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

The Michael Connelly character Hieronymus (Harry) Bosch first premiered in a series of books in 1992. In the summer of 2022, the character has led to 24 distinct books and two distinct television shows. We focus here on the first season of the series Bosch (2014-2021), starring Titus Welliver in the title role for the series.

(From left, Jerry Hector (seated) as Jerry Edgar, Titus Welliver as Harry Bosch and Amy Aquino as Grace Billets in the television show Bosch).

Harry Bosch is a homicide detective in the Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California for the Los Angeles Police Department. Beyond his past service with the United States Army in the Persian Gulf War of 1990-1991 and Afghanistan, part of the discovery of the first season is learning about how Harry Bosch‘s past impacts the case presented with this season. The underlying story for this season of ten episodes was adapted from the Michael Connelly books The Concrete Blonde of 1994, City of Bones of 2002 and Echo Park of 2006.

(From left, Jason Gedrick as Raynard Waits in the television show Bosch).

The story of the season deals primarily with the discovery of buried skeleton in the woods. The deceased is a boy that had been horribly beaten, with evidence of abuse that had occurred for a prolonged period before this. Jerome (Jerry) Edgar, as portrayed by Jamie Hector, catches the case with Harry Bosch, who is standing trial in federal court. Amy Aquino portrayed Grace Billets, a lieutenant, supervisor and friend to Harry.

(Lance Reddick as Irvin Irving in the television show Bosch).

While quarreling with deputy chief Irvin Irving over the federal case, Raynard Waits, a serial killer pulled over for a traffic violation, confesses to the child murder being investigated by Jerry Edgar and Harry Bosch. The case leads from here leads to Jerry and Harry getting into the details of the dead boy’s past. Jason Gedrick portrayed Raynard Waits as Lance Reddick portrayed Irvin Irving.

(From left, Annie Wersching as Julia Brasher and Titus Welliver as Harry Bosch in the television show Bosch).

Harry takes an escalating romantic interest in Julia Brasher, a rookie police officer assigned to the same station. Tensions escalate following the trial and with changing circumstances with Raynard Waits, which leads to further action towards Harry from Irvin Irving. The escalating circumstances leads Harry to buckle down on the current case in front of him. Traveling to Las Vegas, Nevada to see his ex-wife Eleanor Wish, as portrayed by Sarah Clarke, professional assistance from his ex-wife is requested. Annie Wersching portrayed Julia Brasher.

(From left, Sarah Clarke as Eleanor Wish and Madison Lintz as Madeline (Maddie) Bosch in the television show Bosch).

Harry takes the time to additionally see the daughter Eleanor and he share while in Las Vegas. Maddie, the daughter to Eleanor and Harry, is portrayed by Madison Lintz. Things escalate and change interpersonally on many levels at this point, taking a mature, sophisticated and engaging path through much of the background of characters introduced through the above background. The emotional intensity grows with each episode and change of circumstances.

(Writer Michael Connelly at an event for the television show Bosch).

The conclusion of season one addresses many questions. Many unresolved issues setup intrigue that it seems clear will present fodder heading into future seasons that are on the way. The show itself is meant for a mature audience, with my recommendation to consider this point. I grant the first season of Bosch, presented as an Amazon original series, 4.5-stars on a scale of 1-to-5.

Matt – Wednesday, July 27, 2022

Timothy Olyphant, Walton Goggins and Season Two of ‘Justified’

We first introduced you to the FX television series Justified (2010-2015) with our look into the first season in July. Brad Paisley reprises the closing thought of You’ll Never Leave Harlan Alive in bringing the second 13-episode season of this addictive elegy of dysfunctional hillbillies feuding over crime, mining rights for the mountain, and a fleeting sense of a way of life in a community seemingly committed to a violent end. Throw in a sliding moral sense of interpersonal intimacy and trust that complicate definitions of family and friendship, and you have a sense for what season one and season two of Justified have had to offer.

