Over the course of three seasons,The Lincoln Lawyerhas carved out a spot for itself among Netflix’s flagship TV shows. Its third season, in particular, has received rave reviews and ratcheted up audience expectations for Mickey Haller’s next criminal case. Haller is an especially intriguing central character in the pantheon of legal drama protagonists, with his distrust of the justice system and personal entanglements with both clients and rival lawyers furnishing his profile in the show with the traits of a true antihero.
Mickey Haller is joined byThe Lincoln Lawyer’s exceptional cast of supporting characters, many of whom are key players in the best episodes of the series so far. We may all have our ownLincoln Lawyerwishlists for how season 4develops the stories of these characters further, but it’s worth casting our eyes back over the story so far, for a moment, and examiningsome of the most gripping hours of legal drama that have ever been produced for the small screen.
10"Ghosts"
Season 3, Episode 9
The Lincoln Lawyer’s season 3 is surely the bestthat the show has offered up on Netflix to this point, even though it took a little while to get into its stride. The season reaches its shocking climax via four riveting episodes, each markedly different from the others, the penultimate of which is “Ghosts”.
Herewe get a change of pace from the show, as Mickey Haller confronts his own demons and searches for answersin the form of ghosts from his past. He sees visions of dead former clients, and is encouraged by his own father’s ghost to get justice for the defendant who is lying critically injured in a hospital bed. This episode isn’t as explosive as others in the season, but it’s quietly powerful and moving in waysThe Lincoln Lawyerrarely has time to explore.
9"Conflicts"
Season 2, Episode 3
Our first introduction toThe Lincoln Lawyer’s best rival to Mickey Haller, Andrea “Andy” Freemann, the season 2 episode “Conflicts” does an excellent job of spinning several plates at once. There’s Freemann’s dramatic entrance onto the scene, the intrigue between her and Mickey’s ex-wife, Maggie, and the mess Mickey has gotten himself into with his client, criminal defendant Lisa, which Maggie inevitably finds out about. We even get a true-crime podcast subplot thrown into the mix, checking off an essential trope on the list of any contemporary crime drama.
Meanwhile, besidesMickey’s personal and professional challenges reaching new heights, the episode features dramatic revelations from both sides ofThe Lincoln Lawyer’s cutest couple, Lorna Crane and Cisco Wojciechowski. This episode is a highlight in the mixed bag that is season 2, proving thatThe Lincoln Lawyerwasn’t just a one-season wonder.
8"Relevance"
Season 3, Episode 7
Another episode that changes things up a little fromThe Lincoln Lawyer’s often forensic depiction of legal and criminal proceedings at breakneck speed,“Relevance” delves into some of the show’s more personal subplots. The episode celebrates Lorna Crane passing the bar exam and becoming a lawyer, while exploring Mickey Haller’s complex relationships with his daughter, Hayley, his on-off girlfriend, Andy, and his mentor, David Siegel.
Ultimately, this episode is about its characters' lives, asThe Lincoln Lawyertakes a moment to catch its breath before things really heat up.
It also covers a lot of the investigative work that sets up theend ofThe Lincoln Lawyerseason 3, while dropping some key hints that could well become relevant to the plot of season 4. Ultimately, though, this episode is about its characters' lives, as the show takes a moment to catch its breath before things really heat up.
7"Suspicious Minds"
Season 2, Episode 5
A finale of sorts forThe Lincoln Lawyerseason 2, part 1 before its midseason break, “Suspicious Minds” ups the stakes with several thrilling twists both inside and outside the courtroom. We see Andy Freemann begin to turn the screw in Lisa Trammell’s trial while Mickey begins to doubt whether he can trust Lisa himself. In addition,the episode’s all-action finish is a shock to the systemthat left us all wondering what would happen to Mickey when it was first released.
Along with “Conflicts” before it, “Suspicious Minds” raised the bar for the rest of the series, laying the groundwork forThe Lincoln Lawyerseason 3.The second half of season 2 generally doesn’t quite live up to this brilliant episode, though, which gives us our first proper look at Andy Freeman at her best as a formidable prosecutor.
