Entertainment NOW

2 • July 30 - August 5, 2023 Entertainment Now By Dana Simpson TV Media W hen AMC aired the "Dark Winds" Sea- son 1 finale mid-July last year, the show proved, if nothing else, that all it takes is six great episodes to cre- ate a strong and supportive fan base. Now, a little more than one year after said finale, New Mexico cops Joe Leaphorn (Zahn McClar- non, "Reservation Dogs") and Jim Chee (Kiowa Gordon, "The Red Road") are back for Round 2, call- ing all fans back to their TV sets and computer screens once again. Season 2 of "Dark Winds" pre- mieres Sunday, July 30, on AMC and the AMC+ streaming service. Set in the American Southwest during the 1970s, the spiritu- ally infused crime thriller follows two Navajo officers of the law, Leaphorn and Chee, as they take on a smattering of cases in their desert community. Constantly plagued by an open double mur- der in the first season, the officers take on several other, smaller cases while chipping away at the big unsolved crime, all while grap- pling with their own personal and cultural demons. The series opened to positive reviews when it premiered in June 2022 and continued to pick up acclaim over its six weeks on air. Among the most notable ac- colades, "Dark Winds" was nomi- nated for the Best Action/Thriller Television Series Saturn Award, and leading man Gordon was nominated for a Gotham Award for his performance as undercover FBI agent Chee. Additionally, the Graham Roland ("Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan") -created series earned a Western Heritage Award for the pilot, titled "Monster." The AMC production has also been lauded for its richness of Indigenous culture, well-rounded character development and overall beautiful storytelling — the latter of which comes as no surprise to those familiar with the other works of executive producers George R.R. Martin ("Game of Thrones") and Robert Redford ("Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," 1969). Backed up by a massive team of talented writers, producers, directors and more, Martin and Redford have a major part in bringing the Navajo Mysteries novels of Tony Hiller- man to life. Much of the magic, however, falls in the hands of the series' cast. Returning for Season 2 alongside Gordon and McClarnon are Jessica Matten ("Frontier") as gifted tribal police Sgt. Berna- dette Manuelito; Deanna Allison ("Accused") as Leaphorn's wife, Emma; and Rainn Wilson ("The Office") in his unusually sinister role as twisted missionary and used car salesman "Devoted Dan" DeMarco. There has also been word that Sally Growing Thunder (Elva Guerra, "Reserva- tion Dogs"), Frank Nakai (Eugene Brave Rock, "That Dirty Black Bag") and Hoski (Jeremiah Bitsui, "Better Call Saul") are likely to return this season. That said, the winds of change are still blowing in the casting department as a couple of new faces make their way onto the scene; most notably, those of Jeri Ryan ("Star Trek: Voyager") and Nicolas Logan ("Dopesick"). While Logan stars as assassin Colton Wolf, Ryan steps into the role of Rosemary Vines, a woman described as "a femme fatale who leaves a trail of bodies in her wake." As for the remainder of the second-season plot, the "Dark Winds" trailer features a very hu- man threat in the form of a "blond man" walking onto the reserva- tion and committing a string of murders. Though with many of Season 1's questions still lingering without concrete answers, it's worth noting that many of this season's horrors link back to the freshman season in one way or another. Leaphorn, still dealing with a personal loss from last season, has a lot to face before he can move forward with his grief. Now more determined than ever that he can't face his demons alone, Leaphorn once again teams up with Chee and Manuelito to bring peace to their Nation — hopefully once and for all. But it certainly won't be easy. "Dark Winds," which is primar- ily filmed in the New Mexican cities of Santa Fe and Tesuque Pueblo, is just one of several new series to feature Indigenous themes, storylines and cast as of late. The series joins the ranks of FX's award-winning crime com- edy "Reservation Dogs," the Pea- cock Original comedy "Rutherford Falls" and "Little Bird," a Crave/ APTN joint-venture that tells the story of an Indigenous woman, now grown, on a journey to find her roots following her childhood traumas incurred amid the "Six- ties Scoop." As is the case with any of these projects, hopes have been (and continue to be) high for "Dark Winds" — and not just from a Hollywood success standpoint. In an interview ahead of the series premiere, McClarnon acknowl- edged his own hopes for the series. "What I hope to see from 'Dark Winds' is just more doors open- ing, not only for Indigenous talent in front of the camera but also behind the camera," McClarnon said. "I think we're kind of in a unique time right now with Na- tive representation in media [a]nd I'm glad to be a part of it." Whether you tune in for the human-on-human crime proce- dural element, the supernatural/ spiritual suggestions or the relat- able characters and the complex- ity of their personal demons, don't miss a minute of the show Col- lider's Chase Hutchinson called "unexpectedly admirable and audacious." "Dark Winds" Season 2 pre- mieres Sunday, July 28, on AMC and AMC+. Cover Story Kiowa Gordon in "Dark Winds" 'Winds' of change: New season of 'Dark Winds' blows onto AMC Farmers Insurance 2 x 2 Letters & Numbers Sudoku Fill in the grid so that every row,every column, and every 4x4 box contains the digits 1 through 9 AND the letters A-F. Solution on page 12.

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