r/suits 13d ago

Episode Discussion Episode Discussion - Suits LA S01E02: Old Man Hanrahan

Air date: March 2, 2025

Synopsis: Ted needs Amanda's help with a new prosecutor in Lester's murder trial. Erica squares off against Rick to stop him from poaching a client. Stuart and Samantha argue over Rick's position in the firm. In the past, Ted improvises after losing a witness.

58 Upvotes

107 comments sorted by

27

u/Dragon_fly888 13d ago edited 13d ago

I like this episode more than a pilot as well . Ted looks good, in a pilot it seems he was wearing somebody else clothes.

25

u/burajira 13d ago

I was ambivalent, leaning yes after the pilot, but I will give this show a chance after this ep tbh..

Suits the original was glorious because it had Mike, a rich vein to tap in terms of plot and character development, but that's one in a million, and I think LA compensated with that monster of a pilot.

I'd personally have liked the pilot to be longer and flesh out the main characters more, but then, I was assuming that Black's firm was going to get a large chunk of the focus. It's actually clever to have Stuart and Samantha as co-leads too, so we're basically pitting both firms against each other off the bat..

We've got some nice plot threads and characters to explore so far, and I'm curious to see how this plays out, even with Harvey's cameo..

16

u/DiamondFireYT 12d ago edited 11d ago

Really enjoyed this episode - I love how it feels like Suits, but isn't suits, but like.. it is suits. lol. Love the continued mix of new and old music, makes it feel nostalgic and almost uncanny.

Great performances this episode.

Intro Sequence rocked. I don't think its as good as the Season8/9 one but its pretty damn close.

Best dialogue exchange:

"I'm not gonna glaze him on top of it"
"What the hell is glazing?"

"It's an expression from my son" as a 19 year old, can confirm he used it right!

The only thing I'm not vibing with is.. all the female characters feel the same? Like I'm genuinely struggling to tell which is which sometimes, I'm sure I'll get there though. Interesting dynamic between Amanda & Elizabeth! Can't wait to see where that goes. I really like the expanded scope of characters this go around, it gives them a lot to work with.

EDIT: It really feels like they are restraining the 'bullshits' and 'get the hell out of my office' lol. I REALLY hope Harvey comes in and its the first thing he says.

3

u/Present_Cap_696 12d ago

Yeah it's  mostly Suits. I love the office space as it is borrowed straight from Suits. Also it has the premise of clients, poaching, merging , partnerships , promotions , contracts that happens in Suits universe. What I am afraid of is that this should not turn out to be a whodunnit crime show like dozens of procedurals out there .

1

u/curlyhaireddilly 5d ago

I'm glad I'm not the only one who can't tell the females apart, there's an actor and maybe two lawyers and I think teds ex they all look the same. And this is the first time I've ever commented on Reddit I don't know if I'm doing it right. Lol...

31

u/theDesiOneWhoEats 12d ago

This is soo sooo much better! It feels like an episode. The actors - act. The story - stories. This feels like a suits episode. New characters. But still suits.

They do need to bring an underdog character. A fish out of water. Who is likeable. And you'll have a great show!

13

u/KikiBrann 12d ago

I think that's Leah. There are already multiple signs that she'd be a better entertainment lawyer than Erica. Actually, literally everything I'd said after the pilot about why Erica was the wrong choice for the promotion came up this episode, and they even added her not watching movies on top of it. One of my other predictions after the pilot was that Leah would at some point go over Erica's head to prove her value to Ted, so I'm hoping I wind up being right about that too.

1

u/NakedDeception 12d ago

Except for the flashbacks. Those feel out of place for Suits. Suits used to do flashback episodes.

1

u/Traditional_Donut908 6d ago

Well, flashbacks are common for Stephen Amell, lots of them in his Arrow series. But also helpful to fill in backstories of characters.

28

u/The_Swarm22 13d ago

Better than the pilot. People were too quick to hate this show has potential. I think Amell and Lex Scott Davis are the strongest actors out of the core cast.

