Dark Winds Recap: Gods and Monsters

by

In modern TV shows, it’s common for an episode to deviate from the ongoing storyline to focus on a standalone plot, like the one-afternoon affair episode of ‘Girls’ featuring Patrick Wilson. However, in procedural series like ‘Dark Winds‘, such novelistic digressions are less frequent. Instead, the narrative is primarily driven by solving a mystery – there’s a murder case, with additional mysteries involving Halsey, Cata, Vines, and George’s disappearance. The writers understand that what truly binds ‘Dark Winds‘ together is Joe Leaphorn’s evolving, intricate personality. This week, we delve deeper into understanding who Joe Leaphorn is, and more crucially, why he is the way he is.

This week’s episode features three connected storylines: a dreamlike sequence, the current events, and Margaret’s retelling of the Battle of the Yé’iitsoh, fought by the twin heroes Monster Slayer and Born For Water. As Margaret’s account intertwines with Joe’s personal struggle against the monster and his inner exploration, Joe sometimes embodies the twins and at other times, the monster. Last week, invoking the same myth, Joe shared with Margaret his worry that he had transgressed the emotional boundary between the two. However, what distinguishes the Hero Twins from a monster, and Joe from an ordinary man?

In essence, the narrative Margaret shares is portrayed in a play format, where twin siblings yearned to go hunting, causing their mother concern about encountering monsters at home. Their grandmother suggested they visit their father, the Sun, who would equip them with potent weapons to vanquish Yé’iitsoh and the earth’s roaming monsters. The Sun bestowed them with Lightning and Sunbeam, but these tools failed against Yé’iitsoh. It was only when Monster Slayer devised a plan to use the monster’s own weapons against him that they succeeded in defeating Yé’iitsoh. However, upon returning home with the monster’s head, their mother struggled to recognize them due to their transformation from the experiences and actions they had endured. Monster Slayer was so beautiful that his mother found it terrifying.

In Joe’s dream, the initial vision of the Hero Twins he meets is a depiction of himself as a child alongside his young cousin, Will. After being wounded by an arrow in his real life, presumably fired by Yé’iitsoh, Joe awakens in a sun-drenched desert landscape. A blood trail guides him to a priest who plays a crucial role in the unfolding events and serves as a moral compass for Joe. A stray soccer ball leads him to young Joe and Will. He follows them to his childhood home, which feels strange: water flows from the bathroom faucet, ants infest the guest room, and his dinner plate is shattered. His family acknowledges him but can’t explain why he’s there. Over dinner, young Joe begs his father, Henry, not to take him to church.

In this sequence, the events unfold according to a dream-like progression: locations shift between their usual identities and unexpected functions. Upon reentering the dreamworld, Joe is alarmed by George’s distressful message about the approaching monster, only to find the same priest, now alive, conducting mass at the Kayenta Police Station. There, his father, cousin, and younger self are found in the pews, but Joe can’t linger; he must return to George urgently. Remarkably, the unnamed priest advises him that he cannot rejoin George in the desert until he has first resolved his own murder mystery.

In a different world, a goal gives it structure and the prospect of its conclusion: Joe appears momentarily to instruct George to grab his gun and head to his truck. Following this, he’s at the Kayenta Police Station, handcuffed to an interrogation table. He’s comforted by Emma’s arrival, but she’s upset with him due to his failure to fulfill a promise about building her garden fence, which has allowed rabbits to eat her vegetables. He defends himself, somewhat patronizingly, by stating that he needs to solve the priest’s murder so as to reach George. However, Emma has had enough – he consistently prioritizes his cases over her needs. In a show of defiance, she retrieves the handcuff key from within a green pepper and swallows it. I appreciate this display of anger from Emma; after all, accountability for their relationship should be part of him. She matches Joe’s determination with her own resolve to stand firm, an attitude she’s only recently adopted in their actual life.

In a turn of events, Joe manages to escape from the interrogation room only to find himself locked up in a cell within the station, while Will mops the floor outside. Crying out for help, Joe realizes that his cousin can’t hear him. His frustration turns into despair as he watches a priest lead Will into the office, closing the door and blinds behind them, disregarding Joe’s growing pleas. This scene carries a powerful impact; it’s our first insight into Joe’s past trauma involving child abuse. Moreover, it strikes a chord because it mirrors the raw, unsettling quality of nightmares: trapped in bars, Joe is powerless to act. He can’t save his cousin despite knowing that something terrible is about to occur to him.

Briefly returning to the real world, Joe manages to remove the dart from his neck and regains enough strength to see Yé’iitsoh drawing near. A battle ensues, with Joe eventually striking Yé’iitsoh with a rock before collapsing once more. As he awakens in the dreamscape, he finds himself back in the scorching desert where our story began, following the same trail of blood to encounter the priest. After apprehending him and confining him to his home kitchen cell, Joe’s experiences align with Margaret’s retelling of the Hero Twins myth: the priest is Yé’iitsoh; Joe and George are the twins. However, another challenge arises before Joe can face off against the monster-priest. It should come as no surprise that this obstacle takes the form of a white individual representing the United States government’s interests.

