Is LA’s hottest defense attorney Mickey Haller (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo) getting played again? Or is his Season 2 client, Lisa Trammell (Lana Parrilla), telling the truth when she swears she didn’t kill wealthy real estate developer Mitchell Bondurant (Clint Carmichael)?
If you watched The Lincoln Lawyer Season 1, you know that Haller successfully defended high-profile client Trevor Elliott (Christoper Gorham), who claimed he was falsely accused of killing his wife and her boyfriend. Only after getting Elliott acquitted did Haller learn he was, in fact, guilty of the crimes. So is history about to repeat itself?
Season 2, Part 1 of Netflix‘s legal drama — based on the fourth book in Michael Connelly’s best-selling series — shows Haller heading the defense of another high-profile murder trial. But this time he’s trying to clear the name of Lisa Trammell, a hot chef he slept with at the start of the season. With a witness able to place Lisa outside Bondurant’s office on the day of the murder, a mysteriously missing hammer in her toolkit (which is looking more like a murder weapon each episode), and a pair of her gardening gloves that contain blood matching the victim’s sample, the case against Trammell isn’t looking good in the Season 2, Part 1 finale.
So did Lisa Trammell kill Mitchell Bondurant or not? Though we’ll have to wait for The Lincoln Lawyer Season 2, Part 2 to drop on August 3 to know for sure, we can get an idea of where the season may be headed based on how things play out in the fourth book in Connelly’s series, The Fifth Witness.
In Season 2, Part 1, we see Haller attempt to create reasonable doubt in Lisa’s case by attempting to track down and shine a spotlight on Alex Grant, a man who may have had a motive to kill Bondurant. In the book, per ScreenRant, Alex Grant’s character is named Louis Opparizio, and Haller ultimately tricks him into pleading the fifth on the stand, thus making Lisa appear innocent. But is she? Let’s review.
In Episode 5, after Haller learns Bondurant’s blood was found on Lisa’s gardening glove, we see him start to heavily doubt her innocence for the first time. Lisa still swears she didn’t kill Bondurant and says it’s important to her that Haller believes her, but if the Netflix series stays true to the book, then yes, we’ll eventually learn Lisa was responsible for Mitchell Bondurant’s murder. But as was the case with Trevor Elliot, Haller doesn’t learn of Lisa’s guilt until after she’s exonerated. (Sidenote: Mickey must have some serious trust issues by now, because I sure as hell do.)
Remember Lisa’s mysterious ex-husband Jeff, who she got extremely defensive about whenever Haller would bring him up? Yeah, well, in the book, the real Jeff Trammell is dead. Lisa killed him, too! And though she can’t go away from Bondurant’s murder, in true Haller fashion, Mickey seeks his own form of justice post-trial.
In the book, Haller tips off police that Jeff Trammell is missing, so they search Lisa’s property and start digging up her garden, where Jeff is likely buried. This time, when Lisa calls Haller for help, he shuts her down. And in case killing her husband and Bondurant wasn’t enough, in a final twist, Lisa reveals that she (not Alex Grant, or Opparizio in the book) hired the two men who attacked Mickey in the parking garage in Season 2, Episode 5. Dang, this lady sucks!
On the bright side, in the books, Haller getting burned (and helping major murderers go free) twice inspired him to make a life change and run for district attorney. So if the series honors Connelly’s storylines perhaps we’ll see that journey in a potential Lincoln Lawyer Season 3.
The Lincoln Lawyer Season 2, Part 1 is now streaming on Netflix. Season 2, Part 2 drops on August 3.