Dark Winds (Season 2) Episode 2 “Wonders of the Unknown”: ‘Dark Winds’ Season 2 on AMC+ started on a thrilling note. The first episode gave a glimpse at a menacing suspect connected to a web of horrifying truths about the rez. We briefly learnt about the People of Darkness and their influence over some natives. After parting ways with the FBI, Jim Chee started working as a private investigator. His new case for Mrs. Vines made him cross paths with his old colleague, Joe Leaphorn. While trying to find the location of the stolen box, Chee gets shot. Since the shooter/suspect also blows up Joe’s car, the duo is left with no option but to return home.
Now the second episode shows Joe investigating the explosion while learning about the People of Darkness. His investigation leads him to a terrifying realisation about a tragedy from his own past.
*Spoilers ahead*
Dark Winds (Season 2) Episode 2 “Wonders of the Unknown” Recap:
The second episode begins with a shot of the shooter’s car reaching a trailer – the same trailer that we see Joe Leaphorn (Zahn McClarnon) and Bernadette Manuelito (Jessica Matten) get inside at the beginning of Episode 1. The shooter walks into the trailer and tries to heal his facial injuries. Meanwhile, Joe drags Jim Chee (Kiowa Gordon) to a nearby road, hoping to get a ride back home. Eventually, by night, a truck passes by and Joe manages to get its attention. Back on the ranch, in the early morning, Bernadette receives a letter from the U. S. Border Patrol. She heads to the station to take care of her usual duties. The strange goat she discovered on the road is still locked in the cell next to Dean Bitsuie’s (Zakota Shade).
Joe calls the station from the local hospital and informs Bernie about the shooting. Chee will be hospitalised for a couple of days. Joe asks Bernie to come there to take his statement. He firmly believes that the shooter was the person who blew Emerson Charley’s truck. They plan to find the whereabouts of Emerson’s son, Tomas. However, Bernie does not reveal whatever is written inside the letter. Meanwhile, the shooter plants a bomb inside a doll, gift wraps it inside a yellow-coloured box, and ties it with a red ribbon.
Vines & PoD
Joe returns home from the hospital and heads straight to the bathroom. Due to their years of marriage, Emma (Deanna Allison) is perceptive of his moods. She quickly recognises that something is deeply disturbing him. But he does not reveal the reason. He just walks in and looks at his late son’s belt buckle that he found on the deserted land. Afterwards, he goes to meet B. J. Vines (John Diehl), who returns from his brief trip. Joe asks why the buckle was in B. J.’s lockbox even though he did not even find the box. Mr Vines recalls the Drumco explosion that took Joe’s son’s life and shares his sympathies. But he refuses ever possessing this buckle and calls out Joe’s guesswork.
Because of Rosemary’s (Jeri Ryan) theory about PoD’s connection to the robbery, B. J. recounts his memories about this organisation. He calls it a ‘crazy Indian church’ and recounts his amicable relationship with their chief, Dillon Charley (David Midthunder). Joe informs this wealthy, white man about the explosion of Dillon’s brother, Emerson’s truck. B. J. feels sorry for Emerson but refutes Joe’s theories about his relationship with the blast. On his way out, Joe notices parallel marks on the carpet, probably left by Rosemary’s oxygen tank. He then goes to meet Sheriff Gordo Senna to speak about the buckle. Sherriff directs Joe to go speak with his father because of his bad relationship with PoD.
Meanwhile, Bernie goes to a local store to buy something for Chee. She notices stuff being kept for purchase to profit from the Apollo 11 moon landing. While it reflects the era the narrative is set in, it also shows how money was heavily poured into such activities while the indigenous communities were ignored by any real sense of development. Perhaps this becomes a push for Bernie to look for options to grow her career beyond Rez. Anyhow, she meets Chee at the hospital and goes straight to the business, without the pleasantries. He apologises for his past behaviour. Out of concern for his safety, she hands him something for protection thereafter.