Agent Washington approaches Joe, inquisitive about what he’s up to; he’s supposed to be investigating this man’s murder. Joe attempts to explain his actions: the priest is a known child abuser who deserves punishment. However, she seems unable to comprehend him any more than Will could. Instead, she directs him to navigate the powers that rule, the same ones who can acquit a priest for molesting a child but convict a Navajo man for fighting for his son’s justice. Dancing metaphorically with these forces, Washington clarifies that while Joe sees monsters, society perceives these men as deserving of legal protection and chances to reform. It is only by reconciling the gap between true justice and justice according to his badge that he will be able to vanquish the monster.

In a desert, Joe finds himself awakening at the same time George discovers he’s out of ammunition for attacking Yé’iitsoh. As he reloads his weapon, George applies a makeshift bandage to the wound the monster inflicted on Joe’s leg, causing him to lose consciousness once more. Upon regaining awareness, Joe finds himself back in his childhood room with his younger self, who reveals a plan to halt the priest: they will use Henry’s gun. Trying to dissuade him, Joe argues that such an action is too heavy for a child and would forever alter him. However, young Joe counters by reminding him they have already carried such responsibility; it’s too late.

As I step into the Kayenta Police Station, a hazy recollection stirs within me. “Did we… did we do it?” I whisper to myself. The priest stands before me, mirroring Yé’iitsoh from last week’s episode. My pistol transforms into an imaginary one, and I lunge towards him in a desperate attempt to subdue him, ultimately suffocating him.

I assume that by taking this life, I have solved the mystery – protecting my cousin, myself, and other boys of the Navajo Nation. However, as the priest regains consciousness, he clarifies that what transpired was not as I remember. At the time, his death was presumed; officially, he went missing, just like B.J. Vines.

It’s ultimately Henry, Joe’s father, who possesses the complete truth. Just beyond the station, Henry appears to be scattering dirt over a suspected grave. When Joe disclosed that Will had been mistreated by the priest, Henry – at one point, a lieutenant of the Navajo Tribal Police, much like his son – attempted to seek justice through established systems. He reached out to the U.S. Attorney’s office, the courthouse, and a judge. However, he couldn’t apprehend the priest himself due to lack of jurisdiction, and those who could wouldn’t. Following in his son’s footsteps years later, Henry enacted his own form of justice among their people. In a world where “our people suffer punishment without protection,” Henry tells Joe, “we only have one option.” Although he acknowledges that neither can find true peace with the deal they made, Henry knows it’s all they can use to cope with their actions. The predicament is insoluble, yet both Henry and Joe grapple with the burden of justice: it’s the only solace they can find in a world where figures like B.J. Vineses and priests seem to escape unscathed.

the boundary between humans and monsters is merely an illusion. Essentially, there is nothing to differentiate humans from monsters; at least, not anything other than the intention behind their actions. Both Henry and Joe can endure the consequences of their choices since they were motivated by justice. Although justice may never be enough, it still holds significance. According to Henry, if Joe seeks a clear-cut answer – whether his actions were right or wrong – he is posing the incorrect question.

Upon finding himself in the desert, Joe orders George to head towards the truck while he persists in chasing the beast, despite his wounds. After a couple of misfires, he eventually hits the creature on its shoulder. Following a trail of blood, he comes across a rock bearing the imprint of a human hand. This sight causes him to chuckle incredulously, his mind hazy with delirium. He manages to get in touch with Chee over the radio to inform him about his injury and their pursuit of a suspect on foot, approximately 6’2″ tall, wearing dark clothing, who is not a monster – just a man.

One interpretation of the Hero Twins myth suggests that it serves as a warning about dealing with threatening figures. In the story, only the monster’s own weapons could harm him. For Joe, if his fear of monstrosity arises, he must confront that fear head-on, understanding its origins and finding comfort in its presence to ultimately vanquish the beast. Translated into everyday language, this implies that if the source of fear is identified and accepted, it becomes possible to overcome the perceived monster. In Joe’s current world, this could symbolize hope: if the monster is not truly monstrous but merely a person, then they share the same resources. This means that Joe can engage in combat with him, pursue justice without worrying about his past.

Case Notes

In the course of two quarters of the season, Dark Winds has left viewers pondering whether Yé’iitsoh represents a character or symbol. However, the mystery deepens as the culprit behind the gruesome murders of Ernesto Cata and Halsey remains unidentified. With George joining our quest for answers, we may be edging closer to some resolution. I’m leaning towards Spenser and that crafty Muños having a hand in it.

In the world of “Dark Winds“, Abidoo’niidee cleverly unfolded Joe’s past by utilizing a dreamscape, providing depth without appearing overbearing through conventional dialogue or flashbacks. I’d like to delve into Chee and Bern’s histories in a similar subtle manner, offering a richer understanding of their characters.

Read More

2025-04-14 05:58