The end credits ofDark Windsseason 3, episode 1, “Ye’iitsoh,” revealed a dedication on a black screen to someone named Joe Bufalino III, prompting questions about who he was and how he was connected to the show.Dark Windsseason 3kicks off with a terrifying scene of Joe Leaphorn (Zahn McClarnon) awakening in the desert at night, seemingly having been drugged. Worse, he’s terrified and being chased by a dark and malevolent force.
The opening moments establishDark Windsseason 3’s darker, heavier tone, which will be threaded throughout the narrative all season as Joe wrestles with his demons. It bodes well forDark Winds, which was already renewed for season 4. In a deeply sad parallel to real life, however, that darkness extended to the film community surroundingDark Winds, which lost one of its own before season 3 began filming.
Joe Bufalino III Was An Assistant Director In New Mexico
He Was Reportedly The Youngest First Assistant Director In The State
Joe Bufalino III was an assistant director working in New Mexico’s state film and TV industry, and reportedly the state’s youngest first assistant director at age 32 at the time of his death. As a New Mexico-based crew member, he worked on multiple movies and TV shows that filmed in and around the area. While he’s not listed under the show’s cast on IMDb,TVMazelists Bufalino as a second assistant director onDark Winds, which is filmed in New Mexico, Arizona, and Navajo Nation. Before that, he worked with plenty of the show’s cast and crew in the past. That includesLongmire, in whichDark Winds' McClarnon also starred. Local crews are always deeply interconnected, so he would have known everyone in the community.
Tragically, Bufalino’s life ended by suicide on Thursday, August 17th, 2023. His mother, Pam Rosen, toldStraits Timesthat the Covid shutdown and subsequent strikes became too much for her son. “He really truly needed to work,” she said. “At the point that he died, he saw no future.” Though they were released after his passing,Dark Windshad ostensibly already wrapped post-production on thelast few episodes ofDark Windsseason 2prior to his death, so the cast and crew made a point to honor their friend and colleague in the first episode of season 3.
Joe Bufalino III’s Story Is A Cautionary Tale About How Hard The Past Few Years Have Been On Crew
The Covid Pandemic & Strikes Have Upended Lives
Bufalino’s tragic end is a stark reminder of just how hard the last five years have been on rank-and-file Hollywood crew. When people hear the word “Hollywood,” it tends to conjure up glamorous images of rich A-list actors and red carpets, but the reality is that the vast majority of people working in the film and TV industry neither live in Hollywood, nor are they big stars. Crew members are often underpaid and live paycheck-to-paycheck, with their livelihoods depending on a steady stream of work.
Dark Winds Season 3’s Ye’iitsoh Explained: Meaning & Native American Folklore
Dark Winds season 3 introduces a terrifying new entity from Navajo folklore known as Ye’iitsoh & its presence has larger implications for Joe Leaporn.
Unfortunately, the one-two punch of the Covid pandemic and then the writers' and actors' strikes have proven disastrous for the industry. While those aforementioned big-name actors are largely just fine, they make up a very small percentage of people who are comfortable in Hollywood at the best of times, let alone after half a decade of shutdown and disruption. Despite the content on our screens, the industry simply has not bounced back yet in the way it needs to in order to thrive.
Despite the content on our screens, the industry simply has not bounced back yet in the way it needs to in order to thrive.
Everyone from key grips to screenwriters has lost their livelihoods, but the work most people thought would return simply hasn’t. Plenty of crew members have left the industry, feeling it’s no longer feasible to make a living by making movies and TV shows. Others became homeless during the Covid pandemic as work dried up. Sadly, there are others, like Joe Bufalino III, who saw no path forward to continue their dream and opted for a much more permanent departure, making theDark Windsdedication all the more bittersweet and poignant.
