‘The Lowdown’ Finale: Creator Sterlin Harjo on Lee’s Choices and Inspiration
The FX drama The Lowdown, filmed and set in Tulsa, concluded its first season in November with a powerful finale titled “The Sensitive Kind.” The story, steeped in noir tradition, explored brutality and redemption through the journey of Lee Raybon, played by Ethan Hawke.
Across the season, the series showcased murder, corruption, and racial violence — a man was even tarred and feathered by a white supremacist group, and an elderly Native man (Graham Greene) died due to Lee’s actions. Creator Sterlin Harjo drew from classic noir influences but shifted the narrative’s conclusion toward guarded hope rather than total despair.
A Noir Story with a Twist
In the finale, Lee’s long pursuit of truth about Oklahoma gubernatorial candidate Donald Washberg (Kyle MacLachlan) and the suspicious death of Donald’s brother, Dale (Tim Blake Nelson), comes to a head. After uncovering the real story behind Dale’s death, Lee intends to publish a final exposé.
But instead of destroying Donald, Lee strikes a deal — to return Washberg family land that was slated to be sold to a white supremacist group, called One Well, back to an Indigenous nation in Oklahoma.
Creative Inspiration and Tone
Harjo explained that the finale was inspired by the music and persona of Robert Plant, whose creative resilience helped shape the mood of the final scenes. This influence allowed the show to end not on defeat but on a note of moral clarity and reluctant compromise — a hallmark of modern noir reborn with Indigenous perspective.
Conclusion
The episode closed the season on both an emotional and thematic resolution, showing that justice might come quietly, through small yet meaningful acts of restitution.
Author’s summary: The Lowdown’s finale traded noir despair for redemption, blending moral tension, Indigenous justice, and Robert Plant’s influence into a hauntingly hopeful ending.