Warning: SPOILERS ahead for Dark Winds season 3, episode 8!Dark Windsused George R.R. Martin’s train line for the season 3 finale, with director and executive producer Chris Eyre explaining its involvement.Dark Windsseason 3, episode 8 featured a pivotal scene where Leaphorn (Zahn McClarnon), Chee (Kiowa Gordon), and Sena (A Martinez) confront Dr. Reynolds (Christopher Heyerdahl) on a train, confronting him for the murder he was confirmed to have committed. The scene brings an end to the major storyline, while also offering a memorable final confrontation between the characters involved.
Speaking withVariety, Eyre, who directed the season finale, explained what it was like touse George R.R. Martin’s 18-mile train line for the major Dr. Reynolds confrontation sceneinDark Windsseason 3. The executive producer explained how the fantasy author also owns the train involved in the scene, explaining how exciting it was to film the high-octane scene on the train line. Check out what Eyre had to say about the scene below:
George R.R. Martin actually owns the train. It leaves his theater, the Jean Cocteau, which is in the rail yard. And then there’s 18 miles of track down to Lamy, New Mexico, and that intersects with the east and west Amtrak. It was a blast. I’d never shot on a train before. There were drone shots, and there was a chase on the train, there were some gun fights on the train, and that’s where the boy got taken back by Leaphorn. And the resolution of the story really comes together. So it’s one of those set pieces that’s larger than others.
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Martin’s train line being used for theend ofDark Windsseason 3makes sense, considering the creative is an executive producer on the show. By having a real train and train line to film its climactic scenes on,the final confrontation with Dr. Reynolds and subsequent aftermath felt more realisticthan it would have otherwise. His ownership of the train and track also made it convenient for the scene to play out the way it did, without any need to scout for a suitable location for where the major sequence could play out.
It also contained plenty of ideas that will likely continue intoDark Windsseason 4, such asLeaphorn talking to Gordo about how he doesn’t think his wife, Emma (Deanna Allison), will reunite with him. This came after she discovered his role in B.J. Vines' (John Diehl) death in season 2, alongside still not letting her in after Joe Jr.’s death before the series began. The tracks acted as a perfect location for the series to confront these ideas, both because of the isolation of the tracks and the high-octane events that also transpired there.
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With moments that were both action-packed and somber happening on those tracks, it’s interesting to note how Martin’s ownership of the train line helped bolster season 3’s final episode. If he hadn’t been involved in the show, then it would have been more difficult to get the train and track for the big confrontation, meaning it may not have been as memorable as it is. However, it goes to show howDark Windsgoes the extra mile in crafting interesting experiences reflective of its story, always taking risks for storytelling.
