Dark Winds season 3 episode 2 ending explained: Did The Ye’iitsoh really hurt Leaphorn?
Dark Winds season 3, episode 2, titled Náá'tsoh (Big Eyes), aired on March 16, 2025. This AMC crime drama, based on Tony Hillerman’s Leaphorn & Chee novels, has been captivating viewers since 2022. Set in the 1970s Southwest, it follows Navajo Tribal Police officers Joe Leaphorn, Jim Chee, and Bernadette Manuelito as they tackle crimes and conspiracies.
Season 3, which premiered on March 9, 2025, draws from Dance Hall of the Dead and The Sinister Pig, keeping the suspense high.
The ending of Dark Winds season 3 episode 2 leaves no doubt—the Ye’iitsoh physically attacked Joe Leaphorn. Throughout the episode, Leaphorn has been haunted by visions of this creature, a towering figure from Navajo lore. But by the time he follows Shorty Bowlegs to the cabin where George is hiding, those visions become dangerously real.
As Shorty enters first, Leaphorn hears him scream, rushes in, and finds Shorty on the ground, bloodied and unmoving. Seconds later, Leaphorn is ambushed by the Ye’iitsoh. This time, it’s not just a hallucination. The creature leaves distinct claw marks on his arm, mirroring the wounds found on Ernesto Cata’s murdered body.
It’s no longer possible for Leaphorn to chalk this up to guilt or imagination. The physical injuries prove something—or someone—out there is taking on the form of the Ye’iitsoh. Whether it's a person using bad medicine or something supernatural remains unclear, but Shorty’s apparent death and Leaphorn’s injury show that the danger is escalating fast.
It also forces Leaphorn to face the fact that whatever killed Ernesto might not be human.
Dark Winds season 3 episode 2: Why does Leaphorn believe a Navajo person couldn’t have killed Ernesto?
Leaphorn made it clear early on: he doesn’t believe any Navajo person murdered Ernesto Cata. The key reason? The arrowhead placed in Ernesto’s mouth. For the Diné, putting such a sacred object in the mouth of the dead is sacrilegious. Leaphorn compares it to a Catholic desecrating a crucifix.
He knows how serious that act would be for anyone raised within Navajo beliefs. That’s why he’s convinced the killer is either white or from outside their community.
Leaphorn’s confidence may be narrowing his view. Dark Winds has shown Navajo characters breaking cultural taboos before, like Ada Growing Thunder in Season 1. While he dismisses the idea of a Navajo culprit, someone ignoring tradition could still be involved. Dr. Reynolds adds to the mystery, identifying the arrowhead as a cheap replica—suggesting an outsider staged the scene without fully grasping its meaning.
Whether Leaphorn’s instincts are right, or his cultural trust is clouding his judgment, remains open. But it’s a crucial detail shaping how he approaches the investigation moving forward.
Dark Winds season 3 episode 2: Is Tom Spenser Running A Human Trafficking Operation?
Bernadette Manuelito may have stumbled onto something huge at Spenser Ranch. Her investigation into the mysterious pig drawing led her straight to Tom Spenser’s property. Right away, she spotted the same white van seen at the scene of the migrant mother and daughter’s attack. That van’s plates had been swapped, and Spenser offered quick, smooth explanations. But Bernadette’s not buying it.
Even more suspicious? Bernadette later pulls over one of Spenser's oil trucks, only to find Roberto C. de Baca—known as Budge—riding shotgun. Budge is no ordinary ranch hand. He’s the same man who killed Wade, the white van driver, in the episode's opening. Wade had bragged about stealing Bernadette’s gun, making himself a liability. Budge buried him alive to keep Spenser’s operation clean.
Spenser’s ties to border patrol also make things murkier. His company supplies one-third of their intelligence, giving him significant influence. Bernadette’s superiors practically tell her to drop it, but she refuses. Between the altered van plates, Budge’s body count, and Spenser’s unchecked oil rigs crossing the border, it’s clear Spenser’s empire hides more than just oil. Bernadette may be the only one willing to expose it, but she's now firmly in dangerous territory.
Dark Winds season 3 episode 2: Does Chee still care about Bernadette despite everything?
Jim Chee and Bernadette Manuelito’s relationship has always been complicated, but episode 2 shows there are still strong feelings under the surface. Their tense phone call says it all. Bernadette rings Leaphorn to talk about her Border Patrol investigation, but Chee picks up instead.
It starts formal but quickly shifts—Bernie admits it’s nice to hear his voice. Chee pauses, clearly affected, but doesn’t say much back. That silence speaks volumes.
However, there’s another wrinkle now. Bernadette shares a dance later with her coworker Ivan Muños. She even tells him she isn’t missing anyone. But viewers can see she’s not as unaffected as she claims. While she’s trying to move forward, there’s hesitation in her expression, like Chee still lingers in her mind.
Ivan may be more than just a suitor—he could be linked to Tom Spenser’s operation, possibly spying on Bernadette. Meanwhile, Chee and Bernadette’s unresolved feelings are evident. In The Sinister Pig, which this season partly adapts, they end up together, but whether the show follows that path remains uncertain. The tension is definitely building.
Dark Winds season 3 episode 2 is available to stream on AMC+.
