Momentum – The show begins with Mickey Haller (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo) explaining how success in court is about momentum. Attorneys must pretend like they can win before they actually win. In other words, they must have faith they will win. Izzy Letts (Jazz Raycole) asks what happens if you lose. He suggests faking it until making it.

Mickey greets Luis before entering the John Ferraro Building. Tony Walsh (Paul McKinney) runs him down to talk about his cases. He complains about a case that was kicked due to the crime being overwhelmed with work. He invites him to a get-together for Jerry at Casey’s. Before departing ways, he offers to be a second chair for the Elliott case.

The Bailiff, Ramon (Joe Alvarez) announces the next case in which Mickey will represent Kymberly “Kym” Wagstaff (Paloma Esparza Rabinov). Mickey explains to Judge Medina (Marlene Forte) that he is yet to see a police report. After reading Kym’s criminal violation, lewd conduct, Medina asks how she pleas. Kym describes the human body as “beautiful.” Mickey assures her there will be a cash bail of several thousand dollars. She denies having that much money before explaining how it is crucial, she is released today. She claims to have a thesis defense to present on Friday.

After studying the court documents, Mickey tells Medina that his client cannot plead because “there’s offense alleged.” Deputy DA Gin Russo (Megan McNulty) assures the judge the offense is obviously alleged, sunbathing without a top at a public beach. Mickey points out that the police report shows the responding officer arrived when his client was in neck-deep water. He contributes his client’s offense to the officer who ordered her to get out of the water. Medina asks Russo if there are any witnesses who claim to have been offended by the defendant’s nudity. Russo denies having any witnesses. Kym’s charges are dismissed. Before Mickey leaves the courtroom, Medina informs him that he is scheduled to represent Eli Wyms (Mikal Vega) later today.

Mickey scolds Lorna (Becki Newton) for not informing him of Wyms’ case. She assures him there is no mention of Wyms in Jerry’s files.

Maggie McPherson (Neve Campbell) is in court. She asks David Loresca (Anthony A. Kung) in the witness box if he is employed at a nursing facility owned by Angelo Soto (Reggie Lee). Loresca acknowledges he does work for Soto. She says new immigrants from the Philippines arrive to work there every few months. He says, “Yes.” She asks him to provide the court with his version of what happens to the immigrants. He explains how the immigrants are isolated from the other workers. She asks who oversees the immigrants. He tells her that they are employed by Soto. She questions how the Filipino immigrants are treated. He claims Soto’s workers forced the immigrants to eat the patients’ scraps and never get paid.

Outside the courtroom, Detective Lankford (Jamie McShane) informs Maggie that Soto is scheduled to leave for the Philippines tomorrow. She asks if he believes Soto got whim of the grand jury. He tells her the trip appears to be for business. Frustrated, she says if Soto goes to the Philippines, they will lose him. She suggests seeking an indictment from the grand jury today. He questions if there is enough information for the grand jury to return an indictment.  Mickey intrudes on their conversation. Lankford asks them if they are working on a case together. Mickey gives him a description of their daughter. When Lankford walks away, he warns her not to trust him. She denies giving Jeff Golantz (Michael Graziadel) any information on him. They discuss his drug addiction and treatment. Before she returns to court, he invites her out for pizza after their daughter’s soccer game. She promises to think about it.

Mickey encounters Detective Raymond Griggs (Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine). Griggs shows him a traffic camera image of an unidentified man near Jerry’s building when he was gunned down. Mickey asks if the man is a suspect. Griggs asks if he can identify the man. He explains how Jerry’s assistant, Wren Williams (Mageina Tovah) is scheduled to drop by the office to collect a few things. When he asks to take a picture of it, Griggs refuses to let him. Before leaving, he reminds him that Jerry was killed, not his client, Trevor Elliott (Christopher Gorham).

Dennis “Cisco” Wojciechowski (Angus Sampson) drops by Carlin’s home to discover it surrounded by the police.

In a parking garage, Mickey sees a gray vehicle that appears someone is living in.

Lorna fills Mickey in on Eli Wyms who is facing attempted murder charges against a police officer. She says Wyms is at the Sylmar County Mental Health. Mickey informs her that Jerry ordered Wyms to undergo a psych evaluation. She asks if Haley Haller’s (Krista Warner) soccer coach is Joanne Giorgetti (Christine Horn). He acknowledges Giorgetti is still coaching Haley’s soccer team. When he questions why there was no file for Wyms, she suggests it was in Jerry’s briefcase.

