The Lincoln Lawyer season three recently concluded with a thrilling finale based around a chilling cliffhanger. Throughout The Lincoln Lawyer Season 3, Julian LaCosse’s trial after being framed for the murder of Gloria “Glory Days” Dayton, a sex worker.

In a high-octane race against time and at times the justice system itself, Mickey Haller proves his mettle when he eventually gets Julian off the hook. However, all didn’t end well for The Lincoln Lawyer as the second season ended with a cliffhanger that saw Haller being handcuffed.

During the successive episodes of The Lincoln Lawyer Season 3, it seemed apparent that Julian LaCosse would be sent to the gallows for murdering Gloria. But things quickly turned around after Mickey Haller’s investigation probed deep into the conspiracy.

Once Neil Bishop himself came forth with his stunning confession, it was all over for the true conspirator, the rogue Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent James DeMarco, who was revealed to have killed Gloria. The reasons behind his crime set forth an inevitable fallout that engulfed Mickey Haller and those around him in a destructive race to the finish.

The Lincoln Lawyer Season 3 revealed Gloria Dayton’s real killer

Gloria Dayton was a former client of The Lincoln Lawyer protagonist Mickey Haller with whom he subsequently shared a friendly relationship. Mickey was thus naturally jarred when he received news of Gloria’s murder and got a call from Julian who was being held for the murder.

Right from his first meeting with the accused, Mickey correctly senses that Julian is innocent after all and is being framed by larger forces.

Mickey’s meticulous investigation reveals that James DeMarco was the one responsible for setting fire to Gloria’s home and killing her. Mickey unearths the truth that for the better part of a decade, DeMarco worked for the Juárez drug cartel and marshaled all the resources at his disposal to cover up for them.

DeMarco had arrested Gloria on possession and drug charges and decided to exploit her to effect his sinister plan to keep her out of jail. He used Gloria to approach one of her clients, Hector Moya, who incidentally happened to be a Tijuana cartel boss.

Gloria was forced to plant a gun on Moya which was subsequently discovered and linked to a triple homicide, thus warranting a life sentence for the cartel boss and putting him away.

Moya, however, sought a remedy and had his own lawyer subpoena Gloria to come out with the truth. DeMarco now sought to save his skin and thus murdered Gloria. Mickey Haller had to summon all his abilities to prove his case against the prosecution and save Julian.

Neil Bishop, a washed-up ex-cop was coerced by DeMarco to plant the evidence and he testified about the same in court. However, soon after his confession, he took his own life in the courtroom.

The Lincoln Lawyer showrunner opens up about season 3 finale twist

The showrunner Ted Humphrey recently opened up to USA Today when he spoke at length about the significance of season 3. He stated:

“The stakes are much greater this season because Mickey is trying to get to the bottom of the death of somebody he really cared about which is a significant difference from past seasons.”

All episodes of The Lincoln Lawyer are available exclusively on Netflix.