The Lowdown Slowdown: Episode 1 Recap

In our recap of "The Lowdown's" first episode, hosts Christian and Kurt dive deep into both the plot and craft of Sterlin Harjo and Ethan Hawke's new Tulsa noir series. While covering the main storyline - Lee Raybon investigating the Washberg family conspiracy that leads to neo-Nazi beatdowns and real estate murder - we spend significant time analyzing the show's exceptional musical choices, from the opening J.J. Cale "Sensitive Kind" to Leon Russell's "Stranger in a Strange Land" finale, plus needle drops of Chet Baker, Gap Band, and Lee Hazlewood that perfectly capture Tulsa's sleazy, funky atmosphere. We appreciate the authentic local details like filming at Magic City Books and references to Leon Russell's "Sweet Emily's," while noting visual callbacks to "The Big Lebowski" and "No Country for Old Men." We discuss Ethan Hawke's layered performance as the constantly-beaten "Truthstorian," the excellent supporting cast including Killer Mike as sleazy newspaper editor Cyrus, and production design details like Lee's conspiracy wall. Throughout, we track what we call the show's perfect balance of comedy and violence, celebrating how Harjo captures both Tulsa's magic and darkness in this "shaggy dog crime show."