Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for Dark Winds season 3, episode 2 & Tony Hillerman’s Leaphorn & Chee novels.The new episode ofDark Windsseason 3 moved the season’s mystery forward in a few fascinating ways, and it also had a bombshell reveal about the Ye’iitsoh that needs to be unpacked. Thecast ofDark Windsseason 3has largely been split between two major mysteries - the murder of Ernesto Cata and the human trafficking at the border - and episode 2 made a lot of headway into both. Joe Leaphorn (Zahn McClarnon) and Jim Chee (Kiowa Gordon) finally got some help in finding George Bowlegs, and Bernadette Manuelito (Jessica Matten) managed to track down the white van and decipher the “pig” drawing.
As those mysteries unfold, however, they also get more complicated. The arrowhead in Ernesto’s mouth, for example, turned out to be just a toy, and the anthropologists didn’t have much information. Likewise, Bernadette ran into some stiff opposition from Tom Spenser (Bruce Greenwood), and her investigation may be quite costly. All of those developments - as well as the shocking injury the Ye’iitsoh gave Leaphorn - need some explaining.
Why Does Leaphorn Think A Navajo Person Couldn’t Have Killed Ernesto Cata?
Early on in the episode, Joe Leaphorn told Gordo Sera (A Martinez) that he didn’t believe any Navajo person could have killed Ernesto Cata.Leaphorn thinks the murderer wasn’t Navajo because they found an arrowhead in Ernesto Cata’s mouth. As he explained, putting an arrowhead in a dead person’s mouth would have been tantamount to sacrilege for a Navajo person - Leaphorn likened it to a Catholic desecrating a crucifix - which he thought was a step too far for any Diné person. If he’s right, Leaphorn and Chee should be looking for a perpetrator who is white or of a different ethnicity.
Putting an arrowhead in a dead person’s mouth would have been tantamount to sacrilege for a Navajo person - Leaphorn likened it to a Catholic desecrating a crucifix - which he thought was a step too far for any Diné person.
Leaphorn, however, may not be right to write off a Navajo person as the killer.Dark Windshas already depicted Navajo people who weren’t concerned with the cultural taboos held by the rest of the Navajo Nation, like Ada Growing Thunder (Amelia Rico), the witch in season 1.Leaphorn may have too generous a view of his own people, which could complicate his investigation inDark Windsseason 3. There’s still a very good chance he’s right, however, as there are more than a few non-Navajo suspects in the case.
Why Chee Helps Shorty Bowlegs Find George In Dark Winds Season 3
Chee Has His Problems With Shorty, But He Was Always Going To Help Save A Child’s Life
Jim Chee and Shorty Bowlegs (Derek Hinkey) have a lot of bad blood between them, but Chee still decided to help him out inDark Windsseason 3, episode 2. As Chee previously explained, Shorty used to bully him, and his dad abused Chee’s mother. Chee has every reason in the world to hate Shorty Bowlegs, but he approached Shorty and essentially begged to help find George.There’s a simple reason Chee helped his worst enemy: Chee is a good person with a good heart, and he was never going to let Shorty’s past sins stop him from saving George’s life.
Do Chee & Bernadette Still Have Feelings For Each Other?
There’s Still Some Fire Between Chee & Bernie, Though There’s Also New Complications
Jim Chee and Bernadette Manuelito have had a complicated, on-again-off-again romantic relationship since the start ofDark Winds, and the newest episode only added more fuel to the fire. When Bernadette called to talk to Leaphorn about her Border Patrol case, Chee answered instead, and the two had a tense conversation.Bernie and Chee’s call culminated with Bernadette saying it was nice to hear his voice and Chee staying silent, which seems to indicate they still care for each other. If and when Bernadette comes back to the Navajo Police, she may have a romantic relationship waiting for her.
Dark Windsisn’t done drawing out Bernadette and Chee’s slow-burn relationship yet, though. Later in the episode,Bernadette agreed to dance with Ivan Muños (Alex Meraz), her coworker at Border Patrol, and even told him that she wasn’t missing anyone. Ivan is a problem for their relationship, but Bernadette’s face may have betrayed her true feelings: while she was dancing, it looked like Bernie was, in fact, missing Chee. It’s also worth noting that in Tony Hillerman’s “The Sinister Pig,” whichDark Windsseason 3 is adapting, Chee and Bernadette make their relationship official.
Is Spenser Really Involved In Human Trafficking? Bernadette’s Suspicions Explained
Spenser’s Connection To Roberto Baca Hint He’s Involved In Human Trafficking
Bernadette also got into some trouble on her own inDark Windsseason 3, episode 2.Bernadette tracked the girl’s pig drawingto Tom Spenser’s (Bruce Greenwood) ranch, and she even found the white van she was searching for there.The van led Bernadette to believe that Spenser is involved in human trafficking, and she’s most likely right. Towards the end of the episode, Bernadette met a man named Roberto C. de Baca (Raoul Max Trujillo), also known as Budge, riding in one of Spenser’s trucks. Budge is the same person who killed the human trafficker at the start of the episode.
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The fact that Spenser has two distinct ties to Bernadette’s human trafficking case through the white van and employing Budge means that he’s almost certainly the leader of the trafficking ring. Bernadette is definitely onto something, but finding the truth could cause quite a few problems for her.Spenser basically owns the Border Patrol, as he supplies a third of their intelligence and doesn’t have his oil rigs inspected, and Bernadette won’t have any help trying to take down his empire. Spenser may even have enough pull to get Bernadette fired - or killed - by the end ofDark Windsseason 3.
The Ye’iitsoh Is Real: What Leaphorn’s Revelation Means For Dark Winds Season 3
The Ye’iitsoh Physically Harmed Leaphorn, Which Means It’s Not Just A Manifestation Of His Guilt
The biggest reveal ofDark Windsseason 3, episode 2 was thatthe Ye’iitsoh that has been haunting Leaphornis real. While trying to find George Bowlegs, Leaphorn and Chee accompanied Shorty into an abandoned shed.Leaphorn had another terrifying vision of the Ye’iitsoh, but this time, it actually left a physical wound on his arm in the same pattern as the wounds on Ernesto Cata’s body. That seems to indicate that the Ye’iitsoh is in fact real, and that there’s some type of bad medicine at play inDark Windsseason 3.
“Ye’iitsoh (Big Monster)”
“Náá’tsoh (Big Eyes)”
“Ch’į́į́dii (Ghosts)”
“T’áá Áłts’íísígo (Just a Small Piece)”
“Béésh Łį́į́ (Iron Horse)”
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It is possible that Leaphorn’s injuries were from a real person, and that his guilt-ridden vision of the Ye’iitsoh just coincided with the attack. Leaphorn had thought that Gordo Sera was the Ye’iitsoh earlier in the episode, and the same thing could have happened in the shed. However,it seems just as likely that someone is responsible for Leaphorn’s visions, and that they’ve somehow manifested the Ye’iitsoh to punish him for killing BJ Vines. For now, though, there’s still a lot of mystery surrounding the Ye’iitsoh inDark Windsseason 3.
