Diksha Sundriyal
Tensions flare in the second episode of NBC’s ‘Suits: LA,’ as Ted Black tries to keep his firm together while one challenge after another knocks at his door. In the previous episode, he suffered one betrayal after another when his partner and best friend, Stuart Lane, decided to part ways with him right before they were supposed to have a merger that would increase their span. Now, Ted is trying to hold on to whatever crumbs he can because any moment of weakness can unravel his reputation in the town. This is also why it is so important for him to win the murder case for his high-profile client. But that’s just the beginning of his problems. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Ted Black Discovers Shocking Truths About His Client
Ted Black wasn’t meant to handle Lester Thompson’s case, but when Stuart stabbed him in the back, the condition changed drastically. To keep his firm afloat, Ted takes Lester’s case into his own hands, which takes him back to his days as the federal prosecutor in New York. He brings his friend, Kevin, to help him with it, but there is a big question mark on Lester’s culpability in the murder. When they sit down with him to talk about the day of the murder, their client tells them how the conversation turned dark as his friend kept talking about how he didn’t deserve to be there. According to him, the victim put the gun to his own head and shot himself, and because Lester was in such close vicinity, trying to stop his friend, he got covered in blood.
Even though the client tells a good story, Kevin sees through him and believes that he is lying. He is concerned that the film producer might actually be guilty, and he is convinced of it when new evidence comes to light. It turns out that Lester had been stealing money from the victim, which makes for a good excuse to kill him. However, when confronted with the fact, their client reveals that while he had stolen money earlier, he was also in the process of giving it back and had already made quite a few payments. The explanation eases Ted and Kevin’s soul, but they know that the prosecution won’t care that the money is being repaid. Ted tells Lester to let him know if there is anything else he has been hiding, to which the latter says that he is clean as a whistle.
Shortly after, it turns out that there is a new angle in the case. Lester might not have known it, but his wife and friend were having an affair, and this is an even greater motive to kill someone. What makes it worse is that the prosecutor is Elizabeth Smith, who is known as a shark. Amanda warns Ted about her, and soon enough, he discovers why he was told to be cautious. First, Elizabeth puts the offer of ten years should Lester confess to the murder. But with the new evidence in light and Lester refusing to plead guilty, she becomes cockier. When she leaves Ted’s office, she comes across Amanda, and it turns out there is a genuine hatred between the two.
Apparently, the women faced each other in court over the case of a young man named Dante. Amanda believed he was innocent, but Elizabeth didn’t seem to care, and she was so ruthless about the whole thing that poor Dante lost much more than the case in court. Amanda still holds a grudge over it, and she tells Elizabeth that if Ted asks for his help in Lester’s case, she will be eager to help him, even though she is not entirely convinced of Lester’s innocence. It’ll just be to get back at Elizabeth. Interestingly, Ted witnesses this encounter, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if he gets Amanda to join him soon enough.
More Flashbacks Reveal Ted’s Backstory in New York
Lester’s is not the only case that keeps Ted up at night. The show also follows the case he pursued in 2010. His desire to put a mob boss behind bars led to his star witness being murdered in a bomb blast. He knows that the moment the news goes about, the case will be lost. So, he tells all the people close to him to keep the information a secret. Meanwhile, he attends a show by Samantha’s client, who is not just a comedian but also a really great voice actor. His show gives Ted an idea of where he calls for his services. He uses his voice to scare the hitman who orchestrated the blast into believing that his victim is still alive and could testify against him. Ted warns him that he will put the word out about him talking to the feds, and this scares the man more than anything else.
At the end of the day, Ted gets what he wants, but this act also puts him and Samantha at odds. There also seems to be a bias within him about what she does and what he does. He thinks that, as a federal prosecutor, he is doing a better job of putting his law degree to use, while Samantha, who represents artists and Hollywood people, doesn’t live up to her qualifications. Of course, it will take him about 10-12 more years to realize the importance of Samantha’s work as he himself starts working with the clientele he resented back in 2010.
Rick’s Morals Are Called Into Question
While Ted is kept busy by Lester’s case, this isn’t the only high-profile client that his firm requires to survive. In the previous episode, Ted got Dylan Pryor, a Hollywood star, to become their client. Rick was involved in bringing her on board, but with him having left with Stuart, things got a bit complicated. He isn’t supposed to poach clients from his previous firm, so he cannot directly go up to her and ask her to follow him to Stuart’s new firm instead. However, he needs to do something drastic if he wants the promotion he was promised.
When Stuart left Ted, he proposed an offer to Erica and Rick separately. He knew that Ted would have to choose one of them to be the head of entertainment. If Rick were chosen, Erica would be angry, and vice versa. So, he offered to make the one jilted by Ted as the head of entertainment in his own firm. The only condition was to spy on Ted for six months, and the job would be theirs. When Erica was chosen, Rick decided to take Stuart up on his offer, but the deal was broken when he left Ted’s firm right the next day.
When Samantha discovers that Stuart is making Rick the head of entertainment, she points out that he hasn’t exactly met the terms of the offer and must do something else to prove himself. This is where he is told to bring over a high-profile client, which means Rick needs to get someone like Dylan Pryor. Because he doesn’t want to do things the wrong way, he baits Erica into a competition. He gets her to sign a waiver, which he can use to represent Dylan’s interests at the same time as Erica’s. Whoever gets the client what she wants will eventually get to sign her to their firm.
Rick and Erica Clash Over Dylan Pryor’s Case
Dylan is dealing with a clash of interests where she is caught between the contract she has with an indie filmmaker and the one she has for a superhero movie with Warner Bros. Erica, who doesn’t have much knowledge of the entertainment world, fails to understand what her client wants, even though Leah tries to help her. She gets Dylan out of her deal with the indie movie so she can focus on her big project. Meanwhile, Rick, who not only has a better understanding of the entertainment business but is also more empathetic towards his client, comes up with a way for her to work in both. This convinces Dylan that she should go with Rick, and that’s what she does in the end.
When Erica discovers what has happened, she learns a major lesson about never underestimating her rival, especially if it is Rick Dodson. At the same time, she is also made to reflect on her relationship with him. It turns out that the two secretly dated when they were still working at the same firm. The competition between them turned into romance, but it didn’t last long. Rick believes it is because Erica saw him as a weaker lawyer, but back then, they were not working against each other. Now, she knows how looks can be deceiving and how underestimating someone, in a war as well as in love, can be the worst thing one can do. And with the current circumstances, this is not something that Erica, or anyone else in the firm, can afford to do.
Read More: Where is NBC’s Suits LA Filmed?
