Season 3 of Netflix’s The Lincoln Lawyer focuses on Mickey Haller’s (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo) developing character arc when he’s pushed to rethink his choices and their unbearable burden. Throughout Season 3, Mickey can be seen weighing his choices (which are often impulsive) against the consequences they attract. As a result, Mickey’s journey in the latest season of The Lincoln Lawyer entails undergoing a transformation that will decide the character’s future trajectory. While the season sets up Mickey for this transformation through minor conflicts from the beginning, the death of Season 3’s newly introduced character, Eddie Rojas (Allyn Moriyon), becomes the turning point for the ace lawyer in his pursuit of ambition. While Eddie’s sudden death was the most surprising for a show that has seen its fair share of demises, it was equally important considering the direction taken by The Lincoln Lawyer Season 3.

Eddie Rojas Was Added in Season 3 To Aid Mickey’s Character Arc

Moriyon’s Eddie Rojas is one of the most interesting and likable characters introduced in Season 3, making his death an unfortunate curveball when it occurs in Episode 5’s final few moments. A crochet influencer and fitness freak, Eddie marks his space with his energetic presence after being hired as Mickey’s driver after Izzy’s (Jazz Raycole) exit from the position. However, in a shocking event in Episode 5, Mickey’s car becomes the target of an attack, leaving Eddie dead. While this highly unfortunate death takes out a very interesting and possibly one of the best new entrants in The Lincoln Lawyer’s roster of Season 3 characters, Eddie’s death serves a higher purpose in the larger scheme of Season 3. Showrunner Ted Humphrey has revealed how Eddie’s character was originally created for the show to serve a very specific purpose — something achievable only through his death in front of Mickey in Episode 5 of Season 3.

By the time of Eddie’s death, Mickey’s trajectory so far had already been affected by his disastrous choices which often bring into danger the lives of others around him. Right from the top, Season 3 puts Mickey in the shoes of the guilty by making him believe that he was responsible for the death of Glory Days (Fiona Rene). For some time in his investigation, Mickey believed that Glory was killed by the cartel due to her involvement with Mickey in incriminating cartel boss Hector Moya (Arturo Del Puerto). Although Mickey later rids himself of guilt for Gloria Dayton’s death after realizing that Agent DeMarco (Michael Irby) was already using Glory as a mole, his journey of self-reflection has already begun.

Eddie’s Death Stands Out From Other Deaths in the Show

Eddie’s death definitively hits Mickey differently, as Eddie has no role to play in Mickey’s endeavors. It was only a matter of chance that Mickey helped Eddie, who was his daughter’s old babysitter, free himself after he was rightfully accused of carjacking and Eddie became a replacement for Izzy, who now has a desk job at Mickey’s firm. Eddie’s death, in this context, becomes an important event for Mickey to start taking seriously the consequences of his choices, which are often brave but lack practicality or consideration for the safety of others. More often than not, Mickey endangers others around him in his relentless pursuit of success and ambition, not realizing that he is not a lone wolf anymore and has a pack who supports him at every step.

Eddie’s death, while unfortunate, proves to Mickey that his choices may lead to irreversible consequences, which cannot be compensated by Mickey’s legal brilliance. Eddie’s death establishes that it is time for Mickey to become a man responsible for his actions — something his daughter Hayley (Krista Warner) always wanted. By helping his client Julian (Devon Graye) seek justice, Mickey fulfills his character arc in Season 3. He discovers that success can be achieved by following the morally and ethically correct path, which Haller has rarely done in his career.

After Eddie’s death, Mickey agrees to have protection from a biker gang and understands that the choices he makes in the courtroom may follow him to his house, even endangering the lives of those near him. Considering that the theme of Season 3 revolves around Mickey’s self-realization, Eddie’s death was an important piece of the puzzle that made Mickey’s journey complete. Thankfully, despite the death in Episode 5, the season finale sheds light on the possibility for Allyn Moriyon’s loveable Season 3 character to return through Mickey’s hallucinations, which will most likely continue, owing to a big final twist in the last few seconds of Season 3.

All episodes of The Lincoln Lawyer Season 3 are available to stream on Netflix in the U.S.