Paul Levinson's Blog: Levinson at Large, page 285

House of Cards 3: Frank, Claire, "Putin," and superb

I half binge-watched the third season of House of Cards this week - my wife and I wanted more time to savor the episodes on Netflix - but there was nothing half-hearted about this third series of 13 chapters. Indeed, this season was rear-end-over-teakettle volcanic political drama, with aspects that exceeded even the first two extraordinary seasons.

In many ways the best part in this third season was Victor Petrov, the Russian premier our President Underwood has to contend with, a dead ringer for Vladimir Putin in looks, style, and attitude, and masterfully played by Lars Mikkelsen.   This character was so well drawn and acted that what we get in this season of House of Cards is a portrayal of Putin that will stand as the definitive rendition of the real Russian leader in fiction for years to come.

The parts of the plot involving Underwood and Petrov exemplify the shift - at least, to some extent - from domestic to international politics, as befits Underwood's ascension to the Presidency.  But Petrov also figures in the pivotal event that sets Frank and Claire on a collision course - indeed, Petrov sets it motion.

Or perhaps Claire did, first with her unreasonable demand that Frank appoint her UN Ambassador - to which he accedes - and then her righteous denunciation of Petrov at a press conference, after a negotiation to free an American prisoner in a Russian cell goes very badly.  Her denunciation was morally justified but politically ill advised, and Petrov makes her and Frank pay for that, with his demand, later, that Claire be removed as UN Ambassador - a demand to which Frank, somewhat surprisingly, also accedes.

In our real world, it's difficult to image Putin or any Russian leader ever making such a demand, let alone the U.S. President agreeing to it, all the more so when the demand concerns the First Lady.  But it's just about believable in House of Cards, since Frank values success - his - about all else, including Claire's dignity.

This in turn sets up the stunning ending, which I saw coming as soon as Claire was fired, which I guess means was not so stunning, but I still much enjoyed.   Kevin Spacey's performance as Frank Underwood was better than ever - if that's possible - as Robin Wright's as Claire was also even better than in previous seasons.   The supporting cast, including Molly Parker as Rep. Jackie Stamper and Elizabeth Marvel as Helen Dunbar were especially superb.

See House of Cards 3 any way you want it - all at once, over a week, or a month - and it still adds up to one of the high water marks of television viewing.

See also House of Cards Season 1: A Review ... House of Cards Season 2: Even Better than the First, and Why



Jeff is traveling back in time to stop the Challenger
from exploding, but arrives in November 1963

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The Americans 3.6: "Jesus Came Through for Me Tonight"

Philip says to Elizabeth, in The Americans 3.6, that "Jesus came through for me tonight".   And that just about captures this strong episode, big time.

On the one hand, Philip, in a continuing display of decency, or maybe just guilt he feels as the father of a teenaged daughter, continues to refuse to give in to Kim and the logic of his spying assignment, and sleep with her.   But how long can he continue with this restraint, with the 15-year old Kim wanting so badly to get into bed with him?

Fortunately for Philip and our story, he's not only a master spy but an expert psychologist - one versed, moreover, in teenaged girl mentality.  He's thus able to use religion not once but twice to deflect Kim in his arms leading to more, and though the first time leaves her angry and suspicious, the second time leaves her feeling she really shared something meaningful and adult with Philip - just what every teenaged girl wants from her relationship.

Philip is also amazingly quick on his feet and his ability to draw upon a real experiences in his life, and apply them to the mission at hand.   He calls upon Jesus in the first place because his daughter Paige was just baptized.  And in his second encounter almost leading to sex in Kim's bedroom, Philip calls on what he has just learned about a son he fathered years earlier.

The acting in all this continues to be superb.  Elizabeth and Philip in the church when Paige is baptized was picture perfect.  Elizabeth has a mostly frozen expression on her face, only her eyes betraying how disconcerting this baptism is to her.  And Philip's face alternates between a forced smile and the true concern he's feeling about the baptism.  Kudos to Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys, who really excelled in this scene.

The pace of The Americans is slower this year than in previous seasons, but it's shaping up to be every bit as compelling.

