The Male Rain Approaches – Three years before the armored car heist, Guy asks if they’ve heard about the ad by Devoted Dan (Rainn Wilson) for his used car lot. He jokes that the only car a missionary wants to sell an Indian is a convertible. When Lester arrives, he is welcomed to the Native American Church. Lester is introduced to Dillon Charley who is the roadman and will be leading the ceremony. Lester is reminded that what happens during the ceremony stays. Once they come out of the tent, Dillon asks Guy how many men work at the drill site. Guy mentions himself, Yahz, and Emmerson. Dillon tells him to stay home and spend the day with his family. He asks him to tell the others to do the same because he saw something last night. Joe Leaphorn (Zahn McClarnon) reaches the worksite to hand over Cameron’s lunchbox.

As Joe drives away, there is an explosion at the site and Guy sees it too. After the intro, the story begins three years after the incident. Joe watches the men take down the sign on the gate and replace it with one for BJ Vines Mining Company. He goes back to the property where Benjamin is supposed to be staying to collect some water in a glass jar. Once he returns to the jail, he lets Raymond out and threatens to tell his grandma where he has been if he doesn’t go. Bernadette (Jessica Matten) argues with him about getting a ride before Jim Chee (Kiowa Gordon) apologizes for being late since he hit a coyote. Bernadette claims it isn’t good if the animal was facing north. He says it is bad for both of them. Jim jokes it was worse for the coyote. Joe tells Chee that Margaret Cigaret is talking again.

Joe wants to get her statement and promises not to tell the FBI if Jim doesn’t. Bern is asked to do another follow-up on the Growing Thunder girl. Bernadette isn’t eager to visit her house again as Jim explains she believes she has encountered a dark spirit. Bern knows she did because she got into her head and tried to take some of her hair. Jim offers to follow up with her instead. As they ride together, Jim asks Joe whether he carries a medicine pouch. Chee tells him what Bern said about carrying one. When he mocks that belief, joe tells him that respect goes a long way out here. Chee argues that he can’t believe all that stuff although Joe says those stories kept people alive. Jim is surprised he believes in it after going to college. When Joe says college is about exploring ideas and expanding the mind, Chee jokes he is talking about acid.

They meet with Guy and Helen moments later. Benjamin is with them as well. When Joe tells Ben that he tried to visit him, he is told he was in Gallup delivering last rites after Jack Wilson died. He believes it is wise to stay busy during times of loss. Margaret says he was holding a secret that he couldn’t tell and it was killing him. They were about to begin the sing when Anna opened the door. They grabbed her and held her. She couldn’t get her medicine. Margaret is asked about the men and token. She believes her medicine protected her. Joe tells Jim that there might’ve been two men. Margaret gets Joe’s attention to tell him there are those among them who are not what they seem. After Jim asks what she said there, Joe says nothing he doesn’t already know. Guy and Helen gather Anna’s things for burial. He yells at Joe to ask what good he is since they have everything here except their little girl.

Later that night, Joe watches a commercial for Devoted Dan’s auto sales. He goes out to the van and decides to bury Anna’s jacket. In a flashback, he goes to Lester’s store to buy the shovel only for Lester to give it to him. Lester suggests life never gives people an easy way out. Eventually, Lester gets to the point and tells Joe about Dillon acting crazy after the ceremony. Joe learns about Dillon warning Lester’s friend that he shouldn’t go to work on the day of the explosion. He gets Lester to admit that Dillon warned Guy Atcitty. Joe doesn’t bury the jacket after all. In the car, Jim asks what is up with Joe and that girl’s father, but Joe doesn’t want to tell him. He tells Jim to take the water in the jar to the lab to get it analyzed.

He suggests Jim can just walk into the Flagstaff Federal Building and flash his badge since he knows he is working with the FBI. Joe wonders what Whitover is going to say when he tells him that Chee couldn’t keep his cover for one day. When Chee asks how he knew, Joe confesses he didn’t until he just admitted it. Joe says High Pockets shot him a dirty look because he got out of line when talking about the missing token. It is the same look Joe’s dad used to give him so he just knew. He wants Jim to do a few things for him starting with getting autopsy reports for the two murder victims. He asks Jim to get the water analyzed too. If he does that, his secret will be safe with him. They agree that Jim really doesn’t have a choice. Pete Samuels (Rob Tepper) goes to Lester’s store to say Wanda claimed she’d hold a painting for him.

Lester says he just sold it to a Mormon family and they’re likely on their way back to Utah. As Pete leaves, Lester complains about white folks. Pete goes to his truck to warn someone on the radio that they have an emergency. The Mormon family finds themselves in a high-speed chase with a black vehicle behind them. The man bumps them before speeding ahead of them. The Mormon family stops briefly before slowly driving forward. They stop the man blocking the road in front of them. He holds them at gunpoint and orders them to get out of the car. The man eventually steals the cactus painting. Joe goes to Sally’s place where he notices distinct tire tracks in the dirt. The door is open so he goes inside and begins looking around. He finds a jar with a few strands of hair in it. Sally (Elva Guerra) sneaks up behind him and tells him to be quiet.

