‘Dark Winds’ Stars Zahn McClarnon & Franka Potente Break Down That Disturbing Kiss in Episode 3

[Warning: The article below contains MAJOR spoilers for Dark Winds Season 4 Episode 3, “Ahááldláádígíí (That Which Has Been Torn Apart).”]

Dark Winds has finally unveiled one of its scariest antagonists to date as Irene Vaggan’s (Franka Potente) true nature came to light in Season 4’s latest installment, “Ahááldláádígíí (That Which Has Been Torn Apart).”

As Joe Leaphorn (Zahn McClarnon) sought answers surrounding the death of Billie Tsosie’s (Isabel Deroy-Olson) cousin and grandfather, he inched closer to Vaggan, unaware that she was watching him, until she called the police station from his house phone after snooping around. As Vaggan puts it, she respects Joe’s culture and warns that he should let the feds handle the case involving Billie from here on out to avoid trouble.

Of course, telling Joe Leaphorn what to do is easier said than done, but Vaggan wishes to make her message even clearer when she seeks out the Lieutenant amid his sauna sessions in the desert. Sneaking up on him, Vaggan holds Leaphorn up at gunpoint, reiterating the same threats, but changing her tone to convey reverence and a deep obsession for him.

AMC

Things turn from creepy to downright assault when Vaggan forcibly kisses Leaphorn, his stiffened posture and obvious reluctance clear on his face. This revelation over Vaggan’s romantic obsession with Joe means there’s a whole new layer of the antagonist to deal with as the season continues.

“Vaggan is definitely a formidable antagonist on the show this season,” McClarnon tells TV Insider. “To find out that Franka Potente was going to play the character was pretty exciting for me as an actor, and being a big fan of hers since Run Lola Run days, [during] which I had a big crush on her. I admit I did. I’ve told her this a hundred times,” the actor says with a laugh.

“Done now that he met me,” Potente jokes.

“What she brought to the character, it was amazing,” McClarnon continues to gush about Potente. “She brought more than what the page said… and to watch her bring her ideas onto the set and into the character, it was a learning experience for me,” the star adds. So, while Joe Leaphorn can look forward to being terrorized, McClarnon enjoyed the filming process with Potente.

Related

'Dark Winds' Cast on Zahn McClarnon's Directing Debut in Episode 2

As for Potente, playing into Vaggan’s creepy nature wasn’t something the actress could put a label on. “I don’t think about it like, ‘Oh, how can I be creepy or how can I be scary, right?’ [I can only] make a few decisions. I start out very broad. I just see him, and then I decide I love this man.  I have to have him no matter what, and anyone who’s trying to get in my way has to die, obviously,” Potente explains.

While we haven’t seen Vaggan kill anyone on behalf of Joe, we’re nervous to see what tricks she may have up her sleeve as he plans to head out west in search of Billie, who has set off for Los Angeles. Instead, Potente believes Vaggan’s innate creepy state comes from a “kind of meticulous manner” where  “you overemphasize little things.”

See how Vaggan continues to misconstrue Joe’s true feelings towards her as Season 4 rolls out and let us know what you thought of the disturbing scene in the comments section below.

Dark Winds, Season 4, Sundays, 9/8c, AMC and AMC+