(Erica Tazel as Rachel Brooks, Joelle Carter as Ava Crowder, Nick Searcy as Art Mullen, Timothy Olyphant as Raylan Givens, Walton Goggins as Boyd Crowder, Jacob Pitts as Tim Gutterson and Jere Burns as Wynn Duffy from the television series Justified).

Central to the dysfunctional and blurred lines of friendship and family remains the complicated relationship of almost brothers, almost friends, and almost always murky yet tenuous bond between Boyd Crowder and US Deputy Marshal Raylan Givens. A gunfight at the end of season one cemented the tenuous bond and truce of sorts, which in part contributed to the end of the love interest of Givens Ava Crowder. Ava accepts Boyd into her home, where a complicated family history from the first season of Justified transpired, and led to a complicated transition of feelings between Boyd and Ava explored through the show’s second season. Additionally explored was a backstory for US Deputy Marshal Rachel Brooks and her brother, as well as background introduced for Marshal Tim Gutterson.

(William Ragsdale as Gary Hawkins and Natalie Zea as Winona Hawkins in the television series Justified).

The complicated love triangle between Raylan, the glue to many story lines in Justified, explored the romantic ties and questionable entanglements with the law and each other for Gary Hawkins and Raylan’s ex-wife Winona Hawkins. Winona married Gary before the first season began, yet comes to a place where she questions the emotional priorities of Gary, as she had with Raylan before him. True to the series name, much of these questions are justified, as our the questions Winona also levels at herself through the season. Shenanigans ensue that touch characters Wynn Duffy and US Marshal Art Mullen. The nature of the enlightened perspectives of Duffy and Mullen, while expressed in different circles and levels of justification for sure, offer plenty of interesting fodder for those interested in considering the gray areas of personal ethics that Justified takes pleasure in questioning. Particularly for me, these last two questions seem particularly relevant heading into the next season, as is the question of where Raylan and the Hawkins’ are headed.

(Raymond J. Barry as Arlo Givens, left, and Linda Gehringer as Helen Givens in the television series Justified).

Further glue arises in the relationship of Raylan’s father and aunt, respectively Arlo Givens and Helen Givens. Wishing to hold back spoilers, I offer plenty in saying that either Arlo or Helen take a frightful turn during season two of Justified. The story of these two intersect with Boyd and Ava Crowder, whose story lines echo one another in enough ways to stir some questions.

(Jeremy Davies as Dickie Bennett, left, and Brad William Henke as Coover Bennett in the television series Justified).

The intersection of Boyd and Ava to Arlo and Helen brings season two of Justified to the central story line, which arguably should have come up earlier in the best way to pitch this season. First, who are the Bennetts? Second, what is their concern with Loretta McReady and her father? Finally, where does this leave us as far as the larger drama of the season?

(Joseph Lyle Taylor as Doyle Bennett, left, and Margo Martindale as Mags Bennett in the television series Justified).

Mags Bennett is the matriarch of the Bennett family. The Bennetts and the Givens family have some degree of a feud occurring that dates back generations in Harlan, Kentucky. Doyle Bennett is a police sheriff and arguably the most intelligent of the three sons introduced during the second season of Justified. The other two are Dickie Bennett and Coover Bennett, who lean more towards the criminal enterprise portion of the family business. Of the three sons, Mags favors one child over the other two. Dickie is the screw-up brother while Coover is the brother lacking common sense yet purported to have an aptitude for cultivating marijuana.

(Kaitlyn Dever as Loretta McCready in the television series Justified).

The story of the Bennetts overlaps with Loretta McCready, a 14-year-old girl who faces interpersonal criminal behavior at the hands of members of the Bennett clan. Through the season, Mags warms to Loretta as the daughter she never had. Whether fate plays a fickle or steady hand for the Bennetts regarding the McCready family and Loretta as Loretta struggles to understand the fate of her father through the course of the second season of Justified is plenty of reason to watch the series. I personally am impressed with the second season. My overall grade for season two of Justified is 4.25-stars on a scale of one-to-five.

Matt – Saturday, September 14, 2019