‘Dark Winds’ Recap: ‘Na’nilkaadii’

7/31/2023

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Zahn McClarnon as Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn in Episode 201 of ‘Dark Winds’ – ‘Na’nilkaadii’. (Photo Courtesy of Michael Moriatis/AMC.)

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the Season Two Premiere of ‘Dark Winds’. To revisit the Season One Finale, clickhere. 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.

It is definitely safe to say that season one of the AMC series, Dark Winds, was nothing short of a breath of fresh air, for several reasons. For starters, it was an engaging crime drama set in a vastly different era of American History, the 1970s. Wherein advanced crime fighting techniques were unavailable to investigators. Which meant good old fashioned police work had to come into play, and that brought forth a juicy and detailed investigation that eventually revealed some ugly crimes steeped in robbery and vigilantism in the name of Indigenous Americans, and so much more. Not to mention… it is the Indigenous American aspect of this series that truly made it quite refreshing and quite special. Since it was set on a Navajo Reservation and also focused on the struggles of the Navajo people.

Giving rise to representation that remains rare in 2023 since we don’t see enough Indigenous Americans or their culture on television or in film. But this series put the Navajo front and center and that is simply amazing and well, all of those elements left us eager for more of this series, and thankfully, our wait for just that has come to an end. For last night saw the season two premiere of this dynamic series debut on AMC and well… it didn’t take long for us to learn through a harrowing shootout involving Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn and Sergeant Bernadette Manuelito, that season two is going to offer a higher stakes case for Joe than last season provided us with. But before we dive too deeply into that, we should take a moment and reflect upon the fact that ‘Na’nilkaadii’ also took the time to explore what everyone was up to after defeating the Buffalo Society and crooked FBI Agent Leland Whitover.

As it turned out, life simply went on. For Joe and Bernadette were back to their usual routine at the station and investigating more common crimes on the Reservation. Such as potential alien attacks, as cited by one high individual, and locking up folks that felt the need to not listen to what Joe and Bernadette had to say when they warned them to stop crossing the line. Not to mention, Jim Chee decided the time had come to leave the FBI behind after the hell he experienced working for them, and instead take up a new life as a private investigator. Wherein he could do good deeds both small and large for the people of the Reservation, and had we not started off with a grand shootout, it would have seemed that peaceful times were ahead for everyone in this story.

Kiowa Gordon and Jeri Ryan as Jim Chee and Rosemary Vines in Episode 201 of ‘Dark Winds’ – ‘Na’nilkaadii’. (Photo Courtesy of Michael Moriatis/AMC.)

But alas, those catch up moments were days before the shootout in question, which meant… we were bearing witness to the steady end of better days ahead and really… the ugly in this tale and the reality that Joe and his team were about to face off against something more sinister and powerful than the Buffalo Society, was made apparent when something horrifying happened at the local hospital. For while Emma was taking care of a patient, a car bomb went off. One designed to terminate the life of a man sick with cancer. Why exactly, wasn’t immediately apparent. Which is why Joe was on the case and the nasty nature of this crime, did push him to learn why as quickly as possible and well, soon the audience and Joe were privy to the knowledge that an unwelcome visitor to the Reservation, and other dark forces, were working together to bring something sinister to life.

For eventually, Joe and Jim teamed up, since Jim was working a PI case related to this, and they came to learn that everything seemed to be linking back to an ultra-secret society on the Reservation known as the People of Darkness. A group steeped in mystical concepts, to the point where seeing into the future was commonplace for them, since one of their members predicted the explosion that killed Joe Jr. All of which Joe and Jim were skeptical of until they arrived at a retrieval site for an item stolen on Jim’s end of the case. Since an item thought lost to the explosion that Joe Jr. was wearing on that fateful day was retrieved. Which truly inferred that something incredible was at play here. But alas, before Joe and Jim could properly process this stunning surprise, trouble arrived. Because… a very snake like individual that spent a great deal of time either lurking or killing in this episode, made their presence known, and offered up a threat… in a supremely explosive manner. Setting the stage for a very brutal and personal case for Joe Leaphorn. Since that discovery will absolutely drive him and haunt him.

If anything, this was just… an amazing season premiere when all is said and done, for several reasons. Such as the fact that it did a wonderful job of immersing us back into this world through its dynamic characters, that we’ve come to love. Plus, it invested us deeply in the stakes at hand since we are indeed worried about Joe and Bernadette and of course… it set the stage for a compelling case, since we are all quite curious about the People of Darkness and their agenda and of course… we must know what that weird lookin’ fella wants and how he is tied to all of this. And immersion and grand setup is all you can ask for from a quality season premiere and we got that in spades here… and so much more. Since we were also treated to a beautifully woven story that brought everything together in an organic and smooth manner, and it would seem… that the more mystical side of the Navajo people is going to be explored this season. Giving rise to more education about a people that deserve their day in the sun and well… it truly is wonderful to have this engaging and dynamic series back on the air, and it will be interesting to see how this case plays out as season two of this magnificent show continues along. Until next time.

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