See also The Americans 3.1: Caring for People We Shouldn't ... The Americans 3.3: End Justified the Means ...  The Americans 3.4: Baptism vs. Communism
And see also The Americans 2.1-2: The Paradox of the Spy's Children ... The Americans 2.3: Family vs. Mission ... The Americans 2.7: Embryonic Internet and Lie Detection ... The Americans 2.9: Gimme that Old Time Religion ...The American 2.12: Espionage in Motion ... The Americans Season 2 Finale: Second Generation

And see also The Americans: True and Deep ... The Americans 1.4: Preventing World War III ... The Americans 1.11:  Elizabeth's Evolution ... The Americans Season 1 Finale: Excellent with One Exception

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Like a post Cold War digital espionage story?  Check out The Pixel Eye


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Broadchurch 2.1: Stronger than Ever

Broadchurch was back tonight with its second season on BBC America, which seems not long at all after the first, but that's because the American remake Gracepoint, with David Tennant also in the lead, was actually on just this past December.  And seeing Broadchurch again tonight made me realize, among other things, how much better Broadchurch was and is than Gracepoint, which is saying a lot, because Gracepoint definitely had its moments.

The two series had virtually the same narrative until the end, with the killer in Broadchurch being DS Ellie Miller's husband, and in Gracepoint being the boy's father.   I didn't think Broadchurch had the more meaningful and original ending at the time, but I've changed my mind.  The cop's spouse as killer is something I don't recall seeing before and it's really stayed with me - and the second season picks right up on this, with a stunner of its own:  Joe Miller is pleading not guilty to the crime he confessed to.

This sets up what will no doubt be a powerful part of this second season, the battle in the courtroom and among lawyers over Joe and his plea.  Charlotte Rampling on hand - or brought in - to play the Crown Prosecutor is a great addition, promising some compelling drama in the trial and its attendant machinations.

But that's just part of this second season, which also brings us back to DI Hardy's previous case, the shadow of which loomed large over his investigation into the death of Danny.   It looks as if we'll get to see much more about this case now - including Hardy clean shaven in a flash back - which is welcome indeed, as this looks to be a riveting story, too.

And, we learn that there's apparently more to the story of Danny's death than we saw last season, as well. Although it's not likely that Joe confessed to save someone else - though you never really know for sure, in this age of cinematic unreliable flashbacks - there's more of this story here to be told, with parts by who knows what familiar and unfamiliar characters in this cursed town, which should make for a harrowingly winning season.

Broadchurch has a brooding, almost symphonic pace in a discordant key, and I'm very much looking forward to seeing how it plays out.

See also Gracepoint Debuts: Deja Vu with a Vengeance ... Gracepoint Finale: Satisfying and More Realistic in the End

And see also  Broadchurch: Powerful Viewing ... Broadchurch 1.2: Brooding Excellence ... Broadchurch 1.3: The Spy ... Broadchurch 1.4: The Unusual Suspects ... Broadchurch 1.5: Good Loving and Almost Loving ... Broadchurch 1.6: "A Break from Being Sad" ... Broadchurch 1.7: Missing Links ... Broadchurch Season 1 Finale: "Lying Next to the Murderer"



a different kind of murderer Paul Levinson's books ... Paul Levinson's music

The Following 3.1: Miasma of Terror

The Following was back for its third season last night, with an episode entitled "New Blood".  The acting was strong as always, the scenes lurid as expected,  little about the story was new - but it still had something indefinably unique.

Mark, the surviving psycho from Season 2, is masterminding a series of tableau recreations, most importantly of his beloved mother Lily, replete - of course - with suitably freshly killed bodies and all.   Ryan Hardy, predictably wanting to get away from all of this, is drawn back in.

One nice change is that he decides not to push his love interest away from him to protect her, as he wanted to do, at first, and indeed did on and off with other women in previous seasons.  Hanging over everything Ryan does, of course, is the possibility that she's a follower of some lunatic herself.   That, too, has happened in previous years.

Still and all, The Following has something very compelling going for it.  The combination of the acting, memorable characters - good to see Mike and Max back, if not (yet) together - make the horror and paranoia of these stories almost believable, and certainly more than enough to carry the narrative.

The question now is where will Season 3 go from here?   We were given an inkling last night, with the revelation that the couple working for Mark are really serving some other master.   Would that be Joe?   Or some other demented genius who gets his or her kicks from clever murders.

The key to The Following, what makes it different from other shows about criminal psychos, such as Criminal Minds, is that The Following creates a miasma of terror, on the verge of erupting any time, in supermarkets, park benches, and book stores, permeating every moment of the show, which is somehow believable and thereby worthy of further watching, which I'll certainly be doing.

