Warning! Spoilers ahead for Suits LA episode 1, "Seven Days a Week and Twice on Sunday."Suits found a streaming resurgence in 2023. While technically unconnected to Pearson Hardman (and all the other iterations of the firm), comparisons between Suits LA and the original show are inevitable. Stephen Amell's Ted Black is poised as the West Coast iteration of Gabriel Macht's Harvey Specter, which is further emphasized by their soon-to-be-revealed history, as New York's best closer finds his way to sunny California.

In of story, however, Suits LA cannot be any more different from Suits. Instead of laying down a clear premise with the "Two Lawyers, One Degree" tag and focusing on setting the path for Mike Ross and Harvey's meeting, the spinoff has several plot lines at play. Suits LA episode 1 features three big twists, with Ted all at the center. That said, arguably the most significant out of all the unexpected plot directions that "Seven Days a Week and Twice on Sunday" takes is the professional and personal relationship collapse between Stuart Lane and Amell's character.

Stuart's Betrayal In Suits LA Is So Much Worse Than Everything That Louis Did In Suits

Louis Wouldn't Go As Far As Stuart Does In Suits LA

Because Suits LA's story relies a lot on flashbacks, the full context of what really happened remains unclear. To put it simply, after years of partnership, Stuart betrays Ted when he cuts him off the merger with another law firm, Railsback. As subsequently revealed in the Suits LA premiere, it was a calculated move that was meant to fully blindside supposedly the country's best attorney. Regardless of what had happened before his decision, what Stuart did was extremely conniving and heartless, and is worse than anything I've seen Louis pull off in Suits.

Granted Pearson Hardman's most mercurial lawyer did some major backstabbing and sabotaging, he had never gone to the extent of hurting Harvey and Mike the same way Stuart did with Ted.

I'm sure that Ted isn't exactly easy to work with. Like Harvey, he's cocky and even cold. Suits LA may eventually justify what Stuart did in the premiere, but spending a fun night with a life-long friend knowing that you will be proverbially kneecapping him the next morning is a move that is so vile that Louis would not likely do even on his worst emotional day. Granted Pearson Hardman's most mercurial lawyer did some major backstabbing and sabotaging, he had never gone to the extent of hurting Harvey and Mike the same way Stuart did with Ted.

Can Stuart & Ted Still Reconcile In Suits LA?

It's Safe To Say That They Will Have To Team Up Again

At the end of Suits LA episode 1, it does seem like the space between Stuart and Ted cannot be any wider. It doesn't help that despite their existing relationship, Rick Dodsen decides to leave Ted for his competitor. Erica Rollins seems like a capable lawyer as well, but she hasn't developed the same rapport that Ted has had with true mentee.

That being said, it's difficult to imagine Korsh spending the rest of Suits LA with its two main characters at odds with each other. Ted and Stuart clearly have a history of fondness for each other. It will be interesting to see how this break-up impacts both of them moving forward. Eventually bringing them together, Suits LA is presented with the challenge to come up with a justified reason for them to team up again after their ugly split.