As a fan of the gripping series “Mayans M.C.”, I must say that it was truly captivating to read about the behind-the-scenes insights from the creators and cast members. The courtroom scene featuring Holt McCallany’s performance as Bishop was undeniably powerful, making me feel like a spectator in a real-life legal drama. I can only imagine how challenging it must have been to shoot such an intense scene multiple times over three days, but the end result speaks for itself.
Warning: This conversation reveals plot points from Season 3 of “The Lincoln Lawyer,” currently available on Netflix.
For the third season of the widely-appreciated Netflix series “The Lincoln Lawyer,” the pace and intensity are cranked up significantly, leading to two episodes that could leave spectators stunned. The character of defense attorney Mickey Haller, portrayed by Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, navigates not only legal battles but also romance with his season 2 adversary Andrea Freeman (Yaya DaCosta). He also tries to reconcile with his daughter Hayley (Krista Warner) and ex-wife Maggie (Neve Campbell), as well as take on the role of mentor for fresh lawyer Lorna, played by Becki Newton.
Season 3 unfolds the storyline from Michael Connelly’s novel “The Gods of Guilt,” which is quite fitting given that both Haller and Freeman grapple with remorse over certain life-altering choices they made. The narrative centers around the murder of one of Haller’s clients, Glory Days, whom he developed a bond with during her trial in Season 1. As he delves deeper to uncover the truth, he finds himself taking on the defense for her alleged killer and navigating treacherous territory with a ruthless cartel.
In this conversation, I had the privilege of chatting with dynamic duo, Dayln Rodriguez and Ted Humphrey, about the internal turmoil that haunts Haller’s conscience, the climactic courtroom showdown, and their ingenious approach to authentically represent Latino culture within the narrative.
When Mickey’s new driver Eddie Rojas is killed, he’s wracked with guilt. How does that affect his life? And will he ever really quit like he keeps threatening?
Ted Humphrey: A recurring topic in his books is the idea of quitting. His work existence dwells in a morally ambiguous zone – he assists individuals who aren’t always admirable, and he employs all available resources to accomplish this. Throughout the series, there’s an ongoing conflict about whether he has the fortitude to continue – this season, it intensifies due to his personal guilt and the challenge of balancing being a responsible father while also being a tenacious defense attorney.
What’s the state of his relationship with his daughter in this season? Since Eddie Rojas was her friend, is he struggling with guilt over his job even more?
Humphrey: He finds it hard every season due to her constantly challenging him. However, this season she’s beginning to grasp the significance of his work and perhaps even considering his path. There will always be a battle, a paradox he faces.
From my perspective, given the fact that I’m deeply involved in my work, it poses challenges when it comes to being a parent because my job essentially consumes my life. I believe this could have played a significant role in his relationship with Maggie as well.
Do you think there’s another chance for Mickey and Andrea to get back together? It seems like there’s unfinished business there.
Rodriguez believes in “better not say never,” as Maggie remains the most important relationship in his life, one he’ll never completely move past. Mickey is intricate due to his upbringing with an unconventional and somewhat unstable mother, and a father who was a serial womanizer. These traits from both parents create challenges for him in maintaining healthy relationships.
In simple terms, a steady relationship lacks the excitement needed for compelling narratives or drama.
What do you think of the fact that once again, he’s dating a fellow attorney?
Rodriguez: In Mickey’s shoes, I’d cease dating lawyers. Currently, I’m wedded, yet in the past, I hadn’t dated many writers either for a similar cause.
Speaking of ex-wives, in this season, we see Lorna becoming an even bigger part of the show. Can you talk a little bit about her trajectory?
Rodriguez: Originally, Lorna was meant to be a fusion of two characters from Michael Connelly’s universe: the character named Bullets from Aronson, and Lorna, the ex-wife. Therefore, the plan was to merge these two characters into one combined entity.
Humphrey: She’s blossoming in her legal career, opening up new narrative possibilities for the character and enriching the universe of our show – a fantastic development!
Lorna has always been a flashy dresser! But now that she passed the bar, her outfits are even more eye-catching. How much of that was in the script?