And see also The Following Is Back for Its Second Season ... The Following 2.2: Rediscovering Oneself ... The Following 2.3: Coalescing ... The Following 2.4: Psycho Families and Trains ... The Following 2.5: Turning Tides ... The Following 2.8: Coalescing? ... The Following 2.9: The Book Signing ... The Following 2.11: Lily not Joe ... The Following 2.13: The Downfall of Mike ...The Following 2.14: Twists and Deaths ...  The Following Season 2 Finale: The Living

And see also The Following Begins ... The Following 1.2: Joe, Poe, and the Plan ... The Following 1.3: Bug in the Sun ... The Following 1.4: Off the Leash ... The Following 1.5:  The Lawyer and the Swap ... The Following 1.7: At Large ... 
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Like a Neanderthal serial killer in the current world? Try The Silk Code   

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The Walking Dead 5.12: The Other Shoe

The Walking Dead 5.12 gave us something we apparently haven't seen before - not in the Governor's town, not in Terminus, not in the hospital - a community not run by one species or another of human psychos.

If you think about it, there have to be some normal communities left in this plague-ravaged world, shouldn't there?  Why shouldn't it be Alexandria?

And yet, there has to be something wrong with this place - it can't be that, after just three tries, our heroes found a safe place, right?   So I was waiting throughout the episode for the other shoe to drop, to find some monster, worse than the walkers, lurking in this gated community.

And it didn't quite arrive - not yet, at least.  Sure, some members of Alexandria are a little jumpy, but the Congresswoman is glad to see Rick and his people take some command.   And that's certainly not a monster lurking in the shadows.

Carl and Carol think maybe the monster is the very humanity of this community, which will cause our people to let their guard down, and become weak.   Rick, at the end, addresses this, when he says that they've seen too much to become weak - and, they'll take over the community themselves, if need be.

And maybe that's the other shoe, after all.   That Rick - shaven and sheriff again - and our people could become the very psycho killers that they've been contending with, in addition to the walkers, all along.

Nah, I don't think that's quite it, either.   What I do think is that The Walking Dead has taken a most interesting turn - maybe the best we've seen all season - and I'm looking forward to seeing where it leads.

See also: The Walking Dead 5.1: The Redemption of Carole ... The Walking Dead 5.3: Meets Alfred Hitchcock and The Twilight Zone ... The Walking Dead 5.4: Hospital of Horror ... The Walking Dead 5.5: Anatomy of a Shattered Dream ... The Walking Dead 5.6-7: Slow ... The Walking Dead 5.8: Killing the Non-Killer ... The Walking Dead 5.9: Another Death in the Family ... The Walking Dead 5.11: The Smiling Stranger

And see also The Walking Dead 4.1: The New Plague ... The Walking Dead 4.2: The Baby and the Flu ... The Walking Dead 4.3: Death in Every Corner ...The Walking Dead 4.4: Hershel, Carl, and Maggie ... The Walking Dead 4.6: The Good Governor ... The Walking Dead 4.7: The Governor's Other Foot ... The Walking Dead 4.8: Vintage Fall Finale ... The Walking Dead 4.9: A Nightmare on Walking Dead Street ... The Walking Dead 4:14: Too Far ... The Walking Dead Season 4 Finale: From the Gunfire into the Frying Pan

And see also The Walking Dead 3.3 meets Meadowlands ... The Walking Dead 3.4: Going to the Limit ... The Walking Dead 3.9: Making Crazy Sense ... The Walking Dead 3.10: Reinforcements ... The Walking Dead 3.11: The Patch ... The Walking Dead 3.12: The Lesson of Morgan ... The Walking Dead 3.13: The Deal ... The Walking Dead 3.14: Inescapable Parable ... The Walking Dead 3.15: Merle ... The Walking Dead 3.16: Kill or Die, or Die and Kill
And see also The Walking Dead Back on AMC ... The Walking Dead 2.2: The Nature of Vet  ... The Walking Dead 2.3: Shane and Otis ... The Walking Dead 2.4: What Happened at the Pharmacy ... The Walking Dead 2.6: Secrets Told ... The Walking Dead 2.7: Rick's Way vs. Shane's Way ...  The Walking Dead 2.8: The Farm, the Road, and the Town  ... The Walking Dead 2.9: Worse than Walkers ... The Walking Dead 2.11: Young Calling the Shots ... The Walking Dead 2.12: Walkers Without Bites ... The Walking Dead Season 2 FinaleAnd see also The Walking Dead 1.1-3:  Gone with the Wind, Zombie Style ... The Walking Dead Ends First Season
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no cannibalism but at least a plague in The Consciousness Plague
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Black Sails 2.6: Weighty Alternatives, and the Medium is the Message on the High Seas

A powerful, strategically complex episode 2.6 of Black Sails last night, which did what it does best - baring the clock-work machinations of piracy, the intricate mechanisms of thought and  plans and double-cross, which underly all the derring-do and bloodshed.