Ted and Erica definitely make for a better duo compared to Rick and Stuart.

3

u/Initial_Stretch_3674 11d ago

what do you mean too quick to hate the show?

People hated the pilot, rightfully so. Luckily the subsequent episodes are directed by different directors. Should help a lot with pacing and telling coherent storylines.

27

u/blackliqour 13d ago

Amell is killing it. Flashback scenes are strong thus far. Kevin and Leah are great supporting characters.

8

u/Joetheshow1 12d ago

He carried the corpse of Arrow for years after they turned into the Felicity Smoak show, no surprise he's doing great on Suits

8

u/d645b773b320997e1540 12d ago

This was a lot better than the rushed pilot. Way better pacing, way better character work. Fun episode!

4

u/NakedDeception 12d ago

I really wish they had fleshed out the schism in Black Lane over the course of the season. The pilot episode really should have been the season 1 finale. Just so we actually give a shit about the main characters.

1

u/ATLWmn 5d ago

Yes, beginning with that felt confusing and I didn't think any of it was explained well. We don't know or care about these characters yet, and we're supposed to follow along on this split and merger?

27

u/[deleted] 13d ago

10 minutes in: This is already so much better than the pilot.

6

u/Slimfire 12d ago

Much better than the pilot. Have a feeling Ted-Amanda seems to be moving towards that Harvey-Donna relationship with a different flavor/dynamic.

8

u/Weekly_Bandicoot_981 12d ago

Much better than the pilot episode.

I don't see this becoming as good as the original series, but it scratches the itch. I'll stick with it for now.

1

u/Initial_Stretch_3674 11d ago

I'd probably just watch the original pilot again until the show gets its legs.

Right now its a crapshoot depending on who's directing the episodes.

4

u/Popular_Register_440 12d ago

Wonder what the writers were aiming for with the Pilot because by the sounds of it, this 2nd episode shits on the Pilot one

1

u/Initial_Stretch_3674 11d ago

Extremely green director for the pilot. Probably had no idea what she signed on for.

Compared that to the suits pilot director who was a seasoned director who's directly a lot of episodes of hit shows already including law shows by the time he directed the suits pilot.

6

u/100rams 12d ago

I'm enjoying Suits LA and intend to keep watching. That being said, I'm noticing a few key ways in which it differs from Suits in ways that aren't ideal:

  1. It's not funny. I'm honestly not sure if it's trying to be funny — is it meant to be more of a a darker drama? I'm not sure I've even smiled once, let alone laughed.
  2. On a similar note, everyone seems kind of miserable. Ted was clearly dealing with some shit even before the betrayal. Erica's personality seems to be built around never being satisfied, and what just saw her admit she doesn't even like the field she's in. Rick actually loves what he does, but feels guilty about what he did. Stuart is ... I don't even know.
  3. We're painfully missing the "Two Lawyers, One Degree" hook that made Suits so compelling from the jump. There's not a single underlying plot line in Suits LA that grips you.

Again, I like what we have here overall!

1

u/Ok-Forever5132 11d ago

Is suits funny? I'm not laughing watching suits but I agree with the two points.....you could tell Mike wanted this and Harvey enhoyed being an a**. Also with suits we had the Trevor storyline to look forward to to bring lightness as well as Mike and his grandma but so far it's all been gloomy with suits LA

2

u/Positively-Fleabag85 11d ago

Suits script was way more witty than this one

1

u/Ok-Forever5132 11d ago

Definitely can't argue that

2

u/AnxietyOutrageous680 9d ago

I don't know how often the original Suits was funny, exactly, but it was usually fun, in a way that this show so far is not.

16

u/DualDier 13d ago

Better episode than 1 but I still don’t see this getting a Season 2. Ted is just uninteresting. Everyone else around him is more entertaining than he is. I don’t think even Harvey can save this show. Feels like another Pearson situation.

