‘Bosch: Legacy’ Season 2 Ending Explained: Who Is Preston Borders?
Has Harry Bosch crossed the line? The cop-turned-PI has always had a tendency to push boundaries in the pursuit of justice. But a surprising revelation in the season 2 finale of Amazon Freevee’s Bosch: Legacy suggests that his thirst for vengeance – and his desire to protect his daughter Maddie – has led him to make a dangerous choice that could have far-reaching implications.
[Warning: This article contains spoilers for Bosch: Legacy Season 2.]
An old ‘Bosch’ villain resurfaces in the ‘Bosch: Legacy’ Season 2 finale
Bosch: Legacy Season 2 began with Maddie (Madison Lintz) fighting for her life after being abducted by Kurt Dockweiler (David Denman), the screen-cutter rapist. While Maddie survived and Dockweiler was sent to prison, the ordeal left lasting scars.
In the finale, Maddie learns that Dockweiler has died of a drug overdose while behind bars. The news provides little relief. Harry (Titus Welliver) tells her he got what he deserved, probably at the hands of other inmates who wanted to punish a sexual predator. But Maddie feels he should have had to “rot” in prison.
But could there be more to Dockweiler’s death than it seems? In the last moments of the finale, Harry gets a collect call from a prison inmate on his cell. He’s out walking Coltrane and has left his phone behind, so a curious Maddie answers instead. On the other end of the line is a man whose name we haven’t heard in a while: Preston Borders (Chris Browning).
Borders is a rapist and murderer who Harry helped put away decades ago. In Bosch Season 5, Harry’s work on the case was called into question when Borders claimed he’d been wrongfully convicted. Though Borders ultimately didn’t go free, Harry did discover that key evidence he’d found at the crime scene had been planted by Chief Irvin Irving (Lance Reddick). Irving, then a lieutenant, had found a pendant belonging to one of the victims during an illegal search of Borders’ belongings. The item proved Borders’ guilt, and to ensure a conviction, Irving placed it in his apartment for another officer to find.
Did Harry Bosch order Kurt Dockweiler’s murder?
Borders is no fan of Harry Bosch, so why is he ringing him up out of the blue? He has a message for his former adversary, which he asks Maddie to deliver.
“Tell your father I did what he wanted,” he says. “Dockweiler. Tell him I took care of it.”
A stunned Maddie confronts Harry as soon as he returns from his walk.
“Dad. What did you do?” she asks.
The episode ends before Harry answers, but the implication is clear. Dockweiler’s death wasn’t an accidental overdose or a case of random inmate-on-inmate violence. Harry wanted the man who hurt his daughter dead, and he got Borders to take care of it.
Preston Borders’ comments could drive a wedge between Harry and Maddie
Time and again, we’ve seen Harry bend the rules if he thinks it’s necessary to get justice. But having another person killed is an extreme step, even for a maverick like Harry Bosch. Could there be more to this story? It’s hard to imagine him turning to a man he loathes to do his dirty work. Plus, what would Borders have to gain from helping someone who’s tirelessly worked to keep him behind bars? There’s a chance that Borders’ role in Dockweiler’s death is more complicated than it looks right now.
We’ll have to wait until Bosch: Legacy Season 3 to see how Harry explains Borders’ comments to Maddie. But this situation threatens to drive a wedge between father and daughter. Harry’s rule-breaking ways have already made things difficult for Maddie in her new career as an LAPD officer. If she suspects he’s had someone killed (ostensibly to protect her), she may have to choose between her loyalty to her father and her own commitment to doing what’s right.
All episodes of Bosch: Legacy Season 2 are now streaming on Amazon Freevee.
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