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AsDark Windscontinues to find new success on Netflix,the AMC original series may be robbing viewers of the most compelling character dynamic established in theLeaphorn & Cheenovel series by Tony Hillerman. Indeed, fans of the books have noticed how Jim Chee’s character has been altered, stripping away his spirituality and fascination with his Navajo heritage. The character change has become so apparent that some fans have suggested checking out the 1991 movie adaptation,The Dark Wind,for a more accurate depiction of Jim Chee.
On the other hand, protagonist Joe Leaphorn retains his hardened demeanor and uses his cold, hard logic to solve various crimes in the American Southwest, adhering to the characterizations written by Hillerman in 18 novels published between 1970 and 2006. While it’s no surprise to change a character from a book to a TV adaptation, fans of theDark Windsseries should know thatthe dynamic betweenLeaphorn & Cheesaps the investigative tension between the title characters.
Dark Winds
What Is Dark Winds About?
Dark Windsis an American psychological crime thriller withneo-noir Western tropescreated by Graham Roland for AMC. The show premiered on the network in June 2022 and has lasted 12 episodes (six per season) before being renewed for an upcoming third season in September 2023. Although the series is based on Tony Hillerman’sLeaphorn & Cheenovel series, it’s important to note that it wasn’t until the seventh novel,Skinwalkers, that Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee began working together as detective partners.
BeforeSkinwalkers, Jim and Joe starred in standalone novels, giving readers six books worth of material that established their characters, shaded their backgrounds, described their personal beliefs and values, and set up a clear-cut investigative dichotomy between them. Before detailing the major differences between the books andthe underrated Western TV show, the show stars Zahn McClarnon as Joe Leaphorn and Kiowa Gordon as Jim Chee. Leaphorn is an Indigenous Navajo American and tribal police lieutenant in the Navajo County town of Kayenta. He is austere, straight-faced, humorless, and does not suffer fools easily.
Rather than acting on emotion, Leaphorn employs logic to solve various crimes perpetrated in Kayenta.He rules the town with an uptight air of professionalism, maintaining order as best he can by acting as proper and dutiful as possible. For the most part, Leaphorn’s personality in the books is translated accurately to the screen, with McClarnon delivering smoldering intensity in all 12 episodes and counting. Yet, forLeaphorn & Cheefans,Jim Chee’s inquisitive spirituality is oddly missing from the TV show, depleting viewers of the compelling character dynamic that amplified the tension between the two leads.
Jim Chee in the Dark Winds Books vs. the TV Show, Explained
InDark Winds, Jim Chee is introduced as a Deputy Police Officer assigned to work with Joe Leaphorn’s unit in Gallup, New Mexico. In reality, Chee is anundercover FBI agentwho becomes deputized by Leaphorn after being planted in the unit by FBI supervisor Leland Whitover (Noah Emmerich). Unlike the grizzled and hardened Leaphorn, Chee is imbued with a bright-eyed naivety and spiritual curiosity that shines through in the novels but hardly registers in the TV series.
In his 2001 autobiographySeldom Disappointed, Hillerman stated that he created Chee as a necessary antidote to Leaphorn’s gruff demeanor, who needed to be more gullible to suit the story.In the books, Chee is given his Navajo name, “Long Thinker,” by his uncle.A former anthropology student, Chee is naturally curious, deeply spiritual, open-minded, and defined by his photographic memory.One of the most compelling components on the page is Chee’s relationship with his uncle, Hosteen Frank Sam Nakai, who educated Chee in various Navajo rituals. Since childhood, Chee has memorized tapes of several Navajo words and concepts that bolster his spiritual side.
Dark Winds Cast and Character Guide
We’ve compiled a guide to the cast and characters of Dark Winds, the hit AMC series.
Nakai (Eugene Black Rock) appears inDark WindsSeason 1 but is absent from Season 2, robbing fans of the spiritual teachings that result in Chee pushing back against Leaphorn during the investigations. As such, the tension betweenLeaphorn & Cheeon the page is virtually eliminated on screen.Fans have noticed the glaring differences between the books and the TV show online. In aRedditthread wondering what happened to Chee’s background on the show, the original poster posited:
“I’m enjoying the series but one thing I miss is Chee’s interest in his Navajo spiritual heritage. I thought I learned so much from the books and that seems to be mostly missing from the TV show, at least from the episodes I have watched thus far. Bernie seems more into it than Chee from what I have seen.”
Supporting the sentiment, anotherRedditoradded, “I think Leaphorn’s character is pretty similar to the books, despite changes. Chee is practically a different character.” While several other Redditors agree that Chee’s character has been altered, decreasing the tension between Leaphorn and Chee, some believe Chee’s spirituality will be explored whenDark Windsreturns. As oneRedditornotes:
“I’m wondering if they’re going to have him [Chee] come around to it, especially given what he’s seen and experienced, plus getting his own medicine.”
The response prompted support, withanother adding:
“I think they are building up to it. He has a lot of resentment toward his community that he is working through in the first two seasons.”
Perhaps the most explainable reason for Chee’s changes comes fromConsciousAnimator87, who notes howDark Windscombines Hillerman’s novels to streamline the narrative, leaving Chee’s spiritual background as collateral damage.
“I’m currently on the latest Anne Hillerman novel that was released a few days ago and it seems like Dark Winds are condensing something like 1-3 novels into a season. I agree that the Leaphorn, Chee and Manuelito we see on the screen are very different from the books.”
The 1991 Movie Dark Winds Is a More Accurate Depiction of Jim Chee
For a more accurate representation of Jim Chee onscreen, fans of Hillerman’s novels should watch Lou Diamond Phillips' performance in the 1991 feature filmTheDark Wind. In the Reddit thread mentioned above, one of the most upvoted responses to the OP belongs toAltseWait, who stated, “Watch Dark Wind (1991) to see a more spiritual Jim Chee.”
Based on Hillerman’s novel of the same name,the underrated ’90s Western moviefinds Chee working with Leaphorn (Fred Ward) to untangle a criminal conspiracy involving drug smuggling, vandalism, robbery, and murder after a plane crashes in Navajo country in the Southwest U.S. Phillips gives a mystical turn that is far more in line with Chee than Gordon inDark Winds. As the originalReddit posternoted in response toThe Dark Windmovie recommendation:
“I agree. I have that on DVD. Also in that movie they kept Chee’s warmth. In the new TV series they seem to have left that out of his character.”
AlthoughDark WindsSeason 3 has not yet received a release date, it is expected to return to AMC in 2025. Tune in to find out whether Chee’s spirituality is depicted more accurately.Dark Windsis available to stream onNetflixandAMC+.