The main event is Flint's idea that he can buy some future safety for Nassau - at least from England - by returning Governor Ash's daughter to him in the Carolinas.   A good enough plan, except almost no one likes it.  Eleanor's father counsels Flint that he can't have the protection of Governor Ash and the Urca gold.  Vane doesn't like the plan whatever it does to the Urca gold, because its provision of a Nassau safe for piracy is at best hypothetical.   Fortunately, Eleanor's a believer - she doesn't want to risk Nassau brought down further by Flint's resumed attack - and sleeps with Vane, which  usually that would be very fortunate for Vane, but not this time, because she's going to free the Governor's daughter while Vane sleeps in the aftermath.

Now, while all of this fine piece of business and plotting and trickery is unfolding, Flint has another problem:  Captain Hornigold  doesn't like Flint's plan, either, and wants to keep him to his word to bring down Nassau, i.e., wrest it from its current control.  He pushes all of this to a vote that will soon take place - and which will include Billy, alive and apparently back in the fold.  He supports Flint's account of Flint not casting Billy into the water last season, but we learn that Billy may actually be in pursuit of a pardon from the British, at Flint's expense.

And, if that's not enough, we have this additional complication:  Flint will be short a vote in the upcoming contest with Hornigold, because Anne has killed one of his men, along with a blonde prostitute, whose legs we get repeated looks at on the floor.   In addition to the intricate plotting, Black Sails is animated by everyone being just a knife blade or a gun shot away from meeting their Maker.

As an excellent further example of that, we're treated to Rackham proving himself as a Captain, unwilling to accept a 50/50 split with pirate ship based on weight, in which he gets blankets and the other pirate gets that weight in sugar and tobacco.   It's a nice rendition of the medium being the message out on the high seas, and that whole thread last night is for some reason one of my favorites in the series.

More next week.

See also Black Sails 2.1: Good Combo, Back Story, New Blood ... Black Sails 2.2: A Fine Lesson in Captaining ... Black Sails 2.3: "I Angered Charles Vane" ... Black Sails 2.4: "Fire!" ... Black Sails 2.5: Twist!

And see also Black Sails: Literate and Raunchy Piracy ... Black Sails 1.3: John Milton and Marcus Aurelius ... Black Sails 1.4: The Masts of Wall Street ...Black Sails 1.6: Rising Up ... Black Sails 1.7: Fictions and History ... Black Sails 1.8: Money

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pirates of the mind in The Plot to Save Socrates 

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British Invasion 50th Anniversary Concert in Tarrytown, NY: A Review

Tina and I just got back from the British Invasion 50th Anniversary Concert at the Tarrytown Music Hall on Main Street in Tarrytown, NY - a few miles from home, attended with tickets she bought for my birthday this month - and we loved it!

Lots of highlights, but here are some that were especially standing-ovation outstanding -

Chad and Jeremy, the original duo, in good voice and humor, singing their songs.   The harmony rang true and haunting and beautiful in "Yesterday's Gone" and "A Summer Song," just as it did in the 1960s.  I sang some of these songs with my group, The New Outlook, in the Alcove at CCNY (instead of going to classes), and Chad and Jeremy's performance tonight was the closest I've actually come to taking a time machine back 50 years.Billy J.  Kramer was in great baritone voice, and excellent. Hearing him sing "Bad to Me" was about the closest anyone can come in 2015 to hearing an early Lennon and McCartney performance - though I guess McCartney could do it now if he was so moved - and "Little Children," not by the Beatles' writers, was grand, too.   He also did a fine job on "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore - better known as by the Walker Brothers - which just happens to be one of my favorite songs.Speaking of McCartney, Denny Laine was on hand, as well, singing "Go Now" - from the original Moody Blues, i.e., before "Nights in White Satin" - and "Band on the Run," from his tenure in Wings, in a great closing encore with all the artists on stage. The Searchers' "When You Walk in the Room" - written and first recorded by Jackie DeShannon - has also always been one of my favorite all-time songs.  Mike Pender of The Searchers gave it a rousing performance at the concert, along with their more famous "Needles and Pins" (written by Jack Nietzsche and Sonny Bono).Terry Sylvester of the Hollies delivered a pitch-perfect "Bus Stop".Peter Asher mc'd, provided witty repartee and sage musical history, and did a great job with his own hits - "I Go to Pieces," "Lady Godiva," "I  Don't Wanna See You Again," and of course "World Without Love" (the last two by Lennon & McCartney) - sadly without Gordon, who died in 2009.  But the backup band sang and played perfectly, and made every performance worthwhile.On a more personal note, it was good to say hello to Andrew Sandoval, who put my "Hung Up On Love" on the Rhino Record compilation album Come To The Sunshine: Soft Pop Nuggets From The WEA Vaults (my group The Other Voices sang that - actually, another name for The New Outlook - and I co-wrote with Mickie Harris).
Time's winged chariot forever hurries near, making concerts like these rare and wonderful.  If you came of age in the 60s, and loved this kind of music, give yourself a treat and see this concert if you get a chance.

