Bosch - Television Season 1 Review

While I'm waiting on season 5 of The Expanse to release, I thought I'd reach deep into my backlog and try something I've been looking into since I first heard about it. I wasn't sure what to expect with this show. Part of me thought it might just be like Law & Order: Los Angeles, or maybe a modern-day version of Columbo (but edgier, because it's the 21st century and that's how we roll these days apparently). When this first came out, I was pumped to check it out, but I had a lot going on back in 2014, so it sort of just fell to the wayside. Apparently, life went on and by the time I turned around, the series had racked up 6 seasons and I hadn't even gotten started! I'm glad I finally got my feet wet with this one, and I'm excited to delve the depths and see what happens in future seasons.  

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Where You Can Find It: I saw this one on Amazon Video where it is free for those with Amazon Prime accounts.

General Information 
Bosch is an American detective thriller that first debuted on 6 February 2014 as an Amazon Original series. The series is based off of Michael Connelly's immensely popular series of novels, which feature the titular character in over 23 books (and that's not counting appearances in other works as a side character). Michael Connelly was featured heavily in the production of the show as well, which was produced under Amazon Studios with Eric Overmyer as the lead developer. The show received above-average critical reception and holds a 71 Metascore on Metacritic. I checked out a couple of reviews of this show, and part of me wonders if some of the reception to this show was impacted by the rise of media coverage on police shootings in America at the time (the show even mentions Ferguson at one point). I don't have enough information to suggest either way, as I generally agree with a lot of what I see in many reviews, however I am slightly surprised there aren't any awards for this show, as some of it is done quite well.

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The first of the Bosch novels, which is actually displayed in parts of the show

Although the show is based on a fictional character, it does not directly adapt from its source material. Season one takes elements from three of Connelly's novels: The Concrete Blonde; City of Bones; and Echo Park. Furthermore, the show needed to update itself to modern day, as the book series was originally started in the early 1990s with Bosch having served in the Vietnam War. Bosch's military career now has him as an ex-special forces veteran of Afghanistan and the Gulf War. Part of me wonders if this was a bad move, as I would've appreciated a show simply set in the 1990s, however I'm sure it would've been more expensive to shoot.

The Story

LAPD homicide detective, Hieronymus "Harry" Bosch (played by Titus Welliver), is an old-school cop in a rapidly modernizing police department. Harry's already in trouble after shooting a Hispanic man who was a suspect in a serial murder case, but he quickly gets mixed up in a new case when a child's bones are found in the hills. This cold case will quickly become intertwined with suspected murderer, Raynard Waits (Jason Gedrick), when Waits is arrested for having a body in the back of his van. Bosch will have to not just have to contend with the dregs of Hollywood's streets during his investigation, but also the departmental politics that may be just as dangerous (if not more).

From a story perspective, Bosch feels like a cross between The Wire and Dexter, but is unfortunately not as good as either of those shows. Despite that, I really like the workman-like quality of this show as it's hardly a glamorous take on policing. Harry Bosch is impulsive and reckless, but he also struggles to do the right thing. I like that Bosch is not remotely infallible as he constantly screws up, which makes him a fairly realistic character. My only issue with him is that his obsession with his work makes him a little bland at times. 

Speaking of "bland," the supporting cast is very undeveloped, which really hurts the plot as it develops. It took me several episodes before I could remember Harry's partner's name, Jerry Edgar (Jamie Hector). Likewise, the rest of the supporting cast is pretty boring, with the exception of Julia Brasher (Annie Wersching) and Waits. Thankfully, the show stays pretty focused on Harry and his investigations, which really starts to pay dividends by the second half of the show.

As far as mysteries go, there are plenty of red herrings and twists that this season goes through that I really appreciated. I generally like a mystery that can keep me guessing, and this one had me going all the way through. Unlike Dexter, the pace is fairly slow throughout, but this isn't necessarily a bad thing. One thing I hated most though was how the majority of the story concludes by the second-to-last episode, which causes the season finale to feel half-hearted and unnecessary.

Special Effects/Atmosphere
Right away, I loved the atmosphere and style of this show. The stylish opening credits (performed by Caught a Ghost) go perfectly with the jazzy detective-noir theme. Harry's penchant for jazz music and prowling the shady streets of Los Angeles only enhances the setting. Los Angeles is an impressive sight to behold in this series as its portrayal makes it a character all on its own. Its depiction brings me back to the directorial style of Michael Mann's take on Los Angeles in Heat and Collateral. Considering Overmyer's history with Law & Order and The Wire, I can definitely see how he brings his own personal direction to the series and I hope this continues in future seasons.

