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

Kevin Costner, Susan Sarandon, Tim Robbins and the film ‘Bull Durham’

As the boys of summer are poised to soon give way to the fall classic, the Matt Lynn Digital cinematic journey into the great sport of baseball returns with the film Bull Durham (1988). Released a year before Field of Dreams (1989) and eleven years before For Love of the Game (1999), Bull Durham reflects the first of three films starring Kevin Costner pursuing a passion somehow touching baseball.

(Susan Sarandon as Annie Savoy, left, and Kevin Costner as Crash Davis in the film Bull Durham).

The film Bull Durham follows the happenings of the low minor league baseball team the Durham Bulls of Durham, North Carolina. Two major lines of storytelling include the assistance offered Ebby Calvin ‘Nuke’ LaLoosh by Crash Davis (played by Kevin Costner) and the ostensible love triangle among these two as initiated by Durham Bulls fan Annie Savoy. Susan Sarandon plays Savoy. Tim Robbins plays LaLoosh.

(Tim Robbins as Ebby Calvin ‘Nuke’ LaLoosh in the film Bull Durham).

The character Crash Davis is a fictionalized as a catcher tasked with helping the up-and-coming player LaLoosh mature into a player ready to play in the major leagues. In taking a bit of a superficial look into the film, Bull Durham itself takes a lighthearted look into the tension between LaLoosh and Davis due to their being two really different people while also betting on some romantic tension that Annie Savoy has in pursuing a more experienced relationship interest that comes with age. Davis was inspired in name by a real player named Lawrence Columbus Crash Davis who played shortstop, second base and first base, which in some ways mirrors a romantic tension that is told through the duration of one baseball season with the Durham Bulls baseball team.

(Bull Durham director and writer Ron Shelton).

The true magic of this film that makes it one that endures visits some clubhouse themes visited in the film Major League (1989), as well as some themes of romance that comes up more strongly in For Love of the Game. Renee Russo does a baseball double play in her roles in Major League and For Love of the Game. Bull Durham screenwriter and director Ron Shelton offers an enduring baseball film that isn’t so much a romantic comedy as it is cynical and unaware in matters of love while knowing a bit about baseball. There are quiet moments of truth about life and baseball interwoven into this film, and overall the film works on an almost sophomoric level at times. Exiting with the song love ain’t no triple play by Dr. John, Bennie Wallace, and Bonnie Raitt, the film Bull Durham gets 3.75-stars from me on a scale of one-to-five.

Matt – Saturday, October 19, 2019