Honey Chandler comes out swinging in the Bosch: Legacy season 2 finale.
Bosch: Legacy S2E10 ‘A Step Ahead’.
Written by: Tom Bernardo & Eric Overmyer
Directed by: Patrick Cady
FID
Maddie attends her FID (Force Investigation Division) interview. She calmly walks through the details leading up to and including the shooting of dirty detective, Don Ellis. Maddie is surprised to learn that the gun has not yet been recovered. She insists that there was a gun and describes it in detail.
She asks her legal rep what happens if the gun is not recovered. He tells her not to worry, believing it will be found. Maddie sees Reina waiting for her in the parking lot. Reina suggests breakfast, but Maddie is too exhausted.
Aslan update
Honey receives a call at home from Aslan’s attorney. You will recall Aslan as the manager of the plant where the gasoline was being stolen via a breach in the pipeline. He was able to identify Bosch in the six-pack of photos earlier in the season, recalling Bosch saying “Boom” right before the explosion.
It sounds like Bosch may be out of the woods after all. The attorney reports that Aslan refused further cooperation with the FBI and accepted the charges for conspiracy and fraud. He will go to prison but not as snitch that implicated Bratva. Aslan’s attorney and Honey agree that cooperating with the Feds was always a risky move.
Matthew delivers
Matthew arrives at Honey’s home to deliver the lab results for David Foster’s DNA. She has been waiting on the CTE (condom trace element) analysis. The lab could have couriered the results to Honey, but Matthew wants to speak with Honey. He asks about her future plans and wants to work with her again.
Honey declines Matthews offer to collaborate in her “new chapter”. Having already violated her trust, she cannot be 100% confident about his loyalty. Matthew accepts her decision and leaves politely.
Reluctant Jade
Baron meets with Jade about moving forward with Mo’s arrest. Jade expresses some reluctance and a little fear. She reminds Baron that she could be “doxxed” if her cover is blown. Not familiar with doxxing? Learn more here.
Truth be told, she admits to having developed some attachment to Mo as well. Baron tells her that he believes Mo will be smart enough to cooperate. In fact, his punishment will be minimal if he snitches on Honey and Harry.
Mad at dad
Maddie talks with Harry about the shooting. She tells him that the gun has not been recovered. He is grateful for her saving his life, but he understands the gravity of taking someone’s life. Her dad is concerned that Maddie is acting too cavalier about it. He shares that it is moral fiber that keeps someone from feeling comfortable with a fatal shooting. Harry believes Maddie has the same moral code he does and it’s okay to be uncomfortable in this scenario.
Maddie tells him that her feelings are ones of anger. She is terrified of losing him and is mad that he would take a risk like he did approaching Ellis alone. Maddie shares that she is still angry with Eleanor, too. She cannot fathom losing them both.
Maddie decides to leave but kisses Harry on the head and reminds him that she loves him. Harry reciprocates, saying that he loves her, too.
Never the same
Honey is evaluating her feelings as well. She talks to her therapist about betraying Marty. Honey believes the damage is irrevocable. She is aware that she has made decisions that her old self would not have made.
Honey believes she will forever be changed by what has happened since Carl Rogers tried to have her killed. But she is okay with her new self because she has survived the ordeal and come out on the other side.
Take a walk
Okay, we probably want Janice aka Jade to take a walk, just not the kind she is proposing to Mo. Yes, Jade arrives at Mo’s house and suggests that they take a stroll around Koreatown. Mo obliges but points out Jade’s hesitancy to take the next step in their relationship. She claims she does not want to take the chance of losing him as a friend.
They decide to take a walk to a restaurant for kimchee, a sure-fire way to avoid intimacy. Apparently, the garlic quotient is off the charts.
Prisoner intel
Harry meets Deputy Chavez at the clandestine rooftop spot where he normally talks business with Honey. Chavez brings a report of Dockweiler’s visit to the prison infirmary. The rapist has injuries from a beating at the hands of other prisoners.
Bosch is surprised that Dockweiler has not aligned with a prison gang for protection. Chavez says she hears that he has a death wish.
Oh no, Mo!
The FBI arrives outside Mo’s apartment calling for him to surrender. Mo does not hear them because his music is playing at such a high volume. So, the Feds break down his door and handcuff him. Adding insult to injury, Agent Jones turns off Mo’s music. Mo wants to know why he is being arrested.
