The Lincoln Lawyer season 3 includes multiple time jumps and flashbacks that muddy the timeline, raising questions about how much time passes. Based on the books by Michael Connelly, the Netflix series follows a private defense attorney named Mickey Haller and his team as they take on major criminal cases. The third season of The Lincoln Lawyer adapts The Gods of Guilt, the book where Mickey defends Julian La Cosse, the person accused of murdering his former client, Glory Days.
The ending of Netflix’s The Lincoln Lawyer season 2 sets up this storyline perfectly and picks up right where the last episode left off. In season 3, rather than telling everything linearly and steadily, the show jumps around in time quite a bit. It can feel challenging to keep track of everything that has occurred over time, how much time has passed, and what happens during the time jumps. However, each piece of the puzzle is essential to the ending of The Lincoln Lawyer season 3.
How Much Time Passes In The Lincoln Lawyer Season 3
The Lincoln Lawyer Season 3 Spans From Julian’s Arrest To His Settlement
The central event in The Lincoln Lawyer season 3 is Julian La Cosse’s jail time and trial, starting from the point where Mickey officially takes on the case until they settle for wrongful imprisonment. In episode 2, it’s revealed that Julian will need to stay in prison for the time leading up to the trial because he’s being charged with special circumstances. Though Mickey expects Julian to remain in jail for eight months, the actual time frame ends up being slightly more than that.
There is a six-month time jump between episodes 2 and 3. In the latter, Izzy says the trial doesn’t start for another three months. Lorna also takes the bar exam and says she won’t get her results for three months. At the start of episode 6, Mickey confirms that they are two months out from the trial. By the end of episode 6, Julian’s trial is starting, and Lorna is receiving her bar exam results. All these things considered, Julian was in jail for nine months leading up to his court date instead of eight.
After Julian’s charges are dismissed, the last episode jumps forward four months on top of the past nine, bringing the total timeframe to 13 months. This isn’t the first time that the show has condensed long periods of time. The gaps are typically a narrative necessity in the legal drama genre because court cases always move slowly, even in the best circumstances. Unlike many TV shows, almost all the lapses in time happen off-screen.
The show also leaves it up to the viewers to fill in everything that happens to The Lincoln Lawyer’s characters during the gaps. The month-long period between episodes 3 and 6 is shown onscreen. The gap during episode 6 is self-evident, with Mickey’s team continuing to prepare for the trial. However, less information is overtly available about the six months between episodes 2 and 3, requiring speculation based on context clues.
What Happened Between Episodes 2 And 3?
The first time jump in The Lincoln Lawyer season 3 occurs between episodes 2 and 3, and multiple things happen in those six months. The most obvious change is that Andy and Mickey start a casual romantic and sexual relationship. Mickey mentions to Lorna, after the time jump, that she previously pulled away every time he tried to make things more serious, giving the audience an idea of the couple’s dynamic during those six months.
Based on Lorna taking the bar exam in The Lincoln Lawyer episode 3, she presumably finished law school during the six-month period and put all her focus on studying. Another notable change between the two episodes is Eddie’s demeanor. The young man appears tense when starting the job with Mickey. However, by the third episode, he is engaging with the rest of the team, seems happier, and tries new foods. This points to him feeling more relaxed and comfortable in his job with Mickey.
Flashback: Mickey’s First Court Case Against Neil Bishop
Fifteen Years Before The Lincoln Lawyer Season 3
The flashback in The Lincoln Lawyer season 3, episode 1 starts with Mickey surfing the morning before court. Maggie comes to see him, and they plan a date night. Based on their interaction, he and Maggie still have an affectionate, loving relationship, proving that their conflicts didn’t get severe until after he broke off from the public defender’s office.
The flashback continues with Mickey questioning Neil Bishop – at the time a detective – about his execution of a search warrant for a suspect’s house. He illegally searched a car, finding evidence of a crime. On the stand, he states that it was in the garage at the time, but Mickey proves this can’t be true. This scene not only establishes the grudge that Neil Bishop has towards Mickey but also reveals him as a cop who’s willing to break the rules to get what he wants.
Neil’s path speaks to Legal Siegal’s statement that the bad guys with badges are the worst ones, pointing to a system that’s willing to overlook harmful acts by officers.
While Bishop initially does this in the name of justice, it’s a slippery slope from bending a search warrant to accepting bribes to lie in a case. Interestingly, he remained a detective for at least five years after the illegal search warrant. This can be ascertained because he was onsite during the double homicide ten years before The Lincoln Lawyer season 3, when he met Agent De Marco. Neil’s path speaks to Legal Siegal’s statement that the bad guys with badges are the worst ones, pointing to a system that’s willing to overlook harmful acts by officers.
Flashback: Mickey Meets Glory Days
Before The Lincoln Lawyer Season 1
When the Netflix show first introduces Glory Days in season 1, it’s revealed that she was formerly a witness for the Jesus Menendez case, but she fled before she could testify. The flashback in The Lincoln Lawyer season 3, episode 2 shows the moment when Mickey and Glory Days meet for the first time. The events match up with the formerly established story, so it doesn’t add anything to the narrative. However, the flashback offers plenty of character development for both the deceased woman and her lawyer.
Mickey offered Glory a lot of empathy in a situation where others would have dismissed her. He believed the things she was saying, probably because he also dealt with addiction himself. However, he’s also realistic, explaining to her that others wouldn’t accept her statements in her present state. As such, he offered to help her detox from the substances she was on so that she’d be in a better mental state to testify. This is a much softer and more vulnerable depiction of both characters. Mickey isn’t trying to be tough like usual, and Glory isn’t acting unshakable.
Flashback: Agent De Marco And Neil Bishop Meet
Ten Years Before The Lincoln Lawyer Season 3
In the final episode of The Lincoln Lawyer season 3, a flashback shows the first time that Neil Bishop and Agent De Marco met. De Marco fed on the weaknesses of Neil Bishop, bribing him to stop investigating the double homicide. Ultimately, this scene provides context as to how and why Bishop got to a position where he was culpable in the murder of an innocent woman. Ultimately, this flashback was also necessary to explain Neil Bishop’s sketchy behavior leading into The Lincoln Lawyer season 3 finale. His hostility towards Mickey wasn’t just a product of a grudge but blackmail.
