‘The Lincoln Lawyer’ Season 2 Episode 2 Recap: “Obligations”

How about a great big pile of thorny dilemmas? In The Lincoln Lawyer Season 2 Episode 1 (“The Rules Of Professional Conduct”), when Russell Lawson fully admitted to Mickey that he murdered a woman, he was brazen but very careful. Smart psycho that he is, Russell copped to killing Martha Renteria but stopped short of directly threatening Mickey, his legal counsel, which means that attorney-client confidentiality is still in play. And that’s burning Mickey up as he pays a visit to one of the best guest stars and recurring characters on The Lincoln Lawyer, Elliott Gould as David “Legal” Siegel. (Go ahead, say it out loud; it’s fun.) Siegel worked with Mickey’s late father. He knows the law can sometimes be like a game of dirty pool, and he also knows every trick shot a lawyer can make. Siegel’s advice? Don’t tell anyone that the real murderer confessed to the exact murder Mickey’s other client is accused of. Don’t tell that client, either, and especially don’t tell the cops. Instead, use the killer’s compulsions against him. Bait him. And make sure to stay away from the blowback. 

This Russell is a real piece of work, though. Under the guise of his being a regular client, he shows up in Mickey’s offices and taunts him. “I wouldn’t want you to forget any of your ethical obligations.” But Russell doesn’t know that Gloria “Glory Days” Dayton (Fiona Rene) is back in town. Glory, a sex worker who holds key evidence that can identify Russell as a killer, currently has a problem of her own: she’s stewing in county, popped for possession of cocaine. “This wasn’t a coincidence,” she tells Mickey. “Ever since I testified for you, LAPD has had it out for me.” But when Mickey learns that one of Glory’s clients gave her the coke, he has Cisco chase down his personal information, and he’s revealed to be a high-level member of the Tijuana drug cartel. He’s also revealed to have a residence in Maggie McPherson’s Van Nuys district. A government prosecution getting its hands on a cartel player could supersede the Case against Glory for possession and solicitation. Mickey makes a phone call and asks Maggie for a favor.

Lorna’s very busy, both at Mickey’s office and in life. She’s once again working steadily toward a law degree – in a great scene, she tells off an old professor whose sexual harassment derailed her legal studies the first time around – and Lorna’s also planning her wedding to Cisco. But he’s been a little preoccupied of late, and they have an awkward conversation that begins with him forgetting to give her his guest list for their ceremony and ends with him basically admitting nothing. “I will marry you however and wherever you like, because all I want is to be with you.” Aw, that’s sweet. Cisco has a wonderful new life with Lorna, and doesn’t need to invite anyone from his past to their wedding. So why is his past sending him repeated texts that he doesn’t share with his fiancee? Teddy Vogul (Chris Browning), the gloriously-mustached president of the Road Saints MC, is leaning on Cisco to investigate whether his friend Kaz (Douglas Bennett), who got out of prison early and rejoined the club, might have maybe cut a deal to be a rat for the feds. Kaz is clean, Cisco swears. But Teddy isn’t through with him yet. He might be preoccupied for a while.

At her restaurant, Lisa’s new beverage director has prepared a fancy non-alcoholic raspado for Mickey to taste test. It’s delicious, and full of Lisa’s signature flair for cilantro. But what’s less delicious is her escalating battle with a greedy land developer named Mitchell Bondurant. He already filed a temporary restraining order against her, and now Bonderant says he’s got a witness that will say Lisa threatened him. For now, Mickey reassures her that he’s good at TRO’s, that he’s going to take care of the whole mess. And Lisa invites him to come by later and show her what else he’s good at. 

“What are you hiding from me, Haller? Again?” Griggs, who has an at times testy relationship with Mickey, isn’t happy when the lawyer doesn’t doesn’t show up for the detective’s meeting with Glory about Jesus Menendez’s case. Where is he? He’s at David Siegel’s tennis club, hitting hundreds of balls launched from a machine, and safely insulated from any talk of Jesus and Glory Days and where they connect with Tattoo Man. With Maggie agreeing to go after the cartel boss, Glory soon walks free on the possession charges. And that enables the remainder of Mickey’s plan. The information in his office that he made it convenient for Russell to see led the compulsive killer right to Glory’s doorstep, where he forces his way inside and attacks her. It’s a scary moment. But Glory is ready to fight back with half of a smashed wine bottle. She was in on the plan from the beginning, and Griggs and the LAPD crash through her door and apprehend Russell Lawson. Glory was happy to serve as Mickey’s bait in order to get this psycho creep off the streets. And with the real killer captured, Jesus Menendez’s name is cleared, and his murder case is dismissed. For good, this time.

Mickey’s back on top of the world, cruising in his Continental convertible and free of any legal dilemmas involving murderers who try to get too cute. So naturally, that’s when Lisa calls him from the county jail. “They said I killed Michell Bondurant!” And the Lincoln Lawyer turns his car around. The new woman in his life has been arrested for murder. What was that about no thorny dilemmas? 

Johnny Loftus is an independent writer and editor living at large in Chicagoland. His work has appeared in The Village Voice, All Music Guide, Pitchfork Media, and Nicki Swift. Follow him on Twitter: @glennganges