Sterlin Harjo on The Lowdown
Ever since Bogart turned up his trench coat collar and walked the shadowy streets of San Francisco, audiences have been captivated by film noir — its style, mystery, and raw allure. Over the past seven weeks, Sterlin Harjo’s The Lowdown has carried that tradition forward, mixing grit and social commentary in its first season, which concluded satisfyingly on November 4.
A Noir with a Modern Edge
In the latest FX series from the co-creator of Reservation Dogs, the story follows Lee Raybon, portrayed by Ethan Hawke — an eccentric citizen journalist determined to expose Tulsa’s white-supremacist elite. The final episode, titled “The Sensitive Kind,” ties together his investigations and exposes deep corruption within political and social circles.
Justice and Reckoning
Among the characters is the enigmatic femme fatale Betty Jo Washberg (Jeanne Tripplehorn), whose motives blur the line between survival and betrayal. Lee’s pursuit also leads gubernatorial candidate Donald Washberg (Kyle MacLachlan) to confront his own moral decay.
In a moment of reckoning, Washberg breaks away from his extremist supporters and returns stolen land to the Osage people — his family’s historical victims. It’s a scene that delivers emotional satisfaction and symbolic justice.
The Real-World Connection
Despite the catharsis on screen, Harjo acknowledges that such justice often feels unattainable in reality. Yet he remains hopeful that fiction can inspire genuine change.
“It’s a visceral pleasure to see racists brought low and Indigenous Oklahomans get the restorative justice they’ve been denied for so long,” Harjo said, adding that it shouldn’t remain just a dream.
About the Creator
Living in Tulsa himself, Sterlin Harjo draws from personal experience and community history to ground his noir narrative in local reality — blending aesthetics of classic cinema with modern social urgency.
Author’s Summary: Sterlin Harjo’s The Lowdown reinvents film noir with purpose, merging sharp storytelling and social awareness to spotlight truth, justice, and cultural restoration.
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