Inside That ‘Dark Winds’ Shocking Season 4 Finale Death — What’s Next? (VIDEO)
What To Know
- Dark Winds stars Zahn McClarnon, Kiowa Gordon, Jessica Matten, and Franka Potente break down the Season 4 finale’s biggest moments.
- Inside that shocking death twist and what’s next for the characters in Season 5.
Dark Winds Season 4 has come to an end, but the finale episode, “Ni’ Hodisxǫs (The Glittering World),” which uncovered a shocking death in its final moments, teeing up the Season 5 mystery Leaphorn (Zahn McClarnon) and team will no doubt unravel. Fair warning: There are spoilers for the Dark Winds Season 4 finale ahead!
As viewers will recall, Leaphorn was kidnapped by Irene Vaggan (Franka Potente), who had gone fully off script in terms of what her boss, McNair (Titus Welliver), wanted, as she chose to play out her fantasy life with Leaphorn and Billie Tsosie (Isabel Deroy-Olson) filling in as the husband and daughter she envisions in her domestic ideal.
“I remember when I was a kid, we would play adults, right?” Potente points out to TV Insider. “I think that’s very similar to how Irene partially works… She never experienced love or the idea of family… And so, with Leaphorn being this glorious new fixed star of her universe comes this… opportunity to actually make that happen in her own little narrative in her little play that she puts on in her space.”
Michael Moriatis / AMC
Ultimately, Joe devised a way out of the situation, as he broke himself and Billie free of the bunker with an explosive plan that left Vaggan seriously injured. “The struggle I had was actually having my character Joe figure out what she was doing and how to play that realistically, so the audience gets it,” McClarnon shares. “I struggled with that quite a bit, trying to make it look plausible that I understood what she was doing, what she was going through, and then trying to trick her in a way.”
While the situation with Vaggan was put to rest by the episode’s end, she still managed to survive, leaving a loose thread for a potential return, which McClarnon and Potente address in the full video interview above. But it was the finale’s closing moments that delivered the biggest shock factor.
As Leaphorn prepared to retire, he consulted his pal Gordo Sena (A Martinez), and Jim Chee (Kiowa Gordon) weighed the option of joining the FBI in L.A., as Bernadette Mauelito (Jessica Matten) looked ahead to her future with the Navajo police. But it seems as though major changes for the trio have been put on hold after it was revealed that Gordo had been murdered!
The cliffhanger conclusion sets up Season 5’s future mystery with a suspect yet to be revealed. Could it be Gordo’s wife (played by Linda Hamilton)? She was introduced at the start of the season and was known to have memory issues, but could confusion have had some deadly results? McClarnon, Matten, and Gordon tease their hopes for what’s to come in Season 5 as they confirm Hamilton’s return, and more in the full video above.
Let us know your thoughts surrounding Gordo’s shocking death in the comments section, and stay tuned for more Dark Winds as we await Season 5.
Dark Winds, Season 5 Premiere, TBA, AMC & AMC+
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V
I have admired A. Martinez for more years than I care to remember. I remember when he started on a soap opera back in the 60's and he has never stopped. I dislike him being killed off but it is that time of year. Did not care for the advance look of Audacity at all. I will not be watching it. I am so looking forward to the 5th season of Dark Winds. Very happy that Joe did not retire!! Can't wait to see more of him next season.
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T
I've loved him for many years as well, and I just saw the ending of "Dark Winds" yesterday as I was saving it when I had a block of time. I do not recall anything hinting about Gordo's death at all. When did that happen? After talking about fishing and retiring with Joe? I was also disappointed by Emma; I don't believe she'll ever come back, especially after calling L.A. home, even if she did say that was accidental. Vaggan should've died; as long as she draws a breath, she'll be dangerous. Joe couldn't even choke her to death - she was that strong! And even though he and Billie suffered, their escape came relatively easy considering how formidable a foe Vaggan was. I also find it hard for Titus' overly circumspect character not to have more exit routes carved out so his acceptance of defeat was unexpectedly unfullfilling. That said, I'm relieved the series was renewed. I have enjoyed seeing the great Tony Hillerman's creation come alive.
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M
In their last conversation, Gordo said he couldn't help but look into cold cases. Maybe he got too close to the truth in one of those cases?
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P
Unfortunately our channel must have cut Gordo's death out for a commercial, because we never saw it! The entire episode seemed to be "cut up". Our TV on-line guide said the episode was like a double feature and it wasn't. Same thing happened last week!
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S
It was only mentioned by Joe after after he hung up the phone. They didn't show Gordo's death in the finale.
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M
I've been mad about A Martinez for many years - since we were young a long time ago. I was so glad to see him on this program and I am equally unhappy to hear you killed him.
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L
I will miss A Martinez’s character Gordo. I really enjoyed the dialogue between him & Leaphorn.
So happy to see the series continue into season five. Hope it continues for many many more years. Great writing.
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G
Keep spoilers out of the headline ffs!
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D
Well, I don’t think Gordo’s can be considered a serious candidate for muddying her husband. Where is the drama in an old woman shuddering from dementia killing her husband.
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R
Why did you put a spoiler in the title?! We didn't see it yet! 😭
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G
I think McNair got out of jail and decided to say hello to Leaphorn, as he told him to do. Revenge for killing Irene.
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B
I am also a big fan of A Martinez (recently saw him in an old episode of 'Ironside' when he was so young!) and sad his character has been killed. Hoping to see him in flashbacks, though! I hope it's not his wife who killed him. Maybe she's a witness, but it's going to take some work to get her to remember it. Love this show! Love the characters and the wonderful actors who portray them.
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