This post contains spoilers from the series finale of Bosch: Legacy.
Endings are tricky, especially in longform storytelling. With a series as deep and long-running as Bosch: Legacy, the season finale usually doesn’t tie things up in a neat bow. We always have threads left open that we can pull as we head to a new season. But what happens when the season finale is the series finale? Do we have a chance to get closure?
This week’s final episode of Bosch: Legacy season 3, titled "Dig Down," serves as the end of the series. It’s the end of the story for Harry Bosch (Titus Welliver), who has been with us for more than a decade over two series. But is it closure? Let’s dive into the details.
A chance for closure
The final episode of the season takes things in a new direction. The previous nine episodes built storylines that, for the most part, have been resolved. That allows them to move in a new direction for this final episode. And that begins with the introduction of a new face: Renee Ballard (Maggie Q). She’s a detective in the Robbery/Homicide Division of the Los Angeles Police Department. And she needs help from Bosch.
Throughout his time in the original series, there was a case Bosch couldn’t close. It was a series of murders of young women. Bosch never caught the killer, but he never forgot. Now that the killer is back, the detective assigned to the case—Ballard—needs help. Bosch is the only one with case files after the originals are lost. Ballard needs them for reference, and Bosch wants to help find the killer.
The LAPD resists at first. They attempt to get a search warrant, but Chandler (Mimi Rogers) quashes it. She has her own issues with the department—and Chief Hughes (Sophina Brown)—and she’s happy to help Bosch. She knows what an asset he can be. That forces Ballard to work with him.
It doesn’t take long for Bosch and Mo (Chang) to identify a suspect. They find a firefighter, McKee (Owain Yeoman), who is connected to two crime scenes. He fits the pattern, and even has an explanation for the dormant period of more than a decade. Bosch employs his old pals Crate (Gregory Scott Cummins) and Barrel (Troy Evans) to help follow the suspect.
Together, the OG team and Ballard collect evidence. When they catch McKee in the act, it’s easy to present an airtight case to Chandler. Bosch even gets Maddie (Madison Lintz) and Vasquez (Denise Sanchez) to help get justice. It’s closure for the case that’s long haunted Bosch.
He and Ballard work well together, but they have different approaches. In the end, they got their man. But when Bosch suggests they could work together again, Ballard isn’t so sure. She sees a detective who has gotten comfortable bending the rules to get his man. She worries the darkness has touched Bosch. And as the episode ends, we’re left to wonder if that’s the case, too.
Thoughts on Dig Deep and the final season
With that, Bosch: Legacy comes to an end. But was it satisfying? Well, clearly had the producers known this was the end, they probably would have done things differently. This finale, in essence, serves as a backdoor pilot. A new series, Ballard, is set to premiere later this year. Those who’ve read the books know that Bosch and Ballard worked together in the novels. Could that have been part of a long-term plan? I think it’s possible, but Prime Video opted to go another way.
It's come out recently that Prime Video cancelled Bosch: Legacy after the season was done. In fact, Welliver noted in an interview they were already working on the outline and arc of a season 4. That explains the lack of closure. There are a lot of threads left hanging, particularly for Chandler. She squares off with Chief Hughes, but we don’t know how that plays out. She still has her eyes on. Councilman Currey (Jeremy Glazer), who doesn’t even appear in the finale.
It's not a neat ending for Bosch, either. Much of the season has had him questioning his methods, some of it driven by the questions from Maddie. We don’t get closure there and it appears we never will. For long-time fans, especially those that have invested more than a decade watching him for more than 10 seasons, it feels like we were cheated.
It’s never easy to end a series. And those endings are never perfect. But for a show that’s had as long and steady a run as this, it’s a shame they weren’t given a chance to end things on their terms. As it is, this was a great and engaging season. But I can’t help but leave it wondering what might have been.
Bosch: Legacy streams Thursdays on Prime Video. All 10 recaps of season 3 are now available.