Bosch: Investigating season 7 episode 6 ‘The Greater Good’

 Someone threatens Bosch where it hurts the most.

Bosch Season 7 Episode 6 The Greater Good

Written by Alex Meenehan and Jessica Kivnik

Directed by Patrick Cady

The day has arrived for Maddie to give her testimony about Carl Rogers in front of the grand jury. Chief Irving faces a big decision and Grace’s girlfriend is now on the receiving end of the incels’ harassment.

Jerry comes to some conclusions that he shares with Harry, and we learn that Mickey Pena has friends in high places. Bosch reaches out to an old friend for help when he is not getting some answers.

Let’s take a closer look at Bosch season 7 episode 6.

A man enters a bar . . .

A mystery man exits a plane. It is not such mystery, however, after we see him arranging a gun and the telltale mask of the Franzen and Chandler hit man. Next, we see the same man at the Biltmore hotel bar sitting near Attorney J. Reason Fowwkes. It feels like this cannot be a coincidence.

The two men briefly discuss their jobs and the hit man exits the bar without drinking any of his beer. Later we see Fowwkes donning his pajamas and climbing the stairs to bed. He notices a light on in the study and heads back downstairs.

Fowwkes is befuddled when he sees the man from the bar at his desk. He begins to realize that this is the gunman who has been fulfilling the hits he ordered through Datz for the Rogers case. Fowwkes assures the man that he has provided all the pertinent information for him to complete the next hit and asks if there is a problem.

The hit man responds with a double shot to Fowwkes’ chest and says, “not anymore”.

Unwanted passenger

The next morning Judge Donna Sobel exits her house ready to drive to work. She enters her vehicle and starts the engine. A check in her rear-view mirror reveals the gunman, this time wearing his mask.

The gunman tells Donna not to turn around again. He tells her to proceed with her drive to work. Donna tries to remain calm.

Grand jury day

Jimmy and Bosch wait outside Harry’s house for Maddie so they can leave for the courts building. Maddie steps outside and Harry tells her they have been given permission through the DA to use the judge’s entrance to the parking garage. She asks her dad for a moment alone.

Maddie pulls the gun from her bag after confirming that judges, too, must pass through the metal detector. Harry is not angry but suggests that she get a license if she wants to carry a gun going forward.

Father and daughter make a couple jokes about Jimmy’s driving and agree that Harry should drive. The three of them pull away from the house with Jerry trailing behind them in the distance in his own car.

Harry pulls up to the parking garage gate. They flash badges and Maddie shows her identification. Harry parks the car and the trio heads to the building entrance. We see that Jerry has parked his car outside the garage on the street. He flashes his badge to a security guard to access the garage as well.

Harry makes note of Donna Sobel’s car parked in a space other than her assigned one. He walks slowly toward her vehicle, pulls his gun and shouts for Jimmy and Maddie to return to the car. Harry sees that Donna has been shot and killed.

A very close call

A shootout begins between Harry and the gunman. Shots are fired very close to Maddie and Jimmy as they try to crawl back to the car. Jimmy aims for the gunman as well. Jerry spots the gunman from the opposite end of the garage and fires shots that make the shooter turn around. Just as the gunman turns away, Jimmy is able to make the shot that takes him down.

They converge upon the body and see that he was carrying a burner phone. The latest message reads, “Is it done?” Harry tells Jimmy to send a reply, “It’s over”. Jimmy says it is worth a shot.

Maddie is okay but obviously shaken and having a hard time hearing after the close gunfire. Vega offers to drive Maddie back to the house. Maddie ponders that fact that she probably would be dead if she did not have three detectives protecting her that day.

Informant revealed

Back at his office, Irving gets a message from Wash that there has been an “officer involved shooting”. When Wash shares the names of the detectives involved, Irving mutters “F—ing Bosch” (one more for old time’s sake).

Chief Irving questions Harry about the incident asking if it was the same shooter as the others. Harry believes it is despite Irving wondering why it was done so publicly this time. He also wonders why Sobel was involved. Harry explains that Maddie was the target, and that time was a factor. Someone was trying to get to Maddie before she could give her testimony. Of course, Donna was taken because she could access that same garage entrance as a judge.

