Written by John Edward Betancourt SUITS LA -- "He Knew" Episode 103 -- Pictured: (l-r) Josh McDermitt as Stuart Lane, Kristen Hager as Valerie, Troy Winbush as Kevin, Stephen Amell as Ted Black, Kevin Weisman as Lester Thompson -- (Photo by: Jordin Althaus/NBC)
Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode Three of ‘Suits LA’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.
One particular life change that always takes people by complete and utter surprise, is when a pair of long-time close friends, end their friendship. Simply because, friendships are often easier to manage than the world of romantic relationships, so something epic has to happen to friends to part ways. Which of course, we ponder upon with grand curiosity. For the curious portion of us must know what it was that split them up, and when we do receive what is usually a simple answer, we remain curious. For there is a part of us that firmly believes that something greater happened in this instance and well, our gut is most certainly right. Because friendships like that don’t just bust up over a misunderstanding or one bad day. A major wrong came forth to bring it to its end and well, this curiosity is top of mind today, simply because it’s been on the minds of every fan of the amazing new NBC series, Suits LA. For now, that the dust has settled on the busted merger, we’ve all been curious as to what exactly caused Stuart Lane and Ted Black to end a fifteen-year partnership/friendship. Because there’s no way a simple off the cuff comment would be enough to just see that come to a close, and that’s why this week’s episode happens to be of note. For ‘He Knew’ explored exactly what brought the friendship to an end, through Lester’s case no less. Which reached a contentious stage for certain. Mainly because, Lester’s wife dumped Ted’s firm to sign with Stuart’s and that infuriated Ted to no end. To the point where he was quick to confront and berate Stuart and be aggressive in tentative agreements between Lester and his wife, Valerie. For he was in pain over losing his good friend, and being burned again by him, and flashbacks to the New York case explained why. Because Ted brought Stuart in to help him with that case, in an effort to seal the deal in the manner he wanted. Which opened Stuart’s eyes to the wonder of criminal work and the success met here, the kind that also wounded Ted’s slimy father, made these men family in essence and prompted them to clearly become a force to be reckoned with in the world of law. That meant, their split was born out of something sorrowful, and as negotiations continued along, it became inherently clear… that the elements that Ted never dealt with from his past, forced him to resent Stuart and treat him badly to the point where those sour words, were the catalyst point. Because Stuart could no longer handle being treated poorly when he was treating his best friend right, and he made the split. All of which made for tense and emotional negotiations between Lester and Valerie regarding whether she would testify in his favor on the stand, and of course… get something financial in return for being treated in a similar manner. And oddly, thanks to Lester learning from Ted’s mistakes, Valerie may have kept him from going to jail… thanks to a keen observation involving the case.  SUITS L.A. -- "He Knew" Episode 103 -- Pictured: (l-r) Brian Baumgartner as Himself, Lex Scott Davis as Erica Rollins -- (Photo by: Jordin Althaus/NBC)
If anything, this just spoke to the show’s central theme regarding reinvention. Because part of the process is acknowledging our mistakes and finding a way forward regardless of the outcome, and we saw that here. Since there seemed to be a mutual understanding between Stuart and Ted, one grounded in apology and there was more growth for Ted in this episode as well… since he made the big step to be there for his father’s burial. To put more of the past to rest, and while this examination would have been enough to carry this story from beginning to end, it still had more to offer regarding the show’s central theme. Courtesy of Erica.
For she was tasked here with a big ask. In that Brian Baumgartner, of The Office fame, wanted Erica to help him reinvent himself as an actor. Because he was done with Kevin Malone and wanted to pivot toward serious acting roles. The kind that would snag him an Oscar, and who better to guide him on such matters than Tom Hanks? An actor that Ted represented and who of course, followed that path, so he asked for a meeting with Tom. But that wasn’t going to happen. So, with Leah and Roslyn’s help… she instead brought about a unique meeting with Patton Oswalt. Who also followed that path and followed a brilliant script to challenge Brian to drive himself toward being a better actor. For that was what was Brian needed in the moment and that signaled reinvention for Erica as well. Who now listened to needs over wants, and who used her team to make a client happy. Because Brian was over the moon with this move, and deeply motivated. Plus, we even got to see Rick settle into his new role as head of entertainment at the new firm, which only added to the wonder of another unique and satisfying episode from this series. Since it masterfully used the world that Ted and his friends navigate to express all of that in an intelligent and smooth manner. One that kept us engaged, and in a way, this feels like the end of a trilogy of sorts. One that truly explored the root causes of Ted’s downfall and struggles and the humility he needed to find in order to really start the reinvention process. Which absolutely leaves us to eager to see what lie ahead, because clearly, Ted is ready to heal and he is ready to rebuild and that’s a fascinating process, and it will be interesting to see how Ted navigates that in the weeks to come. Until next time. 
SUITS L.A. -- "He Knew" Episode 103 -- Pictured: Patton Oswalt as Himself -- (Photo by: Jordin Althaus/NBC)
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