The Lincoln Lawyer Season 4 Owes Constance Zimmer an Apology

Constance Zimmer, Adina Porter, Ken Leung, and Margo Martindale.

These are some actors who, when you have them on your project, you’d better give them something meaty because they always deliver.

Constance Zimmer, Adina Porter, Ken Leung, and Margo Martindale.

These are some actors who, when you have them on your project, you’d better give them something meaty because they always deliver.

That’s what The Lincoln Lawyer does with Zimmer in Season 4 when she appears as the main antagonist in Mickey Haller’s most important trial.

The character’s name is Dana Berg, nicknamed Death Row Dana, among others.

I expected a performance of a lifetime, but by season’s end, The Lincoln Lawyer wastes everyone, including our time and Zimmer’s talent.

The Hole in the Canoe

(Courtesy of Netflix)

Given the story’s nature, the show really needed to sell us on the idea of Death Row Dana.

We knew that Mickey had not murdered Sam Scales, so any attempt by the prosecution to pin this on him would look pathetic.

For the first time, we were almost certain the client was innocent, so Dana had to approach this from a personal angle.

The introduction was epic as she entered the courtroom, replacing another prosecutor, but that was the height of this arc since everything went south quickly.

Throughout the trial, Dana shrank further as she tried her best tricks. The defense always had a way to counter them since Mickey was innocent.

It had me wondering where she got the nickname because this prosecutor could not convince anyone that the accused was guilty, even if they’d murdered a juror in that same courtroom.

(Courtesy of Netflix)

It’s a classic case of production telling viewers what to believe instead of showing it.

At some point, Dana just gave up, and what remained was a series of nonsensical objections and scoffing.

How can you have the Constance Zimmer in your show and just have her scoff for ten episodes?

I kept thinking we’d learn they’d dated, and Mickey pulled a Mickey and hurt her feelings. I even thought that they had once tried another case that Dana was personally invested in, but Mickey got the suspect off, even when they were guilty.

But no, Dana just wanted to have someone on death row, which doesn’t make much sense.

To take not only someone’s freedom but also their life is not an easy thing, and even the most gluttonous prosecutor would think twice.

AD

Even when the FBI admits before a judge that they wanted to hang this case on Mickey as they sort out their mess, Dana, like a phone out of service, is stuck trying to connect to a tower, even as the battery dies without any chance of success.

Her mind can’t compute that Mickey is innocent despite the ass-whooping she’d received in court or the admission that happened right in front of her.

In my opinion, the writers just wanted the viewers to hate Dana from the get-go.
I mean, can you really hate this face and smile unless there’s a really good reason to? (Courtesy of Netflix)

AD

The makeup and wardrobe department did something to her try to make her unappealing, but it’s a tall order to hate someone like Zimmer.

She has a calming presence and a voice that makes you think, “I trust her.”

Where are the writers who wrote Andrea Freeman? Now that was a prosecutor who gave Mickey a run for his money, even when the client was innocent.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: Baelor’s Death Is More Crushing on Maekar Than Anyone Else
by Sayantan Choudhary
The Lincoln Lawyer Season 4 Owes Constance Zimmer an Apology
by Denis Kimathi
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Needs to Delve Deeper Into Ser Arlan After the Dothraki Reveal
by Alexandria Ingham

AD

I truly believed that Freeman would send Lisa Trammel to prison even if she was innocent. With Death Row Ice Berg Dana, I just did not get that vibe from her.

I’d have fired her if I were her boss after that court performance.

For a season that I enjoyed, the Dana Berg arc just did not work. It watered down the stakes in a case with pretty low chances of landing a conviction.
(Courtesy of Netflix)

AD

If it weren’t for that judge, that courtroom would have been as exciting as the architecture in Mickey’s Twin Tower cell.

What did you think, The Lincoln Lawyer fanatics? Am I way off base about this, or did Dana not make sense?

Who else enjoyed Judge Stone this season? When he says, “Well, this is a cluster***,” I nearly choked on my masala tea.

Let’s keep the conversation going — it’s the only way the good stuff survives.

AD

Say something in the comments, share if you’re moved to, and keep reading. Independent voices need readers like you.

And if you want to see an entirely different side to Constance Zimmer, be sure to check out Love Story on FX and Hulu. You won’t even recognize her!!

The Hole in the Canoe

(Courtesy of Netflix)