Review of 'The Lowdown' Season 2: Ethan Hawke and Betty Gilpin Shed Light on a Moving Secret
In a second season that is darker, prickier and still red-hot, creator Sterlin Harjo's rich modern noir takes a closer, sharper look at our resident truth-seeker.
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"The Lowdown" Season 2 begins by giving Lee Ribbon (Ethan Hawke) what his acclaimed FX series was unfairly denied in real life: an award. For her earth-shattering portrayal of Dale Washberg (aka the mystery she uncovered in Season 1), Lee was named Tulsa's Citizen Journalist of the Year, along with a shiny trophy, a fancy dinner, and free booze. As much as writers, in particular, honor this last distinction, what this honor represents should be even more important. Finally, the oft-beaten-but-never-broken gonzo journalist has proof—indisputable, tangible credibility—that his "obsession with the truth" is valued by his town, as is he, their stubborn, self-confessed "truther." RELATED STORIES: 'Whalefall' review: Austin Abrams with daddy issues in brutal survival thriller How to make a 'Friday the 13th' prequel: Blood bags, vintage paranoia and Linda Cardellini as Pamela Voorhees
So, naturally, Lee scorns the gesture, along with the "liars and salesmen" who gave it to him.
Lee's less-than-acceptable speech, with its mushrooms and unbridled breath, takes our hero as far from the heroic spotlight as anyone literally standing in it can. Her daughter Frances (Ryan Kiera Armstrong) is embarrassed, her friends are fed up, and her audience — both the other honorees trying to enjoy their ceremony and us all watching it through our screens — is disappointed. What happened to the devoted father, pillar of society and righteous crusader who saved the day in season 1?
That's Him. That's It. That's Lee Ribbon. That's Lee Ribbon — only now, creator, writer, and director Sterling Harjo takes him in a harsher light. Lee's old self is still there, it is whether this is his true self that is being questioned. Is he a force for objective good, as he believes himself to be? Or is Lee something darker and more dangerous, driven by anger and fear while pursuing charisma and good intentions?
"There's a lot of truth out there," says a wise man in the middle of "The Lowdown" season 2. "And the kind of truth you're interested in, Lee, hurts people."
Six out of eight episodes in, Harjo's Southern Noir continues to be a very enjoyable TV series. Her shrewd little gem doesn't let her major existential problems weigh everything down, preferring to block her eyes whenever Lee gets full of herself or turn her lofty thoughts into delightful nonsense whenever the opportunity arises. Beautifully staged and filmed in Oklahoma, the one-hour genre — dubbed a comedy for its awards run, but equal parts honest human drama and the shadowy overarching secret — is easy to sink into in Season 2, wonderfully poignant and consistently funny, even as it takes a less-than-stellar view of Hawke's true detective.
Lee's constant cuts and bruises make us forget that he doesn't bear the brunt of the truth-seeking—not the worst of it, anyway. In Season 1, Lee successfully honored Dale's wishes to return the Washberg land to its rightful owners, the Osage Nation. But his efforts also resulted in a number of deaths, including Arthur Williams (Graham Greene), an innocent man who was shot and killed in his own home as a direct result of Lee's lack of restraint. Arthur's grandson Choto (Mato Vaiohi) certainly doesn't vote for Lee with anything, and season 2 often feels like it's built from a similar position: through the ghosts of the past, Lee would rather forget.
One such tough guy is Lee Ribbon Sr. (Tommy Lee Jones), the father Lee had previously claimed was dead. Arshad, like his son, is a man of many facts. He is a retired preacher and bookstore owner who earned the nickname "Frog" for jumping out of a helicopter in Vietnam. Now, he is an old man suffering from dementia who is only looking to connect with his family before his time runs out.
But for Lee Jr., his father is none of these things: he's a man who deceives everyone he can, including his own son. His bookstore was nothing more than an illegal porn store, and Lee insists his father never went to Vietnam. Not buying the elderly "Changed Man" routine either, she even suspects his memory loss.
"Who are you?" Arshad says and stares blankly at his son's face. "Bullshit," Lee replies.
which is correct Which version is correct? Which one is right - the grandfather who wants to see and know his grandson, or the father who never cared to know his son? "The Lowdown" is simultaneously subtle and clear, saying "why not both?" Jones, a coup d'état in another CD lineup of Angelique Midthunder and Jennifer Garrett, deftly walks the line between the best and worst interpretations of her character, imbuing the aggressive Graybeard with grace and wisdom as well as confusion and regret. In one moment, Senior is another unpleasant reminder of Lee's repressed demons and his man, who is back in Tulsa to "settle the score," whether Junior wants to get involved or not.
Where the younger Lee prefers to get involved is with his new case, brought about by his new interest. Ginger (recent Emmy winner Betty Gilpin) exudes sincerity in Lee's awful speech, but she's not indifferent. She sees through his sea of red flags ("A nice guy in a white van?" "That'll be the first time ever!" she says when he offers her a ride), and she carves a path between them to get what she needs: Makko, a former client who ended up in jail, stopped returning her calls. When he goes to see her, she is told that he is not available. When Lee goes to visit him, they bring out another man who claims to be Makko.
A bad con artist plus his growing love interest is all Lee needs to believe he's found his next big story, which means he drops his old story in the hands of Marty (Keith David), now the editor of Heartland magazine, and throws himself headlong into another big plot involving [deep breath] Paul Schneider as a bleached-blonde jailer who's proud of his cheesemakers. does Martha Plimpton as a county sheriff whose pristine manicure masks her dirty professional baggage. John Hawkes as a popular judge who wants to bring back public executions. And favorites like Michael Hitchcock (as a Ribbon family friend and antique dealer), Michael "Killer Mike" Render (the eye-catching owner of the Tulsa Beat), and Sienna East (who runs Hoot Owl Books in Lee's absence), along with all his cousins and friends.
This band alone makes "The Lowdown" irresistible. Such big, big ensembles are wasted on lesser series, but any talented cast can hold their own without disrupting the story or short-termism. Matching Gilpin with Huck's manic energy in a combustible whirlwind of physical comedy and emerging charm, Jones provides the ideal, stoic balance for his character's spiraling son, and Harjo ropes them all together to tell a story about weighing the greater good against our immediate responsibility to others.
Early in Season 2, a friend gives Lee a tarot card and informs her that she is "ignoring the cup." What really matters is right in that expression on his face, and he either can't or won't see it. Whether it's the true meaning of his prize, the true victims of his research, or the true intentions of his father, Lee escapes many potential trophies, and in doing so, he gets exactly where most powerful white men should be: closer to the truth that lies beyond his sight. By the end of this chapter, our intrepid truther might be forced to admit that there are too many truths, and sometimes, you just have to pick the ones you can live with.
"The Lowdown" premieres Wednesday, October 14 at 9 p.m. ET on FX and Hulu with two episodes. New episodes will be released weekly until the end (episode 8) on November 25th.