This week’s episode of the FX crime drama series The Lowdown further delves into the real conspiracy in the works in Tulsa, pertaining to the wealthy and influential Washberg family, and particularly its current patriarch, the next Governor of Oklahoma, Donald Washberg. Protagonist Lee Raybon makes a crucial and unexpected discovery of his own while following the next set of clues, one that can immediately shake things up if it is ever revealed. The Lowdown episode 6 also updates us about Betty Jo, who had been advised to go into hiding by Lee in the previous episode, as there is a significant development with regard to her as well.
Spoiler Alert
Is Lee harmed by Donald and his police buddies?
The Lowdown episode 5 had ended in a tense situation for the protagonist, Lee Raybon, as he had been picked up by two corrupt police officers and taken to a cookout attended by more such police officers and, of course, Donald Washberg himself. It was actually Donald who had told his police buddies to bring Lee to him for a conversation, which naturally begins with both sides trying to exert control over the other. Donald is now very direct with his threats, as he states that a journalist like him, who loves snooping around where they are just not welcome, might well be found dead in a ditch by some of the policemen enjoying their time at the cookout hosted by the politician. This is clearly a warning for Lee to stay away, and he soon punches the protagonist as well for having slept with his beloved Betty Jo.
Changing his tone a bit, Donald asks Lee to stay away from his family, but the latter retorts that he only wants to find who had murdered Dale and adds that he finds Donald’s lack of interest in the matter quite concerning. In perhaps the most honest moment between the two men in the series so far, Donald states that Dale had not been murdered but had indeed taken his own life, although he suspects that a Native American fellow he had grown close to in recent times must have had something to do with it. Lee wants to clarify whether Donald is suggesting that the young man might have killed his brother, but that is not the case. Donald refuses to say anything more, not that he has much information either, and he now instructs his friends to take Lee back to the city.
Although Lee is dropped off literally at the middle of the path and has to take a long walk back home, he is not hurt or harmed by Donald and his lawmen, which he finds quite surprising. In fact, he has an unexpectedly good end to the night, as he returns to the bookstore to find his ex-wife, Samantha, to have sneaked into the place already with the spare key she still has. Samantha reveals that she has broken off her marriage with her fiance, for reasons that she does not reveal in detail, and so has brought a bottle of wine to celebrate with Lee, her only good friend. Although the two do share a kiss a few drinks later, Samantha pulls herself back, not wanting to get into the complications of a relationship with Lee once again. The two spend the night together, but nothing romantic or sexual goes down between them, and Lee is ready for his next mission the following morning. The description of the Native American man that Donald had provided matched exactly with the young man who had mysteriously handed him a sketch of Dale outside the bookstore earlier, and Lee realizes that he must find this man.
What can Lee learn about Dale from Chutto?
As Lee asks the teenager working the counter at his bookstore, Deidra, about the sketch artist who had dropped by earlier, she confirms that she knows him. The artist is a Native American called Chutto, whose work is regularly sold at the Indian store, which is the right place for him to start their search. Lee convinces Deidra to accompany him, just so he does not look too out of place being a white man at Native American businesses, and she eventually agrees after being offered payment for her services. The clerk at the Indian store recognizes Chutto right away but cannot say anything significant about where to find him, although he is apparently known to frequent the Indian community center.
Buying and then donning a ribbon shirt just to fit in better at the cultural activities at the community center, Lee mostly makes a fool of himself while Deidra does the real work for him. She is able to find Chutto’s home address, which is inside an apartment complex named Whispering Pines. The duo reaches the complex, and Deidra refuses to show up at Chutto’s house randomly, so it is Lee who works alone from here on. As he knocks on the door and expects to finally meet the young man, quite the opposite happens, as an extremely old man, who is clearly suffering from dementia as well, welcomes him in. The old man, named Arthur, is actually Chutto’s grandfather, and he believes Lee to be Dale Washberg, despite having been told that Dale had died a few weeks ago. As Lee chats with Arthur, trying his best to fish out any information about the Washbergs, Chutto shows up at the place and reveals more about Dale.
Turns out, Chutto and Dale had indeed struck up a friendship in the months before the latter’s death, although under slightly odd circumstances. Being an artist whose main source of income is to make and sell sketches of random people on the streets, Chutto plied his business outside a gay club in Tulsa, and this is where he noticed Dale a number of times. Although Dale clearly wanted to enter the club and was fascinated by it, he never did so and simply sat in his car in the parking lot, obviously because of his old-school mindset and also a fear of being recognized. Instead, Dale would stare at Chutto, developing an attraction towards the young man, and then approached him for a portrait one day.
Dale loved the sketch and kept chatting with Chutto whenever he visited the club, and this was how he eventually became acquainted with his grandfather, Arthur, as well. Much to Chutto’s surprise, the rich and influential man did not mind visiting their humble home to spend time with his grandfather, and it was Arthur who became good friends with Dale after a short time. Chutto admits to having made a sketch of the man and of having often hung out with him as well, but he absolutely denies having played any role in Dale Washberg’s death. Lee stays back for some more time, clearly now intending to talk to Arthur, in the hopes of learning more about the mysterious death of Dale, and he is not left disappointed at all.
