I, last night, finished watching BOSCH season 3 for the third time. This show is gripping. But don’t just take my word. On Rotten Tomatoes it has a viewer rating of 97%! Season 3 is based on Michael Connelly’s novels The Black Echo and A Darkness More than Night.
I had to make a visual character map to help me keep it all together and clear in my mind. Because it’s that complex. (Like real life.) There are multiple plots going on at the same time. Multiple crimes that need solving, as well as complicated relationships.
Let’s get into it.
The map has three elements: color, size, and text. The colors represent the characters occupations, or what they do, or what happens to them. The size of the circle reflects their importance to the story, or to our hero Harry Bosch. The text names them and gives a little detail.
What the diagram doesn’t show so much is the relationships between the characters, and their personalities. Which is as much a reason to watch as is the story. I detailed Harry’s personality in the previous post Jesse Stone vs. Harry Bosch. His darkness really shines in this season. In a different season (or maybe it’s a Jesse Stone movie?) there is a conversation between two characters about how one becomes good or evil. It’s an oft told trope about choice, or luck, or fate. However you wish to frame it.
Maddie Bosch
is my favorite character. I don’t think I’m alone in that. She began as fluff, perhaps. However, as the Series and seasons progressed, her role became more prominent. Now, in season 8, Bosch: Legacy, she is the main character.
This is so for three reasons. First is the actress and the character grow up together. In other words, Madison Lintz, the actress, is the same age as Maddie when the show began in 2014, fourteen. Second, she’s got “a look” about her. And finally is her personality. It plays perfectly opposite her father’s. They are both introverts, but I have Maddie as a “highly sensitive person”.
Which causes tension with Harry’s callous and disagreeable nature. Notwithstanding, they adore each other. It makes for great television.
In Conclusion
I can’t recommend BOSCH: season 3 enough. However, it’s not for everyone. The show paints a dark picture of Los Angeles, Hollywood, Las Vegas, and people in general. It can be hard to follow all the different plot lines and characters.
Thus, I had to make the visual aid. If you choose to watch it, or have, let me know what you think in the comments.
I didn’t want to say much about the story so as not to give anything away. Moreover, the seasons follow a time line and there is a lot of overlap. One thing leads to another as it does in real life. Also, the characters and relationships change over time. However, the personalities remain consistent. As in real life.