by Mike Hilty, Contributing Writer
I used to be the high school youth group coordinator at the church I grew up in. The youth group was very important to me, and was a significant part of my life. I met some of my best friends through this group and had some of my favorite memories while participating in its events. Each summer, we went on a mission trip to help out a community in need. As I began planning mission trips of my own, I ended up look into ones where the students could learn to potentially embrace a different culture. So for the final trip that I planned, we went to the Lakota Native American reservation in Mission, South Dakota to have a different cultural experience than any of them had before. We played Native American games, learned about the history of the Lakota tribe, learned how they viewed the creation story, and learned how to do Lakota dances. It was a great experience, and one that created lasting memories. That was also my only experience with Native American culture.
Watching Dark Winds has me intrigued to learn more one day down the road.
Dark Winds, created by Graham Roland and based on the novel Listening Woman, by Tony Hillerman, is about Navajo police officer Joe Leaphorn (Zahn McClarnon) in 1971 New Mexico. He, along with his colleagues Jim Chee (Kiowa Gordon) and Bernadette Manuelito (Jessica Matten), come upon a case involving two murdered members of their tribe. What they begin to uncover is a vast conspiracy that will shake their spiritual understanding. Dark Winds is currently streaming on AMC+, and season one is six episodes. It has also been renewed for season two.
As far as a cop procedural show, this has some slight differences that makes it a worthwhile show to check out. One difference is we’re dealing with a whole different culture and a whole different way of doing things. I like the Navajo aspect of this because it really adds a rich layer for something different.
McClarnon is so good in this role because he’s a great police officer who cares very deeply about his community. I’ve seen him in bit or supporting roles, but I’m glad to see him getting his due as a lead. Leaphorn is a complicated character. He’s experienced loss personally and professionally, and he’s dealing with a system that marginalizes his community. He does what he can within the confines of the law. However, he has to trust his gut and do what’s best for the case. Leaphorn is a great character, but props need to go to Jim Chee and Gordon’s performance. Chee is struggling with his identity. He is caught between his people and his job. He’s not sure which one is more important to him, but he gradually discovers this more and more as he works with Leaphorn and Manuelito. The dynamic between these three is really strong, and they’re just getting started as a formidable trio of a great team of police officers. This is also an instance where representation matters, and I’m glad that they are giving Indigenous people a chance to share the spotlight in Hollywood. The majority of the cast is Indigenous, and there’s a sense of authenticity that I appreciated.
The case that’s presented to them is also fascinating because it’s so densely layered and filled with so many different aspects to unpack. There’s the business end, there’s the motivation, there are the key players, and there are the institutions that are involved. The show does require you to pay attention because it jams a lot into six episodes, while also having subtitles for Native languages. The motivation and why all of this is happening is perhaps the best part of this because once we figure out exactly what’s going on, it’s fascinating to see the reactions particularly of Leaphorn and Chee. There are a lot of layers, which isn’t something that can be discussed without spoiling it, so I would greatly encourage you to check it out.
From a style standpoint, this is a beautifully shot show. The New Mexico outback is gorgeous, and the creative team took the time to scope out some of the best shots of the outdoors. The stunt work is also top-notch because the action scenes are really well staged. Everything from the physical fights to the helicopter scenes to the gun fights are all great and well done from the technical side.
I only had a few issues with the show. The first has nothing to do with the show itself, but six episodes is an awfully short amount of time to tell as complex of a story as this. It felt a little rushed at times, and some things happened for convenience’s sake. Next, the character of Devoted Dan (Rainn Wilson) felt a little over the top. Wilson is definitely going for something and I’m happy to see him in more stuff, but his performance just felt generally out of place among all the other rest. The final thing is that the show is very grounded and down to earth for the most part. There were some moments where it felt like it was getting a little on the supernatural side, which felt a little out of place. Yes, I generally understood that this explores some of the spiritual side of the Navajo tribe, but it just felt a little weird from a tone perspective.
Dark Winds is a gritty and great show so far. The performances are outstanding, technically sound, and the story is great. A few nitpicks aren’t going to stop me from recommending this to other people. Come for the mystery of the story, but stay for the chemistry between McClarnon, Gordon, and Matten. It’s my hope that this will catapult McClarnon to leading man status more consistently for any type of show or film. Until then, I’ll be waiting for season two to see which book will be adapted, and maybe check out some of the other books first.
Score: 7/10
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