In the first scene of Dark Winds Season 4, Episode 4, the assassin Irene breaks into an office in Los Angeles and steals important files. She spray-paints the words “The truth dies with me” on the wall before she leaves. She also kills the homeowner by tying him up in his car and using the fumes from the car’s exhaust to do it.
Jim Chee is still healing from his injuries, but he won’t go to the hospital. He takes care of himself and goes outside, where the tension between him and Bern is still high, even though it’s a bright day in LA.
Joe Leaphorn calls Emma to let her know he is in Los Angeles. He says he didn’t want to show up without warning and confirms that he is working on a case. Emma says they should have lunch together.
Along with Bern and Jim, Joe keeps looking for Billie. The group decides to go to the Indian Center for leads, but Jim decides to go alone. Being there brings back memories of when he went there with his mother as a child.
Without a warrant, Joe and Bern have trouble making progress because they keep running into unhelpful officials and red tape. But Jim finds a promising lead. He meets a man named Sonny Bear Heart outside, who offers him a job and invites him to the Cliffside bar. He has a bloody nose.
Jim sees that Sonny has a ring that looks like Albert’s. Even though Sonny doesn’t say anything about Leroy Gorman, Jim feels a connection and decides to talk to him alone, thinking that Joe and Bern’s presence might scare him away.
Jim carefully talks about Albert and Leroy at the bar. Sonny knows the names for sure, but he is still on guard. He lets Jim stay with him and invites him to a party where Leroy is said to be going to be.
As Jim walks past Joe and Bern’s truck, he quietly tells them what’s going on. But his health keeps getting worse, and he gets angrier with Bern. Later, when Bern tries to talk to him, he stays distant because he’s still mad about her getting a promotion.
Joe tells Emma over lunch that he plans to retire after this case. He gives her fresh tomatoes as a small gift. Emma gets a call and has to go back to the hospital, which cuts short their time together.
Irene, on the other hand, goes back to her heavily guarded compound and sees her grandfather, who has dementia. He shoots at her while he’s confused, and Irene has to stop him. His paranoia makes it seem like he’s still stuck in a war. Irene’s own instability is hinted at by the way she keeps a picture of Joe and looks at it with unsettling love.
Later, Irene goes to see her boss in prison, tells him the job is done, and asks for payment. He is unhappy and points out that Billie is still asking questions in Los Angeles even though Albert is dead. As his trial date gets closer, he tells Irene to tie up any loose ends before any money is sent. This makes it even harder for Irene to find Billie.
That night, Jim goes to the party at Cliffside bar and tries to fit in. Sonny tells him to drink a lot and take pills. Billie shows up at the party around the same time.
Joe tells Bern to stay out of it, but she doesn’t listen and sneaks into the party. Another woman quietly tells Billie to leave as she looks through the crowd. People tell her that Sonny and his friends are dangerous and that staying in Los Angeles puts her life in danger, especially since Irene is after her.
The woman takes Billie outside, which is a problem because both Bern and Jim are inside looking for her. Joe sees something strange outside: cameras set up in an old, empty building nearby. This means that someone else is watching the area.
Sonny questions Jim inside, away from the rest of the people. When Jim is drunk, he loses his sense of direction and starts talking about Leroy. He goes to the bathroom, where he gets very sick.
Bern sees that he is not there and follows him. She finds him in bad shape, seeing things that aren’t there and not making sense. She helps him get better, but Sonny sees them leave together, which makes him suspicious.
Outside, Joe looks into the building next door, but two men attack him and beat him up.
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The search for Leroy heats up in this episode, which also adds to character development. Irene is more complicated than first thought. Part of the reason is that she wants to take care of her grandfather, but she is still very unstable and dangerous. Her boss is also a big threat, but it’s not clear how he fits into the bigger picture.
The setting in Los Angeles is new and very different from the reservation, which makes the investigation harder because it’s in a place that isn’t familiar to the investigators.
Jim Chee’s story adds tension because his physical and emotional instability almost ruins the mission. Going undercover alone is a dangerous choice, especially when drugs are involved.
At the end of the episode, the focus shifts to Joe, who seems to have found a much bigger operation than Sonny’s party. The sudden attack and the presence of surveillance equipment point to a larger conspiracy, which will lead to big changes in the next episodes.