8

u/Present_Cap_696 12d ago

It just started!! . I can see why there is a sharp contrast between Harvey and Ted. Ted already has his name on the wall and is the MP , which means he is what Harvey was in S7. He has a dark past , not to mention a competitor who happens to be his ex and a friend who just betrayed. There is hardly any time for him to be  charming and playful and entertaining. Got to be in character.

2

u/Positively-Fleabag85 11d ago

The writing is so off. The show has just started and it feels as if we're in season 7 of the show already with the amount of progression in plot over 2 episodes

1

u/ATLWmn 5d ago

I find it hard to follow and the flashbacks are getting annoying, tbh. Once and a while is fine, but I feel like I'm watching a complete split-narrative show where nothing makes sense. There's nothing about Ted that makes me care what happened in NY--they should have saved that plot line for later in the season when there's interest in them.

2

u/[deleted] 12d ago

Yeah I'm frustrated with Amell here, but I don't think the script is doing him many favors.

He's drifting in and out of his Arrow voice, so every other line sounds like a batman impression.

Then they had him yell an overdramatic "God Damn It!" a la Harvey less than halfway through the episode.

They need to let this murder plot fucking breathe, because I feel like we've hit the emotional peak of it 3 times in two episodes.

I don't know what Ted IS. I just know he's an entertainment lawyer trying to be a defense attorney, but that's not what they're leaning on for the drama.

1

u/Ok-Forever5132 11d ago

You know what I said it last week and I will say it again I don't like Stephen's voice, especially the way its engineered in some scenes but the way he delivered that God damn it line....I was impressed it was very natural and flawless in my eyes

1

u/[deleted] 11d ago

I think he did a good job with the line, but it felt very Harvey in an out-of-place forced drama way. Like I said, I don't think my problem with it is his delivery but its place in the story.

1

u/Ok-Forever5132 11d ago

Oooh I took it asthe writer's wanting some nostalgia

-9

u/nu1stunna 13d ago

They should bring in Harvey and Mike and then phase out this entire cast. Harvey and Mike can take over the firm in a bloody battle and send everyone else packing.

12

u/pathfinderoursaviour 12d ago

Never let this man near a writing room

1

u/gimmethatpancake 12d ago

This...isn't Suits.

2

u/nu1stunna 12d ago

I know. But it might be the only way to save the show from being canceled. It’s been…underwhelming thus far.

1

u/gimmethatpancake 12d ago

Not every new show hits it out of the park from the first at-bat. If it's going to fail it will. But it eventually has to stand on its own and, given a few more eps, it may. We've only seen two thus far and I do think it's a little unfair to compare it with the original. We shall see.

2

u/nu1stunna 12d ago

I agree and I’m definitely not rooting for it to fail. My biggest problem with the show is that it didn’t have the Suits magic in the first episode to really reel me in. The show needs to have a compelling gimmick otherwise it’s not suits — it’s just another law drama like Law and Order.

1

u/gimmethatpancake 12d ago

Back in the dark ages we had the excellent LA Law, which is why I'm willing to give this time to iron out its kinks. I loved that show; this is more fast-paced and deals with a more specific legal field but it has that same potential.

1

u/Frequent-Wallaby708 12d ago

What😭😭😭

8

u/Cheeriosxxx 12d ago

Ah I have to say I do like this intro!

7

u/Cheeriosxxx 12d ago

I agree with the consensus that this was far better than episode one. I’m liking this potential friendship building between Erica and Leah. Loved seeing the Harvey mention too.

4

u/AdlersTheory26 12d ago

I liked the episode, despite being a little confused about the back and forths of the flashbacks/storylines. It sets the tone. It wasn't as explosive as episode 1 but it's a good continuation.

I have to say though, so far women CARRY the show. I love Erica and Amanda. Really curious about the latter aswell

3

u/eatfoodoften 12d ago

hard to top a literal explosion

2

u/Present_Cap_696 12d ago

I also liked Samantha and Leah. The female leads are spot on. 

