Bosch - Television Season 2 Review

I must admit that although my reception to Bosch season 1 wasn't all that positive (you can see my review for it here), I enjoyed it well enough to jump into season 2 with no hesitation. There's something very relaxing about this show (must be the jazz music) that makes it very easy to watch.

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Where You Can Find It: This season is also on Amazon Video where it is free for those with Amazon Prime accounts. 

General Information 
Season 2 of Bosch hit Amazon Video on 11 March 2016 with season 3 getting greenlit for renewal on 1 April 2016. Like season one, it is based on an amalgamation of Michael Connelly's Bosch novels, with this season gaining inspiration from Trunk Music, The Drop, and The Last Coyote. I can't help but wonder if taking influence from multiple books per season negatively impacts the show. Season 1 seemed to struggle with its dual-focus on the Waits and Stokes storylines, and I can't help but wonder if this was the same situation in this season as well. Season 2's critical reception was slightly higher than its freshman year as it currently holds a 76 Metascore on Metacritic (five points higher than season 1). 

The Story
Six months have passed since Harry Bosch (still played by Titus Welliver) threw Captain Pounds threw a plate-glass window. He's gotten into better shape, but is clearly eager to get back in the game while he waits for his suspension to clear. It doesn't take long after his return for a new case to slide across his desk. A wealthy pornography film producer was found murdered in the trunk of his car. It all has the trimmings of a classic mob hit, but discovering the identity of the perpetrators will require Harry to venture further than we've ever seen him go before.

Once again, I love the old-school detective style of this show, and I think this season does it even better than the last. I got some serious L.A. Confidential vibes from this season as it's got everything from shady politics to blonde femme fatales with more than a few secrets hidden away. The mystery didn't have me guessing as long as season 1 did, but there were certainly a couple of nice detours on this season's investigations.

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Jeri Ryan channels Kim Basinger as the classic femme fatale and widow to the victim

Something I was not overly fond of is that there seems to be too many ingredients in the pot at the same time. The pornography investigation takes up a good chunk of the main story, but then a secondary story appears about half-way through that suddenly takes priority with a third subplot popping up near the finale. Each new subplot eats away at the predecessor, which wouldn't be as much of an issue if these subplots were delegated out to the supporting cast, but it all rests on Harry to manage.

Speaking of the supporting cast, I really thought we'd get to see more of Jerry Edgar (Jamie Hector), but his character seems to be little more than an assistant to Bosch. There's a hilarious scene near the end where Jerry learns Harry was hiding a secret from him that would jeopardize both of their careers and he seemingly just lets it go because the plot doesn't have time to depict a potential conflict. Thankfully, we see a lot more of Deputy Chief Irving (Lance Reddick), who surprisingly eats up a good chunk of the first half of the season. I really liked Irving's subplot and I'm excited to see what he'll be up to in season 3.

***
Irving has officially left the SUV he was trapped in during season 1

Lastly, I want to bring up that there seems to be too many coincidences going on in this season's main plot. I can't get into spoilers here (I'll address it further in the Spoiler Comments), but this season seems so interconnected at times that it almost breaks immersion. I want the protagonist and characters to have a connection with the plot obviously, but there are points where it seems to go too far.

Special Effects/Atmosphere
The jazz music and seedy settings really come into play this season, which is wonderful. Not only do we see more of Los Angeles, but also a decent amount of Las Vegas. I liked seeing Harry operate in new environments as it gives the audience a chance to see him both in and out of his element.

When it comes to special effects, I was particular impressed with a shootout near the end of the season. I think shows like this need a little gun-play, but I'm glad that it's not too action-heavy. I must admit that there were a couple of times where I didn't understand why Harry and Jerry didn't call for back-up, but overall I felt that everything was aesthetically pleasing and made sense with the show's direction.

The Acting
Titus Welliver continues to do a pretty solid job of portraying Harry's no-nonsense style, but I still don't feel overly attached to the character. Harry doesn't give Welliver too much to work with and it's a bit disappointing at times. It wasn't until the very end of the season that we got to see Welliver really emote and it honestly kind of fell flat in comparison to the emotion we saw from other characters.

I was practically devastated that we didn't get to see much of Lance Reddick in season 1, but he comes out swinging in this season and I loved every second of it. Reddick enters every scene he's in with this sense of confidence and style that immediately draws the viewer to him. I think we get the most compelling acting moments in the show from him and I must admit that I was quite excited when Harry and Irving temporarily team up. As much as I like Jamie Hector, I would love a show where Harry and Irving are partners.

There's a lot of guest stars in this season and it was great seeing all of them. Matthew Lillard does a surprisingly good job as a sleazy strip club manager. I've only seen Jeri Ryan in Star Trek: Voyager, but I thought her cold and aloof style worked great for the character of Veronica Allen. Lastly, I was overjoyed to see Tom Mardirosian, James Ransone, and Nestor Serrano. All three have relatively minor roles, but they all do incredible work in this season that really helps the show's world feel alive.

****
Who ever thought Shaggy in Scooby-Doo would make a good Armenian gangster???

The Best of the Best: Irving doing whatever he wants because even the plot understands that you don't mess with Lance Reddick.

The Worst of the Worst: The number of coincidences in this show is too damn high!

Calhooey Score: 7/10 - Good

Would I Recommend?
Metacritic might say that this season is better than the first, but I disagree. Generally speaking, I'd say season 2 is on par with season 1, but I think I like season 1 slightly better. If you come into this season thinking the show is going to build on what they set up in season 1, you may be a little disappointed, but there is an excellent mystery to be had here and I think it's worth checking out.
-------------------------------------------------Spoiler Comments-----------------------------------------------------
  • In regards to the coincidences mentioned in the Story Section:
    • Harry's investigation into the Armenian Mafia just happens to involve the fact his wife took money from the Armenian Mafia when she first left the FBI. Not only that, but then Joey Marks has Harry's wife and daughter abducted so that the investigation into Tony Allen's murder gets scuttled.
    • Rykoff isn't just an undercover FBI agent, but he also works directly with the Los Angeles FBI field office despite operating out in Las Vegas.
    • Nash didn't just murder Tony Allen, but he also secretly manages a crew of dirty cops who rip off drug dealers and killed Irving's son. Oh, he also masterminded planting the gun in Rykoff's toilet, which inevitably led to Harry linking up with the FBI's undercover operation. I legitimately thought by the end that Nash had killed Harry's mom too, because why not...
  • I was really curious where George Irving's side-story was going since he wasn't remotely as big of a deal in season 1 as this one.
  • I can't believe Nash managed to make it out of Los Angeles in that stolen van. I would've thought helicopters and responding police cruisers would've eventually boxed him in. 
  • We never got to see Veronica Allen's trial, so I guess that's going to be concluded in season 3? I feel like this main storyline got shelved when Bosch started investigating who killed his mother.
  • The whole Fox Mitchell thing got concluded really quickly, but I don't think it's over yet. I have a feeling there was no body in that grave (or the real killer is still out there).
----------------------------------------------------References--------------------------------------------------
*Fandom. (n.d.). Bosch season two cover image. Retrieved from: https://harrybosch.fandom.com/wiki/Season_2.
**Aetius00. (2020). Veronica Allen image. Reddit. Retrieved from: https://www.reddit.com/r/JeriRyan/comments/ffeffs/bosch_s02e02_jeri_ryan_as_veronica_allen/.
***Fandom. (n.d.). Irving with a gun image. Retrieved from: https://harrybosch.fandom.com/wiki/Exit_Time.
****Eric. (2016, March 13). Rykoff image. Twitter. Retrieved from: https://twitter.com/mreanders/status/708885570605416448.

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