At the end of “Dark Winds” Episode 3, we saw Joe Leaphorn tell Jim Chee about his son, which is proof that Joe trusts Jim with his past. Lester’s wife, Wanda, is bitten by a spider. Emma gives Joe the name “Frank Nakai,” as revealed by Sally. In Episode 4, Joe and Jim look into the name “Frank Nakai.” Joe begins to form doubts over Father Benjamin Tso. Jim gets closer to his FBI motive, which is the reason why he was sent to Navajo. But how long can he hide his real intentions from Jim?
The Past
Five months before the armored truck heist (‘Dark Winds’ Episode 1), the Buffalo Society, Benjamin Tso and Frank Nakai l, arrive at B.J. Vines’ estate. Vines is the person buying the Navajo oilfield, and they have come to warn him against it. It belongs to the Navajo people. But the fact is, Vines has already bought the oilfield, and no matter what the Buffalo Society does, they cannot afford to get it back. This is what makes them rob the armored truck (we do not know if the money belonged to Vines). After the robbery, Benjamin, Frank, Pete Samuels (the guy with a mustache posing as the cop), and the pilot land on a ridge by the lakelet at Benjamin’s house. The guys kill the pilot and push the helicopter off the ridge into the lakelet. Ada Growing Thunder is also there.
The “All These Crimes Are Connected” Theory
As Raymond Begay comes out of the lakelet with whatever he has recovered from its surface (as Joe had told him to), he is shot in the head by Benjamin Tso. He and Frank stare at the floating dead body. Frank isn’t happy about it as whatever they are doing for the well-being of the Navajo people. Thus killing a diné is not morally right. But Tso makes it clear that they cannot be naive about it and have to do what needs to be done.
Young Roderick is fascinated by a white helmet on sale at the flea market. He buys it in exchange for his cowboy hat. At the Leaphorns’, when Emma asks Joe regarding Sally and her baby staying with them, Joe states that the mother and the baby will be better off at the Gallup shelter. At the department, Joe tells Jim and Bernadette about Frank Nakai. Neither Bernadette nor Jim say that they have heard of him, although Jim’s expressions say otherwise. From what Joe has found, Nakai is a war hero who also “roughs up young women.” Joe tells Bernadette to find out Nakai’s whereabouts.
Joe and Jim arrive at Lester’s shop to talk to Wanda about Hosteen Tso’s letter to his grandson that she didn’t deliver. But they find out from Lester that she is in a coma. At the hospital, Bernadette arrives to check on Wanda. Emma is taking care of her. Bernadette is taken aback when Emma tells her that it was a spider bite. She asks Emma if she can speak to Sally. Emma gracefully agrees.
Joe’s Doubts
Joe and Jim arrive at Benjamin Tso’s house to show him where Joe buried his grandfather, Hosteen. But the conversation between them raises doubts in Joe’s mind. Earlier, Benjamin had stated that he had no family, but now he mentions a brother who he hasn’t heard from since they were children. According to Benjamin, his brother was kicked out of the school of St. Michael after he set the chapel on fire. Then, upon being asked about Lester’s wife, Wanda, he says that he has only seen her at Lester’s shop, his face proving to Joe that Benjamin knows more than he says. Joe and Jim leave.
Bernadette finds out from Sally about Frank’s friend who sleeps with her mother. But she doesn’t know his name. Joe and Jim arrive at St. Michael’s chapel to find out if Benjamin spoke the truth. They scan through the archives, and Jim finds Tso’s file. There are two pictures, one of Benjamin Tso and the other of his twin brother, James Tso. Interestingly, the Benjamin we know wears spectacles, but in the pictures, it is James who has the specs. This proves that our Benjamin is actually James, who is posing as Benjamin. Both are satisfied with what they have just found. Joe even invites Jim to dinner that night. [We will also address Benjamin as James from now on.]
Back at the cave, Frank provides food to the Mormon family that the Buffalo Society has taken hostage. Pete finds it unreasonable and makes his unhappiness clear to James and Frank. He just wants his cut, and he will leave. James tells him to meet them the next day at the “original drop site,” where they were supposed to land after robbing the armored truck, but they didn’t. Meanwhile, at the hospital, Emma asks Sally if she and her baby boy would like to stay with them. Sally’s smile says it all.
