The Lincoln Lawyer Season 3 Finale: Mickey Haller's World Gets ROCKED!
The Lincoln Lawyer Season 3 Finale: A Shocking Twist That Changes EVERYTHING
Netflix's The Lincoln Lawyer season 3 just dropped, and the finale? It was a total bombshell! Mickey Haller (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo) finally solves the Glory Daze murder mystery but then BAM! A seriously crazy twist: he gets pulled over for a missing license plate, only to discover his client Sam Scales' body in his trunk! This isn't the first time that something awful happened to this main character, however; and he might just survive all this drama!
Ted Humphrey, the co-showrunner, spoke with TVLine about how this totally changes Mickey's life, putting him in the hot seat as the client for once. As he notes in the following quotes:
"It’s funny, my wife said to me when she saw that, oh, can’t you just let this guy be happy for a minute? And I said, well, it wouldn’t be much of a TV show if we did that. But no, Season 2 of the show was, we referred to it internally as the Icarus season, right? Mickey is flying high off the Trevor Elliott case, and then he gets kind of knocked down to speed and has to rebuild himself. And so coming into Season 3, he’s really unsettled. He’s discovered that Glory Days is dead and the sins of the past are all kind of piling up on him. That’s really what, in a sense, Season 3 is about and what The Gods of Guilt is about. It’s Mickey’s guilt. It’s Mickey’s guilt for all the things that he’s done that may have hurt people that he cares about, which in a lot of ways is much worse even than them hurting yourself. And at the end of the day, he’s managed to overcome that. He’s managed to right the wrongs of the past. He’s managed to get justice for Glory Days and for others, and even for Julian La Cosse with the settlement that he gets him at the end. And so finally, he feels like, the chaos of the last few years is behind me. I’ve gotten over my addiction. I’ve gotten through that period of time where I was getting too big for my britches. I’ve gotten over these sins of the past, and now I can kind of get back on an even keel and just start my life over again. And then wham! As I say, it wouldn’t be much of a drama if we didn’t throw a curve ball into his life."
Mickey as the Client: A Whole New Level of Legal Drama
Humphrey mentions this big thing about how Mickey being put into this unexpected and unpredictable spot adds additional dramatic tension, making this a truly unique opportunity. As he mentions when discussing his rationale in developing this particular scene:
"We’re really proud of Season 3 and just as we were making it, we just felt like—and it’s not surprising because it’s maybe our favorite of the books or one of them, and Michael has said that it’s maybe his favorite book, The Gods of Guilt—we did that book justice, that this season does that story justice, that we were able and in many ways, as we always do, obviously to expand it. And because we have a much bigger palette to work with in a 10-episode series, and in particular, once you get to the finale, very proud of that. I was very proud to direct that episode and it really came out well. And so we just thought, what could top this? Well, what tops it is obviously Mickey is now the client, the jeopardy that his clients have been in up until now, now he’s in, and it’s truly the toughest case of all. And if you think back over the course of three seasons, what is the mantra that his father taught him and that Legal Siegel has reminded him of? There’s no worse client than an innocent man. Well, what happens when you’re that innocent man and how do you handle that? And how do you deal with the fact that traditionally a lawyer who represents himself is a fool for a client? So we’ll see."
What Happens Next: Setting Up Season 4
This ending sets up a ton of stuff for season 4. Humphrey confirms season 4 (if it gets greenlit) will adapt the sixth book The Law of Innocence, which is insane and adds lots of possibilities. We’re obviously seeing Mickey on trial for murder! It's totally possible that this new legal drama ties into that Glory Daze murder, showing that whole conspiracy goes higher than previously expected. It remains uncertain what kind of additional information this could involve and viewers would need to watch season 4 to realize it.
Neve Campbell is probably coming back and that might mean trouble with Maggie! Perhaps that custody battle they have been teasing earlier will play a major part in that next story. There’s even potential for more than four seasons – there's seven Mickey Haller books by author Michael Connelly !
Our Verdict: Mickey’s Got a Huge Fight on His Hands!
Mickey, that extremely successful lawyer? He's facing the ultimate challenge. Accused of murder, with clear signs of a conspiracy aimed at framing him, he’ll have to be more brilliant than ever; bringing into the story the entire main cast – including all their particular talents, skills, relationships, and overall strengths.
The story arc for season 4 sounds explosive! That potential for greatness and how easily a sequel can expand from the original is made completely apparent through those specific developments that directly derive from this explosive ending, really highlighting just how perfectly the season could've ended and that even greater things could follow later in future episodes and sequels. Those viewers waiting eagerly for the sequel really have something worth anticipating, and they're going to have something truly amazing to watch and fully invest their energy in, creating an anticipated viewing experience. Go watch The Lincoln Lawyer!