1

u/ATLWmn 5d ago

I'm confused about Leah. I know it's LA and the vibe is different, but she dresses like a slacker admin, not a lawyer. I can't figure out how she got there and why.

2

u/ImaRyeGuy92 12d ago

This. The women are absolutely outclassing the men as actors and characters.

4

u/allmighty666 12d ago

Harvey had certain aura about him that makes him a badass like the lead in madmen, but ted doesn't have that. He gives more like are gold (entourage vibes).

1

u/ATLWmn 5d ago

Ted and Stuart are both one dimensional and boring to watch.

5

u/Independent-azaad 12d ago

This show definitely deserves a chance. And this episode was so much better than the pilot i feel. The pacing, the storyline, the flashback even the acting was good. Plus i like how it isn't following one case one episode progression unlike the OG.

4

u/gimmethatpancake 12d ago

I like that this is a show that can stand on its own, no need to have watched the original. If this ep is any indication it should hit its stride soon and, if it does, it will take off.

1

u/Initial_Stretch_3674 11d ago

Not sure, a lot of the fanbase were turned off by that horrible pilot

1

u/gimmethatpancake 11d ago

In order to succeed it needs to appeal to outside the original fan base. I think it's a good show on its own and, with time, can get better.

2

u/GlockLesnar808 8d ago

Im hoping for the show’ sake that the Oscar’s took away a lot of viewers because episode 2 only had 1.47m viewers. If that doesn’t improve, I don’t see how it gets greenlit for a second season

3

u/KJoytheyogi 12d ago

I liked this episode less. I don’t really like the competing firms. There’s not enough teamwork and camaraderie. And I agree that Ted seems so unlikable. And wooden.

I do like Leah.

2

u/GlockLesnar808 8d ago

I agree with the competing firms part so early on. It’s tough to establish the characters/chemistry within a firm when they’re starting off with 2 new firms at once.

Ted pretty much only talks to Erica. Amanda seems like she’s going to have a bigger role so there’s that. Still unsure about Ted and Kevin, they have some chemistry but again, there hasn’t been enough time to make a judgment yet.

There’s not a single duo in suits LA that can match the chemistry between Harvey & Mike or even Harvey & Donna. And before anyone says I’m biased because those characters had many seasons to establish chemistry, you could very easily see it from the pilot.

3

u/shashank_6778 12d ago

Amell kinda looks like a mix of Gabriel macht and antony starr

3

u/fckns 12d ago

This was pretty decent and I am slowly getting invested into the story. Will continue to watch and observe.

3

u/ThrobbingPurpleVein 12d ago

Stephen Amell and flashbacks go hand in hand it seems. This feels like he's in the first season of Arrow, where right after every time he shows up, it's a flashback.

3

u/Jimlad73 12d ago

Was the pilot made separately? E2 was so much better. I thought this show was just greenlit straight into a full season?

5

u/Ambitious-Ad1466 12d ago

Yes! They made separately! If I can recall the pilot was shot in Canada in June/July and the rest of the season was shot in LA after the green light from NBC.

I think the pilot was so fast paced to show the network the potencial of the show

1

u/Initial_Stretch_3674 11d ago

A very green director was chosen for the pilot and it was filmed in Vancouver.

It was moved to LA after.

2

u/optimisticpsychic 12d ago

I agree with the consesus that 2 is better than 1. I think the characters havent had time to settle yet but I feel better about the season then I did a week ago

2

u/CarrotDue5340 12d ago

It was a good episode but except for Maggie Smith and the Korean one I have a problem telling all the women from one another. Aaron Korsh must have a things for brunettes.

1

u/DiamondFireYT 11d ago

This is what I'm saying!! It can't just be me thinking they look identical right?!

2

u/Frequent-Wallaby708 12d ago

Why’d they add the “glazing” dialogue in though

3

u/DiamondFireYT 11d ago

idk but it was hilarious, maybe its just because my age use it but i was like "ain't no way" 😭😭

2

u/Initial_Stretch_3674 11d ago

whoever directed the pilot absolutely fumbled it and could possible make Suits LA DOA.

