Titus Welliver, Jamie Hector and Amy Aquino in Season Two of ‘Bosch’

The Michael Connelly character Hieronymus (Harry) Bosch first premiered in a series of books in 1992. As this is written, the character has led to 24 distinct books and two distinct television shows. We focus here on the second season of the series Bosch (2014-2021), starring Titus Welliver in the title role for the series.

(From left, Brad Carter as Chilton Hardy and Titus Welliver as Harry Bosch in the second season of Bosch).

The storyline for this season picks up six months after Harry Bosch‘s police unit in the Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California sought a serial killer in the show’s first season. The ten episodes of the second season were adapted from the Michael Connelly books The Last Coyote, Trunk Music and The Drop. The story sees Harry Bosch following a new case of a Hollywood film producer with potential connections to the mob. Information about the years-ago death of Bosch‘s mother introduces the possibility of driving the detective to distraction.

(From left and near lectern, Erika Alexander as Connie Irving, Lance Reddick as Irvin Irving, Steven Culp as Richard O’Shea and Leslie Stevens as Patricia O’Shea in season two of Bosch).

Deputy Chief of the Los Angeles Police Department, Irvin Irving as portrayed by Lance Reddick, at first aims to stay above the details of the investigation that Harry is pursuing. Irving‘s son, portrayed by Robbie Jones with the character name George Irving, goes undercover on the force. Harry’s investigation heads to Las Vegas, Nevada as George’s experiences in plainclothes begin to introduce a set of considerations for the full Irving family.

(From left, Jamie Hector as Jerry Edgar, Jeri Ryan as Veronica Allen and Titus Welliver as Harry Bosch in the second season of Bosch).

Harry’s time in Nevada reveals that not all is well for Harry‘s ex-wife, Eleanor Wish as portrayed by Sarah Clarke, and her situation with her current husband. The child between Eleanor and Harry, Maddie Bosch as portrayed by Madison Lintz, in certain ways is caught in the middle of multiple situations. Deputy Chief Irving, meanwhile, chimes in with his support of the mayoral race by supporting Richard O’Shea. Steven Culp portrayed by mayoral candidate O’Shea.

(From left, Jamie Hector as Jerry Edgar and Titus Welliver as Harry Bosch in season two of Bosch).

While Deputy Chief Irving’s support for mayor begins to introduce some political fallout for the deputy chief, things too get messy between Bosch‘s murder investigation, the mob and his familial past. Bosch‘s encounter with mob boss Joey Marks, with roots in Armenia and as portrayed by Tom Mardirosian, lead to serious questions for what course to pursue. Bosch and his partner, Jerry Edgar as portrayed by Jamie Hector, pursue Marks while Bosch takes specific measures to protect his daughter and ex-wife.

(From left, John Marshall Jones as Jay Griffin and Sarah Clarke as Eleanor Wish in season two of Bosch).

Circumstances escalate severely in the familial lives of the Irving family and the Bosch / Wish family take unexpected and dark turns as the tensions elevate each family. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) brings in a surprise approach, through Jay Griffin as portrayed by John Marshall Jones, that prompts the LAPD officers to reconsider their original theories of the murder that opened this season. There are the threads of the murder investigation along with the FBI‘s interest in a potentially related set of crimes. There’s familial fallout for the Irvings, the Bosches and the Wishes sharply placed in focus against the trajectory for the mayoral campaign and violence that comes to call with the mob story that includes the tales of Veronica Allen, as portrayed by Jeri Ryan, and Carl Nash as portrayed by Brent Sexton.

(From left, Amy Aquino as Grace Billets and Madison Lintz as Maddie Bosch in Bosch).

The stakes in play for season two make for entertaining television. The tension is real, the characters have depth and character growth. Addressing the puzzle with Harry Bosch‘s mother was an appreciated twist. The investment in feelings among the characters makes for an engaging experience binging this season. I grant season two of Bosch as presented as an Amazon original series, 4.5-stars on a scale of 1-to-5.

