AMC+‘s “Dark Winds” centers on the trio of Joe Leaphorn, Jim Chee, and Bernadette Manuelito, who investigate crimes in the Navajo Nation and are based on the novels People of Darkness by Tony Hillerman. The program, which is set in the 1970s, explores the characters’ individual hardships while using fictional cases to reflect on the genuine problems that Native American society faces. Season 2 finds Zahn McClarnon‘s Navajo Police Lt. Joe Leaphorn investigating a car bombing that leads him and former Fed Jim Chee (Kiowa Gordon), now a private eye working for a femme fatale played by Jeri Ryan, into danger. (tvacute.com) Here are some of the events from the ‘Dark Winds’ Season 2 premiere.
Dark Winds Season 2 Episode 2 Recap: Explained!
Dark Winds Season 1 Episode 6 Recap
Dark Winds Season 2 Episode 1 Recap
“Dark Winds,” the first episode of Season 2, opens with a dramatic scenario in the desert as Lt. Joe Leaphorn and Sgt. Manuelito is looking into a parked RV at night. A potentially hazardous encounter results when the owner of the RV starts shooting at them. The suspect Colton Wolf (played by Nicholas Logan) as he dramatically enters, instilling fear. He proceeds to spray the trailer with his assault weapon, effectively trapping the Navajo Police officers. Our scene transitions with a title card: “Six Days Ago.” The scene effectively captivates viewers with its neo-noir visuals. It sets the stage for another dramatic story set in the 1971 Navajo Nation, where both earthly and potentially supernatural evil forces come into play.
An automobile explodes outside a hospital where Joe’s wife, Emma (Deanna Allison), was waiting for a patient six days before this incident. Sheriff Gordo Sena, portrayed by A. Martinez, is introduced as a suspect in the case as a result of this occurrence.
The fatality was the brother of someone who had previously issued a warning about an explosion at the oil drilling site where Joe Jr. worked, and he passed away in unusual circumstances, according to Leaphorn, who believes the explosion was triggered by a bomb.
Joe looks for Tomas Charley (Robert I. Mesa), the deceased victim’s son while conducting his investigation. In the meantime, we join up with private eye Jim Chee, who subsequently meets a new client named Rosemary Vines the wife of B.J. Vines (John Diehl) after assisting an elderly woman. Rosemary says her house was broken into, and she thinks Tomas Charley was responsible for the theft. She thinks the crime was retaliation for her husband severing relations with a gang known as the People of Darkness by stealing their money.
Chee and Leaphorn cross paths as they look for information about the package that was taken. They arrive at the Malpais, where they find Joe Jr.’s name carved on a burned Navajo Rodeo buckle. Leaphorn is greatly affected by this because his son’s heirloom was worn on the day of his passing.
The same tall, blond man from the desert scene shoots Chee with a rifle, interfering with their inquiry. When their attacker sets fire to Joe’s truck and causes an explosion that leaves them stuck miles from anywhere, their attempts at retaliation are further hampered.
Leaphorn muses on how his son’s alleged accidental death might be related to this current case as the mystery grows more complex. As Joe unearths information about what actually happened to his kid, his moral code is tested throughout the season, giving rise to internal conflicts over justice and retribution.
Dark Winds Season 2 Episode 3: Chee’s Risk and Leaphorn’s Discovery
