Old School. Biblically Independent.
By Tori Preston | TV | October 15, 2025
Boy oh boy, for a second there I thought this would be another episode where Lee gets by unscathed, but then Peter Dinklage punched him in the junk and saved my entire recap conceit. To be fair, though, that physical tussle was nothing compared to the duo’s verbal and emotional fisticuffs, which finally landed The Lowdown squarely in the same emotional territory of grief that defined Reservation Dogs. Two friends coming to blows and barbs as they grapple with the years-ago loss of a third friend and the hole it has left in their lives? Hardly what I was expecting when Dinklage’s Wendell first emerged from stinking up Lee’s bathroom, but I should have figured The Lowdown would find a way to continue topping itself with another episode that blows the previous ones out of the water.
In terms of the case, the revelations in episode five, titled “This Land?”, are pretty straightforward. Wendell helps Lee discover the location of Indian Head Hills, the parcel of Washberg land that was supposedly at the center of Donald and Dale’s dispute. When they visit the site, a No Trespassing sign claims it’s under the management of a company called White Elk. Lee asks his real estate agent buddy, the flirtatious Vickey, to do some digging, and she discovers that Indian Head Hills is being sold to another firm called One Well… for far more than it’s worth. With no competing offers on the table, the only reason Lee can think of for why Indian Head Hills would sell for four times the market value is that it’s being used to launder a bribe to the future governor.
How the pair arrive at this information, however, is exactly the sort of meandering journey you’d expect from the show. Wendell turns up on Lee’s doorstep… er, toilet… because they’ve had a “sacred” pact to meet on the same day every year to remember their friend, Jesus. Wendell, we quickly find out, used to own the Hoot Owl Books with Lee, though these days they only meet for their debaucherous yearly remembrance. The crux of their disconnect is shared guilt over Jesus’s death: After a wild night, Wendell had asked Lee to check on Jesus to make sure he was alright. Lee didn’t, and Jesus died of an overdose. Would it have ended differently if Lee had been there to intervene? They’ll never know, and now they are both chasing the man Jesus was while running from the end he met in their own ways. It’s impossible not to remember the way Daniel’s death impacted the kids in Reservation Dogs and their seasons-long attempts to honor his memory while coming to terms with their grief and guilt over his loss. Is Lee’s dogged pursuit of truth his own way of honoring Jesus, or is it a form of self-destruction? When Lee admits that he’s a mess, it’s hard to tell if that’s a symptom or part of the cure.
It occurred to me, while I was appreciating their constant sniping and the way it filled in the gaps in this friendship better than any exposition could, that Wendell is the first true friend of Lee’s we’ve met (even though they can hardly stand each other). Other than Ray, who is arguably more of a colleague than a friend, everyone else has been family, employees, editors, informants, or enemies of Lee. Ethan Hawke and Peter Dinklage immediately inhabit this new relationship as if it’s been in the show all along, turning what could have been stunt casting into the most essential episode of the series yet. It’s also worth noting that the episode was directed by Macon Blair, who previously worked with Dinklage on the recent remake of The Toxic Avenger.
While all of that is happening, we get a bit more insight into the forces working for Donald’s election. Frank, it seems, is not the boss behind Allen’s murder - he believed Allen was reformed and is surprised at the news of his passing. Still, he gives a speech at a luncheon supporting Donald’s campaign, where he discusses the dangers of pandering to special interests, particularly the tribes of Oklahoma. It’s not about race, he claims, since they all can trace their roots back to the Native Americans, and of course all the rich white men in the room nod in solemn agreement. Couldn’t possibly be about race!
Afterward, Frank approaches Donald to ask what the holdup is with the Indian Head Hills sale. He’s representing One Well, and for whatever reason, Donald is dragging his feet on the closing (probably because Dale refused to sign off). Donald is looking guiltier by the minute, especially after his heated confrontation with Betty Jo, whom Lee urges to get out of town and hide at a convenient wellness retreat. When Lee goes to see Pearl to let her know where her mother is, the police abduct him and take him to a terrifying cop kegger where Donald is waiting to have a little chat. I’m sure the sinister red lighting from all the cop cars is just a coincidence, but we’ll find out next week!
