The Lincoln Lawyer season 3 explores the concept of guilt.
How perfect for The Lincoln Lawyer season 3 to premiere so close to Halloween, a holiday that thrives on haunting. Mickey is haunted by his decisions this season. The adaptation of Michael Connelly’s novel The Gods of Guilt has Mickey questioning choices and pondering his culpability.
As Mickey states in The Lincoln Lawyer season 3 teaser trailer, the case at hand is personal to him. Season 2 left off with Mickey discovering that repeat client Gloria Dayton (aka sex worker Glory Days) has been murdered. Moreover, the man arrested for her murder has requested Mickey as counsel.
Questions
Several questions quickly emerge in season 3. Mickey is puzzled as he last heard that Glory had relocated to Hawaii to spend time with her mother and get a new lease on life. What brought her back to Los Angeles? Also, how is it that Glory referred her suspected murderer Julian La Cosse to Mickey? Furthermore, why does Julian keep referring to Glory Days as Giselle Dallinger?
As a defense lawyer, we have seen Mickey time and again tell his clients that he does not need to hear an admission of guilt or innocence from them. His job is to defend them regardless. Despite being able to set aside the notion of guilt with his clients, Mickey struggles with his own guilt about his possible involvement in Glory’s murder. Naturally, his first thought is that his recommendation to exchange cartel boss Hector Moya’s name for her release last season could have been a motive for her murder.
Could a seemingly clever strategy on his part have actually put Glory in danger?
Admonitions
Presiding Judge Regina Turner (played by Merrin Dungey) repeatedly reminds the jurors (aka “the Gods of Guilt” as Mickey refers to jurors with Trevor Elliot in season 1) of their admonitions. Interestingly, all of the people close to Mickey are issuing warnings to him about the case as well. There is an ever-present sense of impending danger.
As the case grows more complex, new fears emerge for Mickey and those around him. Mickey must make judgement calls about what lengths he will go to in hopes of bringing Glory’s killer to justice. The valuation of risk has never seemed more important than it does this season. Mickey is tempted to become his own judge and juror as he finds himself in a darker place than we have seen in prior cases.
Provisions
From both a literal and figurative perspective, food may have never been a bigger apsect of the story than it is in season 3 of The Lincoln Lawyer. You can look forward to seeing food used as a storytelling implement to access a wide spectrum of emotions from lighthearted to heartfelt to heart stopping. And who doesn’t enjoy exploring the finest eateries in Los Angeles?
Summations
Suffice to say that Mickey is not alone in grappling with mixed emotions and darker themes this season. Each character and each viewer must come to their own conclusions about the choices being made.
There is a deeper complexity to season 3 as compared to earlier seasons. The writers do an impeccable job of helping the audience navigate an intricate, multi-layered case all while challenging viewers at the same time. It is a delicate balance, and The Lincoln Lawyer does it expertly through clever writing, acting and direction.
Episodes 1 – 10 of The Lincoln Lawyer season 3 are currently available on Netflix.
Stay tuned for ongoing coverage of The Lincoln Lawyer including interviews, recaps, and all new episodes of our podcast Lincoln Law Pod on SoManyShows.com.
Stay connected with So Many Shows:
Leave a Reply