Conflicts – The episode opens with Mickey Haller (Mark Garcia-Rulfo) at County Lockup in a snit over Lisa Trammell’s (Lana Parrilla) arrest. A few threatening words with Officer Cummins (Andrew Hawtrey) earn him access to where Detective Howard O’Brien (Darien Sills-Evans) is waiting. O’Brien assures him that he has the upper hand as Trammel is carted off to jail. Mickey asks what he wants. O’Brien offers to get him quick access to Trammel in exchange for helping his brother-in-law who is in trouble with the IRS. Mickey offers to inquire about the “friends and family” discount from his “tax guy” to preview the interrogation video.
Mickey is waiting when a female officer delivers Trammel. She complains about being tricked into going to County. She thought they were building a case against her for Mitchell Bondurant’s (Clint Carmichael) murder. She wasn’t cuffed and no one read her Miranda Rights. When he says O’Brien claims she made some troubling admissions, she believes he has pegged her as guilty. He informs her that she will spend the night in lockup. He warns the bail will be high if the prosecution charges her with murder. She admits to not having enough money to cover his fee. As O’Brien leads her out of the room, Mickey urges her to not talk to anyone about the case.
In his Lincoln, Mickey calls Lorna Crane-Taylor (Becki Newton) for an update on Trammel’s murder case. He informs her that he will represent Trammel. She points out the conflict of interest. He assures her that it will be no problem keeping their relationship in the past. She reminds him of Hayley Haller’s (Krista Warner) first riding lesson when she receives an alert on her and Dennis “Cisco” Wojciechowski’s (Angus Sampson) bank account. She contacts him to validate the transaction. He claims to have made a purchase of brake pads in Glendale.
Mickey and Maggie McPherson (Neve Campbell) proudly watch Haley get her first induction to riding. She tries to entice him to talk about the Jesus Mendez (Saul Huezo) case but he quickly switches the subject to Tim.
Haller Residence – None too thrilled with the interrogation video, Mickey learns Trammel stopped at the Café near Bondurant’s office on the day he was murdered. When she sees Bondurant in the line, she makes a quick exit. Unaware if he saw her, she denies stopping at the café to see him.
LA Courthouse – Mickey learns he will face off with DA Andrea Freemann (Yaya DaCosta), Maggie’s friend in the Trammel murder case. She is quick to rub her legal wins over him in his face. He questions her legal ethics. She scolds him for what he did to Maggie when he got the “wife-killer” off.
Trial Room – Trammel makes her first appearance in handcuffs and a LA County jumpsuit. Judge Teresa Medina (Marlene Forte) calls for order in the court. Andrea announces the people will seek first-degree murder – lying in wait. Mickey enters a not-guilty plea before proceeding to a bail hearing set for tomorrow morning. She urges the judge to deny Trammel’s bail. With no prior convictions and a lot of support from the community, Medina sets bail at $2 million. Trammel complains about the excessive bail. Mickey suggests putting the restaurant up for collateral which she balks at. A bail bond would require a $200K refundable deposit. Presenting a “Power of Attorney” form, he explains how it would authorize him to sell her life story.
Haller & Associates – Lorna tells Izzy Letts (Jazz Raycole) about the alerts for her and Cisco’s joint bank account. Izzy says he doesn’t appear to be a cheater. Lorna says he made a purchase at a convenience store near “The Patch,” Cisco’s old biker handout. He claims to have walked away from that part of his life. Izzy suggests confronting him.
Haller & Associates – Cisco tells Mickey that Bondurant’s body was discovered near his vehicle in his office parking garage. The cause of death is loss of blood due to a head injury by a circular object. The police never found a murder weapon at the scene. The only eye witness, Margo Schafer (Joanne Baron), claims to have seen Trammel leaving Bondurant’s office.
Trammel arrives with “Murder On The Hudson” podcast star, Henry Dahl (Matt Angel). Briefly explaining their previous work, she says Dahl approached her with a proposition to spin a new true-crime story from the old material. They boast of the fortunate she will make. Pulling Dahl away, Mickey presents him with the Power of Attorney form. He tells him that Trammel signed her story rights over to him. He points out that his deal with Trammel is null and void.
Mickey sits in on Haley’s riding lessons. Watching a student struggle to mount a large horse, a thought comes to mind. He calls Lorna to inquire about Bondurant’s height. She tells him that Bondurant was 6’3”. He and Haley briefly discuss Trammel’s case as well as Andrea. Alone in the stall with the horse, he calls Lorna to get a few motions rolling.
Haller & Associates – Lorna puts in her hours drafting the motions, as Winston snores away on the couch. The next morning she wakes to Cisco brandishing a cup of coffee. She confronts him about hanging out with the “Road Saints.” He assures her that he has no doubt about marrying her. He admits to following Kaz (Douglas Bennett) since he has been 14. Kaz got him involved with the “Road Saints.” He explains they were scheduled to make a delivery when Kaz was arrested at another location. He denies knowing what was in the package or the recipient’s address. He feels indebted to Kaz for protecting him from getting busted. He gradually left the “Road Saints” and Kaz was released early for good behavior. Teddy Vogel (Chris Browning) wants him to get to the truth.
Cisco claims to have never received his patch but an associate can’t just walk away from it. He says while Mickey offered free legal services to win his freedom, it is his debt to pay. He feels the need to keep Kaz safe. He assures her in time, it can be put behind him.
Trial Room – Andrea berates Mickey for the motions he filed. He drafted a summons to have her removed from the case because she discussed the case with Maggie. She points out that Maggie is a prosecutor. He agrees with her assumption but the discussion took place in front of Hayley. She asks what he wants. He demands the discovery ASAP.
Haller & Associates – Mickey and Ray (Shelby Lee Parks) have a quick discussion. Mickey is alone when Maggie enters his office. She scolds him for using Haley to get his way in court. Reminding him of Chef Trammel making a public display of kissing his butt at the restaurant. She says he has his own conflict of interest. She deduces that he slept with Trammel. She believes it has something to do with Tim.
Haller’s Residence – Trammel apologizes for getting Dahl involved in her case. Mickey warns that they cannot have personal meetings as long as he is her attorney. Before leaving, she demands to know if he believes she is innocent. He assures her that his opinion has no bearing on her case. Dahl watches her emerge from Mickey’s house.
The Lincoln Lawyer Review
Mickey is getting more unlikeable with each episode. He uses his daughter and both ex-wives, as well as Cisco for his own advantage. His betrayal and deceptiveness make it difficult to enjoy the show. There is no question of prosecutors and defense attorneys being “snakes in the grass.” Mickey is a prime example.
The scenes with Hayley are unbearable, but at least they offered something to one of the stories this time. Maggie and Mickey treat her like a child, instead of a teenager.
Henry’s appearance is a welcome addition but he eerily reminds me of Russell. This along with the feeling that Lisa isn’t anywhere near as innocent as she comes off, adds the perfect combination of suspense and intrigue. For those reasons, episode 3 deserves a well-earned 5.4 of 10.
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