Dark Winds Recap: No Regrets

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The excitement of the detective genre, as seen in Dark Winds, has some similarities, notably with the character of Joe Leaphorn – it’s the pleasure of observing how the puzzle pieces fall into place to reveal a picture both logical and unexpected. This image should coalesce in a way that makes sense, yet remains unforeseen, even though some sharp-eyed readers might have predicted it. The recent disclosure of Dr. Reynolds as Ernesto Cata’s murderer satisfies this craving while keeping us guessing: While he undoubtedly killed Cata, we can’t confirm yet whether he also killed Halsey. In fact, at the moment, Joe is convinced that these two murders are unrelated.

In the opening of the episode, Joe is found by Chee in the desert, critically injured but conscious enough to provide radio directions. His truck and wallet have been looted and left behind, suggesting that George was supposed to meet with the lieutenant there. As Chee gets closer, Joe’s voice comes in more clearly over the radio. When Chee finally locates him, Joe insists that they pursue the suspect first, as he is still injured and hasn’t gone far yet.

In an impressive battle, Chee nearly captures Reynolds whose hood appears fixed to his head, for no matter how much tackling, wrestling, and shooting at Chee transpires, the hood remains stubbornly below his eyes. This serves as Chee’s reason when Joe later taunts him about missing a shotgun shot that seemed just two feet away. Chee manages to get as close as holding onto Reynolds, but Reynolds speeds off, almost pulling Chee through the desert with him.

As Chee engaged in combat with Reynolds, it was discovered that Joe had regained consciousness at the hospital. A packed bag hinted that Emma may have visited but chose not to stay. It transpired that the recent voyage into Joe’s subconscious mind was a result of an overdose of a widely used horse tranquilizer, specifically ketamine, which he received from a dart shot at him last week. In his absence, it was Gordo who analyzed the dart and has now returned to aid Joe in identifying the perpetrator once and for all.

A satisfying aspect of this series’ organization, particularly noticeable this season, is its frequent presentation of Joe at critical crossroads. After undergoing a transformation in the K-Hole that left him disturbed and altered, the ramifications of Joe’s realizations are evident as they impact his escalating personal struggles: the deterioration of his marriage and the relentless pursuit of Agent Washington to incriminate him. In conversations with Gordo, Joe expresses regret over the people — Emma, J.J. — and aspects of himself — his self-righteousness, the immutable nature of his moral code — that he has lost, some unfairly, some as a result of his own decisions. Having encountered rock bottom in the form of the Yé’iitsoh, Joe acknowledges there’s no way to rectify the past other than by moving forward. Gordo comforts him, assuring him he won’t have to face it alone. Buddy-cop movie, anyone? I’m eager to see these two engage in banter while they stake out together.

After being discharged from the hospital, Joe heads towards the canyon where he previously discovered George’s campsite to reunite with Chee and the rest of the NTP and Scarborough PD. They are still searching for both Reynolds and George, who has vanished again, this time taking Joe’s wallet with him. Joe had already deduced that George was planning to depart from the reservation, and among his belongings, they discover a train schedule leading to Reno, where George’s mother resides. More importantly, they find some rocks painted with mud that resemble coal, but are not.

In the station later, Joe uncovers that the fragments are from a clay mold matching the suspicious arrowhead extracted from Ernesto Cata’s mouth – the same one Reynolds had declared as a fake. This discovery sparks the case’s resolution. They head to the excavation site where Terri, Reynolds’ partner, reveals they ran out of funds, causing her to accompany Reynolds to Scarborough. She is puzzled when Joe and Chee present the mold, as she had accounted for all artifacts found at the site; it couldn’t have originated there. However, she then recalls that the final item she discovered before Reynolds told her to halt digging was a piece of an arrowhead – the very same missing part from the one they possess.

In simpler terms, Joe stated that Reynolds had been planting clues or evidence (in this case, an ancient Folsom arrowhead) to support his long-standing theory about the interaction between the Folsom and Navajo people in the area. He intentionally broke off the arrowhead and hid the fragment so Terri would discover it. While Ernesto and George were playing around in a trailer that night, Reynolds covertly visited the site to carry out his plan. The boys found the arrowhead and kept it; when they suspected they might get caught, Ernesto put it in his mouth. However, Reynolds murdered Ernesto, but George managed to escape. Joe claims that Reynolds has a reputation for coming to such places, taking whatever he wants from people (living or dead), and no one is permitted to take anything from him.

