‘Dark Winds’ Returns With a Harrowing New Case and Major Cameo in Season 4 Premiere

The stars and showrunner break down the most thrilling and emotional moments of Sunday's season opener. Zahn McClarnon in the 'Dark Winds' season four premiere. Michael Moriatis/AMC Share on Facebook Share on X Google Preferred Share to Flipboard Show additional share options Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share on Tumblr Share on Whats App Send an Email Print the Article Post a Comment Logo text [This story contains spoilers from the Dark Winds season four premiere, “Ko’Tsiitáá Álnééh” (Baptism by Fire).] If you weren’t sure how Dark Winds could possibly top the emotionally devastating events of season three — which saw Joe Leaphorn confront past trauma and face his wife’s decision to leave him, as Bernadette was betrayed while working for the Border Patrol and killed a man in self-defense — you were not alone. Kiowa Gordon, who plays Jim Chee, tells The Hollywood Reporter that’s right where he was: “It was really nice when I got the first couple of scripts for season four, because after season three, I was like, ‘What do we do after this? What are the writers going to cook up next?’ But it’s just been a joy to continue.” Related Stories TV 'Dark Winds' Scores Early Season 5 Renewal at AMC Hollywood Flashback When Redford and Hackman Hit the Slopes for 'Downhill Racer' Adds Jessica Matten, who plays Bernadette, “That’s all due to the writers room, where they come up with these brilliant emotional moments that each character has, exploring different layers of their personalities. I get excited when I see the scripts.” THR caught up with Gordon and Matten, as well as showrunner John Wirth, star Zahn McClarnon (Leaphorn) and new cast addition Franka Potente to talk about those fascinating character revelations, as well as the high-stakes case that the Navajo Tribal Police are tasked with solving before it’s too late in season four. The first episode, which aired Sunday night, also ends with a title card paying tribute to the late Robert Redford, who executive produced and was a driving force behind the series. Redford died in September at the age of 89. Redford’s final role was making a surprise cameo in the third season, alongside his fellow executive producer George R.R. Martin. The new season wastes no time in introducing the newest threat to safety on the Navajo reservation. In the opening scene, a Native teen named Billie (Isabel DeRoy-Olson) sits with a young man in a diner, finishing her milkshake. They get into an argument, and meanwhile, a van drives up in the darkness. A blond woman enters the diner, carrying a loaded gun. A shootout quickly ensues, and Billie and her companion just barely make it to their car — but not before the man is shot. The menacing blond shooter, who we know little about at this point, is played by German actress Potente (best known for the Bourne Identity franchise and the 1998 film Run Lola Run). Wirth explains that in Tony Hillerman’s novel The Ghostway, on which the season is based, “the character of Vaggan [Potente’s character] is very much like Colton Wolf, [the villain from] season two, played beautifully by Nick Logan. So my first thought was, ‘This character should be a woman.’” For her part, Potente says that although she wasn’t previously familiar with Dark Winds, her interest was immediately piqued when Wirth approached her about playing the season’s villain. “I always pay attention when I hear that. It’s always fun; it’s so liberating. I was like, ‘I need this liberation right now.’ Frank Potente as Irene Vaggan in Dark Winds. Michael Moriatis/AMC “John was so awesome and sweet,” she continues. “In our first conversation, it was clear he was going to give me a lot to work with, but he was also open and collaborative and, of course, then I started watching the show and I was like, ‘Oh yeah, I want to be part of this.’ It’s such a cohesive world, set [in the 1970s] in this Navajo reservation context that was kind of new to me. I just didn’t know much about it, and one of the many awesome things about our job is that we get to immerse ourselves in worlds we don’t know anything about. “Matt Damon used to say to me, ‘It’s so funny, as actors we know a lot about everything. We always get to play this character who has this specific task, and then we learn it just enough so that we can fake it,’” Potente adds. “So, to be for a couple of months immersed in this world that was already solid and established in such a detailed, awesome way, that’s a gift, always. You don’t say no to that.” From the shooting at the diner, the episode time-jumps backwards 15 hours, as Joe Leaphorn is going about his daily life after his wife, Emma (Deanna Allison), left him at the end of season three. Soon it’s revealed tha