‘The Lincoln Lawyer’ Season 5 Needs To Address These 8 Things (or Else)

The Lincoln Lawyer has wrapped up its fourth season and is already renewed for a fifth. That’s good news because the way things ended in Season 4 leaves so many questions unanswered, so many looming mysteries to be solved. Mickey (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo) is now free, his reputation saved (arguably even enhanced) and the worry he could spend the rest of his life in jail all in the past. So, he now has a new lease on life.

But he was also thrown a massive curveball in the cliffhanger ending, and we know the story in Season 5 will follow the Resurrection Walk by Michael Connelly very closely, though this reveal suggests there will be an interesting twist. How closely, however, and what this means for Mickey are two of the biggest questions for which we need answers.

How Does Mickey Have a Sister?

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The ending of Season 4 of one of the best legal drama shows revealed Cobie Smulders as a new unnamed character who claims to be Mickey’s sister. Considering he doesn’t know who she is, much less that he even has a sister, raises so many questions. Naturally, Season 5 needs to dive into the origin story of this familial relationship.

It can be presumed that Mickey’s biological father is also her father. Depending on age (she looks to be about the same age as him and the actors are close in age in real life), she may be the product of an affair. Mickey’s father died when he was young, so he didn’t necessarily know everything about the relationship between his parents. In the book lore, Harry Bosch, who is the protagonist of the Prime Video series Bosch, is revealed to be Mickey’s half-brother. So, it’s likely Smulders will play a gender-swapped variation of this character for the series. But who she is, what she does, and why she wants to meet him now remain to be seen.

Did Elena or Legal Know About Mickey’s Sister?

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The existence of Mickey’s sister begs the question: Who knew she even existed? Is it possible his father didn’t even know about her, and she only recently found out who her father was and her relation to Mickey, who just so happened to be all over the news recently? These are questions Mickey will have to pose to his mother, Elena (Angélica Maria), as she’s the one person who would know the answer.

The only other more likely person to know about everything in Mickey’s father’s life, including any potential indiscretions, would be Legal (Elliott Gould). However, since Legal sadly passed away in Season 4, Mickey won’t have the chance to ask him. This could question his close relationship with the mentor and father figure if he discovers that Legal hid this information from him his whole life. But we need to know if Elena and Legal both knew or not.

3Are the Armenians Still After Mickey?

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While Mickey’s case was wrapped up thanks to his quick thinking and a bit of clever bluffing, the FBI was still hot on the tail of the biofuel scam that was going on across the U.S. Integral to it were the Gazarians, who have proven ruthless. They killed their own family, Alex (Michael Goorjian), because of the attention he brought to their operation by framing Mickey for Sam Scales’ (Christopher Thornton) murder. So, they don’t appear to be the types of people who will let things go.

Considering they sent someone to kill Mickey at the end, Agent Dawn Ruth (Sasha Alexander) suspecting as such and hiding in the shadows to protect him and take the man down, it doesn’t make sense that they’d give up now. The story either needs to address the FBI succeeding in their massive case and taking down the scam and the Gazarians, or the Armenians still being after Mickey and him looking over his shoulder. One way or another, that storyline needs to be wrapped up more cleanly in order to be believable.

Does Lorna’s Billboard Help Her Get Clients?

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Lorna (Becki Newton) was having a tough time without Mickey in The Lincoln Lawyer, one of the best legal drama shows of the 2020s so far. Not only was the firm’s reputation sullied because its owner was on trial for murder, but Lorna doesn’t have the same talent as Mickey. This is largely due to inexperience, since she only recently officially got her law degree. It’s also a product of lack of confidence at times and simply being overwhelmed.

However, with Mickey in the clear now and Lorna’s massive billboard erected to promote herself, it will be interesting to see if the firm gets more clients seeking her help, not Mickey’s. As she gets into her groove without Mickey’s case hanging over her head, we need to see Lorna’s career flourish.

How Closely Will The Plot Follow ‘Resurrection Walk’?

In Resurrection Walk, on which Season 5 is already confirmed to be based, Mickey is being inundated with calls from wrongfully convicted people and their family members. Since he had just got himself out of what seemed like an impossible case, it’s no surprise that others have every confidence he can do the same for them. The story centers around a woman in prison for the murder of her husband, who happens to be a sheriff’s deputy. But things don’t add up, and it seems like the department was quick to close the case without further scrutiny. They’re hiding something and if anyone is going to get to the bottom of it, it’s Mickey.

Most importantly, however, Mickey teams up with his brother Harry in this novel (played by Titus Welliver in Bosch), so it’s likely that his sister has shown up in Harry’s place. She may have the central case for the season on the mind, someone she knows, maybe even herself, who is charged with murder but is innocent. Based on the set-up with Mickey’s case and exoneration and the introduction of his sister in Season 4, it’s likely Season 5 will follow the book very closely. We’ll find out just how closely once it arrives.

6Will Mickey and Maggie Get Back Together?

Mickey and Maggie (Neve Campbell) seem so perfect for one another in the show that counts among the best legal dramas on Netflix right now. Yet they’re also so bad for one another at the same time. Their jobs acting on opposite sides of the law often got in the way of their marriage. This is largely because Maggie doesn’t approve of how Mickey colors outside the lines for his clients, some of whom are definitely guilty. But her involvement in his case, seeing what it’s like to defend rather than prosecute an innocent person first-hand, likely gave her a new perspective and understanding of his position. Even the guilty, especially someone who has learned their lesson, deserve a defense.

Further, through the case and the season, Mickey and Maggie got along swimmingly. There’s still a spark between them that even Hayley (Krista Warner) noticed. Mickey has always held a torch for Maggie, making no secret about his desire to put his family back together. But Maggie has pulled away, even moved to a different city that is hours away to focus on her own life. She has a wonderful boyfriend, but it’s clear something is missing from that relationship. Mickey is her soulmate, and we need to find out in Season 5 if she’s a romantic one, or whether they continue as friends.

7How Has This Case Changed Mickey?

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Mickey has been in tough situations before, even dangerous ones; but never before has he felt the pressure of being the one whose life is in jeopardy. He spent time in prison, which hardened him. He felt the panic of knowing he could go to jail for the rest of his life. He dealt with the pain and frustration of knowing he was innocent but seeing evidence mounting against him, someone trying to take him down.

It’s clear the entire situation has changed Mickey. It made him an even better lawyer, but potentially also a more sympathetic one. Further, having gotten a taste of what it would be like not to have his freedom nor the ability to spend time with his daughter and fight for clients, he has likely gained a better appreciation for his life and his career. He won’t take them for granted. Showrunners Ted Humphrey and Dailyn Rodriguez tell Netflix Tudum that Mickey’s experiences have “fundamentally changed him… What that change means to Mickey or how that change manifests itself in his life is obviously something we’re excited to explore going forward.”

Do Izzy And Grace Remain Together?

Izzy (Jazz Raycole) got her own love story in this season of one of the best TV shows based on books when she met Grace (Gigi Zumbado) in a law class. While she initially pushed her away, knowing how much else she had on her plate, she finally took Lorna’s advice and focused on her personal life as well as her job. Grace initially seemed suspicious, as though she might have been using Izzy for information. But she quickly proved invaluable to the team, a pivotal part of the plan that got Mickey released.

With the two seemingly stronger than ever and Lorna spending time with Grace to feel her out and give her approval, we need to know if Grace will still be around in Season 5. Further, will she become more than Izzy’s girlfriend and part of the Haller & Associates team?