Spoilers are ahead for Dark Winds season 1’s ending.
Summary
Dark Windsseason 1’s finale culminates in a high-stakes struggle for the upper-hand between veteran tribal police lieutenant Joe Leaphorn (Zahn McClarnon), Buffalo Society extremist James Tso (Jeremiah Bitsui), and Leland Whitover (Noah Emmerich), a burned-out FBI agent who has served as Jim Chee’s (Kiowa Gordon) handler for the duration of the season. While Chee ultimately provides some much-needed backup, Bernadette Manuelito (Jessica Matten), Leaphorn’s sharp tribal police sergeant, continues to be Joe’s right-hand person. Ahead of the finale,Dark Windsseason 1’s mere six-episode run is packed with twists and turns.
AperfectTrue Detectivereplacement, the psychological thriller-meets-Western noir drama centers on two seemingly connected murders in Navajo County. An older man, Hosteen Tso, was found dead in a motel room alongside the teenager Anna Atcitty, the granddaughter of the local Medicine Woman who had been treating Tso since he saw a post-robbery helicopter fly over the reservation. Leaphorn, whose late son Joe Jr. was involved with Anna, leads the investigation, though he’s eventually joined by Chee. An undercover FBI agent,Chee believes the Buffalo Society, a Navajo extremist group, was involved in the murders.
Leaphorn Faces Off With James Tso & Frank
The Buffalo Society Members Try To Smoke Leaphorn Out Of Their Cave Hideout
After learning that Whitover knew about James Tso, a Buffalo Society radical who had been posing as a priest, Leaphorn tracks Tso down on foot. Meanwhile, Frank (Eugene Brave Rock), who’d been in holding at the tribal police station, escapes, prompting Manuelito and Whitover to join forces to locate Frank. In the sixth and final episode of Dark Winds' first outing, Leaphorn arrives at Frank and Tso’s cave hideout, where the former is tending to a fire. While Leaphorn listens in,Tso and Frank discuss using the Mormon family they previously kidnapped as cover, so that they can escape.
As Tso fans the flames, it seems like Leaphorn might be done in by smoke inhalation.
However, after the duo send their captives out onto the road, they discover Leaphorn in their cave hideout. A brief shootout ensues, but Leaphorn climbs further into the cave’s narrow network of tunnels. Realizing that shooting at Leaphorn is futile,Tso and Frank use their fire to try and smoke Joe out of hiding. As Tso fans the flames, it seems like Leaphorn might be done in by smoke inhalation. With no other options, Leaphorn jumps from his hiding spot onto the fire and sneaks outside to disable the duo’s getaway car with his knife.
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Whitover Was In On Tso’s Robbery The Whole Time
The Burnt-Out FBI Agent Shoots Both Chee & Frank In The Dark Winds Season 1 Finale
After Leaphorn slashes one of Tso and Frank’s tires, he sneaks back into the cave hideout. Inside, the Buffalo Society members are frantically packing the money from their robbery, which unfolded a few weeks beforeDark Winds' first episode, into bags. Leaphorn manages to capture Tso and Frank, holding them at gunpoint, and reveals to Frank that Tso killed his own grandfather for their cause. Suddenly,Leaphorn is ambushed by Whitover, who was in on Tso’s robbery the whole time. When Frank reaches for his weapon, Whitover shoots and (seemingly) kills Frank before leaving with half of the robbery money.
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Guy Kills Whitover In Dark Winds Season 1’s Finale
Chee & Manuelito Move Whitover’s Body Into The Cave Hideout
When the Mormon father crashes, he’s spotted by Guy Adcitty (Ryan Begay), Anna’s father. Throughout most ofDark Windsseason 1, Guy and Leaphorn are at odds because of their late children. In episode 5, the estranged members ofDark Winds' cast of charactersare able to make amends and mourn together.Guy continues his streak of helping Leaphorn and his allies in the finale, especially when it comes to Whitover. Before sneaking into the cave hideout to retrieve his cut of the robbery money, Whitover shoots Chee in the arm. Equipped with Manuelito’s weapon, Chee is out for revenge.
When Whitover says some terrible things about Anna, Guy pulls the trigger, killing Whitover.
Chee finds Whitover and holds his former FBI handler at gunpoint. Whitover tries to talk his way past Chee, but, what the FBI agents don’t know, is that they’re being watched by Guy Adcitty. With his rifle trained on Whitover, Guy listens into the duo’s conversation. When Whitover says some terrible things about Anna, Guy pulls the trigger, killing Whitover. In the aftermath, he tells Chee that no one can speak ill of his late daughter.Chee asks for Guy’s weapon, tells him to leave the crime scene, and enlists Manuelito’s help to move Whitover’s bodyinto the cave.
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Manuelito & Chee Set Off The Dynamite In Tso’s Hideout
Frank’s Body Goes Missing But Most Of The Crime Scene Is Destroyed
Chee and Manuelito team up to plant Whitover’s body, Guy’s rifle, and other incriminating evidence in Frank and Tso’s cave hideout. While inside, the duo notice the dynamite that’s been half-rigged throughout the cave, which sparks an idea. Instead of planting Whitover at the scene of the crime,Chee and Manuelito agree to blow up the cave and damage the evidence— a move that will help them protect Guy and themselves. Later on, it’s revealed that Frank’s body — or whatever would be left of it — isn’t recovered from the ruined hideout, suggesting he may have survived.
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Leaphorn & Tso Discuss The Future Of Navajo County
James Tso Takes His Own Life
Meanwhile, Leaphorn tracks James Tso down to his late grandfather’s home —where some ofDark Windstakes place. When James spots Leaphorn first, he takes the tribal officer into the cabin at gunpoint. With his gun trained on Leaphorn, Tso explains that he wanted to avenge their people — including the death of Joe’s son. Leaphorn insists that Joe Jr.’s death was an accident and that he would rather not dwell in his anger.“It’s your methods, James, that put us at odds,” Leaphorn says, suggesting that they could have been allies from opposite sides of the issues.
“We make our own future. That’s survival. That’s our strength.” — Joe Leaphorn, Dark Winds season 1 finale
At a young age, James was sent to one of many boarding schools that abused and killed Indigenous children. Although he managed to escape once, his grandfather sent him back.James tells Leaphorn that he isn’t just fighting for ghosts — for their ancestors — but that he is “the champion of ghosts,“compelled by what was lost to seek a more just world. When Leaphorn insists that James could spread his message even from behind bars, Tso claims that there’s nothing more “righteous” than being a martyr — and takes his own life.
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Chee Accepts Leaphorn’s Job Offer, While Joe & Emma Honor Joe Jr.
In the aftermath,Joe and his wife, Emma, gather around a ceremonial fire to remember their late son, Joe Jr.As part of the process, the couple place their son’s jacket in the flames. A few others from the community, including Guy Adcitty, join the Leaphorns in their moment of letting go. The episode then cuts to three months later; Leaphorn finds Chee, who is hanging around Navajo County after leaving the FBI. While Leaphorn interrogates Chee about what really happened at the cave, Joe also offers Chee a job with the tribal police, setting upDark Windsseason 2.
Both seasons of AMC’sDark Windsare streaming on Netflix, andDark Windsseason 3has been green-lit by AMC.
Dark Winds
Dark Winds is a 2022 television series based on Tony Hillerman’s Leaphorn & Chee novels. Set in 1970s Navajo Nation, it follows Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn (Zahn McClarnon) and Officer Jim Chee (Kiowa Gordon) as they investigate a double murder case. The show delves into both mysticism and the stark realities of life on a Native American reservation, balancing crime-solving with rich cultural narratives and character development.
