Despite Suits LA being a spinoff of the hit series Suits, the two shows have some marked differences. For starters, Suits doesn’t have a ghost as a recurring character. Suits LA follows an entertainment lawyer played by Stephen Amell who runs his own Los Angeles law firm. In the first episode, which was already filled with many dramatic moments, the ending revealed that the main character, Ted Black, had been talking to a ghost throughout the whole episode.
The Ghost Is Ted’s Dead Brother, Eddie
Eddie Black, played by first-time actor Carson A. Egan, appears very early in the first episode of Suits LA. Ted Black is in his house, and Eddie is there for him as Ted wakes from a bad flashback. It’s not clear who Eddie is for a while, and as the episode goes on, his presence grows more and more mysterious.
Excluding a flashback, Eddie only ever appears in the house, so it would make sense for him to be related, but this also foreshadows the reveal that he’s a ghost. Eddie’s ghost is the same age as Eddie was when he died, and his young age makes him look like he could be a brother or a son at first. A flashback where Ted is young, but Eddie is the same as when viewers first see him, tips viewers off that something’s not right, and that Eddie might be part of Ted’s imagination.
In the episode, Ted also meets with his father, in a flashback and on his father’s deathbed. Ted’s details while he talks to his father reveal that Eddie was Ted’s older brother who died young. Ted’s father didn’t care for Eddie and didn’t even bother to show up to Eddie’s funeral. Ted recounts how one day, Ted, Eddie, and their father went to a Yankees game, and it was the happiest day of Eddie’s life, but his father didn’t want Eddie there.
Ted leaves his father to die alone, and back at his home, Ted talks to Eddie. Ted holds a framed photo of the two of them at the Yankees game and tells Eddie, “Today I’d just like to spend the day with you.” As Ted cries, Eddie hugs him before disappearing with the big reveal that Eddie is a ghost.
How Eddie Factors Into ‘Suits LA’
Eddie’s role in the show is vital to Ted’s story. The show spends time diving into Ted’s backstory, figuring out why he moved all the way from New York to Los Angeles. Ted had a failed criminal law case while there, and he refused to do criminal law again. His father tried to give him a top job at his law firm, but the rift created by Eddie’s death stopped Ted from taking the job.
Eddie will appear throughout the season and help give insight into Ted’s emotions. Ted’s conversations with Eddie will continue to reveal more about how his past shaped him into the lawyer that he is. With his father now dead, Eddie’s ghost seems to be the only family Ted has, and maybe Eddie can convince Ted to stop pushing the other characters like Rick, a lawyer who formerly worked under Ted, and Samantha, Ted’s ex, away.
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The first episode also focused on how Ted ditched his vow not to practice criminal law so that he could save his firm. This will be a developing plotline throughout the first season, and it’s also the reason people like Rick struggle to trust Ted. Hopefully, Ted’s talks with Eddie will turn the lawyer around and remind him why he left criminal law in the first place.
The Rest of the Show Is More Grounded
Eddie’s ghost is the only supernatural part of Suits LA, but it’s not the only unusual aspect of the series. Suits LA is much different from its namesake show, Suits. None of the main characters from the original series return as main characters in the spinoff (although one will make an appearance). Suits LA also focuses on a different kind of law, entertainment law, which allows for real-life celebrities to make cameos and for the series to develop storylines with fake celebrities.
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When Ted is not talking to Eddie, he’s either working at his law firm or having a flashback. After criminal law lawyer Stuart Lane left his firm and took many of his workers and clients, Ted had to scramble to salvage what he could. He’s still dealing with the effects of this as he picks up a criminal law case for actor Lester Thompson, who’s accused of murdering his partner.
The coming episodes will follow Ted Black as he continues to represent Lester, while also dealing with the death of his father. Ted will also have to handle having a new partner, Erica, and losing his lawyer friend, Rick, to Stuart Lane. Suits LA airs on Sundays at 9 p.m. on NBC with episodes streaming on Peacock the next day.
