The Whitney Vance story takes a surprise turn, complicating Bosch's investigation. Bosch and Chandler plot to turn the tables on Rogers. Maddie struggles with taking her job home with her.
Whitney Vance sought clarity during his final days. He needed to know what happened to the woman he once loved. Bosch could provide him with some answers. He couldn't discover the whole history before Vance's death though. He was always running against the clock. At the end, Vance could no longer respond to the various details Bosch found. Instead, he simply knew he had a son who was unfortunately killed in Vietnam. That conflict was so long ago. Vance just now learned about it. It carries more personal significance. But it's part of history. It's what he desired though. That's what he fondly looks for knowing he's dying. Bosch wanted to keep digging. He saw the potential for more generations of this family to exist. He continues to hunt down people who were in Dominick's life. He still doesn't have a solid lead. Whitney Vance is now dead. People are already planning on executing his will and grabbing ahold of power. As a billionaire, he wielded a lot of influence. People are eager to use that for their own personal gains. This story has always been about family. That's what Vance needed from Bosch. The private investigator could sympathize with his plight in that regard. He too suffered from a painful personal history. He broke the cycle by continuing to be supportive and stable for his daughter. Maddie continues to rely on him for guidance on the job. She sees how personal and demanding this profession can be. Moreover, she doesn't have the ability to make much of a difference. She monitors the streets of Los Angeles. However, she can't convince people to do something they don't want to do. She can't force anyone into doing what may be in their best interests. She wants to offer support. She reaches out with humanity hoping to make a difference. Right now, she has to choose which battles are worth pursuing. That includes helping a victim of rape. She too sees a pattern of break-ins. That could point to a viable suspect of this heinous crime. Maddie is doing that work. She has the resources to bring it all together. That may be her going beyond her job description. She has to trust her instincts. Her father loves her completely. He will support her no matter what she does. The department is a completely different story. Their reaction to her work may not be unified in support. She may still make a difference. She is simply going against the grain of what others expect of her. Of course, she entered the profession in order to disrupt the complacent and destructive patterns. It may still be too ingrained to make much of a difference. Bosch knows that fight. He could only endure it for so long. Yet he too still wields quite a bit of power in his new job.
Mo has quickly become a valuable resource for every tech need Bosch and Chandler have. They depend on him to have quick results. They need his skills in order to disrupt Carl Rogers' operation. They have to develop multiple plans in order to come to that conclusion as well. Bosch was caught by a security guard. He could talk his way out of that situation. It required him leading with confidence and a convincing story. Bosch has the experience to get away with that. He then has to act quickly when the device Mo has rigged to pick up the signal to detonate the bomb needs to be much closer than anyone accounted for. It's an unexpected complication. One that forces Bosch to risk his life even further. But again, it's done with the altruistic purpose of holding Rogers accountable for his crimes. He can't be allowed to prosper one bit. He needs to pay. It's personal for Bosch and Chandler. They don't care about the threats Rogers is receiving from the Russians. They simply seek out how to exploit that fraying relationship. They see his vulnerabilities and make them even worse. He has to believe lifetime in jail is the better option than what the Russians will do to him. It's easy to make that case when his operation implodes. Bosch accomplishes that while Chandler delivers the message. She doesn't care about the Russian bratva also being targeted by federal officers. She sees the deal Rogers can make in exchange for leniency. That has nothing to do with what she needs from this moment. She acts quickly to ensure this outcome. She doesn't know how difficult it is for Bosch. The end result is still the same. She is surrounded by people she can depend on. Even then, she has to record conversations just to provide necessary support for what she needs. Everyone has to be extremely careful. They have to plan for any possibility. Halfway through the season, it appears as if Bosch and Chandler have succeeded in their mission. Rogers is going to confess to his crimes. That probably means some epic twist is coming that will make this more complicated. It's still satisfying to see Bosch and Chandler achieve this victory. They do so while largely keeping their morals intact. Bosch would have never detonated the bomb while people were in the tunnels. He ensured that outcome was certain by personally intervening. He had to make his presence known. Chandler reveals herself too. People still die. Rogers' partner was killed for thinking about cooperating. That made things intense for a moment. It was still a complication Bosch and Chandler could overcome. That remains certain even while they continue to juggle a lot at work.
