The unbendable rules of storytelling direct us as follows: Act 1: Send your hero up a tree. Act 2: Throw stones at him. Act 3: Get him down. Season 4 of The Lincoln Lawyer pushes attorney Mickey Haller (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo) up the proverbial tree of the American legal system. But this time, Haller is the defendant, and the charge is murder.
Don’t worry, it gets worse. But first, let’s consider what we know about courtroom procedure, based on our long fascination with TV crime dramas. While the stories might be fabricated, all those tedious courtroom rules tend to be real. If we believe the justice system is only about punishing those who break the law and freeing those who are not proven guilty, The Lincoln Lawyer reminds us that courtroom trials are both public and personal. A trial is a stage where, in addition to evidence, performances by the prosecutor and the defense shape the verdict. Where each loss and victory are long remembered by the accused, the victims, the jury, the press, and the public. For both sides, there is more at stake than the verdict. Their reputations and careers depend on their victories, and every win feeds their status and ego. But if feeding the ego is an incentive, let the games begin.
Meet Prosecutor Dana Berg, aka Death Row Dana, the season’s most in-our-face character. Dana is eager to convict Haller and put him behind bars for life, but not just for the satisfaction of convicting a defense attorney. After losing a previous verdict to Haller, Berg is seeking revenge. And Dana Berg is our inspiration to never break the law, or even appear to have committed a crime such as littering. Portrayed by Constance Zimmer (Boston Legal, Entourage), Dana is a powerful adversary with an axe to grind and friends in high places. She is the enemy who’s throwing rocks at our hero, Mickey Haller, and enjoying it. That makes us hate her, which means her performance hits the mark. Yeah. Only in the entertainment industry could a vindictive temperament be a virtue. Constance Zimmer, you nailed it. And kudos to the costume staff for transforming a lovely actor into a slithering prosecutor with bad taste in clothes.
The fine cast drives the adventure forward. The tough but lovely prosecutor Andrea Freeman (Yaya DaCosta) continues her role as Haller’s sometimes love interest. Elliott Gould continues as Haller’s mentor, Legal Siegel, whose decades of courtroom cases and sense of humor guide Mickey’s strategies and perspective with feedback and inspiration. And Neve Campbell as prosecutor Maggie McPherson is Haller’s (first) ex-wife, who is raising their daughter, Hayley (Krista Warner). Season 4 brings Maggie and Haller closer. And Maggie emerges from her minor role to become a worthy part of the story. We all need friends like Maggie and Legal Siegel. And I would like their phone numbers, just in case.
Then there’s Haller’s support staff. The lovely Lorna Crane (Becki Newton) is Haller’s sharp, energetic executive assistant and ex-wife number two. Lorna passed the bar. And she married Haller’s investigator, Cisco, played by Australian-born Angus Sampson. A big, tall ex-biker, Cisco is fearless and lovable. Most of all, he is the Houdini of investigations, making everything look easy while he researches and locates people and places in search of details that will solve a case.
And then there’s Izzy, the newest staff member, played by Jazz Raycole. Like Lorna, Izzy is just what the lawyer ordered. She’s wise, big-hearted, trustworthy, and bold. In a previous season, Haller represented her on a drug charge, bartering his legal defense in exchange for her service as his driver, and then making her Lorna’s assistant. Like Lorna, Izzy is a “superwoman” who solves problems and makes order out of chaos. I could use her phone number, too.
Hats off to Michael Connelly, his incredible crime novels, and numerous streaming series featuring Detective Harry Bosch, Attorney Mickey Haller, and his latest, Ballard, based on a real (female) detective. Connelly works together with the writing and production crew led by David E. Kelley (Ally McBeal), who collectively have a knack for pushing the hero up a tree, messing with his life, and rescuing him.
In closing, here’s some perspective about The Lincoln Lawyer series, launched in 2022. The first two seasons received a reasonable reception but fell short of a must-see rating. Then came Season 3, an unrelenting thriller that will leave you breathless. The stakes are bigger, the cast is strong, and the binge-worthy adventure bridges us right into Season 4. If you haven’t watched the series or if you dropped out before Season 3, all is forgiven. Please come back.