[This story contains major spoilers from Dark Winds season three, episode four, “Chahalheel” (Darkness Falls).]

The latest episode of Dark Winds, “Chahalheel” (Darkness Falls), ended with a particularly gruesome — and mystifying — death. After admitting to wife Emma (Deanna Allison) his culpability in B.J. Vines’ death and facing her devastating reaction, Joe Leaphorn (Zahn McClarnon) returns to the police station and tells the on-duty officer that he’ll take over the night watch.

Once Joe is left alone — with Halsey (Phil Burke), the suspect, in lockup — the lights flicker out. Joe goes outside to check the fuse box, only to hear strange noises, followed by Halsey’s screams. He rushes back inside, where he finds the prisoner bleeding from the mouth before he dies an agonizing death in Joe’s arms.

Part of the reason Joe is alone in the first place is that Chee (Kiowa Gordon) is a few hundred miles away, having gone to...