WARNING! This article contains major SPOILERS for The Lincoln Lawyer season 3!In a shocking twist for the entire team and Haller family in The Lincoln Lawyer season 3, Eddie Rojas is unexpectedly killed just five episodes after his introduction. When Izzy opened up her dance studio and resigned as Mickey’s driver in The Lincoln Lawyer season 2’s ending, the titular defense attorney required a new driver to chauffeur him around Los Angeles. He found his answer in Eddie Rojas, Hayley’s old babysitter who was accused of carjacking a man’s Lamborghini. After Mickey got the case settled, Eddie took over Izzy’s role as Mickey’s driver until halfway through season 3.

After a few episodes of diving into Eddie’s happy, sweet personality and interest in fitness and crocheting, The Lincoln Lawyer season 3, episode 5 tragically ended with a truck intentionally flipping Eddie and Mickey’s car off the road. The devastating crash culminated in Eddie’s death in the diver’s seat, with Mickey being brutally injured but able to crawl out of the backseat window. Considering Eddie had just established himself as a welcome new addition to The Lincoln Lawyer’s cast, his sudden death came as a harsh shock, and continued to have major consequences on Mickey’s guilty conscience.

Eddie’s Death Is What Drives Home To Mickey That His Career & Choices Are Too Risky

Eddie’s Death Proves That Mickey’s Actions Are Too Dangerous For Those Around Him

Despite how beloved the character became following his debut, Eddie’s death was necessary within the story to heighten the stakes of Mickey’s dangerous case and the potential to expose DEA Agent De Marco. Additionally, Mickey’s flashbacks with Maggie in The Lincoln Lawyer season 3 and guilt over feeling responsible for Glory Days’ death had already highlighted the truly dangerous nature of his work. Mickey often takes deadly risks to win his cases, and despite warnings from his loved ones to be careful, these gambles have resulted in the harm or deaths of people he cares about.

Eddie is the latest person whose death Mickey feels responsible for, and it leads him to finally take the advice to be cautious that’s been thrown at him for the last 15 years. Hayley blames Mickey for Eddie’s death and claims that everyone around him dies, which truly opens up Mickey’s eyes to the pain that his risky behavior brings to both himself and others. Given the death of the innocent Eddie, Mickey is left with the dilemma of whether the lengths he goes to win cases are worth the risks they pose after The Lincoln Lawyer season 3’s ending.

WARNING! Spoilers ahead for The Law of Innocence book, on which The Lincoln Lawyer season 4 is seemingly based.

Eddie’s Death Is A Missed Opportunity For The Lincoln Lawyer Season 4

Eddie Could Have Been A Great New Addition To Mickey’s Office Dynamic

While Eddie’s death was a tragic but necessary loss for Mickey’s character development, his future absence is disappointing. The Lincoln Lawyer season 4 would have benefited from having room to further grow Eddie’s character and relationships with the rest of the legal team, as his unique personality and interests provided an exciting brand-new dynamic among the ensemble. Additionally, Hayley’s continued affection for and friendship with Eddie would have given the series more opportunities to bring Mickey’s daughter into the mix at the office, allowing her to frequently visit everyone in a more casual manner.

Netflix has yet to officially confirm The Lincoln Lawyer season 4’s renewal.

Not to mention, Mickey is now in need of yet another driver after Eddie’s death, as Izzy has assumed Lorna’s role as the office manager. Considering The Lincoln Lawyer‘s title centers the story around Mickey working on cases while being driven around in his Lincoln, it’s imperative that he recruits a new chauffeur to replace Eddie. Of course, Mickey’s car rides will be slowed down in The Lincoln Lawyer season 4 after Sam Scales’ murder, as the titular defense attorney now finds himself as the prime suspect.

In Michael Connelly’s hit novel series, the driver who eventually replaces Earl Briggs in The Law of Innocence book is Bishop, a former drug dealer who protected Mickey while he was in jail after being accused of Sam’s murder. Therefore, it seems Eddie’s replacement in The Lincoln Lawyer season 4 will either be Bishop or an entirely new character created specifically for the TV show.

Was Eddie’s Death In The Lincoln Lawyer Books?

Mickey’s Driver Died In The Lincoln Lawyer Book

One of the many changes that The Lincoln Lawyer season 3 makes to Michael Connelly’s The Gods of Guilt novel is the introduction and story of Mickey’s new driver, Eddie Rojas. Unlike his seasons 1 and 2 chauffeur Izzy Letts, Eddie Rojas actually was one of Mickey Haller’s drivers in the book series – but not in the way that the show presents him. While Mickey did have a chauffeur simply named “Rojas” who was a former client in the books, Eddie’s story more closely mirrors that of Earl Briggs, Mickey’s driver in The Gods of Guilt.

Mickey’s Book Driver
TV Show Replacement

Patrick Hensen
Izzy Letts

Earl Briggs
Eddie Rojas

Rojas
Eddie Rojas

Just like with Eddie in the show, Earl tragically dies when their car is run off the road by another truck, while Mickey survives the devastating accident. Earl’s unexpected death in The Gods of Guilt book serves a very similar purpose to Eddie’s death in The Lincoln Lawyer, though the TV show character’s demise is also used to further drive a wedge between Mickey and Hayley. In the book, Earl’s death plays a major role in Mickey’s guilt and realization about the dangers that his career decisions pose for the innocent people around him.

The Lincoln Lawyer Season 3 Already Teased How To Bring Eddie Back For Season 4

Eddie Can Still Appear In The Lincoln Lawyer’s Future

Throughout The Lincoln Lawyer season 3, episode 9, “Ghosts,” Mickey Haller is haunted by the ghosts of his past as he drives around in his Lincoln. Those whose deaths he feels guilty about or whose memories continue to haunt him with guilt appear to him as passengers in the back of his car, helping Mickey work through both the case and his remorse. In the episode, Mickey sees the ghosts of Eddie Rojas, Glory Days, and his own father, Mickey Haller, Sr., highlighting the weight that each character’s life and death continue to have on his conscience.

Whether Eddie returns through flashbacks with Hayley and Mickey or appears through visions as a voice of reason to Mickey, his death doesn’t necessarily indicate an official goodbye to his character.

With Eddie already returning posthumously as a ghost haunting Mickey in The Lincoln Lawyer season 3, the Netflix series has established a potential way to bring him back in season 4 and beyond. Considering Glory Days was killed by Agent De Marco in season 2 and still returned for flashbacks and visions, it stands to reason that Eddie could receive the same treatment in The Lincoln Lawyer season 4. Whether Eddie returns through flashbacks with Hayley and Mickey or appears through visions as a voice of reason to Mickey, his death doesn’t necessarily indicate an official goodbye to his character.