Lorna informs Mickey that Trevor has agreed to give him all day tomorrow to help him prepare for his case. She assures him there was nothing definitive in Jan Rilz’s file.  Cisco shows him surveillance footage from the casino that Jerry Vincent (Paul Urcioli) frequently visited. The footage shows Jerry inside a vehicle, speaking to another man who gives him a document. Cisco says the man hasn’t been identified yet, but the police are on it. He points out that the footage proves Jerry was gambling. Mickey admits to hitting roadblocks when trying to find Jerry’s “magic bullet.” Cisco shows him an all-points bulletin for Jerry’s investigator, Bruce Carlin (Paul Rae). He tells him that his belief is Carlin doesn’t want the police to find him because he left his corvette. He says the police know Carlin is innocent because he has an alibi. Mickey asks why he would go into hiding. Cisco suggests he may know Jerry’s killer.

Mickey looks around to see what Lorna is doing before telling Cisco about the photo Griggs showed him earlier. He suggests reaching out to his LAPD connect to see what he can come up with. Cisco follows Mickey to his office to give him a gun. Mickey reminds him that he doesn’t have a gun carry permit. He assures him the gun is legally registered in his name. Mickey asks him to put it away.

Mickey visits the jail to speak with Wyms. When he tries to get Wyms’ attention, he doesn’t get a response. Joanne isn’t happy when he addresses her as “coach.” She lets him look at her copy of Wyms’ file. He is surprised to discover his client is a vet. She tells him that the defendant, a sniper, did two tours in Iraq. She says Wyms and the police were in a standoff for about 3 hours. He initially was represented by a public defender until Jerry took it. Mickey questions why Jerry would pick up the case. She suggests it was for pro-bono hours. He reminds her of the mental evaluation that Jerry ordered. She claims the police described Wyms as being “competent.” She admits to being open to a plea.

Medina makes a snarky comment about seeing Mickey twice in one day. Mickey asks to approach the bench. He assures her they can negotiate a plea but first, he needs Wyms to be off his medications. Joann tells Media that the defendant target practiced in a park filled with deputies. Mickey warns Joanne of what could happen when he realizes he finds out that the plea deal is not what he would have chosen. As they walk away from the bench, she orders him to stay quiet at Haley’s soccer game.

Lorna sends Mickey a text to alert him of Wren’s refusal to leave without speaking with him. When she resumes working, Wren approaches with a box of Jerry’s things. Lorna asks if she is familiar with a woman named Carol Dubois (Heather Mazur). Wren denies knowing anything about her. Lorna points out that Carol wrote Jan Rilz (Johann Urb) a $25K check. She questions the purpose of the check and why Rilz signed off on the check, utilizing his initials. She immediately picks up her phone to call Cisco who doesn’t answer. Before leaving, she tells Wren to lock the door on her way out.

Mickey orders food from a taco truck driver (Yasmany Mendoza). He gives Izzy a rundown of his life.

At Malibu Shores Insurance, Carol is on the phone while Lorna waits to speak with her. Lorna explains the purpose of her visit is Jan Rilz. She says he had a habit of holding private sessions with his yoga clients. Carol admits to writing him a check as part of an investment for a yoga retreat in Joshua Tree. Lorna suggests he may have been in physical relationships with some of his clients. Carol says he was a great yoga instructor who made his clients feel like there was no one else but them. She admits to knowing he had other investors, including Neema Shavar. Lorna finds an excuse to make a quick exit.

Izzy pulls up in front of Casey’s. She reminds him that the bar is filled with his former drinking buddies. He assures her that alcohol wasn’t his forte, but pills. He says the least he can do is pay respect to Jerry for rekindling his career.

Mickey meets Tony who offers him a drink, which he refuses. He turns around to find Wren upset over Jerry’s death. Everyone toasts Jerry. The crowd insists Mickey give a speech. He says Jerry was adamant about leaving his clients in a better place than where he found them. He takes a seat in the back of the bar, where he encounters Lankford. He makes a sarcastic comment about what Maggie seen in him. Mickey orders several alcoholic drinks. Izzy enters the bar to find him sitting alone and alcohol untouched. She hands him a non-alcoholic beverage. He tells her it is unfair that alcohol is off-limits. She assures him it has nothing to do with being fair. He admits to seeing her vehicle in the parking garage. She assures him that she has a place of her own now.

Lorna and Cisco are taking a walk on the beach. He warns her of the dangers she faces putting herself out there. She tells him that Carola was in love with Jan when she discovered his private sessions with other women.

