A major part of the first season of Bosch: Legacy revolved around Maddie following her father’s footsteps in joining the LAPD as a cop, a decision that elicited mixed feelings in both her and her father. On one hand, Harry was proud of Maddie, but at the same time, the risks involved with the vocation made him increasingly anxious for the safety of his daughter. Maddie’s initial enthusiasm for joining the force was also dialed down a bit as she faced the harsh realities of a brutal, unforgiving world, which undoubtedly took a mental toll on her. Linking this particular tone of narrative, the ending of the first season subjected the Bosch family to a horrible fate, as Maddie gets targeted and later abducted by the serial killer known simply as Screen Cutter, whom she was pursuing during her short tenure as a cop.
As a result, the first two episodes of the second season solely focus on the search for Maddie as Harry presumably faces his worst personal crisis to date. For someone who has lost his mother and ex-wife to violence, the possibility of losing yet another close one in a similar manner is horrifying, to say the least. Despite being emotionally turbulent, the first two episodes maintain the series’ methodical approach to investigation and provide the chance to build on a solid beginning from the get-go.
Spoilers Ahead
The Traumatic Beginning: Did Bosch And His Team Find Dockweiler?
The first episode begins with a familiar flashback scene that takes us back to the first season finale, when Maddie was being stalked by the Screen Cutter inside her home. This version of the scene extends further to showcase the struggle between Maddie and the assailant before he suffocates her unconscious and reveals his face, confirming the perp to be Kurt Dockweiler, the suspect Maddie questioned previously. Dockweiler takes her in his van, makes a stop on the outskirts of the city to drug her, and proceeds to check up on the progress of the LAPD after burying an unconscious Maddie in an undisclosed location.
The scene shifts focus to Harry, who has been absolutely stupefied due to the trauma since his daughter went missing. As he is faced with a familiar situation at Maddie’s house from the usual procedural crime scene investigation, he can’t find it in his guts to bring out the hardboiled detective to take the lead. Thankfully, LAPD Detective Jerry Edgar, his longtime former partner, is there to console him, along with Maddie’s superior officer, Vasquez. However, later, as he discusses the case details with the LAPD and wants to be a part of their investigation, Captain Seals requests that he stand aside, as his extremely personal involvement could jeopardize the case, which prompts Harry to lash out in anger and frustration. Edgar handles the situation, and Harry asks Mo to look into Maddie’s recent communications and activities to find clues.
Soon enough, Harry gets a call from the coroner’s office to identify a Jane Doe, which could be Maddie’s, and as a tense sequence of identification follows, both the audience and Harry breathe a sigh of relief, learning the unfortunate victim isn’t Maddie. At the same time, the feeling of dread and guilt overcomes Harry, and he breaks down while leaving the hospital. Titus Welliver really captured the vulnerable plight of a grieving father with sheer authenticity in this sequence.
However, as Harry informs Chandler about the situation, she, Edgar, and Mo work through the clues and find Kurt Dockweiler to be the prime suspect. After learning this, Bosch goes out of his way to convince Edgar to provide him with Dockweiler’s address and goes alone to hunt him down.
Was Harry Finally Able To Find His Daughter, Maddie?
However, Dockweiler somehow manages to flee undetected after spotting Harry infiltrating infiltrating his house and doing something totally unpredictable. He surrenders himself to the LAPD and states to Edgar that he is willing to share Maddie’s whereabouts only after he gets the assurance of immunity from prosecution. Meanwhile, he also plays the footage of a captive Maddie’s live recording to emphasize the seriousness of his demand. An infuriated Harry tricks his way through the precinct, confronts the sick maniac, and, unable to control his emotions, almost goes to pluck his eyes out—until Edgar arrives and calms him down. Maddie’s life will further plunge into a more dangerous situation if Harry continues to let his anger control himself.
Thankfully, due to Maddie’s quick wit and Edgar’s investigation, the team learns about her location, which is near Edwards Air Force Base. Crate and Barrel, two of Bosch’s trustworthy LAPD comrades, join the search investigation as well, and along with Chandler, they stall Dockweiler’s lawyer, Rafferti, long enough to let Harry learn about Dockweiler’s shady past as a member of a secretive cult. Diving deeper into the gathered information, Harry and co. learn that the deserted suburb of Zzyzx is the definite location where Maddie has been kept.
Chandler and Harry get a chopper and rush towards the location while Edgar tries to pry inside Dockweiler’s mind to learn about additional ways to securely retrieve Maddie. The sadistic culprit refuses to share much information but cryptically hints that Maddie has been buried somewhere across the desert of Zzyzx. Edgar relays the information to Harry at once, and he notices a ventilation access protruding from the ground, which validates the information. Harry wastes no time rescuing his daughter, and the father-daughter duo embraces in a tearful reunion.
After spending a few days at the hospital, Maddie is finally on her road to recovery. Harry thanks Edgar for his unwavering emotional support and also for the fact that he risked his own career to help his old friend in crisis. As Maddie gets discharged, we see that best boy Coltrane has arrived to welcome her, the Bosch family prepares to return to a normal life, and the episode ends on an optimistic note. However, the hellish experience Maddie was subjected to will not subside anytime soon, and her close ones will always be by her side to help her get through that. The episode ending does not reveal what happened to Dockweiler at the end; whether he really gets off that easy using judiciary loopholes or Harry and co. find out a way to deliver him true justice can only be known in the course of the upcoming episode of the second season.
