In one scene toward the end ofDark Windsseason 3, episode 2, Jim Chee suddenly pivots and asks Shorty Bowlegs to let them help him find his son, seemingly burying the hatchet. However, at the moment, it’s not entirely clear what the reason is for the sudden switch after Chee spent the first two episodes openly hatingnewDark Windsseason 3 characterShorty Bowlegs, convinced he was Ernesto’s killer. Shorty’s involvement in the case has stirred up a lot of old resentments for Chee, andDark Windsseason 3’s storywill be a litmus test of his growth.
Chee arrived inDark Windsseason 1as a young man who had a lot of growing up to do. He was cocky, dismissive of his Navajo culture thanks to his complicated relationship with it, and emotionally obtuse. The first two seasons showed Chee working through his resentment toward his Navajo community, thanks in part to Bernadette’s influence. He made his peace, even joining the Navajo tribal police at Joe Leaphorn’s side. But Chee’s complicated relationship with his Navajo culture isn’t the only part of his childhood from which he’s still carrying baggage, and his evolving relationship with Shorty is illustrative of that.
Bernadette Calls Chee Out During Their Phone Call In Dark Winds Season 3, Episode 2
She Point-Blank Tells Him He’s Holding A Grudge
The first seed planted in Chee to change his mind was the unexpected phone call he had withBernadette, now a Border Patrol agent. After he tells her he got into a fight with Shorty because Shorty touched his badge,Bernie immediately calls him out on his nonsense and drives at the real issue: “I’m sure it has nothing to do with the, uh, grudge you’re still holding against him?” At that moment, Chee’s face closes off, and he ends the conversation, going from flirty to businesslike as he tells her where she can get ahold of Joe. Still, he has tears in his eyes as he hangs up.
It’s clear Bernie struck a nerve with him, and it’s likely a mix of emotions he’s feeling. Few people, let alone a man who is trying to impress the person he still clearly carries a torch for, want that person to flip the script and imply that they’re being childish. There’s also a little bit of loss there, too:Bernadette was always able to read Chee well, and one of the reasons that their romance hasn’t blossomed is how he kept things from her. Even now, hundreds of miles apart, her insight still has the power to move him and make him want to be a better man.
Chee Realizes He’s Being Petty & He Doesn’t Like It
If Bernie’s pointed question wasn’t enough to get Chee to realize he needed to bury the hatchet, thenhis subsequent conversation with Shorty Bowlegs definitely is. When Chee shows up at Shorty’s house, he’s initially still antagonistic toward his childhood bully. At first, it appears his conversation with Bernadette has knocked him off his emotional moorings, and he’s about to do something stupid, unable to let go of his grudge. It was only a few hours ago that he had been convinced Shorty was the one who had killed Ernesto, consumed by his hatred of the man, after all.
Chee’s blank expression before looking away is the look of a man who has just heard a profound truth about himself, and he doesn’t much like it.
Like Bernadette, however, Shorty hits Chee with an emotional reality check that stops Chee’s antagonism. “I told you my son didn’t have nothing to do with this…” he says,before dropping a line of truth that clearly impacts the Navajo police lieutenant: “You think I’m stupid. You’ve hated me for years. I’m not gonna let you take it out on my son,” he says. Chee’s blank expression before looking away is the look of a man who has just heard a profound truth about himself, and he doesn’t much like it. Chee has done a good job of convincing himself that the issue between him and Shorty Bowlegs is all Shorty’s fault, but first Bernadette, and now Shorty, have told Chee that the only one still holding onto the past is him, and it hits him hard.
Dark Winds Season 3’s Billy Mills Mention Adds A Very Cool Detail To Chee’s Backstory
Jim Chee mentioned that he had a connection to Olympic gold medalist Billy Mills in Dark Winds season 3, and it’s a perfect addition to his backstory.
The scene plays out as though Chee asks himself at that moment what kind of man he wants to be. Is he allowing his petty grudge against Shorty Bowlegs to color his view of Shorty’s son, who is in trouble? The answer he comes to is, apparently, “maybe,“and it doesn’t sit right with him. When Chee’s gaze snaps back to Shorty, it’s with the offer to let him and Joe help protect George, echoing Shorty’s sentiments: “[Y]our kid shouldn’t have to suffer because of the bad blood between us.” Chee might have a lot of emotional baggage, but he’s not about to let a kid come to harm because of his hang-ups.
Jim Chee Is Poised To Go Through Huge Growth In Dark Winds Season 3
There’s A Good Man Inside The Young Navajo Police Detective
Their interaction wasn’t long, but it’s one that speaks to Jim Chee’s emotional growth andhow he’s poised to go through a big character arc in season 3. He’s certainly shown himself capable of growth before, such as his aforementioned reconnection to hisNavajo/Diné culture inDark Windsseason 2. When he asks Shorty, “What kind of Navajo man are you, whistling at night like that?” it shows that he now carries his Navajo beliefs with him. He no longer sees them as a crutch or something to be ashamed of, but a proud part of his heritage.
The Navajo, like many Native American tribes, believe whistling at night attracts the attention of dangerous and malevolent entities and spirits. As such, it’s considered taboo.
Still, Chee has demons he has yet to exorcise, andit’s holding him back from reaching his full potential,both as a detective and as a man. As he reveals inDark Windsseason 3, his childhood wasn’t a happy one, and there’s still scar tissue there. His stepfather, Shorty’s dad, abused him, as did Shorty. But by being forced to confront his past through the case they’re working on, Chee’s emotional work for this season is to understand and let go of the past. There’s a really good man buried somewhere in Chee, but it’s up to the young detective to do the work this season to get there.
Dark Winds
Dark Winds is a 2022 television series based on Tony Hillerman’s Leaphorn & Chee novels. Set in 1970s Navajo Nation, it follows Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn (Zahn McClarnon) and Officer Jim Chee (Kiowa Gordon) as they investigate a double murder case. The show delves into both mysticism and the stark realities of life on a Native American reservation, balancing crime-solving with rich cultural narratives and character development.
