Renée Ballard’s compact dwelling in Malibu with her dog, Tutu, offers a serene view of Paradise Cove, but it’s her retro 1980s Land Cruiser FJ60 that’s truly captivating. With its stylish power stripes, this vintage vehicle is her chosen partner for detective work. While she has access to a city-issued unmarked Dodge Charger that often fails to start, the Land Cruiser perfectly suits the Los Angeles setting, where cars are a reflection of identity. This choice by the series, created by author and executive producer Michael Connelly, stands out from typical “murder show” clichés where characters are merely defined by their professions. Building on this unique portrayal, Connelly is also known for giving Harry Bosch a ’90s Cherokee Classic and crafting the character of Mickey Haller with a penchant for handling legal matters from iconic Lincolns.

The FJ60 is as distinctive as the metallic clink of its doors. However, its vintage appeal makes it noticeable, as seen in Episode 2 of Ballard. A man in a pickup trails Ballard, making cryptic calls about avoiding repercussions, hinting at the scandalous murder of a maid at the Sunbeam Motel. When Ballard arrives at the crime scene, she immediately bypasses the bravado of the lead detective, cleverly linking the case to one of her unresolved cold cases.

Councilman Pearlman harbors his own suspicions regarding his sister’s 2001 murder and is supported by Nelson Hastings (played by Alain Uy), whose disdainful demeanor toward Ballard suggests he might be undermining her efforts. Despite political meddling and the dismissive attitudes from her former LAPD Robbery-Homicide peers, Ballard is determined to lead her investigative unit her way. Partnered with Zamira Parker, she strategically connects the weapon used in the maid’s murder to the unsolved John Doe case on her cold case board, advancing her pursuit of justice.

Quick! To the LAPD forensics lab, where Ballard encounters “Firearms Freddie” (Andrew Hawtrey), an exotic plant-loving technician. (Just like Honey “Money” Chandler in Legacy; the Bosch Universe loves a punchy nickname.) Freddie’s analysis links the gun to the John Doe case, but there’s a glaring issue in the system: crucial ballistics info is missing, and its absence feels purposeful. Like somebody left it out, as Parker suggests. If she’s right, Ballard says, “we are headed for some dark fucking waters.” 

On the way to her department-mandated session with a staff psychologist, Ballard runs into Detective Olivas again. Just like last time – remember “I plan on burying it in your goddamn back”? – her features turn cold. With him is Ken Chastain (Brian Letscher), another former RHD partner of Ballard’s, and while Chastain’s at least somewhat civil, she’s not happy to see him, either. These men, her supposed fellow cops, represent feelings that are still raw within her, and it’s something Dr. Sandoval (Romi Dias) gently tries to probe. Is the detective’s cold case work proving to be a “secondary trauma,” in addition to the incident she won’t directly address? “I wasn’t raped,” Renée snaps at Sandoval, who clarifies that’s only because she fought off her attacker. And the session ends abruptly on this sharp note.

Back at her Malibu home, and sporting a freshly bruised eye from chasing down a perp related to the Sunbeam situation, Renée is in a slightly better mood. She invited Lifeguard Guy for dinner, and he ends up staying over. But while he’s respectful of her boundaries and distance, he also notes how deeply she holds her traumas. “Sometimes it’s better for me to keep you in the dark,” she tells him. “Because maybe I can join you there.”

Hey, it’s Harry Bosch! When the retired LAPD detective and former investigating officer on the Pearlman-connected murder drops in on Ballard, they repair to Rutt’s Hawaiian Cafe in West LA for lunch, and honestly the plate Renée orders looks delicious. Just like her Land Cruiser and pad in Malibu, we love these little proper noun details. They lend such a strong sense of place to the TV universe Ballard is working within. Unfortunately for the cold case, Harry can’t offer much more insight. But he does make an observation. Detective Ballard picking her own team of outsiders, and working in their basement lair at least mostly away from prying LAPD eyes – in a way it’s a choice assignment for lone wolf-coded cops like them.

(Will Titus Welliver continue to surface in Ballard? It was never ruled out, but it’s also undefined. Additionally, this episode features Welliver in a voiceover, reading the murder book notes as Bosch, so perhaps he’ll appear in different ways throughout. Related fast fact: Welliver also narrates the Harry Bosch audiobooks.)

We’ll call him The Follower for now, because he hasn’t been officially introduced. But we do learn a little more about the guy in the pickup tailing Ballard, and none of it is good. “I could have a little fun with that – she won’t know what hit her,” he’s saying into his phone. This guy seems to have more in mind than just tracking Ballard’s movements. And when he gets out of his truck, he flashes an LAPD badge on the chain around his neck before casually walking into work. Funny – and suspicious, and probably dangerous – how members of the same organization that ostracized Detective Ballard are so goddamn interested in her cold case work.

Johnny Loftus (@johnnyloftus.bsky.social) is a Chicago-based writer. A veteran of the alternative weekly trenches, his work has also appeared in Entertainment Weekly, Pitchfork, The All Music Guide, and The Village Voice.