Jerry Edgar agrees to help Bosch with a case. Will Carl Rogers outmaneuver Bosch and Chandler and escape justice once again? Maddie faces every cop's biggest fear.
Not everything is as neatly resolved as it appeared in the previous episode. That was expected given the season was only halfway over at that point. The narrative still had plenty of twists to throw at the audience. Bosch and Chandler executed their master plan against Rogers. He was at their complete mercy. He would spend the rest of his life behind bars. That fact wouldn't change no matter how much information he gave the U.S. Attorney about the Russian bratva. That's justice in this case. For the first time, someone asks Maddie how she feels about it. She too displays concern over whether that is enough. He tried to kill her. Bosch and Chandler are motivated by being personal targets. They never allowed Maddie to operate with the save gravitas. They wanted to protect her from whatever they were going to do. And now, they've done it. They will have to make peace with all the actions they did and what they chose not to do. Rogers tries to run away instead of facing the punishment that awaits him. He would rather live as a fugitive evading justice and the mobsters he's indebted to. He had an exit strategy waiting. The Russians end up killing him anyway. They couldn't wait any longer for his payment. Nor could they allow him to talk to the federal officers. And so, he's killed in the shipping container he had specially made to sneak him out of the country. Chandler happens to be a witness to this crime. She discovered the container before anyone else arrived. The scene is thick with tension over whether or not she'll have to use her gun. She doesn't. Instead, she lingers in the shadows. She receives peace and clarity over how this ends for the man who wanted her dead. However, the Russians are allowed to continue operating with power. They receive no punishment for what they've done. Perhaps that will remain a key part of the narrative moving forward. Of course, Bosch notes it would be foolish for them to stay in the country. They can be linked to this murder should the bodies ever be discovered. They probably will be eventually. Right now, Chandler and Bosch simply have to buy into the narrative that Rogers and his lawyer are missing. They ran instead of honoring the deal they made. As such, they received whatever punishment found them. In this case, it was the Russians. They did what needed to be done. It happened without further corrupting the core characters. Bosch and Chandler didn't have to get their hands dirty. They simply work to keep Maddie as far away from this as possible. And yet, she can only be sheltered from the truth for so long.
Maddie has bonded with the other officers from her class at the academy. They are all new to the job. They are facing the realities of what it means to carry a badge and a gun in Los Angeles. They place their lives on the line every time they put on the uniform. They all know that. It suddenly becomes real. One of their own is shot. Her fate is left up in the air. Right now, it's simply comforting to Maddie to know she's still alive. Maddie isn't planning on leaving the profession. However, this is the moment where so much becomes real. That's true for Bosch too. He turns on the radio and immediately fears Maddie has been hurt. He can't bear losing her as well. He knows the job. He has tried his best to prepare Maddie for it. It's now hers to own. She has to decide how to operate with this authority. Everything can be done right and still go wrong somehow. That's what happens in this situation. The entire precinct moves into action. Maddie wants to be of service as well. She has to notify the family. It's the most grueling and difficult aspect of the job. She does it. She knows what it's like to be on the receiving end of such tragic news. Bosch recalls that all too fondly. She still searches for the right words. It's all scary. She can only provide so much clarity. Her father has shielded her from the brushes with death he's faced on the job. Of course, the two of them have dealt with their fair share of dangers together. And yet, Bosch details a story that Maddie has never heard before. She knew the broad details of him getting shot and ultimately returning to the job. She now hears it with the visceral pain of what that moment was like. Her father thought he was going to die. He was saved by a total stranger. He ended up marrying her. That's the beautiful love story that made this family. Maddie is an extension of that. She is carrying forward the legacy her father and mother have left behind on the job. So much has changed. Some details remain the same. That's the nature of life. Powerful influences want to prevent changes for as long as possible. Bosch is threatened to look the over way in so many instances. He becomes the executor of Vance's will. That gives him even more power regarding the proceedings. However, he has to be careful with this information. He must wield it responsibly knowing that the fates of many lives depend on how this money and business interests are distributed. He can exert that control. That too leaves him exposed to the moral decay this city provides at all times. He doesn't have the same authorities he once did either. He is still adjusting to that truth too.
