A close-up of the 'Dark Winds' Season 3 poster, with Jessica Matten as Bernadette Manuelito and Kiowa Gordon as Jim Chee in the forefront with Zahn McClarnon's Joe Leaphorn in the background looking off-screen.Image via AMC
By
Michael John Petty
Published Feb 13, 2026, 9:33 PM EST
Michael John Petty is a Senior Author for Collider who spends his days writing, in fellowship with his local church, and enjoying each new day with his wife and daughters. At Collider, he writes features and reviews, and has interviewed the cast and crew of Dark Winds. In addition to writing about stories, Michael has told a few of his own. His first work of self-published fiction – The Beast of Bear-tooth Mountain – became a #1 Best Seller in "Religious Fiction Short Stories" on Amazon in 2023. His Western short story, The Devil's Left Hand, received the Spur Award for "Best Western Short Fiction" from the Western Writers of America in 2025. Michael currently resides in North Idaho with his growing family.
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Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents:
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Before Dark Winds returns to AMC with a thrilling fourth season, you may not have time to revisit Season 3 beforehand. Still, it's been a year since our favorite tribal police officers were on active duty, making now the perfect time to read up on those events before we head back to Navajoland. So, what happened to Joe Leaphorn (Zahn McClarnon), Jim Chee (Kiowa Gordon), and Bernadette Manuelito (Jessica Matten) last season?
'Dark Winds' Season 3 Follows Leaphorn and Chee on the Trail of a Monstrous Killer
Ye'iitsoh from Dark Winds Season 3Image via AMC+
Like every season of Dark Winds, Season 3 adapts the works of author Tony Hillerman, namely the novels Dance Hall of the Dead and The Sinister Pig. Combining elements from both while splitting the main narrative into two, the season begins with Joe Leaphorn wrestling with the vision of a monster known as a "Ye'iitsoh." As the creature stalks him in the wilderness, the season flashes back to earlier when he and Jim Chee (now officially a member of the Navajo Tribal Police after leaving the FBI and working the private sector for a while) are on the trail of two boys who have disappeared. While Ernesto Cata (Alonso Rappa) is killed, George Bowlegs (Bodhi Okuma Linton) gets away and hides in the wilderness as Leaphorn and Chee pursue him — and the monster who is hunting him.
So, who is this monster? Well, it turns out to be none other than a local archeologist, Dr. Reynolds (Christopher Heyerdahl), who was caught by the two boys by accident when they watched him plant archeological evidence at his dig site. After anthropologist Teddi Isaacs (Carly Roland) discovers the truth, she attempts to tell the officers about Reynolds' plans for George, only to be killed by the doctor herself. At this point, Reynolds' entire career is on the line, and the only way he can get out of this is by killing every witness who could identify him. So, with the help of Sheriff Lawrence "Gordo" Sena (A Martinez), Leaphorn and Chee plan to use George as bait to capture Reynolds at the train station, eventually leading to his death as Chee shoots Reynolds.
Having learned to embrace his Navajo heritage, Season 3 also pushes Jim Chee to come to terms with his troubled past. He eventually makes peace with his former rival, Shorty Bowlegs (Derek Hinkey), upon helping save his son George, and he realizes that he has finally found his place on the reservation. For everyone else, however, that lesson is a harder one to learn.
Bernadette Is Down at the U.S./Mexico Border in 'Dark Winds' Season 3
Bernadette Manuelito (Jessica Matten) stands in the desert on 'Dark Winds'Image via AMC
Elsewhere, Bernadette has joined the U.S. Border Patrol, where she discovers a drug-trafficking ring. Although nobody seems interested in pursuing her theory — namely, her boss, Senior Chief Ed Henry (Terry Serpico) — Bern begins an investigation of her own. This leads her to oilman Tom Spenser (Bruce Greenwood), who she believes is using his business as a cover to smuggle drugs (and the occasional person or two) into the country, all while paying off the entire Border Patrol department. This includes her roommate, Elenda Garza (Tonantzin Carmelo), who soon betrays her for a bigger payday. It's here that Spenser's enforcer, the villainous hitman, Roberto "Budge" de Baca (Raoul Max Trujillo), tries to bury Bern alive. Fortunately, he fails miserably.
But here's where things get especially complicated for Bern. In the time she's been stationed at the U.S.-Mexico border, she has fallen for her coworker Ivan Muños (Alex Meraz). However, Ivan has also taken Spenser's money, and though he claims not to have spent any of it, she still can no longer trust him, despite their intimate encounters. Instead, Bern blows the lid off the whole operation, convincing Ivan to help her take Spenser down. While they succeed, Spenser gets away, and she and Ivan break up before Bern leaves the Border Patrol behind to return home to the Rez. Upon her return, sparks begin to fly once more between her and Chee.
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Posts By Michael John Petty'Dark Winds' Season 3 Ends With a Split for Joe and Emma Leaphorn
All of this aside, perhaps the biggest struggle of the third season exists in the Leaphorn home. After federal agent Sylvia Washington (Jenna Elfman) arrives on the Rez to investigate the death of B.J. Vines (John Diehl) — who Joe left for dead at the end of Season 2 — all the heat is put on our favorite Navajo lieutenant while he's in the middle of an investigation. Of course, Emma (Deanna Allison) knows what Joe has done. Although her heart has been broken by his actions, and she believes he is no longer the man he once was, she lies to Washington about his whereabouts on the night in question. In the end, the case against Joe is dropped, and Washington returns home to, well, Washington, D.C.
CL Report: Subscribe and never miss what matters
Dive into the world of entertainment with Collider, delivering the latest news, reviews, and exclusive updates from movies, TV, and pop culture Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.But things aren't left happy between Joe and Emma. The results of his lies and actions weigh heavily on Emma, who decides to leave the reservation (and Joe) for the time being. After discovering his deep-seated psychological issues and the guilt that plagues him, Joe Leaphorn must become a better man if he is going to win his wife back. While she still loves him, the season ends with the revelation that she is not sure that she can forgive him. With that, Dark Winds fans can expect Season 4 to pick up where we left off with the Leaphorns, Chee, and Manuelito.
Dark Winds Season 4 premieres February 15 on AMC and AMC+.
Dark Winds
TV-MA
Crime
Drama
Mystery
Thriller
Release Date
June 12, 2022
Set in the 1970s on a remote Navajo reservation, this crime thriller follows tribal police officers Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee as they investigate a series of brutal crimes that challenge their spiritual beliefs and personal lives. The show blends mystery, culture, and the harsh realities of life in the Southwest.
Network AMC Cast Zahn McClarnon, Kiowa Gordon, Jessica Matten, Deanna Allison, Natalie Benally, Andersen Kee, Wade Adakai, Elva Guerra, A Martinez, Bruce Greenwood, David Midthunder, Jeremiah Bitsui, John Diehl, Noah Emmerich, Robert Knepper, Robert Redford, Alex Meraz, Sarah Luther, Casimere Jollette, Daniel Serrano, Jade Brennan, Nicholas Logan, Eugene Brave Rock, Ryan Jason Cook, Ryan de Quintal, Sheypan Draus, John Paul Comanche, Harrison Lowe Creator Graham Roland Main Genre Crime Powered by
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Dark Winds
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Zahn McClarnon
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Dive into the world of entertainment with Collider, delivering the latest news, reviews, and exclusive updates from movies, TV, and pop culture Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.What To Watch
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