‘Dark Winds’ Recap: ‘Antigonish’

8/14/2023

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Zahn McClarnon as Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn in Episode 203 of ‘Dark Winds’ – ‘Antigonish’. (Photo Courtesy of Michael Moriatis/AMC.)

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 203 of ‘Dark Winds’. To revisit the previous episode, click here. Also, this piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the series being covered here wouldn’t exist.

One of the most difficult struggles/lessons we will deal with in this life, is figuring out exactly how we balance our emotions with our daily life when hard times are upon us or dark news falls into our laps. Because all we want to do when the clouds roll in, is hide, and feels our feels or deal with whatever is in front of us as only we know how to do. But alas, the world keeps on turning, and life doesn’t stop while we hurt. Which means we still have to trudge into work and deal with the mundane stuff we simply don’t want to… and therein lies the difficulty. For we will in fact, have to push through now and again and figure out how to remain professional and succinct while our heart aches and our emotions boil. If anything, this tough moment in life is top of mind today, simply because it was one of the focal themes of this week’s episode of Dark Winds on AMC.

For ‘Antigonish’ picked up shortly after Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn received the news from Benny regarding the fact that the Blond Man was floating around the Reservation shortly before Joe Junior died in that terrible accident, and that he was likely responsible for Joe Junior’s death, and that put Joe in quite the tough place. Because just like that… his life was turned upside down and he had likely faced off against the man that took his son from this world, and that was a lot to process and a lot to weigh upon his soul. Which was why we were treated to a powerful moment between Emma and Joe, wherein the gravity of this and the emotion was present in almost mere silence, and of course… the power of that moment, and the pain present within it, set the stage for the lesson at hand. For while Joe tried to reconcile this truth and ponder upon a way forward… the man responsible for such pain was back at it and causing incredible trouble.

Because the Blond Man had of course arrived at the hospital and had his eyes on putting Jim Chee down. But thankfully, Jim recognized this monster from the shootout, and was able to evade him in a tense sequence of events. Wherein Jim and the Blond Man played a horrible game of cat and mouse while Jim waited for help. For he was able to get word to Bernadette that the monster was in his midst, and this jackass even sustained a little damage in the fight. But alas, he did indeed escape and well… the manhunt that followed is where Joe had to learn that valuable lesson. Because just like that, Joe was in the thick of it again, and desperately searching for this man, while trying to maintain a professional air, and that was no easy task. For now, his son was part of this and the father in him needed real justice through and through and it was powerful to watch Joe go through this and struggle with it as so many of us do.

Kiowa Gordon as Jim Chee in Episode 203 of ‘Dark Winds’ – ‘Antigonish’. (Photo Courtesy of Michael Moriatis/AMC.)

Yet what made this episode so incredibly worthwhile, is that it offered up so much more than just Joe’s struggles to be the perfect cop and the perfect father. For the manhunt provided the story with some respite from the action and the tension, wherein we could further explore the lives of the characters. And learn how Jim Chee is a man that engenders great trust and is someone that people look up to, as evidenced by how he handled the Benny situation when Benny needed a ride to be handed off to his mother. Plus, this also allowed for us to see how Emma was handling the struggles of pregnant women on the reservation and the fight she continued to have with that intrepid reporter, and… believe it or not… there was enough downtime in this story to allow for us to learn more about the Blond Man.

Such as the fact that he has been desperately searching, for his mother. Which added a new and unfortunate layer to the man. Because that revelation, made it clear that this creep is flat out damaged goods. That prototypical dude bro with mommy issues that feels he must resort to violence to find peace over that which he cannot reconcile with his mother. Which makes him even more dangerous than before, because any man that happens to harbor this level of emotional damage and will go to extremes in this manner to feel something… is as scary as they come. Not to mention, his determination and cruelty in this tale knew no bounds and it would seem… that Joe and Bernadette are indeed about to learn just how mad this man truly happens to be. Since the show is catching up to that epic shootout, we saw in the opening minutes of season two.

But what matters more… is that once again, the characters were king in this tale. For we were able to see our intrepid hero deal with some relatable matters, and we truly came to learn more about Jim and Emma and what makes them tick, and we even were privy to learning about the villain and see the depths of his evil… alongside enjoying action and adventure and incredible tension. Which means this episode had it all really, and it once again reminded of why we love it so. For it’s a Navajo Noir Western filled with depth and humanity, and it can wow us on a moment’s notice with tension and action that takes our breath away. And now that we are minutes away from having Joe and Bernadette take fire from this maniac, the time has come for us to wait with bated breath to see where this powerful story takes us next and to see if Joe can find the balance he desperately needs right now. Until next time.

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