Warning: Spoilers for The Lincoln Lawyer season 3!
Content Warning: This article contains discussions of suicide and suicide ideation.
Neil Bishop is an intriguing character in The Lincoln Lawyer season 3, but his arc takes a shocking turn when the investigator dies by suicide after testifying in court. Holt McCallany joins The Lincoln Lawyer‘s cast as an adversary of Mickey Haller, especially during the Julian La Cosse case at the center of season 3. Julian gets charged with Glory Days’ murder, and he hires Mickey as his defense lawyer due to his history with Glory prior to her death. The case, which was teased in The Lincoln Lawyer season 2’s ending, is extra personal for Mickey, and that becomes more true when Mickey and his team are threatened throughout the trial.
Aside from his home being broken into, Mickey experiences more loss when his new driver, Eddie, gets killed when their Lincoln gets run off the road after making a deal to help Hector Moya. Julian also gets stabbed by a fellow prisoner, preventing him from appearing in court for the duration of his own trial. Bishop is involved in the chaos, but he’s not the one pulling the strings and putting Mickey’s team in danger. However, his role in the trial still features a grim fate for McCallany’s character by The Lincoln Lawyer season 3’s ending.
Neil Bishop Takes His Own Life During The Trial In The Lincoln Lawyer Season 3
Neil Bishop Dies By Suicide While On The Stand
Despite having damning evidence aimed at DEA agent James De Marco and the DA investigator Neil Bishop planting evidence in a potential witness’ home, Mickey takes his time showing video proof. In season 3, episode 9, Mickey finally presents the video evidence but only to Bishop outside of the courtroom. The investigator realizes he’s in trouble while also warning Mickey that showing the video would open up a can of worms. The Lincoln Lawyer season 3’s finale features Bishop finally taking the stand. Sadly, his testimony is also a death sentence, seeing as Bishop takes his own life with a hidden gun once he’s done testifying.
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Bishop’s testimony is meant to be the nail in the coffin for De Marco and his connection to Glory Days’ murder. Mickey’s defense strategy unveils La Cosse’s innocence but also gives Bishop a chance to reveal his role in De Marco’s own crimes. Aside from following Glory from the hotel, Bishop provided De Marco with critical intel, allowing the DEA agent to arrive at her place where he would kill her before trying to cover up his crimes.
Though the judge forces Bishop to surrender his firearm in court, he has another one hidden in his pant leg. While the prosecutor sits in dismay and Mickey is pleased with the increased chance of the trial going in his client’s favor, Bishop pulls out his second gun, mentions his son, and then dies by suicide. Everyone in the courtroom is understandably shocked and terrified at what they just witnessed, and the same likely goes for The Lincoln Lawyer‘s viewers.
Neil Bishop Knew Agent De Marco Would Kill Him For Testifying
De Marco Would’ve Sought Revenge After Bishop Reveals The Truth About Glory Days
Neil Bishop is clearly not a fan of Mickey’s, as seen by their tense encounters throughout The Lincoln Lawyer season 3. However, upon learning more about Bishop and his past, it’s obvious he was never a bad guy. Instead, he got caught up in James De Marco’s mess with no way out. Sharing the truth about De Marco’s corruption and cartel connections is dangerous, and Bishop fully understood this before taking the stand. If Bishop hadn’t taken his own life, it’s very likely De Marco or someone who works for him would’ve killed Bishop after testifying. So either way, Bishop felt he had no way out of the situation alive.
|
Notable Characters In The Lincoln Lawyer |
Actors |
|---|---|
|
Mickey Haller |
Manuel Garcia-Rulfo |
|
Lorna Crane |
Becki Newton |
|
Dennis “Cisco” Wojciechowski |
Angus Sampson |
|
Izzy Letts |
Jazz Raycole |
|
Andrea “Andy” Freeman |
Yaya DaCosta |
|
Maggie McPherson |
Neve Campbell |
|
Hayley Haller |
Krista Warner |
|
David “Legal” Siegel |
Elliot Gould |
Mickey and his team have a challenging time digging up anything about De Marco in The Lincoln Lawyer season 3. The agent also has allies everywhere, and they tip off De Marco once Bishop reveals the truth about Glory Days’ death. Seeing as De Marco immediately fled the area, even getting into a chase with Cisco, it seems like he would’ve gone to even greater lengths for his freedom. The same can be said for getting revenge on those who wronged him, like Bishop. Thankfully for Mickey, Hector Moya gets to De Marco before the DEA agent can target Mickey and his team.
Why Neil Bishop Agreed To Agent De Marco’s Deal
Bishop Wasn’t Given Much Of A Choice
During Neil Bishop’s testimony, he reveals to the courtroom why he worked for Agent De Marco in the first place. The Lincoln Lawyer season 3 finale episode begins with a flashback into Bishop’s past, showing that he was dealing with a nasty custody battle for his son when he was approached by De Marco. It’s there that De Marco makes a deal with Bishop, agreeing to do some of the agent’s dirty work by burying cartel crimes in exchange for money that could potentially keep his son in his life. According to The Lincoln Lawyer‘s timeline of events, the deal continues for a decade, but it’s clear Bishop has had enough.
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Bishop may not have killed Glory or committed any direct crimes like De Marco, but his involvement in the mess makes him a guilty party. It’s unclear what his punishment may have been following the trial. Still, Bishop got himself involved with De Marco by taking his deal and fully understands during the trial that there’s no option of surviving once he reveals the truth. It’s an extremely disturbing end to the case at the center of The Lincoln Lawyer season 3, but it reiterates just how much of a threat De Marco has been.
- Cast
- Manuel Garcia-Rulfo , Becki Newton , Angus Sampson , Jazz Raycole , Neve Campbell , Krista Warner , Lana Parrilla , Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine , Yaya DaCosta , Marlene Forte , Chris Browning , Matt Angel , Elliott Gould , Katrina Rosita , LisaGay Hamilton , Heather Mazur , Reggie Lee , Shenita Moore , Kim Hawthorne , Mikal Vega , Mike McColl , Saul Huezo , Ryan W. Garcia , La’Charles Trask , Christine Horn , Shwayze , Jeff Francisco , David Clayton Rogers , Fiona Rene , Douglas Bennett , Clint Carmichael , Darien Sills-Evans , Adam J. Harrington
- Seasons
- 3
- Network
- Netflix
- Creator(s)
- David E. Kelley
