The Lincoln Lawyer Season 3 Ending Explained: The Showrunner Broke Down How The Victim, Crime Scene, And Outcome Of Julian’s Case Could Impact Season 4
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SPOILERS for Season 3 of The Lincoln Lawyer are ahead! If you aren’t caught up, you can stream the series with a Netflix subscription.
Right as I was beginning to think Mickey Haller might finally find some peace after a wild season of The Lincoln Lawyer, a twist happened, and low and behold we are now hanging off a very dangerous cliff. Thankfully, after seeing Mickey framed for murder, I had the opportunity to speak with co-showrunner Dailyn Rodriguez about it. So, let’s break it all down.
Before we dive into the specifics though, let’s go over how the season that aired on the 2024 TV schedule wrapped up. Following an action-packed season that was filled with losses (I’m still not over Eddie) and wins (like Julian winning his case and Lorna passing the BAR), there was a time jump that showed Mickey driving in his signature Lincoln. While cruising down the road, he was pulled over and a cop pointed out that his license plate was missing. Then, things escalated quickly as blood was seen dripping out of the car, and then Sam Scales was found dead in Mickey’s trunk.
Now, our main man is facing jail time, even though he’s innocent. And to reflect on all that, Rodriguez and I had an in-depth conversation about her seriously binge-able Netflix series.
Why They Chose Sam Scales As The Victim
OK, let’s start with the victim in this case. Sam Scales was found dead in the trunk of Mickey’s Lincoln. As you might remember, he’s a client of the lawyer, and in Season 3, Lorna took him on as her first solo case. Now, his murder will be at the center of what’s coming next for the show (assuming it gets renewed), as Rodrigez explained to me:
So, we now know the significance of this choice. Sam Scales is notably the victim in Michael Connelly’s 2020 book The Law of Innocence. That book – and minor book spoilers are ahead – follows Mickey in prison as he defends himself and tries to prove his innocence.
However, while it sounds like a fourth season would follow this plot, the showrunner did tell me that they changed a bit about Scales for the show. She said they didn’t make him as “nefarious” as he is in the books, and I get why, as she explained:
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We did get to see some of his scams in Season 3, and I’m curious to see how Lorna representing him will impact Mickey’s situation. However, overall, what this choice indicates is the book that Season 4 would follow. To that point, Dailyn Rodriguez and I spoke more about what could happen next as Manuel Garcia-Rulfo’s character heads to prison.
How Julian’s Case Will Impact Mickey’s Prison Experience
In Season 3 of The Lincoln Lawyer – which dominated on Netflix, by the way – we witnessed the heart-pounding story of Mickey defending his innocent client Julian LaCosse. We saw the toll this case took on our lead lawyer, his team and specifically Julian as he spent time in prison for a crime he didn’t commit.
So, while speaking with the showrunner, I asked her how this case could inform Mickey’s experience as he’s now set to defend his own innocence. In response, Dailyn Rodriguez said:
I also find this to be a fascinating character turn. This season especially, we really saw Mickey start to question the dangers of his work and his future as a lawyer. However, now times are dier and he’s going to have to use everything he’s learned to prove his innocence.
Thankfully, he won Julian’s case, and he fought so hard to save him. I do not doubt that he’ll do the same thing for himself, and I also feel like it’s a given that Izzy, Lorna and Cisco will be by his side fighting along with him.
Why The Crime Scene Being Mickey’s Lincoln Is So Sad
Obviously, Mickey being framed for a murder he didn’t commit in the final moments of this release on Netflix’s 2024 schedule is horrifically sad. However, to make matters even worse, the crime scene is his prized Lincoln.
Remember, this season started with a flashback that showed Mickey with Maggie at the beach happily talking about their life, his convertible and a kid named Eddie babysitting their daughter. Well, at the end of Season 3, Eddie is dead, Maggie and Mickey are on OK terms but not together, and the Lincoln is a crime scene. Talk about tragic!
To that point, Rodriguez told me that we haven’t seen the last of the “trauma with the Lincolns:”
At the end of Season 3, it kind of feels that everything Mickey loves has either been lost or corrupted, and what happens with the Lincoln is a metaphor for that. So, as we hopefully move into Season 4, I’m curious to learn more about why his beloved car was chosen as the crime scene.
Overall, my conversation with Dailyn Rodriguez was incredibly informative. However, it also left me with so much to think about as we wait and see if The Lincoln Lawyer gets renewed for Season 4. I was already hoping it would, but now, kind of knowing what Mickey is facing, I’m desperate to see what happens next!
Riley Utley is the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. She has written for national publications as well as daily and alt-weekly newspapers in Spokane, Washington, Syracuse, New York and Charleston, South Carolina. She graduated with her master’s degree in arts journalism and communications from the Newhouse School at Syracuse University. Since joining the CB team she has covered numerous TV shows and movies -- including her personal favorite shows Ted Lasso and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. She also has followed and consistently written about everything from Taylor Swift to Fire Country, and she's enjoyed every second of it.