Diksha Sundriyal
One of the things that makes Netflix’s ‘The Lincoln Lawyer’ such a great watch is its characters. Whether it is the main characters, like Mickey, Lorna, Cisco, and Izzy, or the recurring characters, like Legal, we get a bunch that is so well-written that we are immediately drawn to them. Even the villains of the story get their own level of complexity, which keeps things interesting. One of the new characters introduced in the third season of the show is Eddie Rojas. The young man comes into the picture when Mickey saves him from going to prison and hires him as his driver. While initially, this seems like a way for Eddie to do something more worthwhile, it turns out to be a huge mistake in hindsight. SPOILERS AHEAD
Young Eddie’s Story is Tragically Cut Short
Eddie enters the scene when Mickey Haller’s daughter, Hayley, tells him to take up his case. Eddie is accused of carjacking, which claims is a lie because the man handed him the keys to his car, believing Eddie to be a valet. To have fun, Eddie took the car, drove it around for a bit, and then parked it a few blocks down. Sure enough, Mickey helps reduce Eddie’s sentence significantly, saving the young man from going to prison. Still, the mark of an arrest is enough for Eddie to lose his job. At the same time, Mickey needs a driver, considering that Izzy has taken up other responsibilities at the firm while also being busy with her dance studio.
Initially, Mickey is not sure about it, particularly because Eddie tries to push him to eat better and exercise more. Over time, however, he grows on Mickey, and the Lincoln Lawyer becomes fond of him. Working for Mickey, Eddie also realizes the dangers of Mickey’s job. With Mickey looking into the death of Glory Days, he ruffles the feathers of some very bad but powerful people. These people try to get him off the case by threatening him. They send him a message by trashing his place and leaving a rattlesnake under his pillow. This is enough to show Eddie that his employer is dealing with dangerous people. Still, it doesn’t rattle him.
About eight months later, with Julian La Cosse’s trial set to begin, Mickey collaborates with Hector Moya, a cartel boss who was previously suspected of killing Glory Days because she helped the prosecution build a case against him and send him to prison. Later, however, it turns out that it was in Hector’s interest to keep Glory alive, as her testimony could have thrown the whole case against him. With both of their cases connected, Mickey decides to represent Hector Moya. He promises to get him out of prison in return for his help, but that’s not what his enemies want.
Slowly but steadily, Mickey gets to the bottom of what was really going on with Glory Days, and it all comes down to a DEA agent named James DeMarco. It turns out that Glory worked as an informant for him, and it was at his behest that she planted a gun in Hector Moya’s apartment, which the prosecution used to send him to prison for life. DeMarco didn’t get her to plant a gun simply because he wanted a cartel boss off the streets. He wanted it to serve the other cartel that paid him to work in their interest. DeMarco was corrupt to the bone, and he couldn’t have Glory Days testifying and having Hector Moya set free.
When Mickey starts to piece the whole picture together, DeMarco sees him as a threat that needs to be neutralized before it gets bad for him. When Mickey is being driven back from prison, following his meeting with Hector Moya, his car is attacked by another car. By the time Eddie understands what’s happening, the other car hits their car, and the Lincoln is decimated by the accident. Thankfully, Mickey was wearing the seatbelt, and it saved his life. However, Eddie, being in the driver’s seat, takes the brunt of the accident and dies on the spot. Eddie’s death is made more tragic by the fact that he’d been one of those characters who become very likable very quickly. A breath of fresh air, he brought levity to the story, and for a while, it seemed that he would become a part of the show as Izzy did. This is why perhaps his death hits so much harder, not just to Mickey but also to the audience.
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