The final scene involving Bernadette in Dark Winds season 3 hints that things might be looking up for Jim Chee next season. Bernadette has had a tumultuous season, leaving the reservation and striking out on her own with the U.S. Border Patrol, only to get entangled in a drug trafficking conspiracy and cover-up. While she was working on exposing the crime ring, she was also navigating her romantic life and what she wanted for herself, trying to leave her former almost-flame behind while opening herself up to a new one.

end of Dark Winds season 3, what's not clear is if she's ready to be with Chee. The final scene with her changes that, however.

Dark Winds Season 3's Ending Hints Bernadette Is Ready To Be With Chee

She's Cleared The Last Emotional Hurdle

The final scene of Bernadette and Chee in Dark Winds season 3 involves Bernadette pulling up to Chee's house as her former colleague works outside. As he sees who's in the car, he turns his back and keeps working, casually pretending it's not that big a deal, but the smile that breaks out on his face, seen only by the audience, is a tell that he's thrilled that Bernadette has indeed come back home to the reservation. Likewise, the coy smile that breaks out on Bernadette's face as she sees Chee and they stare at each other is a sign that something has shifted in her heart and she's cleared a major emotional hurdle, hinting that their relationship will begin.

What Bernadette & Chee's Potential Relationship Might Mean For Dark Winds Season 4

It Could Impact Multiple Characters

Chee and Bernadette officially entering into a relationship has the potential to have a big impact on Dark Winds season 4's character dynamics. For starters, Chee and Bernadette will have to figure out how to navigate working together in a new way. They won't just be platonic colleagues now, but also lovers, which could change how they operate and their decision-making process in dangerous situations, or how they handle minor professional conflicts with one another. It's also unclear what Joe Leaphorn will think, being their superior and a father figure to both of them.

A less certain change is what it might mean, narratively, for Joe and Emma's relationship in Dark Winds. This season saw Emma pack her things and leave Joe. She finally reached her breaking point with Joe's emotional damage and shutting her out, and learning what he did to B.J. Vines and getting dragged into his criminal investigation was the final straw. There's hope that Joe and Emma will reconcile in Dark Winds, but with the series' main focus on the crime procedural aspect, Bernadette and Chee's relationship may take all the screentime allotted for romance. If that's the case, repairing Joe's marriage may have to wait beyond next season, if it gets repaired at all.