The Truth Brewing
Realizing that Joe Leaphorn and his assistant will come for him, James chalks out a plan with Frank to ambush them. He also tells Frank that the Mormons will have to die as well. Frank’s unwillingness to do whatever they are doing is clearly visible. In the evening, James sneaks into Bernadette’s property and steals her horse, Taco.
Jimm pays a visit to Whitover, who is overjoyed with everything Jim has found out about the robbers of the armored truck heist. Once they have James Tso in custody, Whitover can make his entry with a federal warrant, which will seal his promotion as well as Jim’s.
Jim arrives at the Leaphorns’ for dinner. At the table, Joe is surprised to find out that Jim and Bernadette have taken a liking to each other. It’s a good talk until Emma tells Joe that she has asked Sally to live with them for as long as she wants. Joe is not happy about it. Jim leaves, realizing that the couple needs to talk it out between each other. But Emma, too, isn’t in the mood and leaves the table. Joe is left alone at the table.
‘Dark Winds’ Episode 4 Ending Explained- Does Joe Catch the Buffalo Society?
The next day, Bernadette, while looking for Taco, comes across Roderick and observes a white helmet on his head. She asks him about it, and he tells her that he bought it from Ms. Nez at the Flea market. She gives him some money in return for it. She then heads over to the market with the helmet and asks Ms. Nez about it. Nez tells her that Raymond Begay sold it to her. She then heads over to the lakelet as she knows that Begay has been appointed by Joe to search for anything unusual under the waterbody. She sees the boat in the middle of the lakelet, swims to it, and finds a pair of shoes in it. Joe and Jim are also on their way to James’ house (previously Benjamin’s house) to take him in. Unknown to them, Frank is hiding among the stones on the ridge while James has locked himself inside the house, both waiting to kill the two officers. Jim goes around the back of the house while Joe stands in front. Jim notices Taco, Bernadette’s horse, and at the very next moment, recognizes Frank among the stones on the ridge about to shoot at them. He yells at Joe to get down and fires at Frank, sparking a gunfight. Bernadette, who is out of the water, hears the gunshots and rushes in their direction.
Meanwhile, James has also been found by Jim inside, who tries to shoot him through the wooden walls. The prolonged gunfight ends with Bernadette shooting Frank on his back and James escaping the scene on Bernadette’s horse. But to Jim’s misfortune, Frank reveals his cover as an FBI agent, which comes as a shock to both Bernadette, who had no idea about it, and Joe, whom Jim had told that he didn’t know Frank Nakai. They take Frank to the hospital.
It is nighttime. Pete, who was told to wait at the original drop site, after wasting a lot of time there, visits B.J. Vines. He offers Vines information regarding the Buffalo Society (James Tso and Frank Nakai) along with the location of the money they stole in return for “5k”. Vines has “till tomorrow” to let Pete know.
As Joe comes out of the hospital (probably after checking on Frank), he comes face-to-face with Jim, who has just arrived in his black FBI suit. He has already checked his badge and gun at the station and will soon be receiving a federal warrant for Frank Nakai as well as overseeing his transfer to the FBI. Jim knew about Frank Nakai all along, and he was sent by the FBI to solve the bank heist case. All this is news to Joe, who is unable to hold himself back and punches Jim in the face. He doesn’t want to see Jim ever again. Jim shoves him away, gets in his car, and leaves. Joe returns to his house and sits at the table with his dinner, alone.
It seems that Frank Nakai will be taken by the FBI. But James Tso is still at large, and so is Ada Growing Thunder. This means Sally’s life is still in danger. With Jim gone, it is up to Joe and Bernadette to solve the case. But we cannot be sure that James will not try to get Frank out of the hospital before either Joe or the FBI try to get information out of him that can sabotage their entire racket. “Dark Winds” Episode 5 will probably show more of the racket and bring in Devoted Dan, the one who runs the racket, into the plot.
