Bosch - Television Season 3 Review

After finishing season 2 (you can see my review for that here), I had come to terms with the fact that this was an above-average detective show that would never truly reach the heights of its own potential. Words cannot describe how ecstatic I was when I started this season and had all my expectations blown away! This season came out swinging and presented an incredible story that explored everything I wanted and more.

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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 3 released on Amazon Video on 21 April 2017 with season 4 already approved for renewal. As before, this season is based off a group of Michael Connelly's Bosch book series: The Black Echo; A Darkness More Than Night; and The Drop. Although I've previously been against this blending of stories, I think this season handles it the best. Unfortunately, season 3 does not have a Metascore, so I checked out Rotten Tomatoes, which reflects a 100% on the Tomatometer. I was surprised to note that season 3 is one percentage point lower on the Audience Score than season 2, which I still consider to be the worst in the series thus far.

The Story

Sixteen months have passed since Harry Bosch (played by Titus Welliver) solved his mother's murder, but instead of being freed, he's become bitter and has begun to play even further outside the rules than he has before. Maddie (Madison Lintz) has moved in with him, but the bulk of Harry's attention has been directed at the aging serial killer, Ed Gunn, whom Harry has been secretly recording with surveillance cameras. Harry's new hobby puts him in the crosshairs of a fellow detective though, when Gunn dies under mysterious circumstances.

One of the things I loved most about this season was how it actually explores its characters. We see a new side of Harry as he struggles with the concept of justice as he begins to question his own actions while his backstory gets some much needed examination when he investigates the murder of an ex-Army soldier. The character analysis goes beyond Harry though, as we finally get to see Jerry Edgar (Jamie Hector) take a prominent role in the plot as he begins to doubt Harry's integrity. The last corner of this character triangle is Chief Irving (Lance Reddick), who makes plans to leave Los Angeles and escape the dark cloud left behind after his son's death.

The twists and turns of this season are incredibly well-executed with more than a few moments happening in plain sight without the viewer even realizing them. Unlike the other seasons, this one stands out most because it's not just about Harry and Edgar doing detective-work, but also covers Harry trying to stay one step ahead of his own department. It was really fascinating seeing Harry become increasingly bitter about the very system he serves, and it makes me intrigued to see where season 4 will go.

I want to point out that the supporting cast is utilized quite well this time around too. Since Maddie now lives with Harry, we get to see the two interact more often and it also gives us a fresh perspective into Harry's world. Beyond domestic interactions, the audience is also introduced to two other detectives, Santiago "Jimmy" Robertson (Paul Calderon) and Rudy Tafero (Arnold Vosloo). Robertson and Tafero seem to present a duality of Harry's quandary as they're both grizzled and jaded, but Robertson is a straight-shooter while Tafero is so dirty that he now works for the suspect in a homicide. 

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Jimmy and Pierce pose a new kind of threat to Harry

Special Effects/Atmosphere
I want to again give credit to this series for its handling of its own source material. It takes the time to address investigative procedures in an organic way that doesn't come at the cost of entertainment value, while the inclusion of a military storyline clearly shows that the showrunners had some type of advisor to ensure authenticity.

This season might be the least "noir" that I've seen thus far, but that's not necessarily a bad thing per se. There's plenty of darkness, but it seems like some of the detective tropes were set aside so that the plot and its characters could be better explored. It's still a grim tale (probably even darker than last season), but I like that the characters and world are a bit more realistic this time around.

The Acting

I really bought into Titus Welliver's take on Harry's internal struggle. I'm not sure if Welliver has been in many positions where he had to perform on such a level, but he pulls it off well, and it makes me feel as though Welliver is completely comfortable in Harry's shoes at this point.

Jamie Hector does a solid job and really shines when he has someone to play off of. I loved all of his interactions with Edgar's family. I'm hopeful that he gets the same amount of screen-time in season 4, as I think there's still a ton of things to explore with his character.

I feel like casting has mastered the art of finding actors/actresses that can pull off the gritty detective shtick at this point after seeing Paul Calderon and Arnold Vosloo join the show. I was astounded to see Vosloo in this role as I'd only ever seen him play Imhotep in the Mummy series. He pulls off the gravel-mouthed dirty cop persona perfectly. The same observations go to Calderon, who stands out as a different kind of detective. I'm really hopeful that Calderon appears in later seasons, as I think Robertson could become somewhat of a rival or foil to Harry.

***

Imhotep is back, baby!

The Best of the Best: The episode, "Birdland," is the best episode of the series and worth a watch all on its own. I highly recommend it.

The Worst of the Worst: The Korea Town Killer is stupid to the point of self-parody, but is blissfully barely present.

Calhooey Score: 9/10 - Fantastic

Would I Recommend?

****

I'm already watching season 4

Season 3 blew me away with its spectacular character analysis, and revitalized my interest in this series as a whole. This is Bosch at its best and I highly recommend it. If this show isn't your cup of tea, I'd say that you should skip the first two seasons and just jump in right at this point. At the very least, I'd recommend "Birdland" as it's a great episode with a lot of depth.
-------------------------------------------------Spoiler Comments-----------------------------------------------------

• I totally didn't catch the comment about Cadillacs until Edgar explained it at the end. Made me wonder what else I missed in this season.
  
• I'm really curious if Edgar will stay on as Harry's partner for season 4. 
• I didn't necessarily buy into everyone's sympathy for Sharkey, but I think a lot of the emotion that came from Harry was that he saw himself in Sharkey.
• As much as I liked Vosloo's portrayal of Rudy, the guy folded surprisingly quickly as soon as his brother got involved in the investigation.
• That look on Harry's face in the closing scene was pretty grim. I definitely got the noir vibes.

----------------------------------------------------References--------------------------------------------------
*Gupta, S. (2020, July 7). Bosch season three cover image. Instachronicles. Retrieved from: https://instachronicles.com/2020/07/07/bosch-season-6-is-dropping-in-amazon-prime-release-date-to-plot-everything-you-need-to-know/.

**Bosch. (n.d.). Robertson and Pierce gif. Giphy. Retrieved from: https://giphy.com/gifs/bosch-season-3-episode-2-l3g00XBAzBaVgVA5y.

***Mancrushes. (n.d.). Arnold Vosloo as Rudy Tafero image. Retrieved from: ttps://www.mancrushes.com/hot-men/arnold-vosloo/is-he-married-what-ethnicity-doing-now-where.

****Bosch. (n.d.). Bosch at his computer gif. Giphy. Retrieved from: https://giphy.com/gifs/26wBa92QgQkgvl4aY/html5.