Chee and Joe task Terri with delivering a statement to Gordo in Scarborough and keeping vigil until they locate Reynolds, who needs to eliminate George, the sole witness to Ernesto’s murder, to escape punishment freely. They are certain that Reynolds will be at the train station at 11:07 the following morning, preparing to depart for Reno. Reynolds prefers a three-pronged shovel as his weapon, which resembles something capable of tearing Halsey’s body almost in half. Although Joe’s hypothesis that Budge is responsible for Halsey’s murder seems plausible, it’s essential to recall that Suzanne, Halsey’s former chili-farm colleague, cult follower, and drug-trafficking associate, mentioned that the boys frequented the farm as well.

Regarding Bern: This week, we check in on Bern who’s back in Hachita after a stint in Juarez. There, she uncovered that her office romance is definitely mixed up with Spencer. Already tense, Bern becomes even more so when she finds that some of the photos she took in Juarez have been damaged. However, Bern makes an important revelation about the connotation of the word “pig”. The Mexican girl she’d rescued at the border with her mother used it, as did Halsey during his escape from Joe and Chee on the farm.

As a passionate movie-lover, I shared with my roommate Eleanda during an unfortunate phone call that “Pig” is short for Pipeline Inspection Gadgets, originally designed to clean oil pipes but conveniently used for drug smuggling. I could sense the apprehension in her voice, yet she eventually agreed to aid us by acquiring a search warrant from a judge who’d turn a blind eye. To throw Muños off my scent, I feigned concern over the operation’s risks and hinted at stepping aside temporarily. His relief was palpable, though he likely already suspected I had no intention of accepting his money.

Later, in the station, I visited Ed Henry to express my desire to withdraw from the entire scheme. He delivered the news bluntly: there was no escaping this mess. Muños had been hired merely to look the other way, but he should have known that once you’re under the control of a man like Budge, your autonomy and self-determination vanish.

Approaching the deserted Spenser Ranch with a seemingly futile warrant, Bern and Eleanda examine the sheds. As Eleanda departs to summon reinforcements, Bern discovers a family of three confined behind a steel door near a white van, which initially led her down this dark path exploring human depravity. Before Bern can utter a word, she spins around to find Eleanda brandishing a firearm and Budge covering her head with a hood. I must say, it’s quite shocking! It seems nothing is off-limits, not even the bond between two women in an occupation predominantly filled by men. The twist was certainly unexpected and well executed; I didn’t anticipate that at all.

In Bern’s case, her overconfidence in trusting others too readily may not be entirely her fault, given her desire to make friends in her new town and department. However, the theme of trust is crucial in Emma’s character development this season as well: Her faith in her husband has been shaken, but she struggles to fully trust those pursuing him either. After the search warrant, Agent Washington visits their home to return a box of items. Trying to evoke Emma’s role as “a pillar of this community,” Washington questions the sacrifices Emma has made: “Your husband’s life is built on deception,” Washington declares dramatically. “Yours doesn’t have to be.

In this film review, I must admit that Emma does indeed accept Agent Washington’s invitation for a heart-to-heart, but what he hoped to hear from her remains elusive. Instead, Emma delves into the agonizing solitude of her grief and Joe’s self-imposed imprisonment in his own sorrow, leaving her to grapple with her desolation all alone. Her words lead Washington to suspect that she might eventually betray Joe by confirming he wasn’t with her when Vines vanished, but that isn’t Emma’s intention. On the contrary, it appears she yearns to untangle this complex web of secrets, to cast off the weight of this dilemma – and she understands, as we do, as Washington does, that implicating Joe now would only pile more weight onto her shoulders.

Joe attempts to engage with her, but Emma is not inclined to listen. With half her life stowed in the back of a sky-blue pickup, she departs the station, driving towards her sister’s home in Fillmore for an uncertain duration. As Joe gradually fades from view in the rearview mirror, Emma weeps – tears of sorrow, and perhaps some relief as well.

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2025-04-21 07:01