Paul Levinson's books ... Paul Levinson's music

Banshee 3.8: What Did Rebecca Find with Burton?

Some memorable scenes with Hood versus Chayton in tonight's walloping episode 3.8 of Banshee - memorable, to say the least - but the scene that most provokes is what Rebecca found with Burton, when she tried to seduce him, and put her hand down his pants.

As is so often the case with Rebecca, the expression on her face tells much of the story.  In this case, it was one of, well, horror may be too strong a word, but is in the right vicinity.   She certainly didn't find what she expected, and what she found was ... well, more than enough for her stop the seduction.

My first thought was that maybe Burton is a woman, but that doesn't seem quite right, either.  What happened to him in prison - in another strong scene in which Proctor discovers him - is likely the source of the answer.    And, not to be too graphic about it, but likely something was badly maimed, or worse.   Leave it to Banshee to bring us down this path, as we struggle to learn the origin of this charismatic character.

Meanwhile, in New Orleans, Chayton put up a better than good fight, but the inexorable logic of the narrative - meaning, Hood couldn't die - not to mention moral justice, demanded that Chayton be the one who was ended.   The coda, of his body with the fish, provides a good couplet with his rising out of the water the last time we thought he might be dead.

So a major bad guy is gone.   But the heist last week has set a new enemy against Hood and his friends.   And this one combines not only considerable strength and savvy - as did Chayton - but a team who can help him figure out what happened, i.e., how he managed to be robbed.

As we see in the diner, he's well on the way to figuring this out, and acting upon it.  Should be a strong two concluding episodes of this season, as Hood struggles to stay on top and ahead of this.

See also Banshee 3.1: Taking Stock ... Banshee 3.2: Women in Charge ...Banshee 3.3: Burton vs. Nola ... Banshee 3.4: Burton and Rebecca ... Banshee 3.5: Almost the Alamo ...  Banshee 3.6: Perfect What-If Bookends ... Banshee 3.7: Movie with Movie

And see also Banshee Season 2 Premiere: Sneak Preview Review ... Banshee 2.2: Sneak Preview Review ... Banshee 2.3 Sneak Preview Review ... Banshee 2.4 Sneak Preview Review ... Banshee 2.5: Sneak Preview Review ... Banshee 2.6: Sneak Preview Review ... Banshee 2.7: Sneak Preview Review ... Banshee 2.8: Sneak Preview Review ... Banshee 2.9 Sneak Preview Review ... Banshee Season 2 Finale: Sneak Preview Review ... Banshee Season 2 Finale: Just Right and Shattering


Like crime stories that involve the Amish? Try The Silk Code
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12 Monkeys 1.7: Snowden, the Virus, and the Irresistible

All hell - i.e., the deadly virus - almost breaks irrevocably loose in episode of 1.7 of 12 Monkeys tonight, as Cole races back - a week back - to stop this in 2015.

Here's background story, clearly revealed at last: There's an ancient virus, dug up, then genetically modified to be the stone cold nearly instant killer which, as we know, all but wiped out the world.   It all starts when the CIA sends the virus to Chechnya to kill Edward Snowden - in this story, one Adam Wexler, who even looks like our Snowden, though.   Wexler's story - as we soon learn, and as he comments near the end of the episode - hinges on a real virus, in contrast to a computer virus, in a nice play on words and reality.

