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The Sheriff’s department seizing and eventually auctioning off his customized, bulletproof Lincoln Navigator is a bitter pill for Mickey Haller to swallow. This scenario encapsulates the challenges Mickey is facing this season on The Lincoln Lawyer. The tactics employed by Dana Berg, or whoever is orchestrating the pressure on Mickey’s murder charge, are seriously hindering him. This strain is affecting everyone in his circle. Lorna is working tirelessly to stabilize Haller & Associates while trying to bring in new funds. Hayley’s school performance is taking a hit due to bullying from classmates and their parents, fueled by excessive local news consumption. Meanwhile, Maggie is keeping a close eye on developments, balancing her personal concerns with professional interest. Currently, Mickey’s sole advantage is the information unearthed on the Yuma run—“Kirk Lennon,” the alias Sam Scales was using. The police are unaware of this, giving Mickey a strategic advantage. “They took my Lincoln to mess with me,” Mickey confides in Cisco. “They want to play hard? I’ll play harder.”
There’s another silver lining, even if Bamba claims the old ride lacks allure. Fans are thrilled to see Mickey Haller reconnecting with his roots, raising the garage door on his old storage unit. Inside are archived files and paperwork he once stored in his trunk while conducting his mobile law practice throughout the city, alongside IWALKEM, the smoke-white Navigator from the early seasons of Lincoln Lawyer. It’s reminiscent of Skyfall when James Bond revives his classic Aston Martin DB5.
With the Kirk Lennon information, Mickey and his team begin to unravel Sam Scales’ operations. Sam was investigating semi-trucks adapted for disabled drivers, setting up trucking companies under the alias “Air-King,” and was somehow linked with Biogreen, an organic fuels startup in San Pedro. Reflecting on the types of scams Sam used to orchestrate, Mickey recalls a conversation they had in his office. From his first con, a Rolex Air-King with an oyster casing, Sam always sought the next big score. Just like individuals, corporations have deep pockets. So does the federal government. In con artist parlance, this is known as “bleeding the beast.” During the flashback, Sam points to an essential tool in his toolbox—his wheelchair. “No one notices you when you’re down here,” he remarked.
“Where there’s money, there’s a scam,” Mickey tells his team back in the conference room. “Where there’s a scam, there’s Sam.” He assigns Cisco and Izzy to investigate Biogreen and any connections the company might have had with the deceased con artist.
While we adore his collection of vehicles, what truly captivates us is a classic Lincoln Lawyer investigation, watching Haller & Associates painstakingly sift through the details until they find the most unexpected link. This makes the Biogreen connection particularly fascinating. However, it’s crucial to recognize that despite his confident facade, Mickey is confronting his inner doubts. Right now, he feels like he’s just fending off attacks, and he’s acutely aware of it. In a candid moment with Maggie in his office, he questions, “Why me?” Why is this happening? Even if he unravels Sam’s scheme, Mickey is still an innocent man facing a murder charge. With Maggie, he can’t hide his underlying anxiety beneath his usual bravado. “What if I can’t win this?”
Neve Campbell is so great in this sequence. Presented with an ex-husband in crisis, possibly on the verge of capitulating, and with Lorna already seeking her insight – “I’m looking at Mickey’s puzzle and it’s like half the pieces aren’t even in the right box” – Maggie McPherson deploys pep talk mode, but with the serious edge of a no-nonsense prosecutor. It’s Campbell putting the steel into her character at all the best times.
Like lunchtime. Maggie used to work with Dana Berg, and she knows her habits. She tracks the prosecutor down at Hop Woo BBQ, on Broadway in Chinatown, slides into her booth. And while Mickey’s courtroom sparring with Dana has been entertaining, this battle across the table is even better. Dana holds fast to what the evidence against Mickey presents. Maggie presses that she has tunnel vision. These two aren’t friends, and neither budges. But it’s cool that Maggie’s even doing this, because her professional standing has serious weight. She says she knows her old colleague will do anything for a win. “Even believe your own bullshit,” and leaves Dana Berg to her steamed broccoli and edamame. Maggie McPherson is sick and tired of watching them mess with the very life of a man she still cares very much about. He doesn’t deserve it, and their daughter definitely doesn’t deserve to be catching strays on social media because of it. Maggie ends her ambush of Dana with a “Fuck you.” She can play hardball, too.
Briefs for Season 4 Episode 4 of The Lincoln Lawyer (“Bleeding the Beast”):
- Bamba has his own concise assessment of Mickey’s mounting hassles. “When the man wanna fuck with you, he don’t waste no time doing it.”
- While they aren’t official yet, Izzy’s been seeing more of Grace since they stayed out all night after the arcade adventure. These two look great together! More Grace!
- And late at night, the FBI shows up at Mickey’s Hollywood Hills door. They didn’t like being served a court order on the feds’ potential links to Sam and the scams. And Speaking of Lincoln Lawyer Season 2, it’s a pushy agent we already know: Felix Vasquez (Hemky Madera), who Mickey last tussled with during the Lisa Trammell case.
Johnny Loftus (@johnnyloftus.bsky.social) is a Chicago-based writer. A veteran of the alternative weekly trenches, his work has also appeared in Entertainment Weekly, Pitchfork, The All Music Guide, and The Village Voice.