Diksha Sundriyal
The second season of AMC+’s ‘Dark Winds’ goes deeper into the mystery surrounding the death of Joe Leaphorn’s son, who died before the events of the first season. Joe knew that there was something amiss with the explosion, but no one ever got to the bottom of the truth. The Feds ignored the case because they didn’t think it was important enough, and soon after, the place was bought by B.J Vines, who wouldn’t allow any investigation, even if Joe wanted one.
He discovers his son’s buckle in what was possibly one of the contents of the box stolen from B.J. Vines. If Joe needed any motivation to solve the case, he’s got it now. By the end of this episode, he finds himself much closer to the answer than ever before. Here’s what the ending means. SPOILERS AHEAD
Dark Winds Season 2 Episode 2 Recap
At the end of the last episode, Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee were stranded in the desert after being attacked by the mysterious shooter, whom Chee recognized as the man he saw outside the building where he met Tomas Charley. Chee is shot and profusely bleeding by the time the second episode starts. Joe carries him to the road, and luckily, a truck passes by. Chee is brought to the hospital just in time, but he will have to stay there a while to get better.
Meanwhile, Joe looks into the case by himself. He visits B.J. Vines and asks him about the contents of the box. He shows him his son’s buckle, but Vines says he had nothing to do with the explosion. Joe and Bernadette revisit the site and discover Tomas’s dead body in the desert. When they go to his house, they find his son holding a present he thinks his father left for him. It turns out to be another bomb, which raises a question. Why would anyone want to kill the entire Charley family, including Tomas’ young son?
Dark Winds Season 2 Episode 2 Ending: Did Colton Wolf Kill Joe’s Son?
The center of the mystery in the second season is Colton Wolf. The streak of murders started with his arrival, but what does he have to do with the Charley family? It’s clear that the whole thing has something to do with the People of Darkness. The box from B.J. Vines’ house was stolen due to some unresolved issues between Emerson Charley and Vines. Both sides give conflicting accounts of the cult. Mrs. Vines tells Chee that Emerson Charley got B.J. involved with the cult and held a grudge against him when Vines left. Tomas Charley says that B.J. Vines is People of Darkness.
The only way to clear this up is to find Colton Wolf and ask him. He is the connecting dot to this mystery, but Joe discovers that Wolf is related to his son’s death as well. Tomas’s son reveals that a man looking like Colton had been around their house when his grandpa was still alive. Emerson told the boy to stay away from Colton because he was a bad person who did terrible things, like blowing up the well. While the boy doesn’t know what well his grandfather is talking about, Joe realizes it is about the explosion at the drill site.
Considering his preference for explosives, it makes sense that someone like Colton Wolf would have been behind yet another explosion. He was good enough to make Emerson’s death look like an accident. If it weren’t for Joe’s keen eye, the local cops would have dismissed it as an accident. This shows how good Colton is at his job, and this is why perhaps, he was called in for the explosion, which evidence suggests, was pre-planned.
In the last season, it was revealed that some people at the drill site, including the father of Joe Jr.’s girlfriend, knew that something bad was about to happen there. They were told to stay back, and the prediction turned true when the explosion took place. The prediction was made by a person who had connections to the People of Darkness, and the cult gained more following in the wake of this tragedy. Could the cult be just a facade for a greater conspiracy? Who planned the explosion and why? These answers can only be revealed by Colton Wolf, but he has something else on his mind.
Will Jim Chee Die?
In the last scene of this episode, we find Jim Chee in the hospital, watching the moon landing with the staff. Unbeknownst to him, Colton Wolf arrives at the hospital. He seems to have colored his hair to make himself less recognizable, but will Chee so quickly forget the face of the man who shot him? Even if Chee recognizes him, he is injured, which gives Colton an upper hand, making his task easier.
Considering how the events have unfolded, we can say that someone paid Colton to do their dirty work. It most probably has ties to B.J. Vines, who Tomas claimed, had cursed his father and his family. Maybe, wiping out the Charley family is Vines’ way of showing people he takes his curses seriously. It’s unclear whether Vines also asked Colton to get rid of Chee, but the assassin seems intent on the job.
In the book on which this season is based, when Colton arrives at the hospital to kill Chee, he mistakenly kills another patient who had been sharing the room with Chee. By the time he realizes his mistake, Chee has already figured out the danger he is in and runs away to safety. The show, however, is expected to make it much more dramatic than that, so we expect a fight scene and/or a chase sequence. It’s not a spoiler that Chee will survive this, though he might suffer a few more bruises in the process. In any case, this second attempt at his life will make him more determined to find Colton. He’ll be glad to share that sentiment with Leaphorn, who would want his share of revenge.
Read More: Where and What Year is Dark Winds Set in?
