In the final season of a drama, especially a long-running one, all bets are off. With the end in sight and things wrapping up, everything’s on the table. For detective (formerly police, now private) Harry Bosch (Titus Welliver) things finally coming to an end after a decade and ten seasons means that for him, the stakes couldn’t be higher.
It’s not exactly news that Bosch doesn’t mind stretching the rules when they get in the way of justice. In seven seasons of Bosch, he was constantly pushing boundaries as a LAPD detective to ensure that the innocent were avenged and the right people received the right punishment. Then in the previous seasons of Bosch: Legacy (based, like the original series, on the Bosch novels by Michael Connelly) he’s been working solo as a private investigator – the kind who sometimes goes a little outside the law to get results.
And with good reason. When his daughter Maddie (Madison Lintz) joined the LAPD, they both knew she’d have a bumpy road ahead. Her being kidnapped? Nobody saw that coming. And even after she was found safe, that kind of ordeal isn’t something easily left behind. Especially when, at the end of last season, she got a call from one of Bosch’s long-time foes, Preston Borders (Chris Browning), claiming to have murdered her kidnapper in prison at Bosch’s request.
Bosch himself already has plenty on his plate. He’s now working for Honey "Money" Chandler (Mimi Rogers), lawyer and long-time… well, “frienemy” isn’t really the right word for what they have going on. Let’s just say they got off to a bit of a bumpy start until Bosch hired her to defend him on charges of planting evidence a few years back (despite his sometimes shady reputation, he didn’t do it).
Now she’s running for DA, and he’s joined the campaign as her head of security, a job made more difficult by the return of Frank Sheehan (Jamie McShane) a former cop with a serious grudge who was last seen on Bosch almost a decade ago. He’s not the only old face to make a comeback this season, as much loved comedy relief duo from Bosch “Crate” (Gregory Scott Cummins) and “Barrel” (Troy Evans) also make an appearance in episode one.
Bosch: Legacy is pretty far from cosy crime – there’s a hefty slice of moody LA noir in the way Bosch views the world - but the way he’s built up a world of characters around him over the years helps provide the occasional ray of sunshine. Bosch has always been a driven man, and even now that he’s retired from the force he’s still battling demons from his past and dramas in the present. But the way he’s always got someone familiar watching his back or helping him out on his latest case helps lighten his load just a little.
Then there’s Maddie, his formerly estranged daughter who’s become increasingly central to the series. This season she’s back patrolling the streets with her partner, Officer Reyna Vasquez (Denise G.Sanchez), and while they’re also helping out Bosch after hours as part of his security team, they also have their own case to investigate. It seems like there’s been a wave of “follow home” robberies across town, and they just might have a lead on who’s responsible.
Bosch’s family hangouts with Maddie at his amazing house in the Hollywood Hills are another way the series keeps things grounded. Well, “grounded” may not be the right word considering his amazing view over the city: one of the handy things about Bosch having been around for over a decade is that it’s almost plausible he bought his place before prices went through the roof.
But this season also uses that bond against him. With everything we know about him, and the way he’s grown ever closer to his daughter over the years, is it really that hard to believe that he’d have the man who kidnapped her killed?
Emmet Archer (Jim Holmes), the DA who Chandler is looking to unseat, doesn’t think so. Neither does LA’s new chief of police. So now another old face from Bosch’s past, Detective Jimmy Robertson (Paul Calderón) has a new job: find out if Bosch really is a murderer. And if that means turning on a friend, Robertson isn’t one to let past relationships stand in the way of justice.
With a mix of new developments and familiar faces, the final season of Bosch: Legacy is a gripping mystery and a well-deserved victory lap that’ll please both newcomers and long-time fans. Whatever the final verdict may be, Harry Bosch is going out in style. You wouldn’t expect anything less.
Bosch: Legacy seasons 1-3 are now streaming at SBS On Demand.