Matt – Wednesday, September 14, 2022

Paul Walter Hauser, Sam Rockwell, Kathy Bates and Olivia Wilde in the Clint Eastwood film ‘Richard Jewell’

Returning to our theme of the Olympics in the movies this week, we follow our look into Chariots of Fire (1981) on Wednesday with a film set some 72-years later at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. The film Richard Jewell (2019) at the center of this review looks not-so-much at the games themselves as it does the Atlanta Olympic Games bombing of 1996 and investigation into security guard Richard Jewell that followed.

(From left, Sam Rockwell as Attorney Watson Bryant, Kathy Bates as Barbara ‘Bobi’ Jewell, Niko Nicotera as Dave Dutchess and Paul Walter Hauser as Richard ‘Radar’ Jewell in the Clint Eastwood film Richard Jewell).

Based on the Vanity Fair article American Nightmare: The Ballad of Richard Jewell as well as the book The Suspect: An Olympic Bombing, the FBI, the Media, and Richard Jewell, the Man Caught in the Middle by Kent Alexander and Kevin Salwen, Clint Eastwood directed the film Richard Jewell. Richard ‘Radar’ Jewell was a security guard and want-to-be policeman during the summer of 1996, living at home with him mother, Barbara ‘Bobi’ Jewell. Paul Walter Hauser and Kathy Bates portray the son and mother, respectively.

(From left, Nina Arianda as Nadya Light and Sam Rockwell as attorney Watson Bryant in the Clint Eastwood film Richard Jewell).

Richard Jewell‘s history and brief status as hero for saving people’s lives at the site of the bombing were prefaced with some of the security guard’s work history as a security guard at Piedmont College, which became known as Piedmont University in 2021. Some initial tips to the FBI combined with reporting through journalist Kathy Scruggs of The Atlanta-Journal Constitution led that conviction to change. Olivia Wilde portrayed Scruggs.

(Olivia Wilde as Kathy Scruggs in the Clint Eastwood film Richard Jewell).

The zeal of Scruggs, the FBI officers, and even the administration of Piedmont College as portrayed in the film Richard Jewell offered legitimate drama to bringing in the legal and public face placed upon Richard Jewell and his mother, Bobi, during the period reviewed in the movie. Real estate attorney Watson Bryant, his assistant Nadya Light, and Jewell family friend David Dutchess each played roles aiming to support the Jewell perspective. Sam Rockwell, Nina Arianda and Niko Nicotera portrayed Bryant, Light and Dutchess, respectively.

(Clockwise from left, Jon Hamm as FBI Agent Tom Shaw, Ian Gomez as FBI Agent Dan Bennet and Paul Walter Hauser as Richard ‘Radar’ Jewell in the Clint Eastwood film Richard Jewell).

For dramatic effect as well as for the ease of following the case leveled against Richard Jewell through the course of the film, FBI agent Tom Shaw feels like he was written as the combination of multiple players in the American law enforcement agency. Some facet of the same may be true for FBI agents Dan Bennet and Bruce Hughes. Jon Hamm, Ian Gomez and Dylan Kussman portrayed Shaw, Bennet and Hughes, respectively. The cumulative feeling that the Jewells should feel aggrieved by the shade cast upon them, and the story told through the course of the movie, is compelling.

(From left, actress Kathy Bates, actor Jon Hamm, director Clint Eastwood, actor Paul Walter Hauser and actor Sam Rockwell at an event for the Clint Eastwood film Richard Jewell).

That the film Richard Jewell goes so far as to demonstrate that the man Richard Jewell‘s name was legally cleared, if half-heartedly cleared in the court of public opinion, is a clear and direct message offered by the film. Some will see clear politics in the messaging of the film, which feels deliberate and mission accomplished for director Clint Eastwood. Follow your heart with whether to watch. I give Richard Jewell as directed by Clint Eastwood 3.75-stars on a scale of 1-to-5.

Matt – Saturday, July 17, 2021