The Lincoln Lawyer gets more than expected in the season 3 finale.
The Lincoln Lawyer: Case File for season 3 episode ‘The Gods of Guilt’
Written by: Ted Humphrey and Dailyn Rodriguez
Directed by: Ted Humphrey
Let’s review the case file for S3E10.
Refresh Your Memory
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- Neil Bishop was the man in the hat that followed Glory Days out of the Roosevelt Hotel.
- Sam Scales needed the help of Haller and Associates, and Lorna got him a plea deal in her first case.
- Another inmate, Lalo Vasquez, stabbed Julian La Cosse before boarding the van heading to the court.
- Andrea Freeman handed over Lalo Vasquez’s case file to Cisco.
- Surveillance footage showed Bishop and De Marco breaking into Peter Sterghos’ house to plant drugs in the freezer. Instead of introducing the video during the trial, the Lincoln Lawyer shows it to Bishop privately before he takes the stand.
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Neil Bishop called to the stand:
In the previous episode, the Lincoln Lawyer showed Bishop the video of him standing guard outside Peter Sterghos’s home while De Marco breaks into the house and plants drugs in a pizza box in the freezer. Bishop urges Mickey never to share the video with anyone else. Mickey replies that Bishop’s next steps will dictate whether or not the video ever sees the light of day again.
Bishop is called to the stand in the closing moment of episode 9, and now his testimony begins.
Bishop and De Marco first meet:
At the beginning of the episode, we see a flashback to Bishop at Bob’s Big Boy, a famous burger joint in Burbank. This location, built in 1949, is the oldest remaining Big Boy in America. Bishop is on the phone with Linda, his ex-wife, telling her he should be able to attend his kid’s game. By the sound of it, Linda disagrees and hangs up on Bishop.
De Marco approaches his table to talk to Bishop and find out where he and his partner are on solving the double homicide case near Lake Balboa, which we now know was across from Peter Sterghos’ house. During the conversation, De Marco even helps himself to a few of Bishop’s fries, which is rude and clearly a power play. Long story short, De Marco offers Bishop money so Bishop can handle some of the legal troubles with his ex in exchange for not solving the double homicide case.
Bishop on the stand:
On the stand, Neil Bishop confesses his sins to the Lincoln Lawyer and the court, including when he first met DEA Agent James De Marco, how he followed Gloria Dayton from the Roosevelt Hotel to her apartment, and even to that day, requesting assignment as the investigator on the La Cosse case. He requested to be a part of the La Cosse case to monitor it from the inside for De Marco. During the testimony, Mickey spots a man in the courtroom texting someone and recognizes that he was with De Marco earlier when De Marco testified. He gives Cisco a heads-up text that De Marco has “ears” in the courtroom.
Bishop’s testimony elevates tension.
Judge Regina Turner calls for a brief recess during the testimony. She does not want the jury to see her ask Bishop to surrender his firearm to the bailiff. This was an intense moment, as we do not know what Bishop would do then. As Bishop’s testimony continues, the court reaches almost maximum capacity. It seems word travels fast in the halls of the courthouse.
After the brief recess, Bishop testifies about following Gloria Dayton to her apartment and texting De Marco her address upon arrival. We learn that De Marco would show up later and talk briefly with Bishop in the car he used to tail Gloria. After that, De Marco would go around the side of the apartment building, possibly to enter from the back entrance. After his testimony concludes, Bishop reaches towards his leg and pulls something. He says, “Tell my son I’m sorry,” and proceeds to put a gun in his mouth and pull the trigger, killing himself.
The scene transitions from everyone in the courtroom panicking and screaming to showing that Mickey, Forsythe, Lorna, Izzy, and some Sheriff’s deputies are the only ones left.
Cisco follows De Marco:
After getting Mickey’s text, Cisco spots De Marco, possibly outside the DEA headquarters building, receiving a text on his phone. Cisco sees De Marco enter the building, and he maneuvers his bike to the parking ramp exit. There, he picks up De Marco as he is leaving the building. After pausing briefly at a stoplight, De Marco pins the accelerator through a red light and shortly after loses Cisco by cutting in front of a semi-truck.
The entire system is messed up:
Andrea was present during Bishop’s testimony. Afterward, Mickey and Andrea talk about what transpired during the day. Their conversation covers Mickey’s guilt about pushing Bishop too far. Andrea shares that the current District Attorney of Los Angeles County, Bob Cardone, has been nominated for a federal judgeship, prompting Adam Suarez to take over as DA. Andrea mentions the Scott Glass case and how Vanessa was “getting her ass handed to her”. However, despite wanting to see Vanessa falter, Andrea truly wants Scott Glass in prison for what he did to Deborah. The conversation ends with them agreeing that the entire system is messed up.
Sidebar: After seeing this scene, I personally hope Mickey and Andrea get back together. I was delighted that Mickey had found someone who claimed she was unlike Maggie and would not run when things got rough.
Good news delivered
The Lincoln Lawyer delivers good news to Julian La Cosse and David. The charges against him have been officially dismissed, and Julian is free. David asks if there is any recourse they can take, but Julian has no interest in stepping foot in a courtroom again. Any recourse effort would likely involve a lawsuit.
It is lovely to see Julian on the mend. He and David are visibly relieved by the dismissal of charges and excited about the future.
Mickey’s surprise visitor
Mickey gets home and notices his front door ajar. Two Road Saints follow him into the house, but the threat is a false alarm. It is Hayley waiting inside for her father. She apologizes for how she treated him and says while grieving Eddie, she understands it was not Mickey’s fault. They sit and talk about how Mickey is considering quitting. Hayley urges him to reconsider, as his work freed an innocent man. Hayley adds an excellent line, “The system will never work if people don’t make it work.”
