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Bosch: Legacyis a revival show that mainly tells the stories of Harry Bosch and his co-lead - the defense attorney, Honey “Money” Chandler. As Bosch gets busy living without the badge, he finds himself working in close quarters with Chandler. He also worries about his daughter, Maddie, who at the beginning of season 1 is a boot, working on the mean streets of L.A.
Bosch’s moral code, aim, and vision, even without the extensive resources of the LAPD, remain the same. He doesn’t play favorites and sees everybody as an equal. He holds his motto -“Everybody counts or nobody counts"dear, and here is how he lives by it inBosch: Legacy.
The Real Meaning Behind Bosch’s Everybody Counts Or Nobody Counts
Bosch: Legacyseason 1opens with a recap of the key events from the originalBoschseries and everything that’s recently happened in the retired detective’s life. In one of the snippets, he tells Maddie that he has pictures of three young women whose murders were never solved. When Maddie asks why he keeps them, Bosch replies:
To remind me. Everybody counts or nobody counts.
Bosch’s first order of business inBosch: Legacyseason 1, episode 1 “The Wrong Side of Goodbye,” is to break into a house and retrieve a music box from a safe with the help ofhis tech guy, Maurice ‘Mo’ Bassi. It turns out, Bosch is doing his old friend, Dr. Golliher a favor, as the retrieved possession belongs to his daughter, Danielle. She visits Bosch’s office the next day for this box that her ex was withholding from her. It contains her grandmother’s wedding ring and a few recipes. Danielle inquires about the same old cold cases displayed on the desk, and Bosch replies:
Time to time, I send out packages to foreign countries trying to ID these three women.
Bosch adds that these young women were murdered and that he is chasing ghosts because somebody has to. Although his time around he refrains from repeating his mantra, it’s clear that Bosch retains the messianic traits inBosch: Legacy. He is relentless in the pursuit of justice, and his motto -“Everybody counts or nobody counts"reflects that he will attempt to come to the rescue of others, even if it means placing himself in harm’s way.
As seen inBosch: Legacy, Bosch has kissed his career at the LAPD (and by extension the privileges associated with the job) goodbye. So, when he is digging for information, such as in the case ofthe lost heir(s) of Whitney Vance, he has to pay out of pocket or rely on the support of his ex-coworkers. Bosch’s refusal to accept corporate gigs twice from a highbrow security head, John Creighton, also reflects that he cares more about the underdogs and the disenfranchised.
Everybody Counts Or Nobody Counts
Overarching Theme Of The Show
Bosch’s job as a private investigator is tougher, yet, his personal credo drives his thoughts and behaviorsinBosch: Legacy. For example, when he meets Mr. Vance’s granddaughter - Vibiana Veracruz, and she declines the money, he gets her on board, saying:
Depends on what you do with it. How you use it. Who you give it to. Vibiana… This is serious money. you’re able to effect some real change.
“Everybody counts or nobody counts"inspires Bosch to be unrelenting in every single one of his investigations. It also emphasizes the idea that equality produces justice and that justice and equality go hand in hand. Bosch looks to create equity and fairness in the system through the first half of his credo - ‘Everybody counts.’ The second half, ‘nobody counts,’ emphasizes the interconnectedness of society, and how everyone matters equally.
Bosch isan exemplary character, highly respected, and successful in his own right. He is strong-willed, and not afraid to go out on a limb. There is certainly a playful energy behind what he does, and how he tackles his cases, and he does not give up hope. It’s why he testifies as an expert witness on police interrogation techniques in Jeffrey Herstadt’s trial (a homeless man accused of killing Dr. Basu). He goes through the interrogation disk and tells the court that the confession obtained from Mr. Herstadt is coerced. In another instance, Bosch also keeps looking for Vibiana’s child even when his investigation doesn’t confirm whether she had it or lost it. He goes all out in search of Mr. Vance’s heir because, in his words, he knows what it feels like.
“Everybody counts or nobody counts"is what makes Bosch a great investigator. He understands that justice requires equality, and this quote fromthe final season ofBoschis a testament to his credo:
You know, at my desk at work, I have pictures of three young women. One’s Filipina, one’s Chinese, one’s Latina. Undocumented, illegal, whatever you want to call them. Immigrants. And I don’t know their real names. They’ve never been identified. Their bodies have never been claimed. No one ever reported them missing. Their murders have never been solved, and probably never will be.
He doesn’t see a difference between the privileged, the lesser privileged, and the underprivileged. Knowing that the system is discriminatory, broken, and manipulated, Bosch has to keep reminding himself that everybody matters.
Bosch: Legacycan be streamed on Amazon Freevee and Prime Video.
Bosch: Legacy
Bosch: Legacy picks up where the original Bosch series left off, with the titular detective leaving the LAPD and going into business as a private investigator. Titus Welliver reprises his role as Harry Bosch, along with Mimi Rogers and Madison Lintz. Both shows are based on the novels by author Michael Connelly.
