Oh bliss is mine! The seamless closing half to the fifth season of police procedural “Bosch,” based on the peerless novels by Michael Connelly, vanishes in a blur of tension and satisfaction. It’s rare to find yourself thinking you know the characters in a television series as well as you achieve with novels, but I caught myself doing just that over the past couple of days. Whatever mental picture I’d accumulated over the decades of reading about Harry (born, of course, Hieronymous) Bosch are now fully subsumed by my images of intense, volatile, jaw-thrusting, super-smart Titus Welliver. I’d rated Episode 1 as 8/10 and the next four episodes as 9/10, so there’s no surprise with my assessment this time round, but let me tell you, such consistency is rare. The twin plot strands of “pill mill” murders and machinations of a serial killer from Bosch’s past, roll inexorably to fraught climaxes, and just as much pleasure can be found in the myriad other subplots, from daughter Maddie’s internship to Jerry’s neighborhood killing investigation to old-timer Troy’s retirement to police chief Irving’s ascent … all these and more, all splendidly portrayed, result in a wholly satisfying tapestry. And let me repeat again my accolades for the sure-handed direction, the wonderful dialogue, the Los Angeles-centric cinematography, and the edgy music. Indeed bliss is.
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