Dark Winds Season 4’s Prank Ending Was Almost Devestating

Kiowa Gordon, the actor who plays Jim Chee, was the target of an April Fools’ Day prank during the filming of the Season 4 finale. A co-star playfully altered a dramatic cliffhanger scene, surprising Gordon.

The fourth season of Dark Winds concludes with the Navajo Tribal Police solving a missing persons case that turned out to be connected to criminal activity in Los Angeles. Irene Vaggan dies, Billie Tsosie is happily reunited with her mother, and Chee begins to recover from his past trauma. However, the season ends with a surprising twist: Joe Leaphorn discovers that Gordo Sena has been killed.

It was a really surprising moment. They were filming the final scene, and I was actually taking a nap in the jail cell while they did the phone call part. Someone woke me up, excited to show me the last shot of the season. Then, Zahn McClarnon hung up the phone and Jessica Matten asked what happened. He said, ‘Jim Chee’s been murdered!’ I was completely confused because I’d just woken up from a nap and couldn’t believe they had written that – that they were killing off my character. It was definitely a shock, and not a pleasant one.

The funny moments between the cast of Dark Winds weren’t limited to just one scene. A recurring joke is that Luke Barnett, who plays Chee’s FBI friend Toby Shaw, playfully calls Chee “Cheeseburger” based on his name. Zahn McClarnon (Chee) mentioned that Taylor Gordon almost suggested calling Barnett’s character “French Fries,” but that idea didn’t stick. Gordon explained that Shaw frequently came up with silly nicknames, which he believes was a subtle, insensitive jab at Chee’s heritage.

Kiowa Gordon Reveals His True Feelings About the Season 4 Finale

For Gordon, Chee’s ceremony was deeply moving, allowing him to begin processing his grief over his mother’s death. Seeing so many people attend, including Shaw who Gordon had invited, showed Chee he wasn’t alone and had a strong support system to help him through difficult times. As Chee described it, “It was just a really good moment after everything that had happened – the stress, the chaos, the loss – and it helped me start to heal and move forward.”

While Chee is recovering from past trauma (much like Gordon is dealing with McClarnon’s prank), the show is actually grieving the loss of Gordo Sena. As a supporter of the Native American Television Partnership, Gordon was surprised by the character’s death but feels it was handled with sensitivity. He believes it’s a fitting way to honor A Martinez’s significant contributions to the entertainment industry.

I’m so excited that Season 4 of Dark Winds is now streaming on AMC+! And if you don’t have AMC+, don’t worry – it’s coming to Netflix on July 4th. Plus, I just heard they’re already working on Season 5, which is fantastic news!

2026-04-06 18:39

Kiowa Gordon Reveals His True Feelings About the Season 4 Finale

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