They go outside as Joe tells Sally that the nurse at the clinic named Emma (Deanna Allison) is his wife. He stopped by the school, but they didn’t have any record of attendance for her. Sally explains that her mom would hide her when she was little. Joe tries to find out his name although Sally is hesitant to give it. He suggests she’d be better off in a women’s shelter in Gallup. Although it’ll be difficult, it could be good for her. Joe says no father that hurts the mother of his child is worth sticking around for. Sally says he is nicer than the other cops, but this is her life. When Jim visits the lab analysis, he is told he doesn’t look like an FBI agent. The man asks if the Navajo has heard about tap water. Jim says they’d like tap water, but because of scientists like him who need uranium, they have cancer and kidney disease.

The man promises to get it for him tomorrow afternoon. Bernadette finds the Mormon family’s car and parks behind it. She uses the radio to request assistance from Leaphorn. Whitover (Noah Emmerich) talks to Jim about an actor’s poop clogging the toilets because it was so big. Jim tells him that he has a lead, but he needs to get Joe’s eyeballs off him. Whitover tells him to take the autopsy reports from the Big Rock murders. He is willing to give him whatever he wants. There is an opening at the DC field office and Whitover would like to bring Jim as his number two. Joe notices a BJ Vines Mining Company truck while driving down the road before having a flashback to his visit with Guy. Once he asks why he wasn’t at work on the day of the explosion, Guy claims he was sick. Joe heard otherwise.

Anna comes out to check on them as Joe argues she shouldn’t be wearing that jacket. Guy says he knows before offering to give it back to him. Joe says she knows what to do with it and Guy does too. Guy tells him to go ahead and arrest him since he had no one else to blame. Joe blames him and her. Guy punches him before and Joe hits him a few times too. When Guy comes after him with a shovel, Joe shoots him in the leg. Jim meets with Jerry to get the autopsy reports with one indicating Anna died of cardiac arrest. Jerry admits he has never seen anything like it before. Jim asks about the white streak in her hair. Jerry admits it isn’t uncommon and some of his colleagues have seen it before.

He suggests the victim might’ve been scared to death. Joe catches up with Bern as they discuss the puke green car. She thinks the car just gave out on them, but Joe doesn’t think a new car would do that. Then, she says something isn’t right. Bernadette thought the family ran out of gas and got a ride off the reservation. Joe says the gas gauge reads three-quarters. He finds no signs of overheating either. Bern checks the glovebox and learns more about their terrible taste in music. Joe manages to hotwire the car to get it started. He says they’ll return to the station to run the plates and VIN. Then, they can double back and check the area. Joe apologizes for jumping on her case yesterday before saying she has good instincts. Joe looks around and finds tire tracks similar to those near Sally’s house. He is glad to see Sally at the station when he gets back.

Emma finds a place for her to stay by putting her in their son’s room. Sally asks whether she was happy when she was pregnant. Although Emma says she was, she was also scared. It is perfectly normal to be overwhelmed and confused. She reveals she couldn’t have any more kids after giving birth to Joe Jr. The doctor at the clinic performed a surgery on her to prevent her from having another baby. Although he did it without her permission, Emma insists it isn’t going to happen to her because she’ll be with her every step of the way. Sally asks whether it makes her uncomfortable to have her here, but Emma says no. Joe reads about Jack Wilson in the newspaper. In a flashback, Joe Jr. returns home and complains about the tire letting out air. Once Joe says he isn’t going to follow him to college to wipe his butt, his son says he isn’t going to college.

Joe Jr. wants to stay around here and make some money. He gets mad when Emma tells him he is going to school regardless. Bern’s houses begin acting up. She begins looking around until she is confronted by Sally’s mother. Once things calm down, she is alone. Joe meets with Jim to say people are worried about him because they think he is too close to the case. He shows Jim the picture to show why. Anna was his girlfriend and he lost his boy here. Jim explains that Anna died of cardiac arrest because her heart just stopped. The white streak in her hair suggests she might’ve been scared to death. As for the water, the test came back inconclusive. Joe says he wasn’t sure, but Jim thinks it is more than that. Jim says he wants to help find out who did this to Anna although he is going to need Joe’s help.

Jim promises he will prove his worth. Joe tells him that he thought he might’ve found the helicopter. Jim admits he did find it since there was hydraulic fluid in the water sample. He doubts the reservation will be swarming with Feds tomorrow since he never told them about it. Ben and the man who robbed the Mormons cut open the canvases to confirm the money is there. Ben tells him they’ll stick to the plan.

 

Dark Winds Review

While the underlying story of Dark Winds is solid and entertaining, the writing could be vastly improved. The dialogue is bad making some of the characters seem unrealistically stupid. The writers seem to be happy to incorporate every cliché they could remember. The way Joe found out about Jim being a Fed is a perfect example of this since we’ve seen this happen countless times. The jokes by Whitover are obnoxious and unfunny. When inappropriate, crude humor like this is used, it makes one wonder who is the targeted audience.

Lester’s jokes are cheesy as well and I would expect much of the same from Devoted Dan. The pacing is odd with the strange flashbacks. I feel like certain scenes are flashbacks, but they’re not identified as such. Zahn McClarnon and Kiowa Gordon are beacons of light in the darkness since both have given good performances through two episodes. There isn’t much chemistry between the two, but I would expect that to change as they begin trusting one another.

Time will tell if the writers can be developed a bit more and the writing can be refined. The second episode of Dark Winds scores a 5 out of 10. Recaps of Dark Winds can be found on Reel Mockery here. Find out how to support our work at this link.