[Like most of
us, my lockdown
has offered the opportunity to check some TV shows off of my list. One of
the best I’ve seen is Amazon Prime’s
original show Bosch, based on the
longstanding series of police procedural detective novels by Michael Connelly
(who is part of the show
as well). The best part of Bosch is
its characters, so this week I’ll AmericanStudy the five most important!]
On the most
typecast of Bosch’s five leads, and
the humanity and depth we see nonetheless.
On The Wire, Lance Reddick portrayed Lieutenant Cedric Daniels, a
tough-as-nails, unsmiling commanding officer who gradually worked his way up to
deputy chief, chief, and even commissioner before complicated political issues
forced him out of the latter role; at the start of the series he was married,
but that marriage ended up failing and by the series’ end he was in a committed
relationship with another character from within the law enforcement ranks
(State’s Attorney Rhonda Pearlman, played by Deirdre Lovejoy). On Bosch, Lance Reddick portrays Deputy Chief Irvin Irving, a
tough-as-nails, unsmiling commanding officer who has gradually worked his way
up to chief and even a run for Los Angeles mayor before complicated political
issues forced him to end his campaign for the latter role; at the start of the
series he was married, but that marriage ended up failing and as of season six
he is in a committed relationship with another character from within the law
enforcement ranks (crisis response team translator Jun Park, played by Linda Park). Reddick
is so damn good in both roles that I’m not complaining about the similarities
at all (plus I really don’t want him to yell at me), but still,
it’s pretty striking when you line ‘em up like that (and Reddick himself
has remarked on his frequent typecasting).
I wouldn’t be
writing a whole post on Irving if the typecasting were the whole story, though;
and just as I’ve argued for the other central characters this week, across Bosch’s seasons Irving has indeed been
developed in compelling ways that both extend and challenge his more familiar
role. Partly that’s due to Reddick’s own talent and charisma, but it’s also
been the result of two interconnected, intimate familial plotlines. At the
start of season one Irving’s son George was a uniformed police officer, and it
seemed that his story would be the likewise familiar one of a privileged child
both benefiting from and seeking to escape his father’s shadow. But in season
two, George Irving was killed by a group of corrupt cops with whom he had gone
undercover—and while that plotline did relate directly to the season’s
overarching mystery and procedural stories, it also and to my mind most
importantly allowed us to see a vastly different side of Irvin Irving as both a
policeman and a father. That is, partly Irving responded to this tragedy in the
ways his typecast identity would suggest: getting angry and going after the criminals
responsible (in partnership with Bosch, which was truly a delight to watch). But
Reddick was consistently able to show us the pain and grief underneath that badass
exterior, offering a compelling parallel to the darknesses that so often drive
Bosch’s investigations.
In the most
recent season (six), Irving’s relationship with Jun Park added another, even
more human side to these elements of his character and arc. Jun revealed to
Irving that she was unexpectedly pregnant and that their child would be a boy,
and through a series of largely unspoken but hugely powerful reactions and
choices Reddick conveyed all the emotions and layers to what that news meant
for Irving (this scene doesn’t seem to be online yet, unfortunately). A central
plot thread of season six dealt with Jamie Hector’s Jerry Edgar dealing with
his own perspectives on fatherhood, both through his interactions with a
grieving father and through his own relationship to his growing sons, and as
usual with this great show these multiple threads reflected and enriched each
other without any overt commentary. But at the same time, there’s something to
be said for the depths and potency of a single moment and conversation—and in
that conversation between Irving and Jun, Reddick reveals all the layers and
humanity beyond any stereotypical sides to this character or typecasting to his
roles and career (to be clear, Park’s performance was great too, and indeed
necessary as her character has consistently been to draw out this wonderful new
side of Irving and Reddick).
Last
BoschStudying tomorrow,
Ben
PS. What do you
think? Takes on this show or others you’d call especially
lockdown-binge-worthy?
My wife is a Bosch junkie. She reads all of the novels and has intensely viewed the Prime episodes. The character has really proven highly interesting to observe. The choice of Titus Welliver to portray Bosch was perfect. The two -- the character and the actor -- seem to morph perfectly.
ReplyDeleteAgreed, and thanks for the comment!
ReplyDeleteBen