Warning: SPOILERS for Suits LA episode 13.
This article mentions sexual assault and death.
Suits LA’s cancelation was announced ahead of its penultimate episode (“Angry Sylvester”), leaving the season finale to unexpectedly send off the entire series. Throughout Suits LA, there were two opposing firms— “Black” (Stephen Amell’s Ted Black, Lex Scott Davis’ Erica Rollins, Maggie Grace’s Amanda Stevens, and Alice Lee’s Leah Power) and “Railsback-Lane” (Josh McDermitt’s Stuart Lane, Rachelle Goulding’s Samantha Railsback, and Bryan Greenberg’s Rick Dodsen).
Suits LA’s low ratings ensured the latest installment of Aaron Korsh’s cinematic universe remains a one-season wonder. Thankfully, Suits LA episode 13 didn’t leave every plot unresolved.
Ted & Samantha Team Up For Suits LA's Final Case
The Former Couple Go Up Against A Hollywood Predator
Suits LA episode 13 introduced a new high-powered opponent in the form of Avery Jeffers (Mike O’Malley), a producer who isn’t afraid to abuse his power (or his workers). Samantha and Ted team up to take Jeffers down, but he manages to evade their above-board tactics on technicalities. In desperation, Ted turns to his assistant, Roslyn (Azita Ghanizada), who reveals that when she previously worked for him, Avery Jeffers sexually assaulted her. Roslyn’s assault case was swept under the rug, making her hesitant to help Ted years down the line.
Roslyn worked with Avery Jeffers for 5 years before becoming Ted's secretary.
To Amanda’s chagrin, Ted realizes that in order to make criminal charges stick to Jeffers, he has to turn to Suits LA’s Elizabeth Smith (Sofia Pernas), the criminal prosecutor from Lester’s trial. Smith initially refuses, but Ted pleads to her sense of justice. Smith— in a move that Ted fondly describes as playing “a little dirty”— reveals she will be ing Jeffers as a sex offender in addition to forcing his resignation. In the end, Roslyn gets to look Jeffers in the eye as he signs a plea deal that takes away his power, if not his freedom.
Erica Finally Gives Into Her Feelings For Rick In Suits LA Episode 13
Dylan Is The Key To Their Reconciliation
Suits LA has been complicated since the very beginning. The pair start as professional rivals vying for the same promotion, but Rick jumps ship in the merger fiasco and takes a role at Stuart’s firm while Erica is promoted at Ted’s. The two maintain a friendly relationship, with vague conversations alluding to a romantic past. As their flirtatious banter continues, Rick eventually makes it clear that he has feelings for Erica, which the latter is too afraid to reciprocate. Consequently, Rick demands space.
Why Doesn't Victoria Justice Play Herself In Suits LA?
Suits LA's setting means it can have actors appear as themselves, but that was not the case for Victoria Justice, who plays an all-new character.
In the Suits LA series finale, Erica and Rick are brought together by Dylan Pryor (Victoria Justice), a client who was jilted after making a romantic advance on Rick. The explanation Rick gives in Suits LA episode 13 is that, as her lawyer, they can’t mix business and pleasure. Immediately, Dylan enlists Erica to be her new counsel, hoping to change Rick’s mind. Rick then comes clean about his unrequited love to Dylan, only for Erica to prove that it isn’t unrequited at all. Erica and Rick share a heated kiss, boding well for the unconfirmed future of their relationship.
Stuart Reverses His Episode 1 Betrayal And Asks Ted To Merge In The Suits LA Series Finale
The Best Friends End On A Great Note
The biggest Louis Litt in Suits LA episode 12.
Suits LA Episode 10 Reveals Why Harvey & Louis Are More Effective Lawyers Than Ted & Stuart
The West Coast spinoff of Suits may have sold Ted Black as the LA counterpart of Harvey Specter, but the original continues to reign supreme.
