“Bosch” (Amazon Prime)
Sound the trumpets! Season 6 of “Bosch” has arrived and a show you thought couldn’t get any better just did. “Bosch” is the series featuring stories about Harry Bosch, a Hollywood homicide detective. The character and plots are taken from books written by award winning novelist Michael Connelly and they are the best of the best that he has created. Still “Bosch” would not be the series it is were it not for the casting of Titus Welliver in the lead role. He was made for the role and the role was made for him.
In the ten episodes of season six, Harry is involved with a couple of cases. There are another two or three subplots involving other characters that are running at the same time. Each has its own lane but that does not mean they do not intersect with other plot lines from time to time. Some of the main story lines seem to meet their end early on but then new material is gathered and they start back up again.
Throughout it all there is Harry, both melancholy and menacing. There are many, many facets to Harry’s personality but those two traits are major. Harry has seen heartache in his life and the scars he carries aren’t all visible. They have made him into a man who has just about seen it all and uses all of this knowledge to his advantage.
In past seasons Harry’s relationship with his daughter Maddie (Madison Lintz) has always been one of the most intriguing aspects of the show. Harry and Maddie’s mother are divorced but through a series of events Maddie now lives with Harry. She is a college student but this season takes place while she is on summer break.
The father/daughter relationship really evolves over the course of the season and Welliver and Lintz bring in their A game to make it real. The viewer gets a new awareness of Maddie’s growth as a character, and Harry gets to show a softer side as he deals with his daughter.
Since we have been watching Welliver’s portrayal of Bosch for five previous seasons we now get to observe things that stand out about him. Harry does not just walk, he moves. It is a certain pacing as well as movement of his body as he goes about his business. It isn’t a swagger per se but it is a definite stride. You also get a chance to see and study the tattoos that cover his arms. Trying to decipher what they mean is almost a show in itself.
Other members of the cast include Amy Aquino, Lance Reddick, Mimi Rogers, Jamie Hector and more. Each is perfectly tailored and measured for the role they play. There is not a weak link amongst them. That is almost impossible to say about any other show but it is definitely true here. From the smallest role to the largest they are all amazingly cast.
And then there is Michael Connelly’s writing on which the series is based. Mr. Connelly knows his subject matter, his characters and his locales. All three elements come together seamlessly and make for the highest level of entertainment.
Next years season seven will be the last for “Bosch” unless someone changes their mind between now and then. I hate to see it all end but am glad I still have one more season to watch. Still, in truth, this season was so magnificent and ended so perfectly I could have accepted it being the final season, the final scene.
All six seasons (60 episodes) are available for streaming on Amazon Prime. It is some of the best material to be seen anywhere, and season six is “Bosch” at its best.
Jackie K Cooper
www.jackiekcooper.com
