From the pages of Michael Connelly’s novels, Maggie Q is Ballard, a determined detective leading the LAPD’s newly formed cold case division. With Bosch’s Driscoll intel, Ballard and her team attempt to take down the ring of corrupt officers. Meanwhile, Laffont discovers a lead in their missing child case, and a mysterious piece of evidence breaks the murder of Sarah Pearlman wide open.
The episode rewinds a day or two before Ballard learns of Olivas’ possible involvement with Driscoll. This time, we see the last 24 hours from Olivas’ vantage point. He’s on the scene at Ballard’s house when he learns of Driscoll’s death. From there, his steps seek to cover any loose end that connects him to the fallen former officer. It’s revealed that a total of five other officers were on Driscoll’s payroll.
Ballard’s team proceeds to connect the various burners with the appropriate officer. They’ve identified three others, including Chuck Tolle, the officer Driscoll met in the parking garage for an exchange. Later, Martina discovers her boyfriend Manny is linked when she recognizes Olivas’ number on his second phone. Hurt, she informs Renee immediately, allowing the team time to burn Manny. Once caught, he agrees to confess in exchange for a better deal.
Laffont manages to get a lead on Ibarra’s missing son, Gael. After searching, he discovers that Ibarra handed the infant off to a Sunbeam Motel maid. She eventually surrendered the baby to a nearby fire station. Gael has been in the system ever since.
On a personal level, Parker finally tells her mother she’s returned to the force. She also shares what forced her to leave five years ago.
Ballard, working late one night, has an epiphany. After convincing Berchem to give her back the Pearlman case, she theorizes that the serial killer may have targeted his victims because they were women advancing in their personal and professional lives. Their success symbolized them stepping out of the societal box. This theory seems to match all the cases but Sarah’s. Studying the Pearlman crime scene again, Ballard and Parker make a chilling discovery. A stick of lipstick found in the bedroom did not belong to Sarah and was never analyzed for DNA.
Finally, the episode closed with a personal and professional triumph. Olivas, dropping his kids off at school, receives a call from Santos’ burner. He answers it, flustered, and then falls silent as Ballard’s voice is on the other line. She and Parker witness his dismay as officers surround and arrest the crooked cop.
Episdoe 8 was a satisfyingly good episode. The pacing was great, making sure we received long-awaited solutions in a realistic and timely manner. Martina coming clean about Manny — in any other series — could have been delayed for the finale. This writing shows the characters are competent and think realistically. Something similar happened in Bosch: Legacy. The writers respect their viewers’ intelligence and wrote this with common sense, not for dramatic impact on the storytelling.
Rating: 8.5/10