The Suits LA episode 1 betrayal comes full circle, however, in the series finale. After Ted and Samantha defeat Jeffers, Ted meets Stuart at his office to discuss what he and Kevin (Troy Winbush) have been up to. Stuart then asks if Ted would consider going through with the original merger deal and ing them, but Ted has reservations due to the quasi-love triangle between himself, Samantha, and Amanda. After running into Samantha— who makes it abundantly clear that she isn’t afraid of “messy”— Ted agrees to merge with Railsback-Lane.
How Stuart & Kevin Honor Eddie's Memory In Suits LA Episode 13
Ted Gets The Last Laugh Over His Father
Kevin, Ted’s close friend and former FBI agent, was largely absent for the latter half of Suits LA after he turned down Ted’s West Coast job offer in episode 7. This changes in Suits LA episode 13 when Stuart, who was made executor of Ted’s father’s (Matt Letscher) will, decides to use his power for good. Stuart uses the estate left behind by Ted’s father to create a memorial park for Eddie Black (Carson A. Egan), Ted’s older brother who died in 2010.
Stuart helped Ted find closure instead of revenge...
Eddie’s death in Suits LA has haunted Ted, but it isn’t until the series finale that the full story is revealed. After Ted put away mob boss John Pellegrini (Anthony Azizi), a hit was ordered on the former federal prosecutor. Knowing of the plan, Ted’s father takes him out to dinner, leaving Eddie home alone for a mafioso to set off the bomb, claiming his life but sparing Ted's. Ted’s father died in the Suits LA series premiere, but Stuart helped Ted find closure instead of revenge in the series finale.
The Real Meaning Of The Suits LA Series Finale
The LA Drama Took Too Long To Arrive
While there were a few great scenes in Suits LA episode 13, the spinoff’s weak sense of self left the finale feeling inconsequential. There’s not enough narrative depth to extract a moral of the story, not enough character development to feel like a journey, and not enough emotion to pack a real punch. There are many contributing factors that explain why Suits LA failed, but the most prevailing issue in the finale was a flimsy identity. Suits LA included all the grit of the original series without any of the charm, working against its Hollywood setting and originality.
Suits and Suits LA are streaming on Peacock.
That said, there are moments when Suits LA episode 13 had some substance. While surface-level, Amanda and Ted’s argument over going to Elizabeth represented the moral ambiguity that goes into criminal law. Playing dirty to take down Jeffers reflects how, in the ruthless, dog-eat-dog world that Suits LA tried to portray, the ends sometimes justify the means. Roslyn’s backstory could’ve been a heavy hitter, but Suits LA saved her story of surviving sexual assault for the finale and sidelined the character for most of the storyline. Suits LA could have been compelling, but it never fully committed to itself.
How The Suits Season 1 Finale Sets Up Season 2
Lots Of Loose Ends Will Never Be Tied
For every plot that came to a satisfying end, however, there were two left lingering for a Suits LA season 2 that would never come. It’s a shame, because the fringe of the cast of characters seemed prime to come into the spotlight if renewed. Unfortunately, all that’s left are the loose threads left behind in the Suits LA finale. Erica and Rick shared a kiss, but their relationship status was never confirmed. Ted agreed to merge with Samantha and Stuart, but his feelings for Amanda left him in trepidation. Overall, the future seemed complicated but bright.
Suits LA is the second title in the Suits franchise to be canceled after one season, following 2019's Pearson starring Gina Torres.
Yet, the biggest conflict that ended in Suits LA episode 13— the chronicle of Ted’s flashbacks to 2010 New York— has no clear replacement. Potentially, Suits LA season 2 would have continued with flashbacks to Ted after he moved to LA. Alternatively, another character might have been centered and had flashbacks to their past instead. Perhaps Suits LA would have scrapped the controversial flashback sequences entirely, focusing on the present instead of harping on a character’s dark past. Sadly, what may have played out on NBC in Suits LA season 2 will forever remain a hypothetical.
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- Creator(s)
- Aaron Korsh
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