6"Momentum"
Season 1, Episode 3
“Momentum” wasthe first episode ofThe Lincoln Lawyerto demonstrate that the show is far more than a courtroom drama. Its dark, interweaving plotlines and superb set-piece scenes show just how many strings Mickey Haller has to his bow.
“Momentum” is the firstLincoln Lawyerepisode to guest-star Jamie McShane as Detective Lee Lankford.
The episode’s highlights include a face-off straight out of a neo-noir thriller and a final chase scene that illustrates exactly why Mickey is so wary of the justice system he’s working within. “Momentum” represents the opening shots of a series that’s about to come at us all guns blazing.
5"Mystery Man"
Season 3, Episode 8
An episode full of intrigue and suspicion, “Mystery Man” is the mark of anall-time great legal drama showin its prime, able to pull us in on four levels at once. We’re equally gripped by the investigative work that Mickey and his team undertake, unnerved by the tense courtroom scenes involving the videotape crucial to Mickey’s case, charmed by Izzy’s story of personal and professional growth, and horrified by what happens to Julian at the end of the episode.
Mickey Haller, Lorna Crane, and Cisco Wojciechowski’s jobs have never been tougher than in this episode.
The Lincoln Lawyergets down to business with this episode, which is a season 3 highlight only its finale can top. Mickey Haller, Lorna Crane, and Cisco Wojciechowski’s jobs have never been tougher to this point, and perhaps“Mystery Man” gives us a taste of what we can expect from season 4.
4"The Uncanny Valley"
Season 1, Episode 9
“The Uncanny Valley” was the first truly great episode ofThe Lincoln Lawyerto be released, asit takes the series in several directions at oncewith the commanding tone of a cinematic action thriller. This episode isn’t just the denouement of season 1, it has not one, but two, brutal twists in its tail for Mickey Haller.
After watching this episode, we could be sure thatThe Lincoln Lawyeris no ordinary legal drama. Thanks in part to the mesmerizing crime fiction of Michael Connelly, on whosebooks Netflix’sThe Lincoln Lawyeris based, the show has had us rapt with anticipation of the next twist ever since “The Uncanny Valley”.
3"The Fifth Witness"
Season 2, Episode 9
If episode 9 is among the best episodes ofThe Lincoln Lawyerseason 1, then the penultimate episode of season 2 is comfortably its best. “The Fifth Witness” featuresprobably the most dramatic courtroom scene in the history of the show, before raising the stakes even higher by placing a member of Mickey Haller’s own team on the witness stand.
Legal drama purists may suggest that “The Fifth Witness” is actually the best of anyLincoln Lawyerepisode, and they’re well within their rights to. However, the big finishes at the end of the show’s first and third seasons just pip it to the post for overall excitement.
2"The Gods Of Guilt"
Season 3, Episode 10
“The Gods of Guilt” isn’t just a brilliant finale forThe Lincoln Lawyerseason 3. It’s an astonishing final twist that rips up the rulebook for legal and crime dramas, and that has made the show’s fourth season one of the most highly anticipated TV releases in recent memory.
This episode sets up the conspiracy to end all conspiracies against its lawyer protagonist, Mickey Haller.
Whileappearing to tie up all of season 3’s loose ends, in the courtroom as well as outside it, this episode is really just setting up the conspiracy to end all conspiracies against its lawyer protagonist, Mickey Haller. “The Gods of Guilt” is thehighest-ratedLincoln Lawyerepisode onIMDbfor a reason, and this big finish to the show’s third season means fans will be expecting even more surprise cliffhangers from now on.
1"The Brass Verdict"
Season 1, Episode 10
Although “The Gods of Guilt” could quite easily have made the number one spot on this list, it’s just edged out by an episode that’s as close to perfect asThe Lincoln Lawyerhas come so far.“The Brass Verdict” has everything you’d want in a Mickey Haller story, from its court case victory and shocking revelations of judicial corruption, to romantic drama and Lorna Crane’s heartbreaking subplot.
This episode proves that a great season finale doesn’t always need a cliffhanger to make it dramatic. What’s more, “The Brass Verdict” serves upThe Lincoln Lawyer’s only real happy ending, which proves to be the calm before the storm.
