This is a story recap of Netflix’s The Lincoln Lawyer season 1 and will contain spoilers as it details what happened.
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The series is based on Michael Connelly’s wildly successful novel of the same name. Here is a story recap of what happened in The Lincoln Lawyer season 1.
Story recap – what happened in The Lincoln Lawyer season 1?
Episode 1 – “He Rides Again”
Mickey Haller is assigned all of fellow defense attorney Jerry Vincent’s cases after he’s murdered in a parking garage outside his office. We now know Mick has two ex-wives, and he has been desperate for work since having his health scare. We learn of his nickname since he drives a 1986 Lincoln Towncar, hence the Lincoln Lawyer title.
Episode 2 – “The Magic Bullet”
Mickey and Izzy are unaware that someone planted a bug in their car. Cisco locates Jerry’s private investigator, who tells them Jerry had a “magic bullet” to free Trevor Elliott. It isn’t the video Jerry admitted into evidence, however. Haller cannot figure out why his fellow defense lawyer would add this to his evidence list.
Episode 3 – “Momentum”
Mickey stumbles when Jerry’s client, who is practically comatose from medication, is put in a behavioral hospital after attacking a couple of police officers. Mickey talks with Trevor, who tells him that he loved his wife. She gave him his affairs, and he was willing to do the same for Laura. The episode ends with a man, who we think looks like who killed Jerry, chasing Haller from the parking garage to his office. He fires off a couple of rounds before calling Detective Griggs.
Episode 4 – “Chaos Theory”
It turns out Griggs set the whole thing up to scare Haller into giving him Jerry’s files to solve the murder. The only witness in the Soto case, David, is killed and dents Maggie’s case. The police finally catch up to Jerry’s PI, Bruce Carlin, but he is killed when he walks back into oncoming traffic. However, Mickey found one of Jerry’s clients in a behavioral hospital and was stashed there. Wyms attacked some cops only a few miles away from the Trevor Elliott house early morning on the day of the murder.
Episode 5 – “Twelve Lemmings in a Box”
Trevor insists on juror number seven being left in the pool. He stalks juror number 10 in the parking garage to ensure this, forcing Haller to get her kicked. We find Trevor has a tell — he pats and rubs himself when he is lying. Lastly, Griggs finds a $150,000 discrepancy in Jerry’s financials. He tells Haller it was probably for a bribe.
Episode 6 – “Bent”
Mickey confronts Trevor and accuses him of bribing a juror. There is no way he would accelerate his trial for a business deal because you push it back, knowing these could be your final days. Trevor tells Haller no, he didn’t do it. His investors did. Trevor took the money of a Russian tycoon named Sergei Kosevich. He killed Jerry, Trevor’s wife, and lover.
Why? To protect their investment. If they pushed the trial back, it would mean losing the juror. If Elliott’s wife divorces him, she gets half, and there was no prenup.
Episode 7 – “Lemming Number Seven”
Mickey finds out juror number seven is not who he says he is and probably is the one who was bribed. An anonymous note was sent to Judge Stanton about this, and the juror skipped town. Someone tipped him off, but who? We find out Mickey sent the note to Stanton because he cannot knowingly let the crime of jury tampering happen. Mickey hires a biker gang to watch over Maggie and his daughter, Hayley, since this could mean the Russian mobster will come after him and his family.
Episode 8 – “The Magic Bullet Redux”
Mickey puts together that the video Jerry submitted into evidence has footage taped by one of those nightcrawler fellows. It shows Wyms being arrested and put in the same cop car that Trevor was placed in. The car was never cleaned, which is why so much gunshot residue was found on Trevor’s body. Haller even gets a doctor to verify it. The episode ends with Trevor insisting on testifying, putting Haller’s final nail in jeopardy.
Episode 9 – “The Uncanny Valley”
Trevor is found not guilty, largely based on Haller’s closing arguments that, by facts, Trevor had only seven minutes to kill the lovers, get rid of the murder weapon and bloody clothes, and clean up. Cisco, though, finds out the story about the Russian mobster was a lie. Haller puts it together — it was Trevor who murdered his wife and lover and got rid of the evidence by flying a drone out to sea. He admits to it, but not the murder of Jerry. The episode ends with McSweeney hitting Haller over the head.
Episode 10 – “The Brass Verdict”
This is the big one. Before McSweeney can kill Haller, the cops arrive, and he falls to his death in a canyon. Mickey thinks Trevor hired him, but Trevor confirms it was not him. Then, during the relaunch of his company, Trevor is shot to death by one of Jan’s lovers. Haller manages to free Jesus Menendez. Doing this damages Maggie’s case because the lead cop in her investigation was responsible for intimidating witnesses that got an innocent man imprisoned. Now, Maggie and Mickey’s newly found romance has ended.
Haller and Griggs find out that Judge Holder was the one who took the bribe to taint the jury. She also hired McSweeney again to try and kill Haller. It was most likely him who killed Jerry as well. The season ends with a man watching Haller surf from the beach. He has a tattoo that looks like the one described by a witness responsible for the murder that Menendez was convicted of.
And there you go, a story recap of The Lincoln Lawyer season 1 and what happened. What are your thoughts on the story? Comment below.
