Title: "El Compadre"
Directed by: Sarah Pia Anderson
Written by: Jeffrey Alan Fiskin
Air Date: April 21, 2017
Previous: God Sees
Next: Blood Under the Bridge
Guest Starring: Paola Turbay, Paul Calderón, Arnold Vosloo, Linda Park
"El Compadre" is the 4th episode of the fourth season of Bosch.
Jimmy Robertson is wondering how to handle his investigation of the Gunn/Bosch case. He consults with one of his old colleagues from Rampart Division, Terry Drake, who recommends that he pass the buck anonymously up the chain.
Bosch visits Sharkey's mother, who works as a webcam sex performer. She has no idea where Sharkey is. Immediately upon leaving Bosch is notified that Sharkey's prints were found on Meadows' van. An APB is issued for Sharkey, and Bosch is summoned when he's picked up. Sharkey admits that he heard the shot and went into the RV where he saw Meadows dead. Unbeknownst to the two of them, Dobbs' man Xavi Moreno is watching.
Scott Anderson calls up Billets trying to get a comment for the Los Angeles Times about the Gunn investigation, and allegations that the LAPD is investigating one of its own. Billets and Edgar have an urgent meeting in which he tells her about the Hieronymus Bosch connection and the owl. They agree that someone is framing Harry and that Andrew Holland is the likeliest individual who would benefit from this.
Bosch finds out that Edgar is investigating him regarding the Gunn case when he gets a call from Rick Jackson. Harry then looks at Edgar's desk and finds the file on him. He confronts Edgar when Edgar comes back to the station from his meeting with Billets, and although Edgar is insistent that he never was looking at Harry as a suspect, Bosch is hesitant to continue being partners with him (although he's willing to work with him to at least see the Meadows murder investigation to its conclusion). That's soon followed by a second heated confrontation, this one with Robertson, who says he'll follow the evidence where it leads.
Edgar and Bosch can't find Woody Woodrow (the man who Harry caught staking out his house), but they do find another vet from the unit who tells them that there was rampant corruption, theft, and smuggling going on amongst Army units in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Harry tracks down Annabelle Crowe. She admits that yes, she's a prostitute, and she refuses to testify in the Holland case.
It's confirmed that yes, Dobbs and company murdered Meadows (with Xavi being the one who committed the shooting), as they wonder whether or not Sharkey could have seen them. Ultimately, they decide that they can't afford to take chances and he has to be killed. Xavi decides to carry out the task. He picks up Sharkey off the street, drives him to a pedestrian underpass near the Hollywood Bowl, and kills him with two lethal slashes using a knife with a sharp curved blade. The investigation is caught by Crate and Barrel, who summon Harry to the crime scene once the victim is identified.
Tropes:
- Amicably Divorced: This is the episode which introduces Edgar's ex-wife LaTonya. They get along quite well, as evidenced by how smoothly things go when he shows up at the house to pick up their son Jack.
- Could Say It, But...: Irvin Irving is having an awkward, shy lunch with Jun Park, the Korean translator he met over the Koreatown Killer's most recent killing. He makes a reference to a date, she asks if they're on a date, and Irving says "Lord no," they're not on a date. But then he says "If I were to ask you out...", and she smiles and says "What have you got to lose?"
- Dies Wide Open: Poor Sharkey, dead in a tunnel under the Hollywood Bowl.
- Frame-Up: Billets and Edgar figure that someone must be framing Bosch, and that Andrew Holland is the likeliest person to have ordered it, since discrediting Bosch would discredit a lot of the evidence against him.
- He Knows Too Much: Dobbs is nervous about this which is why Xavi murders Sharkey.
- I Never Told You My Name: When Xavi says "I like you, Sharkey," Sharkey picks up on this immediately. Then Xavi slits his throat.
- Internal Affairs: Always with IA and Harry Bosch...this time it's Sgt. Amy Snyder of IA, wanting urgently to speak with Bosch, although why isn't revealed.
- Not Me This Time: Harry confronts Rudy Tafero at his home, thinking Rudy was the one who planted bugs in his house and had a car sitting outside, as he wasn't close enough to see it was actually Woodrow in the car. Rudy's outrage over the accusation convinces Harry of his innocence in that, but Harry still uses this opportunity to threaten him with arrest for witness intimidation against Annabelle Crowe.
- Single Mom Stripper: Thomas "Sharkey" Niese's mother is a camwhore. She says that her son disapproves.
