Lately my mother had developed a sort of addiction to Netflix series. Every evening – even if it’s nearing 11 o’clock- she’d insist on watching ‘just half an hour of the show before bedtime’.
Of course, the half an hour becomes exactly an hour and she’d hurriedly leave the living room when the clock strikes 12 grumbling about having to wake up early for Fajir prayers and later baby-sitting my niece. After many seasons of senior friendly series, mom decided that she’d had enough of that and would like to go for something different. “Crime series?” I suggested and she agreed at once.
I picked The Lincoln Lawyer (2022) that’s been on my list for ages. It comprised of 10 episodes, which was perfect in case it was boring or too gory for her taste. Luckily, the show was neither. In fact, it was one of the most enjoyable crime shows that I’d watched in ages. The series tells the story of Mickey Haller (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo) a criminal defense lawyer who finds himself inheriting a law firm from a murdered fellow lawyer along with all it’s cases.
To Haller, it’s a blessing in disguise as he’d been on a long leave after an accident and can’t think of a better way to restart his career. However, the major case he’s in charge of is that of the billionaire video game designer Trevor Elliot (Christopher Gorham), who’s accused of murdering his wife and her lover in their house. The case is tricky as all evidence points to Elliot although he maintains his innocence.
While trying to build this case, Haller also must work on other petty cases which introduces him to different characters and events that could be closely linked to Elliot’s case. Haller’s personal life is highlighted as he deals with two ex-wives who work in his field, a teenage daughter, a former gangster who now works as his private detective and a driver with a drug abuse past.
Haller’s style of work is what gives the show its name: he owns Cadillac cars where the backseats are turned into a mobile office. As he travels on the road, he gets to review and work on all his cases. The show is captivating and there is not a boring minute in it as it’s fast paced and always ends with a cliff-hanger that makes you want to know more. The best surprise of the show is Neve Campbell who plays Haller’s first wife and the mother of his daughter. All the characters of the series are humane, likable, and easy to relate to.
On his daily rides to and from the court, the viewers get the chance to understand the American legal system — especially when it comes to choosing the jury — as well as ponder about ethics and moral dilemmas that face lawyers representing different parties. Not to mention, get a glimpse of Haller’s daily routine. The series is based on the novel The Brass Verdict (2008) by Michael Conolly. Conolly is a crime fiction and a detective novelist who published a few books with Mickey Haller as his main character.
Mathew McConaughy played Mickey Haller in a movie with same name in 2011, which was the first book in the Lincoln Lawyer series while the TV series were based on the second book. After the huge success of the series, Netflix announced a second part that started streaming last month and is based on the fourth book of the series called The Fifth Witness (2011). I’m looking forward watching the second part, and hope you enjoy watching both parts consecutively.
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