Netflix ‘The Lincoln Lawyer’ Season 3 Review - Still Fantastic, Still Enjoyable

A sense of comfort washed over my body as soon as Netflix started recapping the events of the second season of The Lincoln Lawyer. A voice inside my head reassured me that Season 3, too, would turn out to be satisfying (I really liked the second season). Ten episodes later, I am happy to report that the voice inside my head proved to be right. Something like The Lincoln Lawyer reinforces my belief that a show's length is inconsequential when it is fantastic. "Gripping" is one of the words that repeatedly came to my mind as I was watching this series. Season 3, much like its predecessors, sucks you into its world through its story, acting, and smooth, razor-sharp dialogue delivery. There is so much fun in seeing people who are confident and who pursue their goals with such single-minded zeal that their relentlessness becomes seductive. Mickey Haller (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo) and his team come under this category. They are so competent that you think no obstacle for them could be too big. This notion doesn't hang like a bug over the series. The lawyers manage to tackle several issues, but they also lose some things. They are not exactly invincible; they have their moments of vulnerability. Season 3 even brings in grief from the beginning.

Now that Gloria Dayton (Fiona Rene) is dead, Mickey spends quite a lot of time remembering her by replaying old memories. We see how he met her, took her case, and gave her a baseball cap. Gloria and Mickey were like best friends. But sadness often takes a backseat because innocent individuals keep getting framed, and crimes are still happening. Mickey cannot afford to take a vacation - people need him. One such person is Julian (Devon Graye), an IT guy. He is accused of murdering Gloria, but he pleads not guilty. Mickey obviously hesitates to defend him. What if he is actually the killer? You don't want to be responsible for providing bail to someone who choked your friend. It's not a spoiler to say Mickey eventually agrees to take the case. It's Gloria, after all, who told Julian to contact Mickey in case of an unfortunate incident. Apart from this Julian case, Mickey is also served a subpoena outside the court, which just increases his workload. The characters in Season 3 are always busy. This doesn't mean they never find the time to breathe. It's pleasing to watch them juggle between work and pleasure. They eat food, and drink wine when not going through case files. Mickey also finds time to romance with Andrea (Yaya DaCosta), with whom he locked horns in the courtroom in the previous season.

The Lincoln Lawyer nimbly moves between the characters' personal and professional lives. One moment, they might be talking about murders and the next, they would be discussing their new position as a landlord. Izzy (Jazz Raycole), at one point, pays the office bills and responds to an SOS text message (not necessarily in this order). Lorna (Becki Newton) prepares for the bar exam to become a lawyer so that she can buy a home for herself and her husband, Cisco (Angus Sampson). Mickey goes through some trouble with her daughter, Hayley (Krista Warner), deals with the loss of loved ones, and fights courtroom battles. What's so appealing about The Lincoln Lawyer is that it doesn't try to overplay its emotions - its energy is equally distributed. It doesn't try to move us with easy sentimentality or any other cheap melodramatic shortcuts, though that "Mickey seeing ghosts" thing can be a bit too much. It's good news that these images don't entirely take on the shape of a tearjerker. You see, the characters don't have the luxury of wallowing in pathos. They have tight schedules. In one of the scenes, Mickey touches a sweater, remembers a friend, and then immediately brushes aside his sadness to fulfill his professional obligations. Moments like these hold the key to the tone of The Lincoln Lawyer.

If Season 2 was all about worshiping the titular lawyer (he was on magazine covers), Season 3 puts a few holes into his fame, his celebrity-like aura. A character tells Mickey she has seen him somewhere and then points toward a bench with his photo on it. William (John Pirruccello), a prosecutor, initially looks clumsy, which gives Mickey the impression that this person will face a humiliating defeat. William, however, shocks everyone with his competence and irritates Mickey. His meek face might as well be whispering, "Don't judge a book by its cover." Then there is Sly Jr. (Christian Antidormi) and his subpoena, which further irks the criminal defense lawyer. During one of the courtroom sessions, Mickey thinks the judge will rule in his favor, but things don't occur as per his expectations. Season 3 suggests that the theatrical speeches look attractive, but they don't always turn the tide in your favor. And even if you win a case with your smooth-talking skills, there is a chance that you might have given a second chance to a criminal. This is sharply expressed through a case involving domestic violence. The female chef Mickey defended in the second season also turned out to be a criminal. The Lincoln Lawyer points its fingers toward criminal defense lawyers and then says that they, too, are simply doing their jobs. What other answer can one provide for such a complex situation? The show touches on ethics (see how Mickey obtains a signature) and indicates that not everything is black and white (a phone wallpaper tells you so much about a character). Season 3 shows us a corrupt system and comments that while you can't change it in a single day, you can push it towards something better step-by-step. It's all presented in an easy, digestible manner, which is what you can expect from a Netflix Original. This is not a complaint, however. Just an observation.

Newton continues to be the best thing about The Lincoln Lawyer. The screen receives a jolt of energy as soon as she appears. Garcia-Rulfo might be the lead actor, but I cannot imagine this show without Newton. She brings a sense of joy and excitement - a delicious comic flavor. Neve Campbell is barely present, Raycole is fine, and DaCosta exudes elegance. Sampson is so warm and lovely, you feel like giving him a hug. When his Cisco circles a house that Lorna admires (she likes the kitchen), you smile at him for being a gentleman. Here is a guy who listens to women. Season 3 wonderfully juggles between all these actors/characters, giving them equal importance. You remember everyone. There are some amusing flaws in the series. Lorna informs Mickey that the thumbs-up emoji is seen as passive-aggressive, so you wait for her reaction to Cisco's thumbs-up emoji, which strangely never arrives. Later, Mickey receives a phone call from a "Blocked Number," which makes you wonder if he should change his mobile or get a decent call blocker software. In Season 2, Episode 5, Mickey suffers physical injuries due to assault. In Season 3, Episode 5, Mickey suffers physical injuries due to an "accident." This is not a flaw; just an observation. Anyway, in the company of colleagues/friends/family members like these, no shortcoming comes across as a dealbreaker. Season 3 of The Lincoln Lawyer, like the other two seasons, is a winner.

Final Score- [7.5/10]
Reviewed by - Vikas Yadav
Follow @vikasonorous on Twitter
Publisher at Midgard Times