She switches the conversation by mentioning she wants to follow in his footsteps, but possibly on the other side of the aisle. Hayley could be a great prosecutor if she is as fierce as her mom, Maggie, whose nickname is McFierce, after all. As Hayley leaves to retrieve some plates for their dinner, Mickey looks as though he will cry.
Sidebar: There have been too few scenes with Mickey, Maggie, and Hayley this season. Even when they were in the same scene together, I still wanted more. I hope to see more of Maggie and Hayley in a potential fourth season.
Andrea confronts Suarez
Andrea Freeman lets Adam Suarez know she is done with her “purgatory” assignment and will be put back on the Scott Glass case. I feel like there was a hint in this scene. She would have made it known that Suarez did not put his best person on the case.
“Let’s do the time warp again.”
I hope you brought your time machine because we get another time jump. This time, we’re jumping forward four months to a settlement hearing. Cisco lays out all of his findings to Adam Suarez, now the DA, and others on one side of a vast table into his investigation of Neil Bishop and James De Marco.
Cisco reveals the link between De Marco and the blue star logo on the drugs he planted in Peter Sterghos’ freezer. This same logo appeared in all of the following scenarios:
- the drugs Amber Dell was selling in Las Vegas
- the fentanyl-laced cocaine that Julian’s stabber, Lalo Vasquez, sold to the college students who died
- the drugs found in the home of the 10-year-old unsolved murder case that De Marco and Bishop “collaborated” on
Furthermore, this logo is associated with the Juárez cartel, Hector Moya’s cartel competitor. This is impactful evidence of De Marco working for the Juarez cartel as well as the collaborative efforts of De Marco and Bishop in Glory’s murder and interference in Julian’s trial.
Suarez comments that they have given them a lot to think about and that they will be in touch. Mickey whispers to Julian to wait for him outside, and after Julian leaves, Mickey gives one of the best speeches of this show to date.
Izzy works the books.
Izzy is reviewing the books and finds several clients are in arrears, meaning money is owed and should have been paid earlier. One of those clients, surprise-surprise, is Sam Scales. She also asks Lorna if they should keep the Road Saints on the payroll. Lorna suggests that until De Marco is found, it would be safer to keep them around for the time being.
They see Mickey pacing around in his office, and Lorna mentions that she hasn’t seen him like this since the accident.
A “gift” from Moya
Izzy is opening mail at the office while Lorna consults with a new client, Mrs. Schwartz, who is divorcing her scumbag husband. He was the one who filed a false police report when Eddie took his Lamborghini for a joy ride. Cisco is not aware that the firm handles divorces. He shares that the look in Lorna’s eyes frightens him when she says she is going to “take [the husband] to the cleaners.” Izzy opens a manilla envelope with a picture in it—a photo of De Marco hung dead in Mexico with a snake around his neck. Moya just happens to call at that exact moment to see if Mickey received the “gift.” They talk for a moment, and Moya asks Mickey to trust him that the rival cartel will no longer be a problem for Mickey.
Giant payday
Fast-forward to Adam Suarez calling to ask Mickey to check his email. We do not see the amount, but Julian’s settlement amount apparently has a lot of zeroes.
A toast to the Gods of Guilt
Haller and Associates go out to celebrate. They go to a restaurant for drinks, food, and fun conversation—non-alcoholic drinks for Mickey and Izzy. Mickey informs everyone that they are all receiving well-deserved bonuses. He also mentioned that he was going to take a vacation to recharge.
Mickey raises a glass, “To Julian. And to the gods of guilt. Not the jury. The ones we carry around with us”. Mickey calls it a night after a lot of food and fun. He tells Lorna, Cisco, and Izzy to stay, enjoy, and charge the evening on his card. On his way out of the restaurant, we see Mickey pass his own “gods of guilt.” he imagines Gloria Dayton, Eddie Rojas, and his father as he exits the restaurant.
Sidebar: The lovely restaurant featured is The Red Bird, which comes highly recommended by co-showrunner Ted Humphrey. Interestingly, this is also the location where the cast of fellow Michael Connelly series Bosch: Legacy epically met up with The Lincoln Lawyer cast as they were filming nearby at the time!
What a cliffhanger
After leaving the restaurant, Mickey drives around the city in the Lincoln Continental, even giving a person on a motorcycle a fist bump. Officer Collins pulls him over because the rear plate of the vehicle is missing. While at the back of the car, Collins spots what looks like blood dripping on the ground from the vehicle. He places Mickey under arrest when he refuses to open the trunk. Officer Collins gets the keys and proceeds to open the trunk. He pulls Mickey over to see the inside of the trunk. Lying there, shot dead, is Sam Scales.
The Law of Innocence
Wow! The cliffhanger sets up the plot for season four, which would be based on the incredible book The Law of Innocence. As of this article, there is no official word yet on a season four renewal, but with that ending, you leave the fans wanting more.
Personally, I would love to hear that Netflix wants at least two more seasons. The show is too good to get a year-to-year renewal.
Let us know what you think.
The more I watched the scene where Neil Bishop shoots himself after testifying, the more I felt sorry for him. Do you agree?
What did you think of the Lincoln Lawyer’s speech to Adam Suarez and company?
Do you think we will see Mickey’s “Gods of Guilt” in future seasons?
Let us know your thoughts by email at feedback@somanyshows.com or, more specifically, for The Lincoln Lawyer at notguilty@somanyshows.com
Episodes 1 – 10 of The Lincoln Lawyer season 3 are available on Netflix.
Stay tuned for ongoing coverage of The Lincoln Lawyer, which includes interviews, recaps, and all new episodes of our podcast Lincoln Law Pod on SoManyShows.com.
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