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Mickey Haller has a poor track record when it comes to romance on The Lincoln Lawyer.
When we were first introduced to the defense lawyer, we quickly discovered that he had two ex-wives, both of whom he was still on excellent terms with, including one who was still his legal aide.
So, while he’s been a little unlucky in love, he and his exes are still close, which says something about him and how his relationships end.
While some of the series, which just finished its third season, has revolved around Mickey’s unresolved feelings for wife number one (and mother to his daughter Hayley) Maggie McPherson, the two ultimately pressed pause on their relationship for good.
And that was for the betterment of both Mickey and the series.
The Lincoln Lawyer is another series based on a beloved book series. Thus, there will inevitably be comparisons between what’s on the pages and what’s on the screen.
Having never read the books, I came into the series without preconceived notions or ideas about any characters. So, I was meeting everyone for the first time, which is neither a good thing nor a bad thing.
It’s simply just a thing.
Maggie from the books may be similar or different from the one in the show, but show Maggie was just not a character that I saw as making sense with Mickey.
Now, that could primarily be because we only saw them post-divorce. Getting a read on a relationship can be challenging when you never see any of it, especially when it is at its best.
Mickey and Maggie’s will-they-won’t-they in The Lincoln Lawyer felt forced at times, especially when it came across as so one-sided at times. Mickey was still all in, and Maggie simply was not.
It didn’t help that the chemistry was lacking; I didn’t buy these two as soulmates who just needed a second chance to get things right.
And to be fair, the same could be said for Mickey and Lorna. Even if you take Cisco out of the equation, Mickey and Lorna have always felt like best friends. They are the kind of friends who bicker and know how to get under the other’s skin but genuinely love and adore one another.
That love and adoration just fall into the platonic category.
Mickey and Maggie work much better as co-parents with a lot of deep-seated respect and care for one another, as evidenced by Maggie’s one appearance in the present during The Lincoln Lawyer Season 3.
Maggie was there to be a shoulder for Mickey and give him the kind of talk that only she could provide about his fractured relationship with Hayley, which only someone who knows your heart could give you.
Outside of Maggie and Lorna, Mickey had an ill-advised romance with client Lisa Trammell during The Lincoln Lawyer, and the less said about that one, the better.
However, during that season, he went toe-to-toe with Andrea Freeman, the criminal prosecutor in Lisa’s case. The two were clear adversaries, but they also had a begrudging respect.
And if we’re being honest, many fans pointed out back then that Manuel Garcia-Rulfo and Yaya DaCosta had natural chemistry. They were facing off against one another in the courtroom, and the tension was palpable.
They were on opposite sides, and a thick fog of rivals to lovers brewed in the background.
So, it wasn’t surprising when the two got together in season 3, even if we missed much of the significant build-up. You could say that build-up came when they were in the courtroom, trading jabs and dodging one another’s best moves.
Obviously, nothing romantic happened between them at work, but when they had a little impromptu dinner date, we all cheered! It seemed like it could be the start of something. And it was!
We just didn’t get to see any of the beginning due to the time jump.
Most people love the beginning of a burgeoning relationship, from some of the early awkward dates to the first kiss. But when we checked in with Mickey and Andrea, and they were already well into their casual romance, you didn’t necessarily feel like you missed anything.
Their relationship and dynamic just work.
We’ve never seen Mickey more smitten than when he talked to Andrea or smiled dreamily at his phone while texting her.
We don’t know Andrea as much as we know Mickey (though the series took wonderful steps to showcase her more when they promoted her to a main cast member), but you could tell she liked Mickey for who he was.
My biggest gripe with Maggie was that she always seemed to want a different version of Mickey.
Perhaps it was the Mickey she used to know or the person she wanted him to be, but they constantly clashed, and neither one should have had to compromise what they wanted for the other.
They also had that whole prosecutor/defense thing going on, though Mickey and Andrea had the same thing and didn’t let it get in their way.
Andrea had a different perspective on their opposing jobs and made it clear to Mickey that she wasn’t anything like her good friend Maggie. She didn’t want him to change who he was; that meant a lot for Mickey to hear.
He’s been searching for someone with whom he can be his whole self, and he found that with Andrea.
Both were saddled with complex cases, but they communicated effectively and were there for each other in various ways. Whether it was a simple hug or just giving the other their presence, they showed up for one another, and that was the case even after they broke up.
And ugh, they did break up.
As I stated before, I am not a reader of the books, but I do know that Andrea was not in the books this season was based on, so they crafted this brand-new romance for Mickey.
If the goal was to craft Mickey’s perfect compliment and show us that he STILL couldn’t make it work, they succeeded. But they also showed us that someone out there gets Mickey.
Although they may have sometimes disagreed and their views about the system may not always have been aligned, that didn’t mean they could not see the other’s perspective.
Their breakup felt abrupt in the sense that their relationship felt like it was over before it truly began. They had more than just a spark, but ultimately, neither was in a position to give the relationship the time and effort that it really needed to flourish.
And that’s a shame because the two had all the makings for a top-tier romance.
This isn’t a series that relies on romance; it is a legal drama, after all, but throwing out the first truly functional, exciting, and chemistry-filled dynamic with your lead feels like a missed opportunity.
You can never say never, of course. Maybe Mickey and Andrea will try again someday, but it feels like we’re much more likely to be in for ANOTHER round of Mickey and Maggie (especially considering how this last season ended), and I don’t know how to feel about that.
Let me throw the floor over to you, fanatics!
Were you a fan of Mickey and Andrea? Or do you prefer Mickey and Maggie?
What do you think the show will do next for Mickey in the romance department?
Let me know all your thoughts in the comments!
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