Honey Chandler's return to the courtroom continues as she fights to defend a homeless man wrongly accused of murder. Bosch zeroes in on Carl Rogers and locates an important character connected to Vance's haunted past. Maddie and her training officer, Reina Vasquez, have their first caper as partners.
This creative team is slow and methodical with their storytelling choices. They won't rush into big developments in every single episode just to create a false sense of excitement. It wants the narrative to build so when those big moments happen they are earned. Every action is purposeful even when things seem incredibly tangential in the early going. Right now, a lot of disparate plots are happening. And then, a Russian gangster lands in town and kills someone stealing from their organization. It's already clear these individuals connect to Carl Rogers. He's avoiding a meeting to ease the concerns of his partners following his high profile arrest and trial. The District Attorney has opted not to retry the case. Instead, Chandler has to settle for a civil lawsuit just to provide some semblance of justice. That's the expected route. Of course, it's not all that Bosch and Chandler are willing to do. Bosch is surveilling Rogers now. Mo can quickly set up the equipment to track his movements and monitor his conversations. It provides some slight intrigue already. It's not enough for Bosch to carry out whatever he has planned. Rogers killed a sitting judge. He tried to have others killed as well. The criminal justice system can't prove that case. Work has been grounding for Chandler during her recovery. She needs to focus on it to avoid drifting off to the dark places in her mind. Bosch continually checks on her to see if she is still committed to this path. Her opinion has been unchanged. It's not something she decided in the heat of the moment and is never given the opportunity to take back. She and Bosch are united. However, they aren't working together. Bosch doesn't want to be seen as Chandler's new in-house investigator. He already has that perception though. Chandler frees Jeffrey Herstadt. She relies on Bosch for his expert testimony about interrogation tactics. His insight is necessary to prove how the confession was coerced. He was willing to do that. Chandler is responsible for creating a reasonable answer as to why her client's DNA was found under the victim's fingernails. She accomplished that. The prosecution is furious. They have to essentially drop their case. It's not seen as an achievement for Chandler. Instead, it's a condemnation against Bosch for now working to undo everything he ever fought to achieve in the LAPD. Chandler has agency though. People would rather blame the man who they foolishly believe should let this vicious prosecution continue. Bosch doesn't act that way. It's how he is perceived in the system though. That reputation is just as crucial even when his actions tell a completely different story.
Bosch is being watched too. His actions are monitored in order to deduce what he's doing for Whitney Vance. Now, the premiere cliffhanger of Vance's likely death was just an empty tease. He was simply unconscious and able to be revived. He has been discharged from the hospital already. He scared the people close to him and his business interests. However, he's still alive. He maintains control over his empire. Bosch is being followed by the people set to the gain the most from his death. They don't know what Vance has asked him to do. It's just a private dynamic between Bosch and Vance. Bosch has already provided some answers. He wants to keep digging. He seeks the truth of what happened to a son given up for adoption a long time ago. It was tragic when Vance's young love died from suicide. That wasn't the whole story. It still lingers through time. People remember what happened despite the seven decades that have passed since then. That makes it convenient for Bosch. He can make progress with this case while evading the people who are closely examining what he's doing. Of course, nothing he does right now can throw that attention off of him. That means he has to be careful with everything he does. He has shown more consideration for his life now. He has moved into his office. He has accepted his home being condemned for the time being. These little changes are mostly just nuisances he has to bear. They aren't structural changes to the man he has always been. He is the same as a private investigator as he was as a detective. He simply had more access when he had a badge. It's more costly in his new business venture. He still knows how the system works and can retrieve any information he needs. He has plenty of friends willing to do favors for him. Again, obstacles are apparent. Nothing is completely insurmountable. It's simply about pursuing his convictions and trusting his instincts every step of the way. That contrasts with Maddie who is figuring out how to navigate the realities of the job. She knows she can never abandon her partner in the field. However, she has to rely on some creative thinking once she messes up in a new way. Proactive policing may not be a good lesson from her partner. Maddie's not in a place to question it. She simply has to learn the ins and outs of the job. With that awareness, she can then shape how she wants to protect and serve. She is still malleable in that way. Her father has long been a good influence. But now, it's more complicated with her in the field making those quick decisions.