When Mickey meets Trevor, they hit the road. Trevor denies knowing his wife was sleeping with Jan. Mickey asks him about the gunshot residue evidence. He assures him it was a false positive because he has never shot a gun. Mickey asks about his discussions with Jerry. He says Jerry claimed to have something but never disclosed it. Mickey asks why the 5-minute delay before calling 911. He claims to have been in shock. They discuss Trevor testifying in court. Mickey warns him that Golantz will eat him alive. He reminds him of there being two juries – one in the courtroom and the other on Twitter.

Maggie informs Lankford that Soto’s indictment has been unsealed. They discuss his beef with Mickey. She assures him it has nothing to do with her. They are alerted of Soto approaching. Lankford reads him his rights.

Trevor and Mickey pull up in front of the house, where his wife and Jan were murdered. Mickey tells him that the prosecutor must prove he could get from his office to there in less than 40 minutes. He says they just made it in 36 minutes driving the speed limit. Trevor claims he and his wife had a dispute about her living in his shadow. He arrived at the house, with plans to patch things up. Mickey and reluctant Trevor enter the home.

While explaining what happened the day his wife, Lara Elliott (Katy Erin) was killed, Trevor has period flashbacks. His calls to his wife go unanswered. He goes up to retrieve his swimming trunks from a bedroom. He continues to call his wife’s name. Mickey forces him to go upstairs to the bedroom in question. In a flashback, Lara is lying facedown on the bed in a puddle of blood. Jan is lying face down in a puddle of blood as well. Trevor appears devastated. He points to the area, where Jan was laying. He admits to finding them dead before exiting the room.

Trevor is outside crying when Mickey asks him about surveillance cameras. He suggests Lara disabled them to keep her relationship with Jan discrete. Mickey tells him that his home surveillance system can be accessed from his cellphone. He asks if he ever found out about the surveillance system being disabled. Trevor denies caring about Lara’s affair before admitting his own infidelity. He admits to knowing about the affair but refused to let it end their marriage. Mickey says his story is believable.

Mickey and Cisco discuss Carol and Neema Shaver who is married to the owner of Falcon Solutions International. He says Anton Shaver geared his private security company toward “off-book clientele.” Cisco informs him that his source wasn’t available to discuss Griggs’ image.

Mickey works alone in his office. In narration, he explains momentum. He says the first step of the process is to document the basic facts. Thinking makes you dig more. It is like cracking a code. Either you find the answers or the magic bullet. When he reviews Wyms’ arrest record, he must find a connection with Trevor’s case. On his notepad, the arrest date, September 6 is circled. He pulls out a file that contains the arrest date September 6, 2021, at 2:35am and the booking time at 3:50am. Another document shows the arrest date, September 6, 2021, at 11:47am and the booking time 1:20pm.

Mickey calls Cisco to tell him that Wyms is the magic bullet. Cisco doesn’t answer the phone, so he leaves him a message. He points out that he was arrested on the day Lara and Jan were murdered. The arrest was reportedly only a few miles away from the murder scene.

When Mickey enters the parking garage, he sees an unidentified man. He takes off running, with the man in tow. He fumbles for the keys to his office and finally unlocks the door. He rushes to his desk, where Cisco hid the gun earlier. He fires the gun twice while ordering the man to leave. He contacts Griggs to tell him that the man from the photo may be at his office right now. Griggs demands to know why he has a gun. He promises to be there in 10 minutes before the episode comes to an end.

 

The Lincoln Lawyer Review

A major disappointment of an episode. I had some hope, that the show would improve. Unfortunately, it is deteriorating with each episode. The dialogue is uncompelling, preachy, and irrelevant. If you want this series to succeed, stick with Trevor’s murder case. Skip all the nonsense.

The show needs to get past Mickey’s drug dependence. Viewers have known since the first episode, time to move on.

The court cases are uncompelling and the wins downright too easy. It is like they are all won on some type of ridiculous technicality.

Trevor’s narration, explaining how to win court cases was nothing more than filler. I, for one, would’ve preferred to hear more about Lara and what led up to her murder than Mickey rambling on about winning cases.

The flashbacks from recent scenes are also filler. Surely, viewers don’t need to be reminded of what just happened.

One of the worst episode endings I’ve ever seen. Two shots are fired, followed by “yeah, that’s right.” Then he accidentally fires his gun. While this worked for Barney Fife, it doesn’t work here.

The episode deserves a 5.5. Get more Lincoln Lawyer recaps here. Support Reel Mockery by clicking the link.