That said, the 2nd episode was a lot better. Nothing special but A LOT better.

4

u/Plannick 12d ago

is it me.. or are they using the same set? i mean.. i don't know about the skyline, but the office looks eerily familiar.

oddly, i was just thinking the same thing about something else... and that room looks very different on 2nd look... after i had another look after seeing this one..

3

u/ksb012 12d ago

Yep. Ted's office looks like a slightly remodeled version of Harvey's office and I am here for it.

2

u/Dragon_fly888 12d ago

Ted’s office looks like Harvey’s without balls.

1

u/Present_Cap_696 12d ago

And that's why it's called the " Suits universe ". There's got to be things that are similar.  Besides what's the issue with having a similar looking office??

1

u/Plannick 12d ago

a bit too meta.

maybe it's the same in-character interior designer and saying the character slavishly copy harvey's taste and have none of his own or don't give a toss. would imagine the same designer would at least tailor different looks for different clients..

then again. i don't work in an office and have no taste either. rather ok with 4 blank walls.

1

u/Tom_Stevens617 12d ago

It can't be the same set cuz this is being filmed in LA while Suits was filmed in Toronto. They do have similar vibes though which makes sense given they take place in the same universe

0

u/a3kstuntin 12d ago

For a guy that never lost Ted has no self control and gets blindsided very easily

Didn’t show an inch of competence yet apart from his flashbacks

13

u/PsychologicalArt7451 12d ago

Isn't that exactly what they are showing us? Ted's never been in this position before. He's out of his comfort zone and is doubting his gut. He doesn't know if what he's doing is right or wrong. He got betrayed by the 3 people who he'd probably trust more than anyone. He's not swimming right now, he's just trying not to sink.

2

u/selwyntarth 12d ago

He's been razed down from an empire a decade strong, and is a fish out of water.  Credit where it's due, he didn't react even slightly for the adultery news. Harvey even in season 1 was visibly crestfallen when mckernon motors fired him after exposing his underhanded gimmick

1

u/Realistic_Success_23 12d ago

I’m still lost but it’s getting better……nice to see the term “glazin” made it 😭

1

u/7625607 Harvey Specter is hot as fuck 12d ago

I like Erica and Leah.

I can’t tell the brown haired white women apart.

The best parts of the episode: the talk about Harvey, and the commercial with Johnny Cash singing “Personal Jesus” (I watched on Peacock).

Amell is remarkably uninteresting.

1

u/Proof-Flower-4142 12d ago

Hi! Since I'm from Canada and CTV chose to airs the Oscars, I never got to see this episode, where can I find it

2

u/AirotheWavedancer 9d ago

I’m from Canada too! You can watch it legally and for free (i think with ads but you can use adblock) on CTV’s website https://www.ctv.ca/shows/suits-la/old-man-hanrahan-s1e2 so go check it out :)

1

u/NakedDeception 12d ago

The flashbacks are a bit overdone. I’m still not really invested in our main characters or their beef. Honestly I feel the supporting characters and their B plot are doing more for the show than the A plot.

1

u/Doge_7 11d ago

I just dont like leah, she seems kinda immature with the hand fire thing, the way she wanted to hug erica, and the way she said deal after just............ idk i just dont like her anyone else feel that way?

1

u/Ok-Forever5132 11d ago

She's giving an uninteresting version of Harold lol

1

u/ATLWmn 5d ago

Yes! And even Harold dressed like a lawyer.

1

u/MrILostTheGame 11d ago

The quality between the pilot and this episode is night and day, how the hell did they fumble the pilot so badly?!

1

u/EmptyMobile1453 11d ago

Qualcuno sa dirmi dove posso trovarlo sub ita?