In the interview room, Agents James and Jones point out the penalties associated with his hacking heist at PharmaWell and other hacking events. They promise minimal blowback, however, if he cooperates with them.
First, they ask Mo to identify a photo of Jade (Janice). Mo denies any knowledge of Jade. The agents then produce a photo of Mo having drinks with Jade. Mo admits to just that – having drinks with her.
They describe Jade as someone who uses hackers like Mo for corporate espionage. They want Mo to get more intel on Jade and share his knowledge of Honey and Harry’s role in the pipeline explosion. Mo is not willing to speak any further. He asks for Baron.
Need time to decide
Baron expects Mo to make his decision right away. Mo insists that he needs more time to decide whether or not he will be a snitch for the FBI. Baron agrees to give Mo until the end of the week to make his decision.
A day goes by, and Baron has not heard from Mo. The other agents fear that this means Mo’s cooperation is a no-go. Baron disagrees and asks Agent Morrell (Janice/Jade) to share an update. We learn that Mo has invited Jade to his apartment. Jade believes he will open up to her during the visit.
Third party culpability
Honey files a motion to use third party culpability as a defense strategy in David Foster’s trial. She addresses Judge Newland in the courtroom describing Ellis and Long’s motivation to eliminate Lexi Parks. Their extortion business was threatened by her intention to file an inquiry about her watch being stolen property.
Honey claims that Ellis and Long murdered Lexi and then framed David Foster by using their confidential informant (and David’s boyfriend) James Allen to collect David’s semen from a condom used in one of their trysts. It is purported that Ellis and Long planted the semen on the victim and then murdered James Allen so that David would not have an alibi for the evening of the murder.
The DA’s office scoffs at her presentation, calling it an elaborate story. Judge Newland, however, rules that Honey may use third party culpability in her defense strategy.
Maddie moving on
Maddie hangs out at Gold Diggers with Rico, CRU colleagues and Paulina. She informs Rico that she has found a living space and will be moving out soon. Rico looks disappointed, but Maddie assures him this does not constitute a break-up.
When Rico leaves the table to join some friends, Reina comes over to tell Maddie that she is there to support her if and when she ever wants to talk about the Ellis shooting. Maddie appreciates Reina’s show of support.
Not long after we get a glimpse of Maddie packing her car for the move to her new place. Rico assists looking disappointed. We are not sure these two are going to make it.
New strategy
Honey visits Harry’s office to update him on Aslan’s decision to take the fall for conspiracy and fraud and end his arrangement with the Feds. Both Harry and Honey agree that Bratva must have sent a message to Aslan convincing him to not snitch on them.
While Harry looks safe from further Federal inquiry, he and Honey still need to prove that David did not murder Lexi Parks. Bosch has an idea. He wants to leverage the fact that Long is not aware that Ellis is dead. But, first, he needs to get past the deputy that is parked outside Long’s hospital room.
A confession
Bosch sneaks into Long’s room dressed as a physician. He puts a hand over Long’s mouth and tells him to remain quiet. Of course, Long wants to know why Harry is there.
Harry tells Long that the twins revealed the whereabouts of the boat and that Long has been taken into custody. Furthermore, he tells him Ellis has stated that Long was the actual murderer while he waited outside Lexi’s home. Long is livid and says Ellis is the one who beat Lexi to death.
Bosch surreptitiously records Long’s confession. Long believed they were just trying to take the watch. He was surprised when Ellis beat Lexi to death in such a brutal fashion. He says Ellis claims it needed to look like a serial murder/rape.
Exculpatory evidence
Harry and Honey take the recording to District Attorney Emmett Archer. Despite it being illegally obtained, Honey describes it as exculpatory evidence that Archer should be ashamed to ignore. She accuses Archer of ignoring the incriminating evidence to avoid having to admit his mistake. Honey threatens to share the recording with the media, pointing out that it would only be 4 hours before Archer would need to give a statement on why he was prosecuting an innocent man.
Archer finally agrees to drop the charges. In a motion for case dismissal, Judge Newland goes through the formalities of dismissal. He and the prosecution agree to dismiss with prejudice, meaning Foster can never be charged again with this crime. Furthermore, the judge agrees to the motion for factual innocence, clearing Foster’s name from any wrongdoing related to the case.
