I’ve been a big fan of Zahn McClarnon since first seeing him in Longmire, so when I saw that he was finally cast in a lead role on a new TV series, I eagerly awaited its premiere. Based on Tony Hillerman’s best-selling novels, Dark Winds is a six-episode mystery thriller about two Navajo policemen in 1970s New Mexico who are thrust into the middle of two major cases. I went into this new show (from AMC) mostly blind, and boy, am I glad I did. Dark Winds is a well-made bit of television that’s set in a time and place that’s unfamiliar and therefore more compelling. But more importantly, it’s a show that manages to educate as well as entertain, and those don’t come along all that often.

McClarnon plays Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn, a man in charge of a handful of cops that serve and protect a huge expanse of Navajo land. Shortly after two Navajo are brutally murdered in a local motel, Joe is saddled with a new deputy, Jim Chee (Kiowa Gordon). Joe and Chee, with the aid of Sergeant Bernadette “Bern” Manuelito (Jessica Matten), are just beginning their investigation into the murders when a separate case arises. FBI Agent Whitover (Noah Emmerich) demands that the officers look into an armored car heist that occurred mere weeks ago in a nearby city, as he believes the robbers fled into Navajo territory. With two seemingly unrelated crimes to investigate and the FBI breathing down their neck, the Tribal Police suddenly finds itself overextended and running out of time.

Although Dark Winds is a success overall, it’s bookended by its two weakest episodes. That’s not to say that the premiere doesn’t work, because it certainly does in some ways. Take for instance, the way that Joe is introduced. It’s a moment that immediately informs the audience that he’s a principled man who’s deeply proud of his Navajo heritage, and it’s also just a badass scene on its own. In fact, every character in this episode gets an introduction that indicates who they are through solid scripting and visual language. The problem the premiere runs into is that there are a lot of intros to get to, in addition to two major cases thrown into the mix. With only six 45-minute episodes to work with, I understand why creator Graham Roland and his writers piled it on, but the end result is an episode that’s somewhat inaccessible.

Fortunately, episodes two through five distribute the storylines more evenly, allowing for relationships to develop and mysteries to unfold. Although Dark Winds is a mystery thriller at its core, it’s in these middle episodes that it becomes the show it wants to be, one that’s as concerned with its characters as it is with its thrills. I found it incredibly moving to witness Joe’s tragic history through well-presented flashbacks, as well as to observe the complicated but loving partnership he has with his wife, Emma (Deanna Allison). It was an equal pleasure to watch Chee grow closer to Joe as a mentee and friend, while also becoming closer to Bern in a notably different way. As a viewer who normally prefers character over story, I was tickled pink by what Dark Winds had to offer me.

As for the heist and murder cases, they tend to underwhelm when set against the character-driven moments, especially the ones that illuminate the Navajo experience (more on that later). The thing is, fairly early on, the writers reveal who the bad guys are and how the two cases may be related. On one hand, this serves the story well as the mystery transitions from “who” to “why”, allowing for moments that humanize the antagonists. On the other hand, if the antagonists aren’t all that interesting, and they weren’t to me, then the scenes with them end up distracting from what is interesting, i.e. Joe and Co. That being said, I never actively disliked the investigative side of this series; it just never felt as fresh and vital as the other elements on display. The crime side of the story was also a bit predictable, but that often happens when a series reveals the bad guys early on, so it didn’t bother me that much.*

If anything gave me pause about Dark Winds, it was its season finale. Without going into too much detail, it’s strangely short (<40 mins.) and anti-climactic. While the main storylines are indeed resolved, it’s almost as if COVID or something else caused the production to call it quits, so the season just kind of ends. It also felt, for lack of a better word, cheap, which is strange given the show’s high production standard in the first five episodes. It’s not a horrible finale, per se, as it features a number of standout moments. Still, for a program that’s rife with quality sequences, this whimper of an ending is rather disappointing.

Despite some of these weaker sections, Dark Winds remains a thought-provoking series throughout its six-episode run. This is mainly due to how the show approaches the plight of Native Americans, specifically the Navajo. Every single Navajo character in this series has experienced or does experience some sort of hardship at the hands of the “white man”.** Whether it’s the FBI not caring at all if a Navajo is murdered, or more insidiously, the forced sterilization of tribal women, Dark Winds consistently presents a world that’s unknown and unsettling. I respected the show even more when I researched some of these terrible things and discovered that most, if not all, of them actually happened. I rarely expect to learn something from watching fictional TV, so this was a nice, if not depressing, bonus. If nothing else, Dark Winds is an important show because it not only provides work for Native American actors and filmmakers, but it also shines a light on some dark corners of American history that the government certainly wants to hide in the shadows of the past.***

With decent ratings and positive reviews, AMC has already chosen to renew Dark Winds for another season. Although I had my differences with some of its storytelling, I feel pretty excited about this renewal. This show did the one thing a first season of any series needs to do: it established likable, interesting characters that are worthy of further exploration. And with many more novels to adapt, there’s no shortage of directions the writers can take. I just hope that next time, they start at the end and work backward.

If I had to score it, I’d give season one of Dark Winds a 7/10.

Notes:

* Perhaps the best element of the crime/mystery storyline is its incorporation of Native American mysticism and folklore. Yes, this does mean that there’s some fantasy stuff in this show. However, it’s never heavy-handed, and though I normally don’t enjoy this kind of thing, I think the writers found a smart way to incorporate it.

** “White man” is generally used by the Navajo as a derogatory term for the US federal government and is NOT meant to condemn all white people. That being said, I could see how somebody might interpret it as a general condemnation. So, if you’re someone, or you plan on watching with someone, who gets flustered by that sort of idiomatic language, you might want to avoid this show.

*** I’ve read that Dark Winds does a poor job representing the Navajo, particularly their language and traditions, which some opine fuels the stereotype that all Indigenous people share certain similarities. While I understand and appreciate that point of view, I’d hope that even the most critical Navajo viewers can see that this series portrays their people in a highly favorable light. Not only that, it puts a spotlight on certain Native American issues that I, and likely many others, were unaware of. The film industry may have a ways to go before they get it right, but I think it’s fair to say that Dark Winds is a step in the right direction.

What did you think of Dark Winds? Let us know in the comments below.