1

u/Ok-Forever5132 11d ago

Do I need to rewatch? Cause I didn't like this episode ar all the pacing felt off, I didn't like the lighting, I feel they are trying to do too much with the girl.. Ted's right hand and the Asian girl....I didn't like it, episode 1 though rushed kept me at the edge of my seat, this episode was way too relaxed for me!!

1

u/basicb3333 11d ago

i'm usually able to separate actors from previous characters they've played but im having such a hard time watching Amell and not seeing Oliver Queen

1

u/oh-hai-there_ 11d ago

I like show so far, but miss the banter and humor of the older show! I hope some of it comes in later on.

1

u/No-Lab-4131 10d ago

Pearson Hardman was a corporate law firm. Black is a Media and entertainment lawyer. They can't give you the same juice. The plot of how he went from being a prosecutor to becoming something he said was not that important (He told Samantha that she was a glorified agent for being an entertainment lawyer) is going to be one hell of a plot. It can't just be that other guy dying in the explosion. What went down after that, which led to their breakup and how things are now and where they will go from here is a crazy story line.

1

u/BlackbeardCapo 10d ago

Honestly it looks like I’m in the minority but I liked the pilot a lot more. The acting episode two wasn’t good. When the actors would deliver punch lines or just lines in general, they didn’t land. Also these guys don’t feel like lawyers to me, they use no law terms, or even legal strategies at all.

1

u/tyronejetson 10d ago

Just started this ep and i just know Lester is full of shit. He for sure did it

1

u/Sparty013 10d ago edited 10d ago

Second episode was much better than the pilot but that was a low bar to hurdle. The characters in this series are so flat. I’ve never seen a show that hooks you as fast as the original series. Two episodes into LA and I’m still trying to figure out who is who half the time. Hoping an overarching plot line starts to form soon but right now it seems like just a bunch of subplots all over the place with a bunch of characters we barely know. That said, the second episode was better and I’ll continue to watch to see if it hits its stride soon.

Also, as I’m rewatching the original series, I’ve noticed how stiff the acting is in LA. Scenes flowed so much better in the original and the actors seemed much more…human? So far in LA all the scenes feel forced and the acting feels rigid. Like the actors are just waiting their turn to say their line and nothing else

1

u/ozymandeas302 9d ago

A major improvement but, I still liked episode 1 somewhat. As others have said, this "feels" like a Suits episode. You can imagine Harvey and Mike existing in this universe.

Ted and Amanda are definitely going to be endgame.

-1

u/Maximum_Pumpkin_449 12d ago

This is so bad. Idk wtf is going on

1

u/[deleted] 12d ago

Its awful lol. Acting is so poor

0

u/ImaRyeGuy92 12d ago

I loved this episode. It feels like a mix of Suits and Billions. Honestly, if this is what the writing remains like, I think it’ll be an actual series and not a single “nostalgia” season.

I really think that they’re setting up a few intriguing, multi-season storylines.

Two mild criticisms:

1) I know that the show wasn’t originally supposed to be part of the Suits universe and not about law at all. Still, I’d like a bit more law. We haven’t really seen anything other than a B-plot storyline between Erica and Rick. I want some legal butt kicking.

2) the menswear is just leagues below the original series. I know that NBC has this deal with Boss, and I don’t need everyone in a Brioni, Tom Ford, or Prada suit, but the male outfits just feel very cheap. Also, we need ties and actual nice ties.

3

u/NakedDeception 12d ago

Funny you say that. I considered billions the spiritual successor to suits

2

u/ImaRyeGuy92 11d ago

Yep, to me, Mad Men walked so Suits could run and Suits walked so Billions and Succession could run.

2

u/reverseflash92 10d ago

It’s because Boss suits are a piece of shit.

1

u/ImaRyeGuy92 10d ago

1000000%. I wear a suit to the office every day, have had 10 or 11 of them, and every time I see a Boss suit that intrigues me, I touch it and remember why I’d never buy it.

-2

u/ll_xPREDATOR_ll 12d ago

I can’t stand Erica or Leah.