What To Know
- Dark Winds showrunner John Wirth previews what’s next for Emma and Joe Leaphorn.
- The couple ended Season 3 separated after she lied on his behalf to the FBI.
- Can the couple repair what was broken between them? Wirth weighs in.
Dark Winds‘ Season 4 return is nearing with each passing week, and while we know a few details about where the next chapter of AMC‘s critically acclaimed drama will take us next, one major question looms. What’s next for Emma (Deanna Allison) and Joe Leaphorn (Zahn McClarnon)?
As fans will recall, Season 3 found Emma leaving Joe to spend time with her sister after lying on his behalf to FBI Agent Sylvia Washington (Jenna Elfman). While Emma knew deep down that Joe was responsible for B.J. Vines’ (John Diehl) death, and while she protected him from paying a price legally, she was left broken by it.
Season 3 concluded with Joe listening back to the interview tape Sylvia had gotten with Emma, where she talks about the anger Joe has had since their son died, and how it has changed him. She admits that she hopes she can forgive him for the actions he’s taken, leaving fans wondering if the show’s once-solid relationship is salvageable.
Michael Moriatis / AMC
“I think of the Joe Leaphorn and Emma Leaphorn marriage and relationship as the sort of hard center of the show,” showrunner John Wirth tells TV Insider, “and it’s been a really interesting journey.” As he reiterates, “By the end of Season 3, we just got to a breaking point in that relationship.”
So, will there be some mending on the way? “When we pick up the beginning of Season 4, they get on this case with this missing girl, and they end up going to Los Angeles… That’s where Joe reunites with Emma and finds out what she’s been doing with her life over the last few weeks,” Wirth hints.
According to Wirth, the Los Angeles portion of Season 4’s storyline won’t begin to unfold until about halfway through the run, meaning Joe’s going to be adrift in the Navajo Nation without her for at least the first few episodes. While some may think that Emma’s decision to leave seemed sudden, Wirth reminds us that in the show’s universe, only a couple of years have passed since their son died. “A lot has happened in those characters’ lives over such a short period of time.”
Can Emma and Joe reunite and come out stronger on the other side? Tune into Dark Winds when it returns to find out, and let us know what you hope to see from Season 4 in the comments section below.
Dark Winds, Season 4 Premiere, Sunday, February 15, 2026, 9pm ET/PT, AMC & AMC+