“Darkish Winds ”recap: Leaphorn, Chee, and Manuelito’s investigation leads them to a dying hogan

• The diner shootout is seen as soon as once more, however from a brand new perspective.
• We study Diné cultural touchstones like ghost illness and dying hogans.
• Manuelito is fearful that Chee will flip out if Leaphorn doesn't quickly inform him his plans to exit the Navajo Tribal Police and put her in cost.

Earlier than something, I’ve a confession: In my recap of Darkish Winds' season 4 premiere, I discussed that we briefly met Sheriff Sena's spouse, and noticed she was residing with some form of dementia. What I failed to comprehend is that she was performed by Linda Hamilton! I used to be so within the second with the drama that I had a second of face blindness. Clearly, I’m no Leaphorn, Chee, or Manuelito on the subject of detective work! Let's see if she makes a return look.

Episode 2, "Bikéé' Doo Éédahoozįįdę́ę́góó (Towards Their Unknown Paths)," begins with that diner jukebox as soon as once more taking part in Connie Francis' "Who's Sorry Now," however this time, it's taking part in at a traditional velocity. It is a couple of minutes earlier than the massive shootout that each started and ended the final episode. Billie (Isabel DeRoy-Olson), the younger Diné lady who ran away from the Catholic college, is along with her older cousin Albert (Avery Hale) and they’re having a severe dialog.

"I’ve to seek out him," he says.

Who’s him? And why does Albert have a gun? And can Billie order a second milkshake?

We lastly be taught that the "him" is a man named Leroy. He’ll remedy no matter drawback these two have gotten themselves into.

Then Franka Potente, the murderer that's been trailing our younger couple, exhibits up on the diner.

"Hiya, Albert," she says (her first line of dialogue!), whereas Billie hides behind the counter.

"Sonny ship you? McNair?" asks Albert.

"Please include me — now," Potente's character says.

"I don't assume so," says Albert. "I ain't going anyplace with you. Look, Leroy's not going to say something. Neither am I."

From this angle, we see the Flo-like waitress is first to seize a gun. Potente fires again, killing her (after which the cook dinner) whereas Billie and Albert (who has been hit!) escape of their automotive. The credit begin — which reveal that this episode was directed by star and govt producer Zahn McClarnon (Lt. Joe Leaphorn) — after which, you guessed it, we're again within the rattling diner, watching our Navajo Tribal Police trio search for clues.

Leaphorn, feeling responsible that he's been pressuring Manuelito to take over his place amid all this dying, explains to her that he knew the diner proprietor — a non-Indigenous man who, when a buyer as soon as died of pure causes in the remaining room, was fearful he'd get one thing referred to as ghost illness, that the lifeless man's chʼį́įdii could be trapped within the restaurant. As Leaphorn tells the story, we understand that the "r" within the big illuminated diner signal has gone out, and it reads simply DINE. These are the grace notes that make Darkish Winds such a particular present.

Leaphorn then notices a radiator leak, and says that whoever sped off couldn't have gone far.

He and Chee hit the GMC, and Chee (unaware that Leaphorn is itching for retirement) senses his senior accomplice's unease. They pull over at a gasoline station, the place the attendant says a "tall, blonde girl who talked kinda humorous" got here on foot and acquired some coolant. Feels like German Bourne Id costar Franka Potente to me!

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They exit and as Leaphorn appears for extra clues, we minimize to Potente hiding in some brush and staring down our two heroes via the positioning of her rifle. The music will get actual intense when Leaphorn remembers that they noticed a blonde girl on the buying and selling put up earlier within the day. Potente doesn't shoot, however she is aware of — she one way or the other is aware of — that these guys are going to be an impediment in her quest to seek out Billie and Arnold. (Why she's in search of them, we nonetheless don't know.)

Subsequent, Leaphorn pops by the clinic in search of a gunshot sufferer. Then, after a beat, asks the girl on the desk (Helen, a well-recognized face) how Emma is doing. Should you recall, Leaphorn's spouse was a doctor there.

"Why don't you name her?" Helen fires again.

She provides that Emma has signed a lease in Los Angeles, so the probabilities of her coming again any time quickly simply acquired much more distant. Leaphorn is gloomy.