Dockweiler dead
Maddie receives a call from the Department of Corrections in accordance with Marsy’s Law informing her that Dockweiler was found dead from an overdose in his cell. There is an investigation into the circumstances of the overdose.
Maddie discusses the overdose with Harry later that evening. She is disappointed and says that Dockweiler “got off easy”. Maddie tells Harry that she is becoming a little less angry with him. She also asks about visiting the FBI Memorial in honor of Eleanor.
Maddie also shares that she has a new place to live. Bosch would like to check it first, but Maddie tells him everything has already been finalized. And for the record, she and Rico have broken up despite Rico not being told yet. Maddie walks inside. Bosch talks to himself speculating that Rico has probably figured it out.
Remembering Eleanor
Maddie decides to visit the memorial. She is moved by the virtual presentation of Eleanor’s life and career. There is a mixture of tears and smiles as Maddie remembers her mother.
Maddie visits Honey to tell her about her experience at the memorial. She marvels at her mother’s contributions and proudly shares the story of Eleanor saving Harry’s life. Maddie also confides in Honey about her fear of losing empathy in her line of work. Honey assures her that the fact she is even concerned about it proves that Maddie is indeed empathetic.
As Maddie leaves Honey’s house, she receives a call on the down low from Mank. Mank reports that Ellis’ gun was recovered. Maddie is visibly relieved.
Identified
Jade and Mo are playing a game of Uno. Mo calls blue for the next color and Jade (Janice) uses this as an opportunity to ask Mo why he seems so “blue”. As she anticipated, Mo begins to tell her about the domestic terrorism charges and how he has the opportunity to snitch on his employers to avoid prosecution.
Then, to her surprise, Mo refers to her as “Janice” and then more specifically as “Janice Morrell”. The undercover agent is stunned. Agents James and Jones hear the reveal on surveillance and immediately call Janice’s phone. Mo tells Janice to answer and assure them that she is okay. She does just that.
Uno
Janice wants to know how long Mo has been privy to her true identity. He refuses to share. She retorts that no matter what, the FBI has proof of Mo illegally infiltrating Pharmawell. Mo is not concerned. Why? Video surveillance could be explained as merely trespassing. But what about the thumb drive of stolen files? Again, Mo is not shaken. He tells Janice that a good hacker would have set the files to auto-delete post 24 hours. When Janice does not believe him, he suggests she check the drive herself.
Mo announces Uno as he has one card left. He then throws down his final card, a wild card, before saying “game over”.
As Janice stands up to leave, she reminds Mo that she is doing her job. He asks for how long because he plans to blow her cover unless she steps away from the FBI that evening. Finally, she tells Mo that she did develop genuine feelings for him, but he refuses to believe it.
Run for District Attorney
In a bittersweet moment, we see Honey meeting with Irv Irving (played one final time by the late Lance Reddick). Honey asks Irving to endorse her in her run for District Attorney. Irving agrees.
Later, Honey holds a press conference to share the news of Foster’s innocence. She publicly shares Archer’s attempt to cover up the truth in order to save face for the election. Honey formally announces her intention to run for District Attorney. Maddie and Harry watch from the crowd. Maddie is excited about Honey’s decision.
It’s no surprise that Scott Anderson is in attendance at the press conference. The dogged reporter approaches Harry asking if he and Honey mailed the subpoena to him to shut down the grand jury. Harry basically responds that Anderson will never know.
An alarming call
Harry and Maddie return to his house and greet Coltrane. Maddie stays inside while Harry takes Coltrane for a walk. While Harry is gone, his phone rings. The caller id says Wasco State Correctional Facility. Maddie picks up the call.
It is a collect call from prisoner Preston Borders (a convicted murderer that Harry sent to prison twice). Borders tells Maddie to deliver a message to Harry, “Just tell your father that I did what he wanted.” Maddie asks about what. Borders responds, “Dockweiler. Tell him I took care of it.”
Maddie is visibly shaken. Harry returns and sees that she is upset. He asks who was on the phone. She tells him it was Preston Borders and asks Harry what he did.
Could Harry have orchestrated Dockweiler’s overdose? Please say it isn’t so. Bosch: Legacy has been renewed for a third season. Now we anxiously await answers about Dockweiler’s death and Honey’s run for DA. We should have known that our beloved Mo would outsmart the FBI, but it still hurts to see him betrayed. Hang in there, fellow fans! We will get through this together.
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