The Lincoln Lawyer season 1, episode 9 recap – “The Uncanny Valley”

This recap of Netflix’s The Lincoln Lawyer season 1, episode 9, “The Uncanny Valley,” contains spoilers.

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Maggie is still trying to nail Soto to the wall. They set up one of his henchmen, but that fell through. Maggie wants Haller to convince his pregnant girlfriend, and McFierce’s mole/cooperating witness, to wear a wire. This has to happen within ten hours or no deal. Mick tells her no way can occur with the Elliott trial. So, Maggie suggests that she talk to her for him. Mickey is taken back. I mean, letting a DA speak to his client without him there? Maggie then tells him if he wants to get her to trust him, he needs to start to trust her. (Yeah, I would love my lawyer to put my life at risk so he can gain points with his ex-wife).

Back to the Elliott case. Mickey cannot convince him not to take the stand. When he gets up there, Trevor is served softballs but makes some startling revelations to the jury — that he knew about the affair, and he admitted to having affairs, and finally, he admitted to having the with his wife the night before her death. And yada-yada-yada, he loved her and would never kill her, etc. Oh, and he manages to shed a few tears.

Unfortunately for team Haller and Elliott, Golantz is never ill-prepared. He pounds Elliott with question after question about his intentions that day. Like, he told police that he would surprise his wife on a trip up the coast to smooth over the fight. Then why did he have a calendar full of meetings that morning? His cameras at the house had been turned off. Does that mean he saw that and knew he would find Jan with his wife? Trevor insists he has no firearms training, yet the gun in the game that Laura’s character handles is the same weapon that killed her.

There was one question we had not discussed yet. If Trevor knew about his wife reaching out to her friend, Sonya Patel? This is when we notice Elliott rubbing his right leg, which is a tale we learned he had during jury selection. Trevor says he did not know. Mickey sees the tell. When Golantz is done with the witness, Haller has a chance to redirect but does not. Did Mick choose not to because he knew if he redirected his client would set up his client to break the law on the witness stand?

To make a long story short, the jury acquits Trevor Elliott. Why? His testimony was damaging, but Haller’s closing arguments narrowed down the prosecution’s weakest argument. Haller says his client didn’t have the time. He broke it down with simple algebra with irrefutable evidence by the prosecution that left Trevor with only seven minutes to murder the couple, clean himself up, and get rid of the gun and bloody clothes. Golantz’s closing arguments consisted of cheap emotional shots of the dead.

The problem is while waiting for the Jury, Cisco found out that the story of the Russian thug investing in the company was bullshit. However, it wasn’t until Mickey visited Wyms in the hospital that he put it together. Trevor was on his phone during the video. He wasn’t checking emails. Mickey surmises that he used the drone to take out the evidence that is probably lying at the bottom of the ocean. But why? Well, Haller figures that out too. His client wasn’t worried about his wife leaving him. He was concerned about her telling Sonia a secret.

Remember the tell? Where Trevor rubs his leg? He did this when talking about Sonia on the stand. Laura was the genius, not Trevor. She invented the small piece of code that took the company to the next level. He was afraid Laura would unveil this and prove she was the genius and worthy owner of the company.

Trevor mocks Mickey. He even laughs at him. And offers him a bribe, even though Mickey can’t say a dam thing about it. Interestingly enough, Trevor does not admit to killing Jerry, but if you think about it, he was acquitted for Laura and Jan’s rumor, not Jerry. So he should shut his mouth.