Theories about People of Darkness
Joe meets his father Henry (Joseph Runningfox) to speak about the People of Darkness. Henry calls its members ‘criminals’. While helping his son solve a case, he does not forget to share his disappointment in Joe’s decision to not leave the rez. Even if Joe is doing the same job he once did, Henry considers Emma to be at fault, for dragging his son back from the city. Henry wanted Joe to have a future beyond what he witnessed. There is no clear right or wrong here and the characters act based on their experiences. Emma and Joe probably stayed behind to help the rez, who were historically left away from any sensible support.
Nevertheless, Henry leads Joe to meet his mother’s friend, Margaret Cigaret (Betty Ann Tsosie), to learn about the People of Darkness. She says Dillon was clever to know that laws were meant to help white folks but were against them. Dillon believed befriending white people will help prevail over them. Margaret believes Dillon let the whites commercialise their sacred ceremony and abused it. According to her, PoD reshaped themselves after Dillon’s death. On the other hand, Tomas believes that B. J. Vines is PoD, and blames B. J.’s curse for Emerson’s cancer diagnosis. Rosemary believes Dylan gave her husband something and refused to return to Emerson. However, besides Rosemary’s theory, Joe and Chee have no concrete proof of PoD’s relation with whatever transpired.
Bernie’s Job Offer
Joe returns home to find Sally (Elva Guerra) struggling to calm down her baby. He helps her with it and relieves her stress. In the hospital, Emma continues helping other mothers with their childbirth. An LA Times journalist arrives there to get her word about the effects of the Family Planning Services Act on Native American women. Emma does not let this white lady try to profit by sharing their traumas in the newspaper.
Later at night, Bernie meets Joe at his garage while he was working on his motorcycle. She discloses the interview letter she received to be a part of the border patrol. Joe does not seem content with her decision of leaving the rez. His minor resentment seems rooted in how deeply he cares for the well-being of his folks. But Bernie wants to move up the ladder and has no opportunity present where they work. He tries to make her stay but comes off as forceful not letting her make this promising career move. Eventually, he apologises to her and agrees to write a reference if required. Meanwhile, the shooter leaves the yellow-coloured gift box on someone’s doorstep.
Dark Winds (Season 2) Episode 2 “Wonders of the Unknown” Ending Explained:
What shocking truth does Joe learn about the shooter?
The Doll
Joe and Bernie revisit the deserted lands to investigate further. While looking around, Joe discovers Tomas’s dead body. He quickly senses the threat to Tomas’s son’s life and heads to their house. On the doorstep, the officers find Benny (Jet James Grant) with a yellow-coloured gift box, left by the shooter. Joe helps the kid open the box and finds a doll inside. While Benny thought it was a gift from his dad, Tomas never gifted him a doll. That raises Joe’s suspicion of danger. He asks for the doll and examines it away from the kid. That’s when he notices the bomb inside it.
Joe shows the bomb to Bernie and tells her to drive Benny somewhere safe. Back home, Emma helps Sally with taking care of the crying baby. She seems deeply committed to helping young mothers care for their children. Meanwhile, the shooter calls the local hospital under the alias of FBI Special Agent Ralston to know the room Tomas is in. On the other hand, Joe seeks his father’s help to detonate the bomb inside the doll. Then, Henry goes to a local store to see the footage of the moon landing. Suddenly, the lights go off, but they all seem used to it. Bernie tells Joe about the half-burned papers she found. Those were the documents Drumco had to file to the state. He asks her to go investigate the case the next morning.
Joe tries to comfort Benny while not being able to share the truth about Tomas. They both watch the telecast of the moon landing. Benny talks about seeing a man that looked like an astronaut but with light-coloured hair. At the time, his grandfather said this blonde man was responsible for blowing up the well ,i.e., Drumco. With this new information, Joe quickly realises the man who shot Chee is behind the death of his son. By now, gut-wrenching endings seem like a trademark for Dark Winds. This episode is an absolute masterwork with several socio-cultural insights coupled with riveting twists and turns. The writing keeps finding a fine balance between tender and frightening moments to build a richly layered drama.
![Crip Camp [2020] Netflix Review – An Uplifting Documentary on Disability Rights Movement](https://www.highonfilms.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Crip-Camp-2020-768x512.jpg)