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I bet LA looks even better from a stilt-house in the hills

Having taken some college courses on policing, I appreciated the realistic use of departmental chain of command and evidence processing. It's still Hollywood, but I haven't seen many detective shows that incorporate Patrol and leadership as well as this one does. The action scenes are all very simple while not overly stylish, which goes well with the rest of the show's direction.

The Acting

When the supporting cast is poorly utilized, a lot of the responsibility for a show's success falls on its lead actor. I've seen Titus Welliver in smaller roles before, but I think he's pretty well cast for the role of Harry Bosch. Welliver brings a dark seriousness to the character without turning into a stereotype or caricature. I think he handles himself well in the action scenes, as well as the more emotional scenes.

I'm ashamed to say that I've only seen Jason Gedrick in one other show (Dexter), but I think he does some great work here. There are times that I found Waits got a little too eccentric, but Gedrick adds a level of unpredictability to the character that constantly had me guessing as to what he'd do next. His chemistry with Veronica Cartwright (who plays a character I won't name for spoiler reasons) is fantastic, and I loved how he could display subtle flashes of both disgust and pity during the two characters' interactions.

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Jason Gedrick steals the show in this season

I've ragged on the supporting cast of this show quite a bit, but I want to stress that I don't think they're bad by any means. I suppose I should say that they are poorly utilized as some of them do shine when the script calls for it. Jamie Hector keeps up a cool façade, but we catch glimpses of the demons that he tries to keep locked away. Annie Wersching probably stands out the most (of the supporting cast), as she is newer to Harry's world and has to grapple with several controversial subjects in law enforcement.

The Best of the Best: The awesome portrayal of Los Angeles.

The Worst of the Worst: That flat final episode.

Calhooey Score: 7/10 - Good

Would I Recommend?

Bosch is a good show, but it's not quite great. If I had to give a one-to-one comparison, I'd say it's about on par with season five of Dexter (when the show started to go downhill). If you like detective shows with deep mysteries, I'd say this is a good time. It took me a little while to get hooked, as I wasn't fully engaged until around the third episode, but I think it gets better as it progresses. I'm excited for the next season, where I hope the showrunners build on what they set up here.

-------------------------------------------------Spoiler Comments-----------------------------------------------------

• The initial apprehension of Raynard Waits presents one of the first major conundrums in this show where I honestly don't think there's a good answer. When Edgewood and Pierce pulled Waits over without probable cause, that technically violated Waits' Fourth Amendment rights, which would have led to him potentially getting away with murdering that man in the back of his van. Legally, Edgewood was right to try and self-report, but it would've caused a killer to go free. I respected Bosch's approach to this situation, even if it meant that Chief Irving would be indebted to him for talking Edgewood down.
• I'll be honest, I wasn't even sure Waits was a killer at first. The body in the back of the van seemed pretty surefire, but his aloofness had me question myself more than once.
• I didn't expect Waits to escape. When he made his comment about going in "the trunk," I assumed he was essentially planning some type of conspiracy where he could claim he was coerced by Bosch, which might lead to him getting released somehow. Him cracking his face open and antagonizing Bosch all led to that theory as well. 
• By the end of this season, I can't stand Julia. She's a thrill seeker that is apparently willing to lie so that she can stay on the force. The fact that she even entertained the suggestion that she frame Bosch for sexual harassment was incredibly shameful. I can completely understand why she did what she did, but that doesn't mean I have to like it. I'm glad Harry dropped her like a bad habit.
• Maybe now Harry will know not to dip his pen in the company ink.
• At first I thought it was cool that Irving rolls up to meetings in his black SUV, but it started to get hilarious as the show continued. When he and Attorney General O'Shea met via matching SUVs, I actually laughed out loud.
• I was shouting at the screen for Harry to keep his cool with Captain Pounds, but I'm glad that asshole got thrown through a window. 

----------------------------------------------------References--------------------------------------------------
1) Rotten Tomatoes. (2014). Bosch season one cover image. Retrieved from: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/bosch/s01.

2) Amazon. (n.d.). Black Echo book cover image. Retrieved from: https://www.amazon.com/Black-Echo-Harry-Bosch-Novel/dp/0446612731.

3) Genzlinger, N. (2015, February 12). Bosch overlooking LA image. New York Times. Retrieved from: https://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/13/arts/television/review-bosch-amazon-primes-new-crime-series.html.

4) Dankievitch, R. (2014). Jason Gedrick in Bosch image. TVOM. Retrieved from: https://www.tvovermind.com/bosch-season-1-episode-2-review-lost-light/.