How are Donald and his friends caught up with a white supremacist cult?
Donald Washberg goes out on his political campaign in The Lowdown, episode 6, and he is accompanied by Marty, the private investigator who had agreed to lead his security detail in the future. Marty assures Donald that he is still very loyal towards him and his family but also sneakily asks him about Allen Murphy, seemingly just to ascertain if Donald is involved with the man’s murder. Donald denies knowing the man, perhaps honestly, since we have not seen any connection between them, and he focuses more on making friends at a local church called One Well and meets with the pastor, Mark. The church is actually just a façade, since One Well was earlier revealed to be the private company trying to buy off the Indian Head Hills plot from the Washberg family.
While it had originally seemed like the Indian Head Hills plot was being sold to One Well only so that they could fund Donald Washberg’s gubernatorial campaign through legal means, now a second and more important reason behind the deal is also revealed. Turns out, Mark is actually extremely interested, even obsessed, with buying the land, for he wants to build a facility for his chapter there so that he can serve the good Christian folks of the state even better. In reality, Mark runs a violent white supremacist cult, whose sole intention clearly is to ensure that white people occupy the important and honorable positions in government and administration. Therefore, his plan is to build a camp and training facility on the Indian Head Hills plot for the thousands of skinheads who will join his cult.
Even Donald is a bit shaken after realizing what he has gotten himself into, and he sends his associate from Akron, Frank Martin, to keep Mark in check. However, it is Frank who has to leave the church with his tail tucked between his legs, for Mark makes it clear that he has an agenda to carry out and that he will go to any length to eliminate any obstacles in his way. Therefore, while showing Frank around the place, he literally shows him the spot where his goons bury the dead bodies of people who go against his will, like the skinheads from earlier. It is seemingly confirmed that it was Mark and his henchmen at One Well Church who had killed Blackie, Berta, and Allen Murphy as well, as they were all creating problems for the cult.
Frank Martin tries to contact Trip, his other close acquaintance from the 46 Gentlemen’s Club, which almost all white businessmen in the state are a part of, in order to curb Mark’s powers. But he learns that Trip has been funding Mark’s agenda, for people like him are obviously beneficial for corrupt white businessmen who could do with the Indigenous people having no power at all.
What does Arthur reveal?
Back at Whispering Pines, Arthur reveals the most important piece of the puzzle to Lee in the most nonchalant manner, as if he himself does not realize how crucial this information is. The Washberg family had built its wealth and influence on the Indian Head Hills plot of land, which was the first piece of property that they owned in the state. However, Arthur reveals that his great-grandfather, a proud Native American man, was the original owner of this land, and the handover of the property had taken place in an extremely dubious and unlawful manner. Nathaniel Washberg, the patriarch of the family at the time, had come to make a deal with the original owner but had murdered the Native American coldly to then use his thumb to sign the land over to himself for free.
Turns out, Arthur had actually told this to Dale after they had become friends, and the latter was absolutely heartbroken after finding out. He felt guilty about him still owning a share of a property that was once stolen through deceit and crime by his ancestors, robbing the original owners of the land. It was for this reason that Dale had been trying to do something about the Indian Head Hills plot and was seen having an argument with Donald over it in the earlier episodes. Ultimately, Dale had written up a changed will, in which he had agreed to return his share of the plot to the descendants of its original owners—Arthur and Chutto. He had asked Chutto to hold on to the will carefully, and the young man never revealed it to anyone even after Dale’s death, knowing that it would only cause more chaos. Chutto still feels that nobody would take his story and the will seriously, and the fiasco will only cause trouble for his aged grandfather, which is why he still wants to keep the matter under wraps, although Lee suggests that he consult a lawyer over it immediately.
Does Betty Jo switch sides in the end?
Lastly, The Lowdown episode 6, also has Betty Jo entering the Sunyata Wellness facility in order to lay low for a few days and avoid any attempted attack by Donald Washberg. She is absolutely shocked to hear of the rules there, as nobody is given access to any screens and is practically expected to spend their days with no interaction with the outside world whatsoever. Soon, her daughter, Pearl, visits Betty, and she brings her a bottle of alcohol, much to her pleasure. Betty seems genuinely scared of repercussions of her decision to have stood up for the right thing and exposed Donald’s lies. But she had only successfully fooled Lee, and also us viewers, to a certain degree, into believing that she is a helpless woman being persecuted by her cruel and opportunistic brother-in-law. In reality, Betty is involved in her own game of ensuring that she gets her part of the Washberg property as well. After Lee learns about Dale’s real will, she calls up Betty Jo and tells her about it, which immediately strikes fear into her heart. If Dale’s last will is exercised and the Indian Head Hills plot is returned to Arthur and Chutto, then both Donald and she will be left out of the expensive property as well.
Betty does not want anything like this to happen, and so she calls up Frank Martin at the end of the episode, offering to give him a piece of news that will be of great interest to him. She seemingly has contact with Donald’s business partners and wants to involve Akron and even One Well Church in the matter, probably to create pressure on Donald. All Betty wants is to ensure her and Pearl’s safety and also a fat share of the Washberg property, and her intentions now obviously appear muddy.
