wouldn’t they also be divorce attorneys on top of everything else?).

Ted and Stuart didn’t always hate each other. They were the center of this episode’s New York flashbacks, and wouldn’t you believe it, Stuart wasn’t always a criminal defense attorney either. No, Stuart started in corporate law (like Harvey!) and then spontaneously agreed to defend Ted’s mob boss murder witness because Ted bought him a very expensive pastrami sandwich. At this point, it would be so much better for my blood pressure if I just accepted that this series does not care about the varying skills and expertise it takes to practice different types of law. You can’t just try on different cases like pajama pants! TLDR: Stuart was a great corporate lawyer, and he became a great defense attorney because Ted asked him to, which makes Ted’s resentment of his current field a complete enigma. In the present day, Stuart also has to reveal that he is the executor of Ted’s father’s will. By the way, Ted’s dad is officially dead now. His final request is to be buried next to Eddie. He already bought the plot and Ted only has two days to figure out how to stop it.

Related

Another Beloved Character Is Returning for ‘Suits LA’

He’ll be joining the already returning Gabriel Macht.

Back in flashback land, Stuart did what Ted asked him to do and defended his witness. He argued to get him sentenced to prison in Hawaii because he thought Ted would be reasonable and counter with Miami. Instead, Ted got very self-righteous and told both Stuart and his witness to essentially shove it. That’s when Stuart revealed the witness knew that Ted’s father was on the payroll of the mobster that Ted was going to such lengths to put away. If that information got out, Ted’s days at the Justice Department would be over. Ted refused to budge on the deal despite the threat to his career. So Stuart offered to pretend he was the lawyer on the mobster’s payroll to protect Ted’s reputation. In his mind, he and Ted were brothers.

At the divorce mediation, Ted forgets that he is there on behalf of his client and goes for cheap shots against Stuart. Lester finally reminds him to calm down, and they accept Valerie’s bid for half the assets earned during the marriage in exchange for her supporting Lester during the murder trial. Ted still talks down to her about betraying her partner with the person who would hurt Lester the most, but he is really talking to Stuart and referring to Stuart teaming up with Ted’s ex against him. Then Ted storms out, but not before also biting Sam (Rachelle Goulding). Guys, I think Ted has a temper problem and he kind of sucks as a human.

A compromising photo that makes it look like Lester knew about the affair all along brings them back to the negotiation table. After a pep talk from Ted, Lester is a lot more contrite on the second go-around. He is able to prove that he didn’t see what was happening in the photo because he wasn’t wearing his glasses at the time, but he still wants Valerie to have everything she wants. He even gets her a great part in a new movie to prove that he still believes in her and is sorry for taking her for granted. She agrees to stand by him at trial so his marriage and his chances of beating the murder charges are saved in one fell swoop.

Meanwhile, Rick (Bryan Greenberg) officially lands the Head of Entertainment job at his new firm and his first order of business is to fire three of the lawyers in his division. He passes the test and gets a new office out of the deal without actually having to fire anyone. He just needs to prove that he is willing to do the deed. However, his trip on cloud nine is short-lived when he hears that Ted’s father died during the botched murder. Watching his old mentor grief-spiral triggers Rick’s guilt about bailing. Erica isn’t willing to help him nurse his conscience, but their post-work debrief proves that there’s still some chemistry between them.

The Ghost Brother Returns in ‘Suits LA’ Episode 3

There’s still the matter of Ted’s father’s burial to deal with. The final set of flashbacks reveals that Eddie was killed before Ted left New York, not when they were kids, which means the mobster case had something to do with it. Stuart was there during Eddie’s final days and asked Ted to be the best man at his wedding — that’s how close they were.

Meanwhile, at home in the present, Stuart’s psychiatrist wife convinces him that he’s harboring some guilt about the fallout of his personal relationship with Ted after the merger. The words sink in because Stuart pushes Ted’s secretary to send him to his father’s burial. Ted initially refuses to go, but a new appearance from Eddie at the kitchen table convinces him to go and say goodbye for both of them. Ted shows up to find Stuart already standing at the grave, and Ghost Eddie holds Stuart’s hand as his father’s casket is lowered into the ground. I guess Ted didn’t need the encouragement from his emotional support ghost? Ted really is on an island by himself, but I can’t say he doesn’t deserve it.

Suits LA continues Sundays at 9 PM on NBC. Episodes are available the next day on Peacock.

Suits LA

Stuart and Ted face off in the strongest episode of Suits LA yet.

Release Date

February 23, 2025

Network

NBC

Writers

Aaron Korsh

Pros & Cons

• Suits LA can be funny and it should lean into that more.
• We are finally getting more context around Eddie’s death.
• Every name drop from Ted’s client list gets better and better.

• Ted is an intolerable jerk and an even worse friend.
• Lawyers have specialties for practical reasons.