Humphrey: According to the script, this character was meant to have a very distinctive style in terms of clothing. However, I must acknowledge the creativity of our costume designer from Season 1, Lindy McMichael, and actress Becki Newton who portrays Lorna. They collaboratively developed a unique look for this character that turned out amazingly well. Furthermore, our current costume designer, Beth Morgan, has built upon this foundation and even enhanced it further.
They hit just the right balance for her, making her appear professional yet preserving her unique personality.
The show incorporates so many L.A. restaurants, from Cole’s to Din Tai Fung to Nobu. Which of you is the big L.A. foodie?
Rodriguez: In truth, we’re all on board with this! The majority of our writing team feels the same way. Mickey, you see, has a keen interest in food within the storyline, and we’ve amped it up significantly. I absolutely love how the series showcases the amazing food scene in Los Angeles, highlighting its diversity and the intensity of people’s preferences and dislikes.
Michael Connelly’s books have a great flavor of the city, of course, but how do you bring that to the series?
Humphrey: Our first season was created, scripted, and produced during the COVID-19 pandemic. At that time, everyone was wearing masks and face shields, and we had designated areas like Zone A and B. The production environment was quite strict due to the pandemic restrictions. I recall one of our Netflix executives commenting that the show felt like a heartfelt tribute to the city of Los Angeles, which was in need of love during those challenging times. From the start, we were determined to shoot the series in Los Angeles instead of using Vancouver as a stand-in and faking it.
Rodriguez: I believe we’ve done an excellent job capturing the less conventional aspects of Los Angeles. Typically, when you think of L.A., images of Beverly Hills or Malibu come to mind. However, we’ve not only filmed these well-known areas but also places like Echo Park, Silver Lake, Downtown, Eagle Rock, and Pasadena. Our aim has been to highlight the diverse and unique neighborhoods of Los Angeles that often go unnoticed, as this city is truly a gem with each area having its own charm.
“Lincoln Lawyer” follows in a great tradition of L.A. shows like “The Rockford Files.” Did you look to any of those for inspiration?
Humphrey: I’m a big fan of those shows, particularly “The Rockford Files.” Back then, they filmed them in L.A. because it was more affordable and convenient. Nowadays, it’s quite the opposite – you have to put extra effort and money into shooting there, but it’s still absolutely worth it.
Mickey has been dealing with Glory Days and his guilt surrounding her for a while now. But this season, he’s really driven to solve her murder. Does that finally bring him closure?
Humphrey: Towards the end of the series, he does get some resolution. However, it’s important to note that, similar to our series, this sense of resolution doesn’t last long for him.
At first, he feels immense guilt as he wonders if he played a part in her demise. However, by the conclusion, he understands it wasn’t his fault. Yet, in his thoughts, he feels obligated to bring those truly responsible for her death to justice, instead of allowing an innocent man to suffer the consequences.
How does Mickey deal with that guilt?
If you asked him if his role is to seek justice, he’d likely chuckle and respond that his task is to ensure his client is acquitted, regardless of their actions. Generally, those who have committed wrongs receive their comeuppance in the story, whether it’s through Mickey or another means, as a consequence of his exposing unscrupulous individuals who should be safeguarding people but instead exploit them. This aspect holds great significance for him, particularly when he’s managed to reveal truly wicked people in positions of power and help bring them to justice, one way or another.
What keeps him going? Why does he keep coming back even after he says he’s leaving the job?
Rodriguez believes a significant factor is his daughter encouraging him not to give up. He seems to rely on this support. It meant a lot for his daughter to make that change. I think it had a powerful impact on him. In the end, Julian Lacoste’s recognition that he needed someone in his corner and required vengeance for what happened to him, seemed to fuel his determination to carry on.
Near the end, we see the ghosts of some of the people close to Mickey who have died, which is a little different tone from the usual hard-boiled action. How do the ghosts guide him?
As a follower: In this story titled “The Gods of Guilt,” the final episode shares the same name, although the ghostly apparitions are initially encountered in the previous one, labeled “Ghosts.” The concept here is that these ‘gods’ serve as the jury. Towards the end of the book, there’s a profound philosophical segment where the protagonist discusses his personal gods of guilt—Maggie, Haley, his father, and various other aspects like Glory Days—who collectively form his personal jury that he presents his case to daily. The ghostly figures were used to visually represent this idea and make it more impactful.
