Watching: The Lincoln Lawyer S3

2024, Netflix

I am tempted to not write about this show that I thoroughly enjoy, even so far as to anticipate that I am on season 3, in an era where so much I enjoy gets cancelled after season one. But the problem is that I am not watching any particular reason (a crime to solve, brilliant lawyer antics) but for the characters. I just so much like the characters, and I never stop talking about how I like shows with likeable characters. And the more the climate of the world makes all parties playing unlikeable, and the more my own toxic work environment makes me wonder if "niceness" is a myth, the more I gravitate towards decently written, decent people.

As I have said before, its hard to do these TV posts about later seasons, because.... do I explain the premise all over (dude, its not "all over again" because you have never actually written about the show before), or forget about all of that and just talk as if you already know everything? 

What 100. Last season ended with Mickey (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Pedro Páramo) taking on new client Julian La Cosse (Devon Graye, Nope), a tech mogul accused of killing Giselle Dallinger, who turns out to be Mickey's old client Glory Days (Fiona Rene, Tracker), who he assumed had left her prostitute life and returned to Hawai'i. Mickey is determined to defend La Cosse, but also find out who actually killed Glory, and why. Meanwhile Izzy (Jazz Raycole, The Quad) is replaced by an old babysitter Eddie Rojas (Allyn Moriyon, acting debut), as driver of the Lincoln(s) while Lorna preps for and passes the bar exam, to become Mickey's partner in the firm. Mickey's attempt to have a relationship with rival lawyer Freeman, but fails.

1 Great. To be honest, for me, the entire season was about Mickey's case manager & legal assistant Lorna (Becki Newton, Love Bites), who happens to also be his ex-wife (second ex-wife) getting her law degree. Lorna is portrayed as a bit of a ditz with flashy clothes and a cliche LA attitude -- an easily dismissed woman. But she was also always portrayed as whip smart and its no surprise she, despite some imposter syndrome, passes the bar exam on first try, with flying colours. And immediately Mickey installs her as a partner (fellow lawyer?) in his firm, but not without using the offer letter she typed up for him. She's fearless and fierce and I spent the entire season rooting for her.

1 Good. (look at you, using the format properly) The continuity and connectivity to previous seasons and characters. The show could take on the "case of the week" aspect, but being a Netflix series and not broadcast network, it has to have a more contiguous feel. Reaching back to season one for characters to expand upon the dangerous circles Mickey runs in felt like the showrunners know this show, and its characters, and its world.

1 Bad. The fridging of secondary characters for a bit of into and mid season drama. The season has to start with a shock that Glory Days has been murdered, which is annoying. But later on, they have introduced a character that I frankly didn't trust for most of the season, having expected him to emerge as some sort of mole or having an ulterior motive. Instead, they kill him off in a flash of violence, to remind Mickey and the viewers how dangerous the people he is going up against are. It was upsetting for the sake of drama.