Editor’s note: The below recap contains spoilers for Suits LA Episode 2.
After an overindulgent series premiere, Suits: LA is back for Episode 2, and it feels more settled into what this series could be. First of all, there are no appearances from Ted’s (Stephen Amell) ghost brother, so that’s a plus right off the bat. Episode 2 forces Ted to dig deep on Lester (Lester Thompson), with his New York right-hand man Kevin (Troy Winbush) helping to put together the case. While Kevin is out to find the truth first, Ted only wants to hear facts that will affirm his belief that Lester didn’t kill his creative partner. That’s made more difficult when Ted has to face off against prosecutor Elizabeth Smith (Sofia Pernas), who makes it very clear that this won’t be an easy win.
Meanwhile, Erica (Lex Scott Davis) and Rick (Bryan Greenberg) go toe-to-toe to retain Dylan Pryor (Victoria Justice) as a client. Rick needs to get Dylan back to cement his spot as head of entertainment at Stuart’s (Josh McDermitt) firm. Erica needs to keep Dylan because Ted’s firm can’t afford to lose any more clients after Stuart defected. Both Ted and Erica end up down at the end of the episode, but neither of them is totally out and they each have unexpected allies in their corner.
Ted’s in Over His Head in ‘Suits LA’ Episode 2

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Ted was a New York federal prosecutor for several years, but he still doesn’t understand how being a criminal defense lawyer works. He expects an over-the-hill District Attorney to prosecute Lester, but the DA’s office switches up because of the high-profile nature of the case. Instead, Elizabeth Smith is on the opposite side of the bench, and Ted quickly realizes she is a shark. She offers Lester a plea deal that will put him in prison for a lengthy amount of time, and Ted immediately refuses before Elizabeth has to remind him he is legally required to show it to his client.
Lester also isn’t interested in any deal that will involve him going to prison. However, by that time, Kevin has uncovered financial receipts to show that Lester and his partner were stealing from each other, which proves murder for the shooting and doesn’t jive with Lester’s version of events. He previously said that his partner spontaneously started acting erratically and then shot himself while Lester pleaded for his life. Once Kevin unveils the financial records, Lester reveals that he confronted his partner about the money, and that’s when he started freaking out.
Elizabeth shows up shortly afterward with more bad news. She’s uncovered evidence that Lester’s partner was sleeping with Lester’s wife, only adding to motive for Lester to want him dead. The reveal throws Ted for a loop, but the unexpected twist happens when Elizabeth runs into Amanda Stevens (Maggie Grace). The two have faced off before, and there is bad blood there. Amanda doubles down about doing anything she can to help Ted defend Lester. She wants to see Elizabeth go down, and that may be the most useful weapon Ted has in his arsenal.
Rick and Erica Have a Sexy Past in ‘Suits LA’ Episode 2

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Across the office, Erica and Rick are in a battle of their own. Their argument over who is the better lawyer is tested when it comes to winning Dylan Pryor as a client. Rick had signed Dylan to Ted’s firm in the premiere, but now her loyalty is at stake when Rick is informed he needs a big fish to officially claim head of entertainment at his new firm. The battle for Dylan not only exposes weaknesses in the lawyers, but it also reveals that Rick and Erica used to hook up. They broke up under ambiguous circumstances (what if anyone on this show was straightforward about anything? A wild concept), but there is clearly still some animosity there fueling their constant bickering.
Erica bulldozes her way into getting Dylan out of an indie movie contract that will clear her schedule to be Warner Bros.’ new action star. At first, it seems like a win, but she never reads the revised script of the indie film that would give Dylan the kind of role that initially made her famous. Rick’s better attention to detail allows him to work out a deal where Dylan can do both projects, and she goes with her original lawyer.
It’s a low blow that Erica can’t really afford, but after a brief tongue-lashing from Ted, she’s ready to get back in the ring. Not only does she recognize that she can’t underestimate Rick anymore, but the whole fiasco helps her see that Leah (Alice Lee) is an underrated resource. Leah’s superior pop culture knowledge had clocked the new script and would be something Dylan would want to consider, but Erica had brushed her off at her own peril. Now these two might start working as a team, and Rick should be very afraid of that.

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More Clues From New York Emerge in ‘Suits LA’ Episode 2

Image via NBC

We got rid of the dead brother delusions, Episode 2 does not ditch the flashbacks, even if the New York infodump is more focused. Samantha (Rachelle Goulding) was an entertainment lawyer in New York when she and Ted dated, which makes his transition to the field after flaming out as a prosecutor a bit more sensical.
There was a lot of tension in their relationship after Ted used one of Samantha’s clients to trick a new witness into testifying in his mobster case. Samantha was pissed because he did it without asking and put her stand-up comic client in the crosshairs of a pissed-off gangster who enjoyed blowing up people on Ted’s witness list. She called him out for being condescending to other lawyers for using people, but he did the exact same thing in the name of “getting the bad guys.”
Ted’s arrogance prevented him from seeing the hypocrisy in that stance, and that illuminated the cracks in his and Samantha’s relationship even more. We still don’t know the verdict of that final case or whether Ted pulled off his “hall of fame” move. Still, we know that he wasn’t blameless in the implosion of his relationship with Samantha, and maybe she had justifiable reasons for wanting to cut him out of his own firm.
Suits LA continues Sundays at 9 PM on NBC. Episodes are available the next day on Peacock.

Suits LA

Ted and Erica go to battle in a more settled second episode of Suits LA.

Release Date

February 23, 2025

Network

NBC

Writers

Aaron Korsh

Pros & Cons

Maggie Grace remains the saving grace of this entire show.
Erica and Leah are becoming a power duo.
Ted showed some real personality in this episode.

Let’s get some straightforward dialogue to get viewers out of the dark.
Ted still doesn’t understand how criminal defense works.
The New York flashbacks still feel tedious.