As Dark Winds Season 3 draws to a close on AMC, the brooding Navajo noir has plunged deeper into the supernatural than ever before, leaving fans haunted by a question: Is the towering terror known as Ye’iitsoh—a malevolent giant from Navajo folklore—truly stalking the reservation, or is it a manifestation of Lt. Joe Leaphorn’s unraveling psyche? The season, which wrapped its eight-episode arc on October 6, 2025, weaves the legend of the “big monster” into a chilling tapestry of child abductions, cult rituals, and personal demons, forcing the tribal cop (Zahn McClarnon in a tour-de-force turn) to confront sins that blur the line between myth and madness. Critics hail it as the series’ boldest swing yet, blending Tony Hillerman’s grounded mysteries with horror-tinged folklore that amps the stakes without cheapening the culture.

Ye’iitsoh, whose name literally translates to “big monster” or “big god” in Diné (Navajo) lore, emerges in the premiere episode as a shadowy predator snatching kids from the Four Corners badlands. Described in oral traditions as a cannibalistic giant whose “perverse hunger threatened to extinguish all human life,” the entity draws parallels to La Llorona in Mexican tales—a vengeful witch who drowns the unworthy—but rooted firmly in Navajo cosmology. Showrunner John Wirth told Variety the inspiration struck during production in Monument Valley: “We wanted to honor the mysticism Hillerman hinted at, but Season 3 makes it visceral. Ye’iitsoh isn’t just a boogeyman; it’s a mirror for Leaphorn’s grief.” McClarnon, whose Leaphorn grapples with his son’s unsolved death from prior seasons, sells the torment: Nightmares of the beast darting him with poisoned barbs open the season, echoing his Season 2 vigilante killing of a cult leader.

The plot kicks off with a bloodied child’s bike in an arroyo, sparking whispers of the spirit’s return. Sgt. Jim Chee (Kiowa Gordon) dismisses it as Chicano playground scares at first, but as abductions mount—tied to a shady FBI probe and Leaphorn’s old cases—the line frays. Bernadette Manuelito (Jessica Matten) uncovers a sinister family link mid-season, blending her border patrol gig with visions that scream ancestral curse. Guest stars like Franka Potente as a enigmatic fed add layers, while director Chris Eyre (helming the finale) amps the eerie: Fog-shrouded canyons, ritual chants, and a climactic showdown where the “monster” reveals itself not as fur and fangs, but flesh and fury—a human twisted by the same generational trauma the show dissects.

Viewers are split on the haunt’s authenticity. Rotten Tomatoes’ 84% score praises the “universal acclaim” for cultural depth, with Collider calling it “riveting” for honoring Navajo advisors like George R. Joe. But the Navajo Times dinged early episodes for “lacking linguistic nuance,” sparking debates on folklore’s TV treatment. On X, #DarkWindsYeitsoh trends with 1.5 million posts—fans theorizing it’s Leaphorn’s PTSD (post his mercy killing), while others swear the beast’s silhouette in Episode 6 is no CGI trick. “It’s the first season that feels cursed,” one Redditor posted in a 10k-upvote thread. Wirth teases in interviews: “The monster is a man—but what if the spirit lingers?”

Season 3’s supernatural pivot, renewed for a fourth bow in February 2025 (filming wrapped June), risks alienating purists who loved the procedural grit. Yet it pays off, humanizing the horror: Leaphorn’s wife Emma (Deanna Allison) urges traditional healing, tying back to the series’ core—Navajo resilience amid 1970s FBI overreach and reservation woes. As the finale fades on Neil Young’s “Glimmer” with Leaphorn replaying Emma’s forgiveness tape, the Ye’iitsoh echo hangs: Haunting or hallucination? Netflix drops the full season October 27, priming binges before Season 4’s FBI crossovers.

In a TV landscape of jump scares, Dark Winds wields myth like a scalpel—dissecting spirits to expose the real monsters among us. Whether Ye’iitsoh prowls the dunes or Leaphorn’s dreams, one thing’s clear: This haunt sticks.