After Maddie's involvement with the Franzen case leaves her exposed, she must testify before a grand jury to stay safe. Irving asks FBI SAC Brenner for help with Alvarez, learning something useful about Peña. The little tamale girl's father pays Bosch a visit. His pain strengthens Bosch's resolve to bring her killers to justice. Leonard and Norris push Billets to the brink.
In 2020, the television industry aired 493 scripted shows across numerous outlets. The way people consume content now is different than it used to be. It happens according to one's own schedule. As such, it's less necessary to provide ample coverage of each episode in any given season from a show. Moreover, it is simply impossible to watch everything. As such, this site provides shorter episodic reviews in order to cover as many shows as possible. With all of that being said, here are my thoughts on the next episode of Amazon's Bosch.
"The Greater Good" was written by Alex Meenehan & Jessica Kivnik and directed by Patrick Cad
This show has killed a number of women simply to inflict emotional trauma onto Bosch. It's an unfortunate and lazy plot trope that has plagued plenty of shows. Here, the story strives to delve deep into the impact all of this loss has on Bosch in numerous aspects of his life. It also showcases the many ways in which violence against women is ingrained in our society. It took decades for him to solve his mother's murder. That was a long and arduous journey full of twists and turns. When Eleanor was killed, he had to settle for the system abroad delivering a just punishment while burning a bad FBI agent's career to the ground. But now, Judge Donna Sobel is killed. People perceive it as random. Not many people knew she and Bosch were seeing each other. That too was an unexpected development this season. It hasn't had a whole lot of screentime devoted to it. It still articulated the ways in which their loving and caring natures actually complimented each other. It was a gesture towards peace. And now, all of that is disrupted once more. Maddie is the true target for this hitman. The judge is simply collateral damage. It all has an impact on Bosch though. He blames himself for not thinking of all the ways in which the plan could be attacked. He never wanted to put his daughter in danger. He always strives to protect her. She trusts him completely. She is terrified though. She could have been killed. Having Bosch as her father may be the only thing that has kept her safe all these years. The show hasn't inflicted much physical harm onto her. It's not for a lack of trying. She is constantly thrown into perilous situations that cause Bosch to lash out because of his immense love for her. That is the most meaningful relationship he has. It means so much to Maddie as well. They can share a laugh over how bad a singer Eleanor was. They have reached the place where they can remember her and not immediately break down over the tragedy that happened. That is growth. It took time to arrive at that point. It came from trusting each other and the system they have decided to live within. That system has provided so much purpose and meaning. It's breaking down as well though. It is no longer serving the people who have long upheld its ideals. Billets is being targeted repeatedly. That harassment extends to her girlfriend too. Anne questions how much has truly changed in police culture since Billets first joined the force. Billets sees the progress. It may just be more polite. The hatred is still present. Billets is in a position of authority to do something. Her actions have consequences though. People still have to find a way to work with the people they serve alongside in this dangerous job. So much of this toxic culture is accepted because it comes across as necessary for the work to function in the way the city needs. That's not true at all. The fear of what could happen when people speak up and demand change is crippling though. Even then, it's clear that corruption strikes at the heart of everything in this world. Maddie's life is endangered because the prosecutor feeds information to Fowkkes. She has been trading information for money for years now. She feels trapped in a situation where she had no choices. The detectives don't see it that way. She endangered lives and should deal with the punishment. The same should apply to Carl Rogers. He ordered these hits. The evidence can be laid out to send him away for a long time. And yet, not everything in the plot is neatly resolved. Fowkkes is killed and someone other than Rogers may have ordered it. Moreover, the FBI is protecting Peña. They help him evade surveillance by Bosch and Edgar. The feds have made a deal with the criminal who ordered the fire bombing simply because he can build a case against a bigger target. Those tradeoffs are part of the system. It overlooks some significant crimes because the people in charge believe their work is doing something more meaningful for the greater good. Mr. Hernandez has lost his family though. Bosch can't provide him the comfort he needs. Peña devastated his life. The FBI and Irving have made deals to preserve their good standings instead of helping get justice for innocent lives lost. Bosch carries Sonia's death with him. Nothing can stand in his way of getting justice for her. He has more than one way to gather information. It just puts him in conflict with the people he is suppose to believe are operating in good faith. Irving mostly presents as someone desperate to hold onto his power. He has a full and rewarding life elsewhere. The job is important to him. He fights to maintain it. That means making a deal with the FBI that ensures Sonia's killer will avoid any accountability whatsoever. That's frustrating and toxic. Edgar can speak to the harm those feelings can have when they fester within a person's soul. He knows he has made mistakes. He is trying to make things right. He starts by helping protect Maddie when the killer attacks. He continues by owning up to his recent actions and striving to do better. He confesses to wanting to kill Avril. It hasn't brought him closure or justice. It's just more agony and pain. That's life. It's dark and depressing. That can be the worldview sometimes as very little seems to have changed despite all the hard work these detectives do on a daily basis.