Our subsequent scene is Franka P. at her protected home, the place she is listening to scary German-sounding opera (Wagner's Tannhäuser) and monkeying round with paints and metals to cowl the gunshots on her van. Let's remember that Darkish Winds is ready in 1972. Franka Potente is 51. It's not inconceivable that this mysterious girl is a few form of Hitler Youth that ended up on the rez one way or the other. Weirder issues have occurred!

So the place is Albert, if not at a medical facility? He’s groaning and wiggling and bleeding in every single place in a motel room. Billie is doing his greatest to calm him down, nevertheless it isn't going effectively. He's acquired a giant fats bullet wound in his shoulder.

Chee and Manuelito present up on the motel workplace, asking the sleazeball operating the place if he's seen a automotive with California plates. He tries to evade the query till Manuelito barks, "She's 16!" That places the concern of God into him.

Quickly they’re on the couple's room, however Billie noticed the police automotive out the window. They've break up, however left plenty of blood within the rest room (and no tip for the maid!).

Again within the automotive, Albert moans and groans whereas Billie shrieks in panic.

"She's gonna discover us," he says earlier than he passes out.

The subsequent morning, Billie pulls as much as the clinic, with Albert nonetheless a large number within the again seat. (The place did they go throughout the industrial break? Can't say.) She slips in and begins grabbing some supplies, however Helen spots her.

On the station, Manuelito urges Leaphorn to inform Chee about his determination to depart. He doesn't need the phrase to unfold, however she is worried that Chee shall be harm when he learns that she's been chosen as successor. (Personally, I believe Chee is an grownup, and can recover from it. Bear in mind, when he first got here on the scene, he stored her at midnight about working for the FBI!)

Helen provides the gang a name, saying Billie is on the clinic. The trio race over, discovering solely the automotive with blood all around the again seat. No Albert.

When Billie locks eyes with Leaphorn on the door to the clinic, she freaks out. Quickly everyone seems to be racing across the infirmary. Seems Albert remains to be within the car parking zone (nobody noticed a grunting, bleeding man?) and he breaks into one other automotive. Earlier than he can hotwire it, Franka Potente's homicide van exhibits up.

In the meantime, everybody remains to be operating round just like the Keystone Kops chasing Billie, passing an previous girl in a mattress consuming Jell-O who mumbles one thing in Diné. (No English subtitles on press screeners, sadly. I'll have to attend to observe this on AMC to seek out out what the joke is.)

Billie jumps from the second flooring, injuring her foot, however Chee grabs her. Albert, seeing this, drives off. Leaphorn and Manuelito each race to their autos and uncover that… womp womp… Franka Potente has disabled them!

Whereas everybody tends to their wounds (Billie, actually), Chee decides that is the second to counsel that he and Manuelito transfer in collectively. She will get out of the dialog by going to talk with Billie, who slowly begins to turn into extra snug round Manuelito and tells her the place she thinks Albert has run off to.

The gang pulls as much as a desolate space, discovering Albert's most up-to-date automotive there. It's empty, in fact, however there may be some form of construction close by. It is a hogan, a conventional Diné wood dwelling that has a gap within the facet. They will see one thing, probably a physique, inside.

As Chee bends over to enter it, Manuelito, who chances are you’ll bear in mind hews a bit extra to Diné traditions than Chee does, warns, "Wait! It's a dying hogan!"

Chee shrugs. "It's the job."

He enters, sees Albert's physique, begins having troubling visions whereas his nostril begins to bleed, and we hear echoey Diné chants (and over-modulated rock drums) on the soundtrack.

Minimize to black, episode over, very ominous.

Tracks:

• I want extra intel on why Billie and Albert had been operating to California.
• I additionally hope we're lastly going to seek out out what Franka Potente's deal is, and be taught extra about this mysterious Leroy fella.
• As I instructed above, I believe Manuelito shouldn’t be giving Chee sufficient credit score. He's a fairly mature and righteous dude, he's not going to freak out about having to report back to her on the workplace. Or perhaps I'm fallacious? Perhaps her worries are much less about him, however extra about herself. Heavy.

Darkish Winds airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on AMC and AMC+.

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