“Backup. What backup? We have 50 tribal officers for over 27,000 square miles.” That captures the isolation of the Navajo Nation in 1971, the setting for AMC’s crime thriller, Dark Winds. The series is based on the Leaphorn and Chee books by Tony Hillerman. Zahn McClarnon (Longmire, Fargo #2) stars as Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn. It’s inspiring to see McClarnon as the lead after his long career of supporting roles. His Deputy, Jim Chee (Kiowa Gordon, The Twilight Saga), is a college boy returning to the reservation after 10 years. He has more in mind than just fighting local crime. Sgt. Manuelito (Jessica Matten) is rightly skeptical of the returnee.
In season one, the Navajo Police investigated the murder of two native residents. At the same time, a brazen bank robbery occurred in Gallup, N.M. and the getaway helicopter landed that investigation onto tribal lands and the FBI along with it. These seemingly unrelated crimes were intertwined. By the end of the first season, these crime links were explained, but despite the final violent confrontation justice is still outstanding. Season two will find Leaphorn, Chee, and Manuelito reckoning with a lack of trust within the Navajo community, the shifty actions of the FBI, and a missing body. FBI agent Noah Emmerich (The Americans) returns, as does Rainn Wilson (The Office), the sleazy used car salesman slash missionary. New cast members include Nicholas Logan (Dopesick) and Star Trek series star Jeri Ryan.
Dark Winds encompasses multiple perspectives in a surreal murder mystery. Native American traditions, augmented by spiritual mysticism, convey a genuine picture of the Navajo people. While George R.R Martin and Robert Redford are among the producers, the cast and crew are Native American from the actors, writers, to the film studio. Adding to the authenticity, Dark Winds is filmed on location in New Mexico, Native American Pueblos, and Navajo Nation, which includes the iconic movie backdrop of Monument Valley.
We’ve seen these crime procedurals many times before, including jurisdictional conflicts between the Feds and local authorities. Only this time, it’s the FBI and Navajo tribal police. The show’s appeal is the dynamic culture clash, but also the complicated relationships within the Navajo Nation. The three tribal cops were all born on the reservation and struggle to balance Native allegiances with their law enforcement role. Leaphorn’s personal dilemma is evident; the more he probes, the more he uncloaks the wounds of his past. Dark Winds is an absorbing cultural immersion into the land of the Navajo.
(Season two of Dark Winds premiers on AMC, Sunday night July 30th; a short six-episode season like the first. Stream on AMC+)