- Mickey finally gets close to clearing his name, but the powers that be—mainly the FBI—won't let him.
- It seems like we'll be seeing a lot more of Cobie Smulders next season.
- How does Mickey Haller prove his innocence and get his reputation back? Read on to find out what happens in The Lincoln Lawyer's season 4 finale.
This season has certainly been a tricky one. Warning: Spoilers ahead! Defense attorney Mickey Haller (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo) finds himself in one of the stickiest situations he's ever been in yet. Aside from being framed for the murder of former client Sam Scales (Christopher Thornton) and solving the whole case from the confines of his jail cell, he's also had to deal with his daughter Hayley (Krista Warner) getting bullied at school, and the death of his beloved mentor Legal Siegel (Elliott Gould).
Needless to say, things have been complicated. And things become even more muddled when evidence shows that the police and the FBI are somehow responsible for Mickey getting framed for murder. Can the Lincoln Lawyer find a way to out-maneuver these higher powers that are out to get him? Here's how The Lincoln Lawyer season 4 ends.
Who actually killed Sam Scales?
The last episode of season 4 opens with Mickey in a police car, being taken to an unknown location. The police officer chauffeuring him refusing to disclose where they're going. He, of course, assumes something sinister is going on. But, it turns out, this ride was orchestrated by FBI Agent Dawn Ruth (Sasha Alexander)—one of the two agents whom Mickey thinks knows what really happened to Sam.
Though Mickey wants Agent Ruth to testify at court, she tells him flat-out that it cannot happen because it would disrupt an investigation that they are conducting. With some convincing, Mickey is able to get the truth about Sam's death and why the FBI is unable to help clear Mickey's name.
Sam was an informant planted by the FBI in Alex Gazarian's (Michael A. Goorjian) biofuel company Biogreen. Gazarian's was one of the companies across the nation participating in a scam the FBI has called "Bleeding the Beast," in which these companies pretend that they've sold biofuel and come back with "raw feedstock." But, in reality, they're just switching labels on the barrels and shuffling the same cooking grease back and forth. They make this run multiple times a day and charge the government for it each time. This scam, run by the biggest organized crime groups in the country, rakes in millions from the government.
Mickey initially blames the FBI for Sam's death, assuming that he was killed because Alex found out that he was informing for the FBI. But, Agent Ruth reveals, that he was actually caught stealing some of the money Alex was getting from the scam. And though it's clear that Mickey had nothing to do with the death of Sam or the subsequent death of Alex, Agent Ruth doesn't want to testify so as not to reveal sensitive information to the public, so that the feds can continue their investigations discreetly without alerting those at the top of the scam's food chain.
Mickey's got one last trick up his sleeve.
Alex's girlfriend, Jeanine Ferrigno (Emmanuelle Chriqui), is Mickey's last hope. After Cisco (Angus Sampson) and Maggie (Neve Campbell) speak with her, they find out the same info that Mickey did from Agent Ruth. This makes her the only person who can take the stand and clear his name. However, it isn't just the feds that don't want sensitive information leaking. Alex was killed by his own family for drawing too much attention, and potentially endangering them and the longevity of the scam, when he murdered Sam and framed Mickey. Jeanine fears that if she testifies to anything, she'll be next.
But Agent Ruth doesn't know this. So Mickey, with the help of Lorna (Beckin Newton) and Grace (Gigi Zumbado), make her believe that Jeanine is going to testify and air out all of the FBI's dirty laundry if the FBI doesn't clear Mickey's name themselves. Later, in the court room, Mickey and Maggie get nervous that they've been called out on their bluff. But right in the nick of time, the FBI has managed to put a halt to the trial and negotiates a deal with Mickey from the judge's office. Mickey's name will be cleared and, just as he demanded, “Death Row Dana” Berg (Constance Zimmer) will be the one to do it after having dragged his name through the mud so publicly.
Are Mickey and Maggie getting back together?
With this whole case behind them, Mickey, Maggie, and their family can finally breathe a sigh of relief. But this also means that Maggie and Hayley need to get back to San Diego, back to normal life with Maggie's job and her boyfriend. Before they leave, Mickey and his ex have a tender moment, and it's clear that they still love each other. And, in the car, Hayley begins to question her mom's decision to station herself out in San Diego. Maggie admits that she misses Los Angeles, her friends, and her ex-husband, too. She also admits that things with her current boyfriend are tense, and Hayley chimes in to say that she doesn't think her mom's that into him. Hayley also suggests that maybe it's time her parents try to reconcile. But, Maggie says, their relationship is complicated and always has been. For now, she has to make her life in San Diego work.
An important new character reveals herself.
Everything seems to be back to normal now. The Lincoln Lawyer is back in his Lincoln, free to drive through the streets of LA once more. Part of normal life, of course, entails going to do his groceries. Only, on this particular trip to the store, he spots a mysterious woman who keeps glancing at him. (This woman happens to be played by How I Met Your Mother and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. star Cobie Smulders.) She follows him all the way to the parking lot, and approaches him when suddenly she sees something and tells him, "Get down!"
Shots are fired, chaos ensues, and the FBI appear on the scene. Agent Ruth tells Mickey that they've been tailing him since they suspected that his life was still in danger. As it turns out, the Armenian mobsters (from Alex's clan) were after him. Thankfully, his life was saved by this mystery woman from the grocery store. When Mickey asks her who she is, she tells him, "I'm your sister." This bombshell revelation shocks and puzzles Mickey.
