Lance Reddick’s ‘Bosch Legacy’ Season 2 Cameo Means More Than You Think

Editor’s note: The below contains spoilers for the Bosch: Legacy Season 2 finale.

The Big Picture

• Lance Reddick’s cameo in the Season 2 finale of Bosch: Legacy will have lasting repercussions for the show and serves as a touching farewell to his beloved character, Irvin Irving.
• The appearance of Irving in the Season 2 finale hints at a new direction for the series, with Chandler taking on corruption from within as a defense attorney turned private investigator for the DA.
• The complex relationship between Bosch and Irving, marked by their differing roles within the LAPD, was set to be further explored in the third season before Reddick’s passing, making his absence a tragically missed opportunity.

While we’ll never have the joy of seeing Lance Reddick reprise his role as Irvin Irving in Bosch: Legacy again, the late actor’s cameo in the Season 2 finale will have lasting repercussions for the show going forward, while also serving as a touching farewell to a beloved man as well as a morally ambiguous, complex, ruthless and ambitious character. Reddick passed away earlier this year, with his death followed by glowing and loving tributes from those who knew and loved him. His appearance in Legacy was a welcome surprise — not just as a one-off, but for the direction of the show as well.

What Lance Reddick’s Cameo Represents for ‘Bosch: Legacy’

Irving makes his debut in the spin-off during the Season 2 finale, engaging in a meeting with Mimi Rogers‘ Honey Chandler. In this encounter, Chandler seeks Irving’s endorsement for the position of District Attorney. Notably, Irving is no longer part of the police department at this point. The concept intrigues him, and a tantalizing thread is left, hinting at the anticipation of how the storyline will unfold in the third season — which, as we know, will now have to play out differently.

The idea of Chandler, the ruthless and money-hungry defense attorney, now deciding enough is enough and deciding to take down corruption from within, would signal a new direction for the series. Throughout his tenure on the series, Bosch has consistently fought against corruption. Taking on the role of a private investigator for the DA, tasked with exposing corrupt cops, aligns perfectly with his expertise and experience, and would even hint at something akin to an internal affairs storyline, although it’s something he’d need to do separately from Maddie (Madison Lintz), his rookie cop daughter.

But what does the appearance of Irving on the scene mean for the show? As fans know, Irving and Bosch have not always seen eye to eye, but the prospective pairing of the two on-screen again, united behind the same cause — even if for differing reasons — was a mouthwatering idea that will never come to pass, but why will this end up being a tragically missed opportunity? To find out, we need to go back to the very start.

Bosch and Irving Have Always Had a Complex Relationship

One of Bosch‘s most intriguing storylines revolves around the intricate interplay between Titus Welliver‘s eponymous detective and Reddick’s Irving. This complex relationship, marked by their distinct roles within the LAPD, was poised for further exploration in the third season of Bosch: Legacy before Reddick’s unfortunate passing. Bosch and Irving frequently find themselves in opposing positions due to their contrasting responsibilities.

Bosch, an unwavering and self-reliant detective, prioritizes solving cases and upholding justice. Conversely, Irving, holding a high-ranking position, is more preoccupied with political and bureaucratic considerations, boasting a superior rank. This dynamic fuels a power struggle, as Bosch often operates beyond the conventional chain of command, pursuing cases on his own terms. Meanwhile, Irving is tasked with safeguarding the LAPD’s image and maintaining order within the department.

The tension between Bosch’s skepticism toward authority figures and his dedication to justice clashes with Irving’s pragmatic, politically motivated decision-making. Bosch’s penchant for operating independently leads to conflicts with Irving, who, in his role, questions Bosch’s methods and harbors concerns about potential repercussions.

What Happened Between Bosch and Irving in Season 7?

The events of Bosch‘s series finale, in which Irving’s ambition and cloudy morals ended up finally catching up with him, left him without a position in the department. To get to that point, we need to go all the way back to the start of Season 7 and explore why Bosch quit the LAPD in the first place. In the opening of Season 7, a fire erupts in an East Hollywood apartment building on New Year’s Eve of 2019. Tragically, among the victims is Sonia, a ten-year-old girl known for sharing freshly made tamales with her neighbors.

As Bosch starts investigating, he uncovers that Mickey Peña, a high-ranking member of the Las Palmas gang, is responsible for the deadly fire. Bosch talks to Sonia’s father, Hector, and this encounter reignites his determination to bring the perpetrators to justice. Despite warnings from the FBI to stay away, Bosch and his partner defy orders and arrest Peña. This decision leads to Bosch’s suspension when the FBI informs Chief Irving about the situation. Irving criticizes Bosch for not following directives, suspends him, and orders the release of Peña into FBI custody. However, this causes a tragic set of circumstances.

As Peña awaits the arrival of the FBI outside the police precinct, Hector unexpectedly confronts him and takes his life. In response, the officers accompanying Peña shoot and fatally injure Hector. Upon hearing the gunfire, Bosch emerges with the others and witnesses the tragic events. In his final moments, Hector, dying in Bosch’s arms, whispers, “For Sonia.” Blaming Chief Irving for the chain of events, Bosch asserts that the responsibility lies with Irving before deciding to resign from the LAPD. When Irving questions Bosch’s identity without a badge, Bosch confidently declares that Irving is about to find out.

Underpinning all this, though, is the deal that Irving made with the FBI. When Bosch discovers the Feds are working with Peña to build a RICO case against a number of villainous factions, Bosch goes to Irving and asks for assistance in getting to Peña under the false assumption that Irving will share his desire for justice. That’s when the real details of the deal Irving has made become revealed.

Irving strikes a deal with the FBI: he agrees to halt the Peña investigation in exchange for the information necessary to blackmail Mayor Lopez. The goal is to secure another five-year term as Police Commissioner. Irving’s scheme unfolds smoothly as intended — at least until Bosch finds out. Irving argues that the deal to protect Peña is for “the greater good”, but Bosch is all about the little guy and he just wants justice for a grieving father, even if the RICO operation would have brought down a far greater threat. But Bosch made sure, as one of his final acts, that LA Times reporter Scott Anderson got a heads up on Irving’s dealings, including how the chief stood to benefit from the deal. While we can argue about who was right, the relationship between the pair seemed irreparable.

What Will We Miss Out on in ‘Bosch: Legacy’ Season 3 After Lance Reddick’s Passing?

The chemistry between Bosch and Irving was undeniable even as they clashed over political differences, and when on-screen, it was electric. As Welliver recently told Collider about the relationship between the pair:

“Well, I think the relationship between Irving and Bosch was a very complex one. Irving’s character was more of a political animal and he would not do a workaround necessarily, but there was the conflict in the Preston Borders case where Bosch discovered that evidence had been manipulated despite the fact that Borders was definitely guilty of these heinous crimes, It’s very difficult and I don’t know how we’ll attack that, him not being there any longer. It’s a huge hole in our hearts.“

However, some of the most fascinating interplay between the two characters has been when they work towards a common goal. Irving and Bosch worked in tandem as Irving sought out his son George’s killer in the second season of the show, with Irving knowing he could rely both on Bosch’s discretion and pitbull-like approach to his detective work.

Seeing the pair forced to work together on a cause like Chandler’s campaign for District Attorney would have been fascinating for the dynamic, with Bosch insisting Irving couldn’t be trusted, and Chandler needing that vital endorsement to get her across the line. Sadly, we won’t get that, which will require a storyline pivot from a thread that was very evidently dangled for fans to tug at in the wake of the finale. When Bosch: Legacy returns, we’ll find out where the story goes, but forgive yourselves if you wonder: what if?

Bosch: Legacy is available to stream on Prime Video.

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