Bosch: Legacyhas come to an end after three seasons of intense detective action helmed byTitus Welliver. While fans had plenty of reasons to be disappointed with Amazon Studios for not greenlighting another season,the finaleprepares viewers for the next entry in the franchise through the appearance ofMaggie Q’sRenee Ballard. However,Bosch: Legacyleaves quite a few unanswered questions behind with its hasty ending, including a question mark on the fate of a few of its important characters.Madison Lintz’s Maddie Bosch, in particular, has been consistently and disappointingly sidelinedever since her introduction in Season 1 ofBosch. WithBallardtaking the action forward in theBoschuniverse, the showrunners have a great opportunity to correct the mistake the previous shows made with Maddie’s character.
Maddie Bosch Has Struggled To Cement Her Position
Maddie Bosch has been one of the oldest staple characters in the series since her introduction in Season 1, Episode 4 ofBosch. She started out as a teenager with a bittersweet relationship with her father, who worked as a detective in the Los Angeles Police Department. InBosch, the audience witnesses Maddie working at Honey Chandler’s (Mimi Rogers) law firm, picking up the tricks of the trade before finding her true calling in law enforcement. Subsequently, inBosch: LegacySeason 1, Maddie pursues a career in the LAPD, following in the footsteps of her father, who has now retired and works as a private investigator. This major change for the character hinted at the possibility for significant improvement in her overall storyline. However,Maddie, at the end of her journey inBosch: Legacy, has barely scratched the surface of her full potential.
Throughout Maddie’s journey, the character has remained in her father’s shadow. As the central protagonist, Harry Bosch has driven most of the action, and rightfully so, but Maddie’s contribution to the story has typically been in relation to her father. Yes, Maddie has been at the center of some crucial events, such as the tragic death of her mother in Season 1 and her kidnapping by Kurt Dockweiler (David Denman) in Season 2, both of which became pivotal events in her development and maturation. However, the focus on Maddie’s individual journey has been very small, apart from a few big moments.
I’m Disappointed That ‘Bosch: Legacy’ Didn’t Give This Character a Better Ending
This character was set up to have an exciting storyline in Season 4.
‘Bosch: Legacy’ Shows the Beginnings of Promise for Maddie’s Storyline
Bosch: LegacySeason 3 shows signs of promise for Maddie initially by pairing her withReina Vasquez (Denise G. Sanchez), in a decision that enabled the character’s agency the most in every previous season ofBoschcombined. Still, despite the greater opportunity for Maddie to flourish,Bosch: Legacydidn’t allow Maddie to really flourish as an individual, evidenced by howher journey remains incomplete by the show’s end. At that point, the character is limited to her role in questioning her father’s ethical stance, without any definite direction of her own.
InEpisode 9 ofBosch: Legacy’s final season, Maddie has a heartfelt conversation with her father regarding bringing back Finbar McShane (Michael Reilly Burke) alive from Mexico, but it feels like a setback for her character when Bosch reveals that McShane didn’t survive. Surprisingly, Maddie processes this revelation is not somethingBosch: Legacyinvests in, given how often it draws back the curtain on its characters. However rare,Maddie’s shining moments have always happened when she’s not acting in relation to her father. Unfortunately,Bosch: Legacydoesn’t extend Maddie Bosch the opportunity to develop a strong storyline independent of Harry.
‘Ballard’ Could Give Maddie Bosch a Chance To Stand On Her Own
Over the years,fans have had mixed feelings about Maddie Bosch, including criticism of her unnecessary involvement in her father’s high-stakes detective business. While the show would have the audience believe that these are the characteristics of a budding investigator, Maddie’s actions always seemed to be transgressing professional boundaries, including scenes in earlier seasons ofBoschwhen she accesses official files at the police station before becoming an officer herself. In her own way, the character has always tried to influence the decisions of her father, sometimes in a way that upsets the rhythm of a well-knit detective drama.
WithBallardcoming this summer, Maddie Bosch might have the opportunity to redeem herself, if the writers afford her a second chance. With the action not happening too far from the Hollywood District of Los Angeles,Ballardcould provide the perfect place for Maddie to shine, consideringher father will only appear in a limited fashionin the spin-off, and the character herself has gained some detective skills on the job. Since audiences may be eager to see some familiar faces,Madison Lintz’s Maddie Bosch would be the perfect candidate to bring the familiar flavors ofBosch: Legacyinto the world ofBallard.
All episodes ofBosch: Legacyare available to stream on Prime Video.
Bosch: Legacy