Let’s talk about the dramatic final episode. When the investigator, Bishop, stunned the viewers by having a second concealed gun and shooting himself in the courtroom, is that how it went down in the book as well?
Rodriguez: Among the three seasons, I believe this adaptation is most akin to one of Michael’s books. Personally, I think it’s the strongest in the series. Reading it left me stunned, and that was my first clue that when we brought it to life on screen, it would have the same impact.
Humphrey: We’ve been carefully setting things up for this significant point. Of course, there will be many more remarkable instances in the future, as we have plans for them in the next season. However, certain events had to be initiated in Seasons 1 and 2 to ensure this moment’s success, such as developing the relationship with Glory Days. The process of building towards that was indeed patient, but rewarding. I was fortunate enough to direct that episode, and it was both a challenge and an honor to breathe life into that pivotal scene.
What was it like shooting that scene?
In the last episode, Holt McCallany’s portrayal of Bishop was absolutely extraordinary; it seemed as if all we needed to do was point the camera at him and allow him to work his magic.
That courtroom scene is the longest courtroom scene we’ve ever done. It took three days to shoot that scene, and we ran through it again and again and again, top to bottom, from every different angle. He had to do that 50 times, and every time brought tears to your eyes. Every time was heartbreaking.
It was Manuel Garcia-Rulfo’s first time starring in an English-language show, but his casting seems appropriate for an L.A. show. How does the cast reflect the city?
Rodriguez: I truly enjoy our series because I believe it accurately depicts the people of L.A., which is crucial given my identity as a Latina. It’s essential for me to reflect the diversity that Los Angeles embodies in our production, from cast and crew to staff members.
Was that something you wanted to build in from the beginning?
The issue I see with shows featuring Latino leads is they often become exclusively Latino-centric, but this isn’t a show about Latinos; it’s a legal drama set in L.A. That’s just what the city looks like. Manuel is exceptional and natural in his role, being a bilingual Latin attorney in Los Angeles. He seems authentic to me. His interactions with other Latinos at the courthouse feel genuine, but it’s not all about Latinos. We’ve cast actors of various races, including Black, Asian, older actors because we have many judges, and we even have a disabled actor and LGBTQ characters. Essentially, we aim to portray L.A. as it truly is – diverse and inclusive.
Was it your idea was it to cast Elliot Gould as kind of the elder sage?
Humphrey: Initially, it belonged to me, but it might have been more of a collective choice during Season 1. The visual inspiration for our show is heavily influenced by L.A. noir, particularly “The Long Goodbye.” We’ve essentially used that as our blueprint. Given this, casting him seemed fitting. On set, we enjoy discussing “The Long Goodbye” with him.
What are your other inspirations for the series?
Humphrey: “Chinatown.” Other great L.A. noirs.
We draw a bit of humor, similar to Elmore Leonard’s style. At times, it feels like we’re creating our own “Out of Sight” scene.
At the end, there’s a real cliffhanger when Mickey’s finally getting out of town. We’re so happy for him that he’s taking a little break, and then the cops pull him over. Can we expect that the next season will take on Sam Scale’s murder?
Humphrey: To really ramp up the tension for this season, it seemed logical to have Mickey become the client – a concept that Michael also planned in his novels.
The fourth season, titled “The Law of Innocence,” revolves around Mickey being falsely accused of killing Sam Scales. This is our next book that we will adapt into a series.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
Read More
- W PREDICTION. W cryptocurrency
- ACT PREDICTION. ACT cryptocurrency
- PENDLE PREDICTION. PENDLE cryptocurrency
- Skull and Bones Players Report Nerve-Wracking Bug With Reaper of the Lost
- AAVE PREDICTION. AAVE cryptocurrency
- NBA 2K25 Review: NBA 2K25 review: A small step forward but not a slam dunk
- Unlocking Destiny 2: The Hidden Potential of Grand Overture and The Queenbreaker
- ESO Werewolf Build: The Ultimate Guide
- Mastering Destiny 2: Tips for Speedy Grandmaster Challenges
- Rainbow Six Siege directory: Quick links to our tips & guides
2024-10-18 02:48