Warning: SPOILERS forSuits LAepisode 13, “Freedom.”
Plenty of character relationships inSuits LAchanged shaped by the series’ untimely end, but one of the best potential trial duos sadly never even met each other during the course of the series. This likely would have changed after theSuits LAseries finale, which wraps up with Stuart and Samantha agreeing to finalize the originally planned merger with Ted’s firm. Had the network given another season the green light, theSuits LAcastwould have finally been working under one building rather than half the characters feeling largely isolated from each other.
Unfortunately, after its premiere received predominantly negative reviews,Suits LA’s poor ratingsnever climbed as high as needed to save the show from getting the axe.A second season post-merger would have opened the door for several team-ups never featured inSuits LAseason 1, something the finale already teased by having Ted join forces with both Samantha and early-season antagonist Elizabeth Smith. But of all the potential stories that will now go untold, the loss of one future alliance in particular feels especially regrettable.
Suits LA Never Introduces Leah Power To Stuart Lane
They Only Even Worked Together For Half An Episode
Because Leah’s been assigned as Erica’s associate, she doesn’t have much interaction with other characters aside from Erica and Rosalyn. She’s on friendly terms with Rick and asks him for a favor at one point, butTed goes out of his way to avoid Leah while Stuart doesn’t even seem particularly concerned with her existence. Although Stuart does sometimes offer his services to entertainment clients accused of criminal activity, these aren’t the types of cases that generally call for Leah’s assistance. As such, there’s arguably no reason for Stuart and Leah to have interacted.
After Stuart betrays Ted in the series premiere by leaving him out of the merger with Samantha, the chances of Stuart meeting Leah dwindled even further. Leah makes her loyalty to Ted quite clear when she’s baited into telling him that Erica plans on joining Stuart and Samantha, further implying thatLeah and Stuart didn’t have a particularly strong relationship prior to his exit from the firm. If anything,Louis Litt’sSuits LAcameoestablished a stronger relationship between Stuart and Louis than Stuart ever likely had with any entertainment associate. But Leah probably should have warranted an exception.
Why Leah And Stuart Make The Perfect Suits LA Team
They Complement Each Other Both Personally And Professionally
Whether the final merger planned to begin inSuits LAseason 2 would have even been successful remains one ofSuits LA’s biggest unanswered questions, butLeah and Stuart have enough personality traits in common that they likely would have bonded eventually. Despite appearing as an antagonist at the very start of the show, Stuart’s more whimsical side comes out gradually over the course of the series. This man who sings boy band songs in his car and requires costumes at hisDungeons & Dragonsmeet-ups almost certainly would have gotten along with the adorably energetic and geek culture-obsessed Leah.
The two could be a nearly unstoppable force if they ever put their heads together on a case, as well. Leah, unfortunately, never gets a chance to prove herself at trial in the series as is, with the bulk of her storyline focused on whether she truly wants to pursue a legal career at all. However,Stuart’s experience in criminal defense and Leah’s encyclopedic knowledge of entertainment could serve any client who needed both services, particularly since most criminal cases inSuits LAbesides Pellegrini’s have related in some way to the client’s entertainment career.
How Suits LA Season 2 Could Have Paired Stuart With Leah
The Series Already Explored Why They Might Need To Team Up
Even ifSuits LA’s cancelationmeans that Stuart and Leah will never formally meet onscreen, it’s fairly easy to picture how their team-up would have occurred.Several cases inSuits LAhave already required the entertainment and criminal divisions to combine forces, such as Lester Thompson’s murder trial, Sierra Carson’s assault case, and the accusations against Avery Jeffers. Even the David Bowie case, which was almost exclusively criminal in nature, required attention from Samantha early on. It’s not difficult to imagine that similar cases would have relied on Leah’s entertainment knowledge at some point.
It’s somewhat more difficult to justify Stuart actually allowing Leah to second-chair for his client at trial, but there are still multiple ways to make that happen. Stuart could simply respect Leah enough to give her a chance, or he might even do it to antagonize Erica given his relatively combative relationship with her throughout their few shared appearances inSuits LA. It’s unfortunate that Stuart and Leah’s potentially incredible alliance must now be relegated to the realm of fan fiction, but at least the characters were both given plenty of moments to shine individually while they were around.
Suits LA
Cast
Suits LA follows Ted Black, a former federal prosecutor who now represents influential clients in Los Angeles. As his law firm faces a critical juncture, Ted must navigate the challenges of a role he once disdained, balancing moral dilemmas with the demands of high-stakes legal battles.
