Dark Winds season 2 episode 2 recap: Wonders of the Unknown

Dark Winds second episode of season 2, “Wonders of the Unknown”, begins with Jim Chee reeling from the aftermath of being shot by the blonde man Colton. Colton’s predicament is much less life-threatening and he tends to his wounds from Chee and Leaphorn in his trailer. Jim however, is in a more dire circumstance. Joe attempts to move him by dragging him but there’s no way to get him to the hospital safely that way. The more he moves the more he bleeds out. Joe ends up getting a little luck and flagging down a truck driver for help.

The Apollo 15 moon landing is the following day and everyone in town is getting ready for the big event. Joe calls Bernadette down at the office and lets her know about the trouble they barely made their way out of. Chee had been hit in the shoulder but should only need a few days in the hospital to recover. At this point, Leaphorn is pretty sure that the man who shot Chee is the one who blew up Emerson Charley’s truck. Not only that but his son Tomas has something to do with it in connection to B.J. Vines and the People of Darkness.

When Joe returns home he keeps the events of the gunfight with Colton under wraps. Emma has already been through so much and had her own injury due to Colton when these events started to transpire. It’s not healthy for their marriage to keep this from her but I do understand why Joe did. He’s still trying to wrap his head around everything himself.

Joe may want to figure out their son's connection to all of this before he goes upsetting her. Emma has the medicine man coming soon for the ceremony she wants their family to have, but Joe just can’t handle it right now. Whatever this connection is with their boy it’s really weighing on him and opening old wounds that are heartbreaking to watch.

Meanwhile, Colton is back at his tricks and assembling a bomb inside of a doll. The man always seems to be one step ahead of them. He soon disguises it as some kind of a gift in preparation to cause more pain to the Navajo people. But to who?

Dark Winds: Joe gets down to the bottom of it

There is no rest for the weary. Joe Leaphorn wastes no time and goes back to the source B.J. Vines who ends up being no help at all. Vines acts pretty clueless over the buckle of his deceased son. He let Joe know that he’s not sure why the buckle was in that location but it’s not an item that would have been in the box. B.J. Vines is sorry for what has been unleashed and the pain it has rehashed but assures him whatever this connection is with his son it has nothing to do with him.

"“I still got to solve your cases for you, huh?”"

- Henry Leaphorn

Joe goes to pay his old man a visit. Hoping to learn a little more about the People of Darkness. His father rags on him that he still has to solve all his cases but Joe begins questioning who these people are. Henry is a man who doesn’t seem too keen on his wife Emma and does not like the man Joe became. A man just like himself.

He ended up becoming his father and Henry wanted more for his son than the life he had. He does eventually tell him to go talk to one of his friends mother Margaret Cigaret who knows all about the People of Darkness.

What has Bernadette been up to?

A big decision has been weighing on Bernie. At the start of the episode, we see her holding a letter from the Border Patrol. She soon puts the letter away to go get Chee’s statement at the hospital, but not before she runs by the local shop to get him a gift. Everyone around is talking about the excitement of the big moon landing.

Bernadette asks Chee about the blonde man’s description and is very professional and matter-of-fact which starts to drive Chee crazy. He apologizes to her for putting her in a bad spot at the cave and Bernie being Bernie doesn’t react a lot to the emotion and hands him the gift she got him.

Joe soon meets with Margaret Cigaret and asks who the People of Darkness are. Letting her know that he’s looking for Dillon Charles who may know what happened to his son. Margaret explains to him Dillon was very clever and the ones who call themselves the People of Darkness now are clueless.

Dillon let white men come and commercialize ceremonies for profit and it seems B.J. Vines is the man responsible for revamping it according to Tomas Charley who is still missing in action. Whatever beef Tomas’ father had with Vines is what led to the witchcraft that gave the elder cancer.

Dark Winds: The search for Tomas Charley comes to an end

Back at the house, Joe is working on his bike again as Bernie comes up to talk. You can sense a little nervous energy coming from her as she helps Joe with his bike. There’s really nothing this woman can’t do. She’s such a tremendous role model for Native American girls to aspire to. B

ernie finally breaks down and tells Joe about the Border Patrol position. Joe isn’t happy about it and wants her to stay to eventually take over his post. But Bernie wants to find her way. This is not the end game that she wants for herself. Joe in time does understand and gives his blessing. He lets her know if she needs a reference he will find someone to write one in a joking manner.

The next day Bernie and Joe go back to check out the site of the box again for more clues but what they stumble upon is worse for them than any witchcraft, it’s Tomas Charley’s lifeless body down between the rocks. They know they have to get back to Tomas’ house to check in on his son Benny who could be Colton’s next target.

Upon finding him, Benny is holding the box of Colton’s doll which Benny thinks is simply a gift from his father. Joe helps him open the box and quickly realizes what they are dealing with. He tasks Bernie with taking Benny back to the station for now and keeping him safe while he figures out how to diffuse the bomb.

Henry comes to help his son diffuse it. Not all too thrilled about it but they do it successfully, together. Back at the station, everyone is watching the moon landing. Benny is an intuitive kid and knows his dad is missing. He asks Joe why Bernie doesn’t just call his dad. When Joe tells him she can’t he understands and asks if he’s ever going to see his dad again, Joe stays honest with him and tells him no and they share a moment of comfort.

Moments later Benny reveals something devastating to Joe. He talks about the tall blonde white man who came around his place and his grandfather Emerson told him he was a bad man and to stay away from him. When little Benny asked why he said it was because he was the one responsible for the bombing at the drill site. We know that Joe had an inclination Colton was behind it but he nearly has a panic attack when receiving the information. He now knows he must avenge his son's death and bring down his murderer.

At the very last moment, Colton is now on his way to finish the job on Jim Chee. He has now disguised himself as a doctor to shut down one of the men who could make his downfall. Tune in next Sunday to see if Leaphorn can save Chee again in time.