Now, in order for Cole to stop the plague, he has to destroy to the virus in Chechnya before it spreads any further.  To do this, he has to travel a week into the past, as I said.   But here's the kicker: Cassandra knows that Cole will stop the virus from spreading, all right, but by sacrificing his own life.  Should she warn him, in the hope that Cole can somehow still stop the virus without losing his life?

In a lesser, more conventional narrative, she would have figured out a way to warn him, in the hope that she would be able to have her cake and eat it - that is, save the world and Cole, too.  But this 12 Monkeys series pulls no punches, and provides no easy outs.  So ... it looks at the end of the episode as if the virus is stopped and Cole indeed dies.

So, for the second week in a row, one of the two major characters has died.  Except, with Cole on the loose last time, he was able to save Cassandra.   Will she be able to bring Cole back now?

But there's an even deeper question: would Cole even exist in a world in which the virus was stopped?  12 Monkeys has already indicated the most fundamental reality about time travel, with the saving of Cassandra:  no one is unalterably dead in a world animated by time travel.   But will Cassandra have the memory to change Cole's death, in a world in which the virus and therefore he never arose in the first place?  This, by the way, is just one iteration of the heart-breaking deepest truth of all that, even if the virus and plague are stopped without Cole dying in the process, Cole still therefore wouldn't exist as we know him in the plague-riven world in which time travel was perfected and enabled him to go back in time and meet Cassandra - because a world without the plague would not have created our Cole.

There are, fortunately for the narrative, several ways out of at least this episode's rendition of the paradox.   One is that Cole didn't die when the rockets hit, because he was pulled out of that time by Jones in the future. Another is that, for reasons we don't quite understand, Cole's death did not result in the virus being eradicated - maybe there is another test-tube of it somewhere -  which means that the plague will still happen, which means that Cole will meet Cassandra, which means she can figure out a way to save him.

Ain't time travel grand?  I don't know, I've never done it, but it sure is something irresistible in 12 Monkeys the series.

See also 12 Monkeys series on SyFy: Paradox Prominent and Excellent ...12 Monkeys 1.2: Your Future, His Past ... 12 Monkeys 1.3:  Paradoxes, Lies, and Near Intersections ... 12 Monkeys 1.4: "Uneasy Math" ... 12 Monkeys 1.5: The Heart of the Matter ... 12 Monkeys 1.6: Can I Get a Witness?

podcast review of Predestination and 12 Monkeys



 three time travel novels: the Sierra Waters trilogy


What if the Soviet Union survived into the 21st century,
and Eddie and the Cruisers were a real band?


The Chronology Protection Case movie 

~~~ +++ ~~~

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Bosch: Second Half: As Fine as the First

I saw the rest of Bosch on Amazon  Prime last night, and, like a fine bottle of wine, it was as good as the beginning, which I reviewed here a few days ago.

Speaking of libation, I even learned something new in the series.  Bosch orders a "flat tire" bottle of beer.  I looked it up, and I'm going to try one myself at the next suitable occasion.

The story continues with its two-edged plot - that is, two kinds of murders, which may or may not be related, but continue to intersect almost until the end of this first season.  I won't tell you the ultimate outcome, but will say it that we get a great ride, alternately harrowing and satisfying, to get there.

What is most memorable and appealing about Bosch the character, and therefore Bosch the series, is the integrity he's able to maintain amidst the corruption and lies and near-corruption all around him. And he does this not in a high-handed way, but as someone who truly struggles with the difficult decisions and choices constantly thrown in his way, and pertaining not only to his professional but his personal life, which are almost constantly intertwined in this story.

Indeed, we learn more about Bosch's personal story in the second half of the season, with more about his former wife - a former profiler now working the people and odds in Las Vegas - and their daughter.  The acting continues to be top-notch, even in the smaller roles, including Scott Wilson (the memorable Herschel from The Walking Dead) and Alan Rosenberg (L.A. Law).   And the story lines of the supporting characters are rich and intriguing, including at least one unexpected affair with a colleague.

In addition to all of this, Bosch provides a complex political chess game, the outcome of which we don't discover until the very end.   Bosch the character is almost perfectly situated on this board, right in the middle, between the street and the upper brass, each of which want a different piece of his soul.

I'd now rate Bosch as one of the best cop shows ever on television, right up there, in different ways, with The Shield and The Wire.

See also Bosch: First Half: Highly Recommended


                   another kind of police story 
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