Bosch and Edgar follow a lead in the arson fire case to the famed Magic Castle. Lt. Billets ruffles feathers in the officer ranks. After Chandler's new client Vincent Franzen spends a night in jail, he offers up a "muy grande pescado" as his get-out-of-jail-free card.
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 Dog You Feed" was written by Osokwe Vasquez and directed by Patrick Cady
This show can be really smart regarding its intricate plotting. Everything always finds a way to come together in a cohesive way by the end of each season. And yet, it can make some really blunt and annoying points as well. The audience is meant to understand that Edgar is in a dark and depressing headspace because he is at a strip club. This isn't the first dark drama to feature that plot point. It's incredibly lazy. As such, it's difficult for the audience to trust that the creative team wants to pursue the nuances of this situation. Of course, that is immediately tossed aside with some subsequent actions. Edgar remains haunted by the murder. However, he is celebrated in his community for ridding them of a dangerous criminal. He was also cleared by the department. And now, he may throw himself into a new maelstrom altogether. Bosch and Edgar have tracked down those responsible for starting the fire that led to the deaths of several people. It's not the end of this investigation. They still need to know what motivated this action. It may be an escalation of simmering tension between the local gangs and the developers hoping to gentrify the neighborhood with the innocent tenants caught in the crossfire. But Edgar gets rough with the suspect when arresting him. It's noticeable right away. His fellow detectives comment on the action. They are furious. Moreover, citizens are recording the encounter. It's not something that can be hidden from Billets when Bosch returns to the station. This may be a classic example of police brutality. Here, it's informed deeply by Edgar's newfound recklessness and self sabotage. He is seen drinking outside of the scene of the crime. He still has plenty of power though. He can use that to avoid any serious consequences. He also shows some remorse for his actions. Bosch can hopefully talk him straight. But again, that isn't guaranteed at this point. Edgar wants to rely on the things that have always brought him stability and love in the past. And yet, his family has made plans around him because he has been so unreliable lately. It's more than the typical stress and distraction he is under when he works a case. He can craft that convenient excuse though. No one sees any reason to dig deeper than that. It remains a ton of internal conflict though. As such, he's not as focused as he should be when it comes to solving cases and providing justice for the community left behind. That responsibility has always been important to Bosch. He sees how his partner is potentially compromised. He genuinely wants to help. It requires some tough love from him. He may be the only person to tell Edgar exactly what he needs to hear. All of this may explode eventually. They still have a victory here. It just took some good and honest police work to get to this conclusion. But again, this is just the beginning of this story. Even then, various people are keeping things very close to the vest about the ongoing developments in the city. Bosch and Maddie have the mutual respect of acknowledging the cases they are working on without having to disclose the intimate details of their day-to-day lives. That represents significant growth. Maddie is finding her way in the world. Chandler respects her and relies on her. Chandler's new client Franzen is also promising to lure in a big fish that will ensure he spends no time in jail whatsoever. That seems too good to be true. And yet, the courtroom for his bail hearing has a familiar face in it. That too may signal that the past is coming back to haunt the characters this season. New conflicts have emerged. Everyone has fought for their positions in this department. They are still being targeted. Irving's position as chief is no longer secure. He doesn't have a strong bond with the new mayor despite endorsing her. Plus, the tie-breaking vote on the police commission is resigning due to terminal cancer. His future in the department looks uncertain. Meanwhile, Billets is being targeted once again thanks to the discriminatory culture that runs rampant in the department. That has always been part of the dark underbelly of this environment too. It allows for more of her personal life to be seen in the foreground. It's no longer something just referred to offscreen. It's personal as she is targeted for her sexual orientation. That means she will once again be going against her fellow police. These are all familiar patterns for the characters. They are weary only because they have already had to endure so much and so little in the world seems to have changed as a result.
This show can be really smart regarding its intricate plotting. Everything always finds a way to come together in a cohesive way by the end of each season. And yet, it can make some really blunt and annoying points as well. The audience is meant to understand that Edgar is in a dark and depressing headspace because he is at a strip club. This isn't the first dark drama to feature that plot point. It's incredibly lazy. As such, it's difficult for the audience to trust that the creative team wants to pursue the nuances of this situation. Of course, that is immediately tossed aside with some subsequent actions. Edgar remains haunted by the murder. However, he is celebrated in his community for ridding them of a dangerous criminal. He was also cleared by the department. And now, he may throw himself into a new maelstrom altogether. Bosch and Edgar have tracked down those responsible for starting the fire that led to the deaths of several people. It's not the end of this investigation. They still need to know what motivated this action. It may be an escalation of simmering tension between the local gangs and the developers hoping to gentrify the neighborhood with the innocent tenants caught in the crossfire. But Edgar gets rough with the suspect when arresting him. It's noticeable right away. His fellow detectives comment on the action. They are furious. Moreover, citizens are recording the encounter. It's not something that can be hidden from Billets when Bosch returns to the station. This may be a classic example of police brutality. Here, it's informed deeply by Edgar's newfound recklessness and self sabotage. He is seen drinking outside of the scene of the crime. He still has plenty of power though. He can use that to avoid any serious consequences. He also shows some remorse for his actions. Bosch can hopefully talk him straight. But again, that isn't guaranteed at this point. Edgar wants to rely on the things that have always brought him stability and love in the past. And yet, his family has made plans around him because he has been so unreliable lately. It's more than the typical stress and distraction he is under when he works a case. He can craft that convenient excuse though. No one sees any reason to dig deeper than that. It remains a ton of internal conflict though. As such, he's not as focused as he should be when it comes to solving cases and providing justice for the community left behind. That responsibility has always been important to Bosch. He sees how his partner is potentially compromised. He genuinely wants to help. It requires some tough love from him. He may be the only person to tell Edgar exactly what he needs to hear. All of this may explode eventually. They still have a victory here. It just took some good and honest police work to get to this conclusion. But again, this is just the beginning of this story. Even then, various people are keeping things very close to the vest about the ongoing developments in the city. Bosch and Maddie have the mutual respect of acknowledging the cases they are working on without having to disclose the intimate details of their day-to-day lives. That represents significant growth. Maddie is finding her way in the world. Chandler respects her and relies on her. Chandler's new client Franzen is also promising to lure in a big fish that will ensure he spends no time in jail whatsoever. That seems too good to be true. And yet, the courtroom for his bail hearing has a familiar face in it. That too may signal that the past is coming back to haunt the characters this season. New conflicts have emerged. Everyone has fought for their positions in this department. They are still being targeted. Irving's position as chief is no longer secure. He doesn't have a strong bond with the new mayor despite endorsing her. Plus, the tie-breaking vote on the police commission is resigning due to terminal cancer. His future in the department looks uncertain. Meanwhile, Billets is being targeted once again thanks to the discriminatory culture that runs rampant in the department. That has always been part of the dark underbelly of this environment too. It allows for more of her personal life to be seen in the foreground. It's no longer something just referred to offscreen. It's personal as she is targeted for her sexual orientation. That means she will once again be going against her fellow police. These are all familiar patterns for the characters. They are weary only because they have already had to endure so much and so little in the world seems to have changed as a result.
