It’s hard to top a really terrific first season. Capturing something unique and continuing it in some capacity is bound to feel like a paler imitation as time goes on, especially when a season-long arc is resolved, paving the way for new characters and a new storyline. Season one of The Lowdown felt like a rare specimen that couldn’t quite be replicated, and the addition of showy actors to the ensemble could have revealed an attempt to keep it on life support rather than revitalize it. Fortunately, that couldn’t be further from the truth, and season two of The Lowdown is just as phenomenal as season one, offering more of the same fantastic rabbit holes and chaos that made this show’s first run so superb.
The Washbergs are a thing of the past as far as Lee Raybon (Ethan Hawke) is concerned, which of course means that he’s still telling anyone who will listen – and even those who won’t – what he was able to do to bring them down. Accepting a journalism prize for his work leads to a chance meeting with Ginger (Betty Gilpin), a lawyer in over her head and investigating the disappearance of an inmate she desperately wants to find. As he extends a helping hand that she may not entirely want, Lee is disoriented by the surprise arrival of his father Lee Sr. (Tommy Lee Jones) into town and fully put off by the charm he’s able to wield towards everyone else which he feels is in direct conflict with every experience he’s every had with a man he really doesn’t like.
Recently-minted Emmy winner Gilpin and Oscar winner Jones are indeed big names, but there’s a reason that they’re both so revered. Gilpin knows how to balance tone extraordinarily, matching Hawke’s antics as Ginger demonstrates that she’s exceptionally good at her job (a scene where she indulges an informant’s fetish to get the information she needs proves it) but also gets visibly zany and paranoid as soon as something spooks her. Lee Sr. is much more levelheaded and deliberately manipulative, and it’s great to see Jones operating at the height of his sarcastic mode, eliciting excellent frustration from his onscreen son as all others are helpless around his charm and seem to think that it’s actually quite endearing.
While standouts like Jeanne Tripplehorn and Kyle MacLachlan are nowhere to be found in season two, the continued presence of Keith David is an absolute gift. Freed from his ties to the would-be governor, Marty now has different responsibilities yet still can’t separate himself from Lee’s rollercoaster orbit. While his role is limited and not always directly connected to the primary storyline, David continues to be a critical member of the ensemble and another great interpreter of this show’s tone, mixing a commitment to truth and justice with a serious lack of patience for all the irritating things he has to deal with along the way. It’s also nice to see Rafael Casal given a larger part that leans into his character’s intriguing relationship with his current partner’s ever-present ex.
Hawke is a singular actor who makes Lee into a magnetic mess of a character, and it’s mesmerizing to watch him when he effortlessly slips into a loosely-constructed cover identity or quickly realizes the gravity of the situation in which he’s found himself. There’s quite simply no one else who could play this part and sell it anywhere near as well, and this show, which gravitates from dark comedy to sober drama without warning in the best way, wouldn’t be what it is without him as the lead. Sterlin Harjo has officially struck lightning twice with a second season that feels enough like the first to appeal to the same audience but is best described as a new chapter that’s just as enticing, original, and fervently interesting.
Season Rating: 9/10
