On the one hand, it wouldn’t be very appropriate for a show about a scrappy citizen journalist in a small, central town to become a huge hit. On the other hand, FX’s “The Lowdown” was one of last year’s big TV debuts, a sequel from “Reservation Dogs” showrunner Sterlin Harjo that upped the star power and changed locations while keeping the warmth, humor and texture. The drama led to a Season 2 renewal in January, but just barely: Even the presence of star and executive producer Ethan Hawke, who plays Tulsa-area “truthman” Lee Raybon, couldn’t make “The Lowdown” an objective escape.
This is why it is essential – no, essential — let those who value truth, justice, and well-crafted television come out in force for Season 2. The world could use more shaggy hangouts and layered mysteries, not to mention series that manage to be both at the same time. In Season 1, “The Lowdown” overtly modeled itself on the kind of pulpy paperbacks that Lee sells at the used bookstore he operates between his freelance reporting gigs. Season 2 confirms the impression that, as in this previous medium, Lee’s misadventures can easily be serialized: a new case, new characters and the same inimitable atmosphere.
In Harjo’s Tulsa, it’s been a few months since Lee published his story about the late Dale Washberg (Tim Blake Nelson), the black sheep of a powerful local family. The resulting work was more of a thoughtful homage than a searing expose, as Lee had learned the hard way that airing dirty laundry could serve more to feed one’s ego than to serve the public interest. But it was still well-received enough for Lee to get some of the validation he not-so-secretly craves: A local journalism award, given at a gala, turns Lee into a captive audience for a drunken rant. There, Lee also meets a public defender named Ginger (new Emmy winner Betty Gilpin) who is sure she’s being followed – a problem the smitten Lee is all too eager to help her solve, giving “The Lowdown” its final rabbit hole to dive down.
Gilpin is the perfect femme fatale for the series’ loose riff on a black man. That is to say: not cool, shy, or composed at all, but still a naturally irresistible attraction to Lee. Ginger worries about her former client Mekko Dean, an Indigenous inmate she can’t reach in custody. The two shady guys on his tail only aggravate these suspicions; When Lee stops by the prison and a guy who definitely isn’t Mekko shows up for the tour, a switcheroo she considers a “rupidoop,” they move into high gear. Ginger shares Lee’s bleeding-heart empathy, panic-induced logorrhea, and keen eye for human weaknesses. That’s why she has Lee dead by rights. “You’re a hypnotist,” she told him in a fit of frustration. “You attack people with words until they obey your orders!” »
This season we learn where Lee gets this from. The venerable Tommy Lee Jones comes to town as Lee Sr., a traveling conman as good at lies as Lee is obsessed with the truth. (Oppositional Challenge: Undefeated as a psychological key!) The emotional underpinning of Season 1 was Lee’s relationship with his teenage daughter Francis (Ryan Kiera Armstrong), for whom he wanna being a reliable presence more than he actually is. Season 2 puts Lee’s flawed parenting in context: he’s doing better than what was done to him, but he’s still burdened enough by resentment to betray his own principles. As teenager Francis is quick to point out, it wasn’t very truthful of Lee to raise him believing his grandfather was dead. “He died for Me” falls flat as a defense.
As Lee and Ginger follow Mekko’s trail, a winding path that leads them to corrupt cops and a shady diversion scheme, “The Lowdown” returns to the ambient rhythm of its first outing. Giving Lee a love interest and expanding his family traditions are natural avenues for expansion, but the series also has a strong sense of its core competency. Lee sticks to his uniform of short-sleeved shirts, sunglasses, and a Stetson, and last season’s persons of interest are now comfortable members of the ensemble. Keith David’s Marty, once a senior researcher in the employ of Dale Washberg’s brother, is now editor-in-chief of Lee’s occasional employer, The Heartland Press; not to be outdone, Marty’s ex-boss Donald (Kyle Maclachlan), now governor, drops by for a mid-season visit.
Harjo and his team — including directors Scott Teems and Rafael Casal, who also plays Francis’ stepfather — have a fond eye for Oklahoma and its people. Lee’s investigation takes him to 4H fairs and horseback rides, and introduces him to a rich tapestry of strong personalities. Some are funny, like the crazy prison guard who forces Lee to try his cheeseburgers (that’s not a euphemism!) or the perverted lawyer whose advances Ginger accepts in exchange for a lead. Some are dark, like the single mother Mekko left behind or a fellow journalist who prefers feel-good fluff to nonsense. “The kind of truth you’re interested in hurts people,” he told Lee. “Today my truth is a pig contest.”
The question of what happened to Mekko and why arises at a slow, steady pace. But “The Lowdown” is not a thriller that lives or dies on its final reveal. This is a show that revels in its surroundings – even if Hawke’s frenetic, intense performance ensures that audiences will never get Also comfortable. Like “Reservation Dogs” before it, “The Lowdown” is full of genuine performances; I could argue that you should be looking to support indigenous storytelling or American film production as much of the industry moves overseas. In truth, “The Lowdown” is anything but a virtuous cultural vegetable. This is a party more people should attend, and you’ll be glad they did.
The first two episodes of “The Lowdown” Season 2 will premiere on FX and Hulu on October 14 at 9 p.m. ET, with the remaining episodes airing weekly on Wednesdays.
Gn entert
