Diksha Sundriyal
The second season of AMC+’s ‘Dark Winds’ brings Joe Leaphorn to a crossroads in his pursuit of justice. It started with the death of Emerson Charley and then his son, Tomas, and soon, Joe discovered that this case was related to the explosion at the drill site, which claimed his son’s life four years ago. Even with all the odds stacked against him, Joe is adamant about getting to the bottom of the truth. He hopes that putting the people responsible for the explosion behind bars would help him find closure and maybe move on from grieving his son. However, things are much more complicated than he thought. SPOILERS AHEAD
Dark Winds Season 2 Episode 6 Recap
At the end of the last episode, Colton Wolf escaped from the police. At the beginning of this episode, he ends up at the Vines’s house. He is greeted by B.J. Vines, and if there was any doubt about it, their interaction proves that Vines hired Colton to do all the bad things he did all this while. Colton reveals that Joe Leaphorn has caught up with them, at least in theory. He knows that Vines was involved in the explosion, but there is no way for him to prove it. The only person who can tie Vines to the crime is Colton. Vines gives him some money and points him in the direction of a car but then shoots him in the back.
While the police are still looking for Colton, Vines buries him somewhere no one would find him. When he comes back home, he finds Chee waiting for him. The PI confronts him about being the leader of the People of Darkness and asks where his wife is. Vines dismisses him, which makes Chee all the more suspicious. Later, while going through some of Tomas Charley’s stuff, he discovers a camera that has all the answers.
Dark Winds Season 2 Ending: Is BJ Vines Dead?
The pictures in Tomas Charley’s camera reveal two things. First, he was having an affair with Mrs. Vines. Second, Mr. Vines was behind the explosion. The original report revealed that the mine had a good amount of uranium. However, Vines tampered with it, so the report would say there was little to no uranium in the mines. This, coupled with the explosion, brought down the place’s price, and Vines bought it cheap. The box that Tomas stole contained the original report, and he took a picture of it, which was a smart move because later, Colton destroyed the report.
Joe considers the picture strong evidence and uses it to get Vines arrested. However, as Joe’s father predicted, Vines quickly gets out on bail, and it doesn’t look like he will be brought to justice because the law seems to be on his side. So, Joe decides to take the law into his own hands. He kidnaps Vines from his house and drives him to a desolate place. In the middle of nowhere, Joe is tempted to shoot Vines and get his revenge. However, his conscience prevents him from doing it. Instead, he leaves Vines and drives away.
While Joe might not have pulled the trigger, he did leave Vines to die. Stranded in the middle of nowhere, Vines tries to find a way back. It’s snowing, and he is barefoot, which means that his chances of survival are slim to none. When we see him again, he is lying by the side of the road with hypothermia setting in. The following day, Joe discovers that a warrant has been issued against Vines because he broke the terms of his bail and has disappeared. There is no sign of him, which confirms that Vines didn’t make it back. He died during the night.
Does Bernadette Take the Border Patrol Job?
While Joe carries out his form of justice on Vines, he doesn’t tell anyone about it. Vines may be dead, but it still doesn’t change the fact that he would have walked away free if the law had taken its course. This is the sign Bernadette had been looking for. At the beginning of the season, she applied for a post at the Border Patrol. In the previous episode, she was accepted but wasn’t sure about leaving, even though she was leaning pretty heavily towards it. Whatever doubts she might have had about taking the job are washed away when she sees B.J. Vines walking away despite being guilty of horrible crimes.
Bernadette knew the law didn’t make things easy for her people, but she believed it would be enough to put the bad guys away. Vines’ case makes it clear that the law is not the same for white people and her people. There is no point in staying in a place and working at a job where you cannot change anything. She watched Joe put his life on the line to catch Colton and find evidence against Vines. In the end, however, all of his efforts were in vain.
She tells Joe about her decision. Even though he is not happy about her leaving, he wishes her all the best. She also bids farewell to Chee, who seems to have taken over her job. With her gone, he becomes Joe’s right-hand man, hoping his presence will ease Bernadette’s leaving. But that doesn’t ease anything for him. In saying their goodbyes, Bernadette and Chee confess their feelings and kiss. She wishes he’d come into her life earlier, but there is nothing they can do now. So, they part ways, wishing the best for each other.
What Happens to Sally? Why Does She Leave?
Bernadette is not the only one who skips town by the end of Season 2. This season, Sally spent some time with the Leaphorn family. Joe and Emma took her in and helped her take care of her son. But Sally felt trapped there. She’d lived her whole life in the same town where she was abused by her mother’s boyfriend. Her heart breaks for her son, who she thinks doesn’t like her and who will eventually find out how he was conceived. She feels stagnated there and wants to go somewhere else and start anew.
In the final episode, when the baby laughs for the first time, he has the First Laugh Ceremony. Perhaps this is the sign Sally had been waiting for. After the ceremony, she packs her bags and leaves a note for Joe and Emma, explaining everything. She doesn’t want to be held back by her past anymore and wants to give a better life to her son, which will only be possible if she is not stuck and unhappy. The end of Season 2 marks the beginning of a new life for her.
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