Harry sends Pierce and Jerry to question Fowwkes only for them to find out that Fowwkes had been murdered as well. Robertson asks Harry how many people were aware of Maddie’s pending testimony. Harry replies that only a few knew. On the other hand, only one other person was privy to them using the judge’s entrance.

The camera takes us back to the station where Harry is talking to Asst. DA Tegan Boyle in an interrogation room. She acts as if she is there to be of help. Wrong. Harry calls her out and asks her how long she has been passing prosecutorial secrets to Fowwkes. The very first time she spilled information to Fowwkes two years prior, she received $20,000. Harry describes her indiscretions as “killing for cash”.

Harry reminds Boyle that things will go better for her if she talks. He also wants to know why Donna was the judge sacrificed in the plan. She says Fowwkes was not fond of Sobel.

Chief concerns

The chief has other concerns on his mind as well. When he meets with FBI Special Agent Brenner he learns that Mickey Pena is an informant for the Feds in a huge RICO investigation. He explains that they are very close to making arrests. He asks Irving to tell Harry to back down on Alvarez, Trejo, and Pena.

Irving scoffs at the idea feeling sure that Pena gave the order for the fire. Brenner suggests that it is one person’s word against another’s, and they need Pena for the RICO case. Furthermore, Pena is being promised witness protection, so they cannot even pursue him later.

The chief reminds Brenner that a child and unborn baby were victims of Pena’s order. Brenner simply refers to the dilemma as serving “the greater good”, which is the episode title. Brenner asks Irving to keep him informed of his decision.

Tracking Pena

Jerry sees that the tracking device is showing movement for Pena. The detective tails Pena and sees him pull into a lot. He is met by some men who usher him through a building and into an SUV on the other side. Jerry follows the SUV, only to be cutoff by another SUV. Pena gets away.

Jerry calls Harry at home and sends him photos of Pena with the Feds. The next day Harry asks to meet with FBI agent Sylvia Reece who is now working desk duty. He hopes that she can give him more information about what the Feds are doing with Pena. She does not think she can help much in her current position, but she will see what she can find out.

Meanwhile, Irving responds quickly to Brenner with an agreement to back off Pena in exchange for the files on the closed Lopez investigation. Brenner agrees. Irving asks longtime ally Capt. Sarah McCurdy to examine the files. But when Harry calls the chief to ask if he has approached the FBI about access to Alvarez, Irving lies and basically says they are playing phone tag. It sounds like Chief Irving is “slow walking” Bosch. Hmm.

Feeling guilty

Maddie and Harry have a talk at home about what will happen to Tegan Boyle. He describes different charges like conspiracy to commit murder and corruption. Harry points out that she will go for a deal, though. He still plans to go after Carl Rogers who funded the hits.

Maddie expresses her condolences about Donna. Harry feels responsible for Donna’s death. He told Edgar earlier that Fowwkes picked Donna to hurt Harry. Maddie says he should not feel guilty, but she knows that he does.

Maddie changes the conversation to the music playing. She says it is Lady Day on the turntable. She and Harry begin to reminisce about that being one of Eleanor’s favorites. Then they begin to chuckle about Eleanor’s awful singing voice.

Put down your drink, Carl

Carl hears about Fowwkes’ murder on the news. He makes plans to get out of town.

Jerry’s search of Fowwkes’ house turns up some messages between Rogers and Fowwkes and wire transfers to Fowwkes from a shell company owned by Rogers. Clearly, there is evidence of Rogers funding the hits on Vincent, Chandler, and Maddie. The messages mention Franzen being “trouble” but “solvable”. But it is still not clear how Rogers could have had Fowwkes killed since Fowwkes was the arranger.

The next day Jerry and Harry meet with Judge Simon Newland to get a warrant for the arrest of Carl Rogers. They interrupt his pre-flight drink and arrest him before he can board the private plan.

