Dark Winds Season 3 Episode 7 Recap: The desert keeps its secrets close and only tells those who are brave enough to listen. In “Just A Small Piece” (T’áá Áłts’íísígo), the second-to-last episode of Dark Winds Season 3, the truth starts to poke its way to the surface. Two boys are seen leaving behind a bloody patch of ground and a single bicycle. While Bernadette Manuelito is at the Border Patrol, Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee are on the hunt for a killer who is hiding in plain sight. As the time runs out, each choice could mean life or death. Who is willing to pay the price to find out what is buried in the sands of the Navajo Nation?
A Desert Stained with Blood
The episode opens with Joe Leaphorn (Zahn McClarnon) battered but unbowed, his leg torn open from a brutal encounter with a figure he’s been chasing—a man shrouded in a hood, who Leaphorn’s mind has twisted into the monstrous Ye’iitsoh of Navajo lore. The desert is vast, but Leaphorn knows its veins. Bleeding and limping, he radios Jim Chee (Kiowa Gordon), who’s towing his horse trailer nearby. Chee arrives just in time to patch Leaphorn’s wound, though the makeshift fix won’t hold long. Leaphorn, ever the stubborn warrior, urges Chee to pursue the hooded man who fled. Chee hesitates—leaving his mentor to bleed out feels wrong—but Leaphorn’s iron will prevails.
Chee tracks the suspect to a desolate stretch of road. The confrontation is fierce. Chee’s pistol runs dry, and he scrambles for his rifle, but the hooded man is no phantom. He’s flesh and blood, driving a car and fueled by a desperate need to escape. Chee’s bullets fly, but the man speeds off, leaving dust and questions in his wake. Strangely, this figure lacks the eerie twigs and deathly aura Leaphorn described. He’s just a man. So why does Leaphorn see a monster?
The answer lies in Leaphorn’s soul. His wife, Emma (Deanna Allison), warned him that killing BJ Vines would bind the man’s ghost to their lives. Leaphorn dismissed it, even as his friend Gordo shared his own haunting visions of a man he’d killed. Now, Leaphorn can’t deny it: BJ Vines’ memory warps his perception, painting the hooded man as a demon. It’s a heavy burden, one that strains his already crumbling marriage. Emma, grieving their son Joe Jr. and Leaphorn’s emotional distance, has reached her limit. She’s leaving to stay with her sister, needing space from the man she loves but can’t reach.
FBI Special Agent Sylvia Washington (Jenna Elfman) senses the rift and visits Emma, urging her to “do the right thing” and tell the truth about Leaphorn’s alibi the night Vines died. Washington’s tone is patronizing, blind to the Navajo’s distrust of a system that’s failed them. Emma, fierce in her loyalty, confirms Leaphorn was with her that night. She knows Vines deserved his fate for exploiting and killing her people, including her son. But her personal pain runs deeper. Joe Jr.’s death fractured their marriage, and Leaphorn’s retreat into silence widened the gap. Vines’ death was just the final straw. Forgiveness may come, but not today.
The Trail to Ernesto’s Killer
Back at the investigation, Leaphorn and Chee scour the mines where Ernesto Cata, one of the missing boys, was last seen. Leaphorn’s truck and wallet have been looted, pointing to George, a young worker at the dig site who’s been scraping by, dreaming of escaping to Reno to find his mother. The clues pile up. Leaphorn spots shoe prints matching those found near Ernesto’s abandoned bike. They belong to a tall man, ruling out Budge, a suspect in another killing. The hooded man is their killer.
In the mines, Leaphorn and Chee uncover strange objects coated in coal dust. A quick rinse reveals they’re white, not black—molds meant to protect fragile items. Leaphorn, with his anthropology degree, recognizes them as custom casings for a tiny arrowhead found in Ernesto’s mouth. Dr. Reynolds (Christopher Heyerdahl), the dig site’s overseer, dismissed the arrowhead as a cheap replica. But why craft a mold for a fake? Suspicion grows.
Leaphorn visits the dig site, only to find Reynolds gone and his assistant, Teddi Isaacs (Carly Roland), packing up after losing their grant. Teddi recalls finding a fragment of the arrowhead, but the mold proves it wasn’t local—it was planted. Reynolds, desperate for fame, forged the find, chipping the authentic Folsom arrowhead and burying a piece for Teddi to discover. Ernesto and George caught him in the act, stealing the arrowhead and mold. Reynolds pursued them, and when Ernesto hid the arrowhead in his mouth, Reynolds killed him with a claw hammer. Now, he’s hunting George, who’s headed to Reno’s train station. Leaphorn, Chee, and Gordo’s team prepare to intercept Reynolds at the chaotic station, hoping to save George before it’s too late.
Betrayal at the Border
Meanwhile, Bernadette Manuelito (Jessica Matten) is unraveling a conspiracy at the Border Patrol. Her suspicions about Border Patrol Agent Ivan Muños (Alex Meraz) have grown since their trip to Mexico, where he tampered with her photos. She’s playing along, but her guard is up. The only ally she trusts is Border Patrol Agent Eleanda Garza (Tonantzin Carmelo), who eagerly joined Bern’s secret investigation. It’s a choice Bern will regret.
Bern shares her theory: Ivan is on Tom Spenser’s payroll, helping smuggle drugs across the border. Her hunch is confirmed when Ivan confronts Border Patrol Senior Chief Ed Henry (Terry Serpico), the border official in Spenser’s pocket. Their heated exchange reveals Ivan’s role—and his unexpected feelings for Bern. He’s torn, wanting to protect her from Spenser’s enforcer, Budge, whose ruthlessness terrifies even him. Ivan’s pleas to drop the case weren’t just self-preservation; he fears for Bern’s life.
Bern’s sharp mind, honed by Leaphorn’s influence, pieces together the smuggling operation. The “pigs” a Mexican child mentioned are Pipeline Inspection Gadgets—yellow devices Bern saw at Spenser’s ranch. These PIGs, meant for oil pipelines, are perfect for hiding drugs. Spenser’s been using them to move product undetected. Bern takes her findings to Garza, who suggests getting a warrant to raid the ranch. It’s a trap.
The raid feels too easy. Drugs are scattered in plain sight, sloppy for Spenser’s crew. As Bern searches the ranch alone, Garza pretends to call for backup. Bern finds a hidden room holding three terrified Mexican captives. Before she can act, Garza reveals her true allegiance. She’s working for Spenser, and her call wasn’t to the police—it was to Budge. Bern is ambushed and kidnapped, dragged into a nightmare. If Leaphorn and Chee are to save her, they’ll need Ivan’s insider knowledge. But will he risk everything to help?
A Reckoning Looms
“Just A Small Piece” weaves a tapestry of loss, loyalty, and deception. Leaphorn’s physical and emotional wounds mirror the fractured Navajo Nation, scarred by outsiders like Reynolds and Spenser. His pursuit of Ernesto’s killer is as much about justice as it is about confronting his own demons. Emma’s departure leaves him grappling with regret, while Chee’s loyalty anchors him. Bern’s bravery, meanwhile, has led her into a trap, her fate hanging in the balance.
The episode’s revelations—Reynolds’ forgery, Spenser’s smuggling, Garza’s betrayal—land with weight, though their suddenness hints at threads left loose earlier in the season. Still, the stakes feel real. As Leaphorn prepares to face Reynolds at the train station and Bern fights for survival, the desert holds its breath. The finale looms, promising a clash where truth and blood will spill in equal measure.
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