Title:"Mama's Boy"
Directed by: Ernest Dickerson
Written by: William N Fordes
Air Date: February 13, 2015
Previous: Fugazi
Next: Donkey's Years
Guest Starring: Veronica Cartwright
"Mama's Boy" is the 5th episode of the first season of Bosch.
Crate lingers in the hospital, having survived being shot in the gut by Raynard Waits. Airships fly over the city looking for him, while back at headquarters, Harry Bosch begins to organize the search.
Waits is in a garage in a residential home, applying makeup to conceal the bruises and cuts he took from face planting in the Abandoned Warehouse. He then enters, sneaks up behind an elderly woman, grabs her—and gives her a hug. She's his mom, and she calls him "David". It soon is clear that "Ma" (Veronica Cartwright) is infirm, with poor eyesight, lupus, and a host of medications that she needs David's help to keep track of. She also has no idea he was even in trouble, asking him how his "trip" went.
Back at headquarters, Irving refuses to let Bosch on the task force searching for Waits, because he knows Bosch's Cowboy Cop ways too well. Instead, Bosch and Edgar go interview Samuel Delacroix, Arthur's father. Delacroix, now a pathetic drunk, eventually breaks down and admits to murdering his son. Bosch and Edgar arrest him, but various discrepancies in his story, including the unlikelihood of a drunkard being able to haul a body up a steep hill, eventually convince them that Delacroix is lying.
Bosch returns to Arthur Delacroix's trailer to check on his cat. He finds Sheila Delacroix in the trailer, claiming to also be retrieving the cat. After Sheila leaves, cat in tow, Bosch looks around the trailer. He finds a hidden stash of Polaroids indicating that when she was a child, Sheila Delacroix was sexually abused by her father.
Tropes:
- Bait-and-Switch: The whole scene where Waits enters the old lady's home is shot to be extremely ominous, with him sneaking up quietly while tense music plays on the soundtrack. Then he hugs her, upbraids her for leaving the door unlocked, and calls her "Ma".
- Cowboy Cop: Discussed, as Irving says this is exactly why he won't let Bosch on the task force.Irving: I know too well your propensity for operating ad hoc, Bosch.
- Dramatic Irony: Tons of this in the exchange where extremely nearsighted Ma, squinting at the TV that is reporting on the Waits manhunt, asks "David" why Waits killed that boy and if the police will catch him. David thinks it's only a matter of time before Waits is apprehended.
- Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas: Turns out that Raynard Waits, aka "David", depraved serial killer, is also a loving son and caretaker to his elderly, infirm mom.
- False Confession: Delacroix admits to killing his son but Bosch and Edgar are doubtful. Edgar heads to the hill where Delacroix claims to have dragged his son's body and nearly breaks his neck falling down it. He agrees with Bosch that if an athletic, fully sober cop couldn't do this, there's no way some elderly drunk man could have.
- Living a Double Life: When he isn't out and about strangling male prostitutes and throwing their corpses in the back of his van, Waits/David is cooking his mom dinner and making sure she's taking the right medications.
- No-Tell Motel: The motel where Waits takes his victim advertises adult movies.
- Parental Incest: Suspicious about Sheila Delacroix being in her father's trailer, Bosch searches it. He finds photographic proof that Sheila's father carried on an abusive sexual relationship with her.
- Streetwalker: Waits picks up a male prostitute on the street, takes him to a motel, and strangles him to death.
- Vomit Indiscretion Shot: Sam Delacroix, who was drunk for his interview with Bosch and Edgar, pukes all over the back of the squad car. Edgar is upset because it's his turn to clean the car. Then as he is taken out of the car Delacroix pukes all over Edgar's fancy shoes.
