‘The Lowdown’ Finale: Creator Sterlin Harjo on Lee’s Choices and a Robert Plant Inspiration
The FX series The Lowdown, filmed in Tulsa, concluded its first season in November. The story’s final episode, titled “The Sensitive Kind,” brought closure to a season marked by violence, racial tension, and moral conflict.
Dark Roots of the Story
Throughout the series, viewers witnessed increasingly grim events — multiple murders, a man tarred and feathered by a white supremacist group, and the accidental death of an elderly Native man, played by Graham Greene, caused by Lee Raybon (Ethan Hawke). These events reflect the noir influences that shaped Sterlin Harjo’s storytelling.
A Break from Classic Noir Endings
The finale distinguishes itself from the traditionally hopeless tone of noir. Instead of succumbing to despair, Harjo offers a measured sense of justice. The protagonists achieve small but meaningful victories, though not without consequences.
Lee’s Final Decision
As Lee investigates the corrupt ties between Oklahoma gubernatorial candidate Donald Washberg (Kyle MacLachlan) and the suspicious death of his brother Dale (Tim Blake Nelson), he prepares a final exposé revealing the truth. Yet in a surprising turn, Lee decides not to publish it. Instead, he strikes a deal with Donald: the Washberg family will return land, once bound for sale to a white supremacist organization called One Well, to an Indigenous nation in Oklahoma.
“The finale departs from the darkness that has defined Lee’s path and ends with an act of moral compromise that also offers a sense of restitution,” said creator Sterlin Harjo.
About the Inspiration
Harjo revealed that a scene in the finale drew inspiration from the music of Robert Plant, whose lyrics and tone helped shape the emotional core of Lee’s final choices.
Author’s summary: The series ends by transforming traditional noir fatalism into a moment of reflection, where loss and justice coexist in Lee’s moral reckoning.