In Zahn McClarnon’s televised directorial debut, our officers make a break in the case of missing Billie Tsosi as we learn more about her, Albert and the killer on their trail. Elsewhere, Jim seeks to take his relationship with Bernadette to the next level.
Our episode opens back at the diner shootout, where we learn Billie was unaware of the danger following Albert. Joe, Jim and Bernadette survey the crime scene. The bullets’ precision alerts them to a professional. And a trail of radiator fluid let’s them know this skilled assassin did not get far. They question a nearby gas station attendant who remembers a tall blond purchased coolant for her van. In the distance, she watches Joe and Chee from her sniper.
Clues lead Jim and Bernadette from a local motel to an Indian Health Clinic, where Billie and Albert have been spotted. Billie infiltrates to swipe medications as Albert attempts to break into another car. Unfortunately, the assassin arrives. As the cops intercept Billie, Albert slips away. The assassin follows him, but not before sabotaging both Joe and Bernadette’s police vehicles.
Later, Chee suggests he and Bernadette move in together. Bernadette is hesitant, given the information she’s privy about Joe’s future. But Chee insists despite being suspicious of Joe and Bernadette hiding something from him.
The episode closes on a tragic note. The trio discovers Albert’s car near his grandfather’s property; a trail of blood leading to a body inside the traditional Navajo home. Jim enters to identify the body, ignoring Joe and Bern’s warnings of the “death hogan” he walks through. As Jim enters the makeshift hole, he scrapes his abdomen against the wooded opening before confirming the body as Albert Gorman’s. Suddenly, he appears disoriented and has a flashback to his childhood. Just then, his nose begins to bleed.
This episode was another strong entry, with McClarnon creating the right amount of tension as the mystery unravels. The performances are strong as we learn a bit more about Billie and Albert. The episode excels when intertwining the grounded crime mystery with cultural mythology, enhancing the narrative.
This time around, the show uses “death hogan” to befall our novice deputy officer. In Navajo culture, if a loved one is close to death, their body is moved outside of the home (a hogan) so that their spirit (chindi) can be released freely. If one succumbs inside the hogan, the belief is the chindi contaminates the dwelling, infecting those within the space with a ghost-sickness. A small hole — a “death hogan” — is created to not only set the spirit free, but warn outsiders that the hogan is no longer hospitable. No telling what mysticism Chee has unleashed and the consequences that will follow.
Rating: 7.5/10