This show has killed a number of women simply to inflict emotional trauma onto Bosch. It's an unfortunate and lazy plot trope that has plagued plenty of shows. Here, the story strives to delve deep into the impact all of this loss has on Bosch in numerous aspects of his life. It also showcases the many ways in which violence against women is ingrained in our society. It took decades for him to solve his mother's murder. That was a long and arduous journey full of twists and turns. When Eleanor was killed, he had to settle for the system abroad delivering a just punishment while burning a bad FBI agent's career to the ground. But now, Judge Donna Sobel is killed. People perceive it as random. Not many people knew she and Bosch were seeing each other. That too was an unexpected development this season. It hasn't had a whole lot of screentime devoted to it. It still articulated the ways in which their loving and caring natures actually complimented each other. It was a gesture towards peace. And now, all of that is disrupted once more. Maddie is the true target for this hitman. The judge is simply collateral damage. It all has an impact on Bosch though. He blames himself for not thinking of all the ways in which the plan could be attacked. He never wanted to put his daughter in danger. He always strives to protect her. She trusts him completely. She is terrified though. She could have been killed. Having Bosch as her father may be the only thing that has kept her safe all these years. The show hasn't inflicted much physical harm onto her. It's not for a lack of trying. She is constantly thrown into perilous situations that cause Bosch to lash out because of his immense love for her. That is the most meaningful relationship he has. It means so much to Maddie as well. They can share a laugh over how bad a singer Eleanor was. They have reached the place where they can remember her and not immediately break down over the tragedy that happened. That is growth. It took time to arrive at that point. It came from trusting each other and the system they have decided to live within. That system has provided so much purpose and meaning. It's breaking down as well though. It is no longer serving the people who have long upheld its ideals. Billets is being targeted repeatedly. That harassment extends to her girlfriend too. Anne questions how much has truly changed in police culture since Billets first joined the force. Billets sees the progress. It may just be more polite. The hatred is still present. Billets is in a position of authority to do something. Her actions have consequences though. People still have to find a way to work with the people they serve alongside in this dangerous job. So much of this toxic culture is accepted because it comes across as necessary for the work to function in the way the city needs. That's not true at all. The fear of what could happen when people speak up and demand change is crippling though. Even then, it's clear that corruption strikes at the heart of everything in this world. Maddie's life is endangered because the prosecutor feeds information to Fowkkes. She has been trading information for money for years now. She feels trapped in a situation where she had no choices. The detectives don't see it that way. She endangered lives and should deal with the punishment. The same should apply to Carl Rogers. He ordered these hits. The evidence can be laid out to send him away for a long time. And yet, not everything in the plot is neatly resolved. Fowkkes is killed and someone other than Rogers may have ordered it. Moreover, the FBI is protecting Peña. They help him evade surveillance by Bosch and Edgar. The feds have made a deal with the criminal who ordered the fire bombing simply because he can build a case against a bigger target. Those tradeoffs are part of the system. It overlooks some significant crimes because the people in charge believe their work is doing something more meaningful for the greater good. Mr. Hernandez has lost his family though. Bosch can't provide him the comfort he needs. Peña devastated his life. The FBI and Irving have made deals to preserve their good standings instead of helping get justice for innocent lives lost. Bosch carries Sonia's death with him. Nothing can stand in his way of getting justice for her. He has more than one way to gather information. It just puts him in conflict with the people he is suppose to believe are operating in good faith. Irving mostly presents as someone desperate to hold onto his power. He has a full and rewarding life elsewhere. The job is important to him. He fights to maintain it. That means making a deal with the FBI that ensures Sonia's killer will avoid any accountability whatsoever. That's frustrating and toxic. Edgar can speak to the harm those feelings can have when they fester within a person's soul. He knows he has made mistakes. He is trying to make things right. He starts by helping protect Maddie when the killer attacks. He continues by owning up to his recent actions and striving to do better. He confesses to wanting to kill Avril. It hasn't brought him closure or justice. It's just more agony and pain. That's life. It's dark and depressing. That can be the worldview sometimes as very little seems to have changed despite all the hard work these detectives do on a daily basis.
