Suits: LA Season 1 Episode 11 Review: Tearin’ Up My Heart

Stuart hits rock bottom and Ted swoops in to come to his aid on Suits: LA Season 1 Episode 11, “Tearin’ Up My Heart.”

In one of its final outings before the season finale, Suits: LA tackles the importance of keeping up with your mental health, why teamwork is crucial in times of distress, and how PTSD can guide your actions.

You Owe Me, Ted

Patton Oswalt and Brian Baumgartner make another cameo as themselves, providing much-needed comedic relief to an otherwise darker-toned episode.

Oswalt returns to demand that Ted get him a contract for an action-comedy film he’s eyeing without any negotiations. Everything is fine and dandy until he spots Baumgartner in another office and decides to peak in.

What begins as an apology quickly becomes a real, unscripted fight between the two. After hurling insults at one another and Baumgartner insinuating that he can’t do his stunts, Oswalt leaps on his back to choke him.

It’s not a prevalent plot point with much time spent on it, but it’s a desperately needed element. Baumgartner and Oswalt can command the screen with ease solo, but when they share it, there’s nothing more hilarious!

Heed Caution with Immense Emotions

As Amanda begins the groundwork on Sierra’s case, a string of emotions emerges as the subject matter is a little too close to home for her. Whereas she’s usually level-headed, cool, calm, and collected, her actions are erratic this time around.

Instead of being able to compartmentalize her feelings for her father mentally, she uses them to guide her actions, observing Sierra’s father to be her own in a sense.

“Tearin’ Up My Heart” breaks down the barriers of keeping personal and work separate, not letting your emotions rule your judgments, and that teamwork is always a tool best utilized.

Just as Amanda is Sierra’s knight in shining armor, Erica serves as the same for Amanda. Without Erica being the voice of reason, there’s no telling what she could have said or done to Sierra’s father. 

Suits: LA is always at its best when these core characters work together towards a similar goal. “Tearin’ Up My Heart” also provides the key to the central driving root of Amanda’s guide in life: the resentment of her father.

We’ve learned very little about her backstory, and this revelation allows the audience to understand why she’s chosen the path she has finally. She grew up with an addict father who didn’t treat her right, and she had to come to his rescue one too many times as a kid.

A Downward Spiral

Another fantastic cameo that provides an unforgettable outing full of laughs is Yvette Nicole Brown. When Stuart accidentally rear-ends her at the school dropoff line, outrageous insults are exchanged, only for Stuart to find out she’s one of Rick’s clients.

For Stuart, “Tearin’ Up My Heart” only allows him to demonstrate further his childish, rude, and downright nasty attitude. The catch, though, is, can you judge his actions after what he’s just been through? 

At the end of Suits: LA Season 1 Episode 10, “Slugfest,” Stuart’s life is viciously threatened. Yes, Ted is there to record the interaction, giving Stuart some piece of mind with the evidence of Bowie’s confession. 

Nonetheless, he and his entire family were threatened to be murdered, and that’s not something you can shake overnight. 

One thing Suits: LA is doing right is the mental health representation of how PTSD isn’t something that simply goes away with ease. Stuart is trying to move on without seeking help or talking to anyone, but just as so many quickly find out, that only exacerbates the issue.

Bottling up emotions isn’t a wise decision, and when Stuart finally notices he’s allowing them to control him, he hits his breaking point.

It’s only right that Ted is the one to swoop in and assist Stuart in getting the help he needs. The two are brothers through and through. At the end of the day, they’re there for one another when things get tough.

Other Thoughts: 

• It’s becoming clearer with each passing episode that the series only utilizes Samantha as a key plot point for Ted, and unless it involves him or Stuart, we won’t see much else from her. It’s honestly sad how underutilized her character is.
• Another episode without Leah!? It’s getting old. 
• I’m keeping all my fingers and toes crossed that we’ll see Erica and Rick overcome their issues and reconnect before the season finale.

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Suits: LA airs Sundays at 9/8c on NBC.

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