‘Bosch: Legacy’ Recap – ‘Message in a Bottle’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode Three of ‘Bosch: Legacy’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.
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One of the hardest truths we will ever have to reconcile about the world, is that it can be an angry and cruel place. Where bad people do bad things and sometimes get away with it and where ugly acts persist alongside wonderful moments and well, what makes this so difficult to face is simple. In that, we are taught that the world is a beautiful place where great things happen often. So, to learn otherwise is tough for certain and changes our perspective on a great deal of things… for better or for worse. And our fascination and horror and curiosity about this are so profound… that we often gravitate to stories that explore such truth to better understand and reconcile it.
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If anything, the dark side of the world and how it surprises us and how some thrive with the knowledge of what life is actually like, is top of mind today, because it served as the focus of the next episode of Bosch: Legacy. A feat that ‘Message in a Bottle’ accomplished, by having Harry Bosch wrap up the Vance case. All by coming to discover the unfortunate truth that Vance’s son… died in Vietnam. Ending any hope that Vance had of finding an heir to his fortune and legacy and his only ask beyond that truth, was to have Harry learn as much as he could about his son so he could know something about the child he abandoned. Which Harry agreed to and with that mostly in his rearview mirror… the ugly of the world was put on display.

In this instance, that involved learning some fascinating truths about Carl Rogers. Such as the fact that he was in deep with the Russian Mafia. Because he made some shady, shady deals with them. The kind that helped him to procure his freedom since the powers that be, wanted the vast amounts of money he owed them, repaid in kind, and well, that once again reaffirmed the fact that evil thrives in the shadows. But rather than be put off by that sad reality, Harry taught us how some people that know the reality of the world cope and thrive within that truth… by fighting it with every fiber of their being. Since Harry faced off against these guys to get as much information as possible. Even putting his safety on the line to get at least one of them behind bars, and while he wasn’t successful here. It was nice to see someone fight against a truth no one likes and keep trying to make the world a slightly better place.

But of course, there was mention of how learning this truth can shock us and change us on a moment’s notice and that was handled by way of Maddie’s journey in this tale. Because after a trip to Trejo’s Tacos, and a wonderful riff on Danny Trejo’s career, Maddie and Reina were dispatched to an assault case. One so cruel and seemingly random that it impacted Maddie deeply. To the point where she offered up her own personal time to console the poor woman. A move that was derided by her partner and that left Maddie beside herself. Because she struggled to reconcile several realities regarding this. Such as the fact that the LAPD had to remain detached and impartial to such an act and of course… that this was something that happened in the world more often than she knew and it will be interesting to see how Maddie responds to this reality in the weeks to come. 

Not to mention, it will also be fascinating to see how Vance’s new request resolves itself. Since Harry did find someone that seems to know something about Whitney’s late son and others are curious to learn about this as well… and of course, to see what comes out what Harry learned about the slimy Carl Rogers. But while we wait for those plot-threads to advance, we can bask in the wonder of a meaningful tale. One that really did put the world on display in a fascinating manner and it also did a magnificent job of showing us how people respond to it and well, this just serves to remind us why we love Harry Bosch stories so. Since they are always full of depth and meaning and fascinating observations about the human condition and this truly does motivate one to continue the journey, to see what else we learn about humanity and of course, to enjoy more of this engaging first season in a new chapter in Harry Bosch’s life. Until next time.

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