Dark Winds Season 2 Episode 4 Review: The March
This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the series being covered here wouldn’t exist.
There are significant developments on Dark Winds Season 2 Episode 4, “The March.” Developments that will shape the focus and type of story being told for the second half of the season.
All Caught Up
The episode — written by Jason Gavin and directed by Michael Nankin — picks up where Dark Winds Season 2 Episode 3, “Antigonish,” leaves off, the shoot-out that opened the season on Dark Winds Season 2 Episode 1, “Na’niłkaadii.”
That alone signals a significant change for the rest of the season. It means we’ve caught up to the season-opening flash-forward. Viewers no longer have any privileged knowledge of what’s to come.
This change suggests that while the first half of the season leaned into the suspense genre, the second half will be more solidly in the thriller category.
Demystifying The Blonde Man
More significantly than catching up to the flash-forward, though, Joe captures the blonde man. After a long, brutal trek through the desert that tests Joe both mentally and physically, the episodes end with the man who killed Joe Jr. locked in a jail cell.
The journey through the desert assures viewers that Joe will not become a monster in pursuit of one. Still, the confrontation between these two men is far from over. If that episode-ending stare-down between the two is anything to go by, it’s only just getting started.
Even though Joe has a lot of unfinished business with the killer, and even though we should not discount him as a threat, “The March” changes the dynamics of the story and how the blonde man is situated within it.
By catching up to the original time jump and seeing Joe best him by the end of the hour, the episode demystifies him. He is still evil and dangerous, but as soon as he starts talking, he loses some of that ominous mystery that made him so scary.
He’s longer a sort of larger-than-life figure. Now he is just a bad man. One that can be defeated by a single injured sheriff, at that
The episode sets him up to be a sort of Darth Vader-type villain (but I’m assuming without any redemption arc at the end). He is memorable and scary but not ultimately the main player.
Domestic Dysfunction
Perhaps unsurprisingly, that role belongs to BJ Vine. Just as this episode begins to demystify the blonde man, it elevates BJ’s menace in that chilling dinner with his wife.
We learn much more about the Vines on “The March.” First, we find out that Rosemary was having an affair with Tomas Charley (or at least it is heavily implied).
It’s not exactly surprising that Rosemary was having an affair. Any experienced crime drama viewer could probably guess that the Vines don’t have a healthy relationship.
It isn’t even that surprising that the person she was having an affair with was Tomas. Her reaction to his death, however, does give me pause.
I did not expect her to be so upset by the news of Tomas’s death. It seems like she really loved him and that I perhaps have misjudged her at least a bit.
I’m not quite ready to say she isn’t one of the season’s villains. Still, the genuineness of her grief about Tomas and the emotional abuse BJ is inflicting on her makes me open to the possibility that she may end up as an alley.
Aside from getting confirmation that BJ Vine is a right bastard, the dinner scene with Rosemary also reveals that he was married to her sister. What’s more, when her sister died, BJ got all her money.
It doesn’t seem, at this point, that Rosemary’s family fortune has anything to do with the larger mystery. It does, though, raise questions about how Rosemary and BJ ended up married and even about how her sister died. It’s all quite suspicious and only makes BJ look more despicable.
Overall Impression
“The March” effectively transitions the season from focusing on the hunt for a madman to unraveling a more tangled and sprawling mystery with BJ Vine at the center.
We have so few answers about the blonde man but now there are even more about the Vines. With so many open threads we can expect two jam-packed final episodes as we race to the season’s conclusion.
Stray Thoughts
- I’m still not super interested in the story about the white reporter. However, it does lead to a good scene between Emma and Sally. I wonder if this sets up Sally to leave with Joe and Emma raising her baby.
- Zahn McClarnon and Jeri Ryan are the episode’s MVPs—two wonderful performances from two fantastic actors.
- With so much going on regarding the blonde man and the mystery surrounding the Vines, I’m concerned we won’t get a satisfying payout on any of the personal storylines. Especially Bernadette’s since that seems like the least likely to extend into a possible third season.
What did you think of this episode of Dark Winds? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Dark Winds airs Sundays at 9/8c on AMC, with early access for AMC+ subscribers on Thursdays.
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Sarah Fields
Sarah is an obsessive geek who likes to get into the weeds and over think things. She is passionate about Sci-Fi and comics and is a giant classic film nerd. Sarah cares deeply about media representation and the power of telling diverse stories. When she's not writing or watching her favorite shows she spends her days working in the non-profit world trying to make life a little better for those that need some extra help.