They take him to the station for interrogation. Rogers’ lawyer is present. Harry accuses Rogers of funding hits on Franzen, Chandler and Maddie. Rogers stares calmly ahead as his lawyer denies such actions. Then Harry says he ordered the hit on Fowwkes, too. Even though he knows Fowwkes is dead, Roger is surprised when Harry accuses him of ordering it. Rogers reacts just enough for Harry to realize that Fowwkes’ murder was not ordered by Rogers.

Bosch meets up with Robertson at the bar where Jimmy is flirting with Shaz the bartender. He updates Jimmy that he thinks someone else ordered the murder of Fowwkes. Harry and Jimmy agree that it must be Datz who directly ordered the murder of Fowwkes to eliminate a loose end. Harry also says he is waiting for results about the burner phone that the gunman was carrying.

Visitor for Harry

Crate and Barrel tell Harry he has a visitor waiting for him in the break room. It is Hector Hernandez, Sonia’s father and Maria’s husband.

Harry gives Hector his condolences and shares an update on the case saying they have arrested Trejo and Alvarez for starting the fire. Hector wants to know if those two are part of Palmas 13. Harry confirms that they are. Hector also asks about La Mayorista and Mickey Pena. Bosch explains that they are working on building a case against Pena but are not there yet. Hector talks about Pena being the boss of that neighborhood and surely it must be him who ordered the firebomb.

Hector wants to know about the locked rooftop door. Harry says it is true that it was locked but that they cannot prove who locked it. Harry does say that the owners will be cited and fined. Hector is disheartened that no one is really being punished for that.

Harry gives Hector his card and Hector leaves. So very sad.

Grace’s resolve

Cooper calls Grace to his office about the OTSBI (Outreach to Small Businesses Initiative). He wants to step up the program again because local business owners are looking for more collaboration with the police. Grace agrees to send some of her people out on visits. Cooper says he wants her to make the visits instead and she can wear her uniform.

Billets gets a call from Brasher who has received retaliation for talking to Billets about former fellow officers Leonard and Norris. She finds a dead fish with pantyhose in its mouth hanging in her locker. Grace encourages her to report the incident but Brasher says the horrible smell has already made the incident known. Furthermore, Brasher does not want Billets to involve her in any more of her concerns.

Anne and Grace share a nice lunch, but Leonard and Norris stop Anne after she leaves the restaurant. They accuse her of not making a full stop at a stop sign and say they smell alcohol on her breath. As Anne retrieves her id, she clandestinely initiates a call to Grace on her cell phone.

Grace arrives as the two officers are humiliating Anne with lengthy alcohol testing. Grace puts a stop to the harassment and returns to the station. She is visibly upset when Vega encounters her in the restroom. Vega asks Grace if she is okay, and Grace tells her how the officers went after Anne. Vega agrees that all the women are fed up with these incidents but points out that Grace has a position where she can make a difference.

Jerry’s confession

Jerry arrives to Harry’s house after dark telling Bosch he has some things to share. He admits that he knows he has disappointed many important people in his life recently, Harry being one of them. Jerry knows he has not been giving far less than a hundred percent.

Harry thanks him for protecting Maddie, but Jerry reminds him that he was the reason Maddie was in danger. Bosch agrees. Jerry wants to know if the two of them are “square”. Harry says, “We’ll get there.”

Finally, Jerry admits that he did go to Avril’s house with the intention of killing him. He wanted justice. Harry asks if he got justice. Jerry replies that he is not sure.

In other news:

• Jun and Irv have a good visit with the baby at the hospital.

Cameos and Callbacks:

• Biltmore hotel bar where Harry talked to Phil Gentry in season 4
• Capt. Sarah McCurdy is back helping Chief Irving
• Agent Sylvia Reece 
• Special Agent Brenner
• Shaz the bartender

You can follow ongoing coverage of Bosch television at So Many Shows and on the Everybody Counts Podcast.

Stay connected with So Many Shows:

Like us on Facebook!

Follow us on Twitter

Subscribe on YouTube