‘The Lowdown’ Season 2 Episode 4 Raw Milk Recap and Ending Explained: Why Lee’s One Phone Call Could Change Everything
Few shows can swing from a frantic car chase to a dentist-chair nitrous gag and then a philosophical debate about truth, all in one hour. ‘The Lowdown’ pulls that off almost every week. The latest installment, “Raw Milk,” did it again, and the ‘The Lowdown’ ending leaves Lee in a very precarious spot.
The episode aired on October 28 at 9 p.m. ET on FX and streams on Hulu the next day. It is the fourth hour of an 8-episode second season that premiered on October 14 and runs through November 25. Ethan Hawke returns as Lee Raybon, with Tommy Lee Jones and Betty Gilpin joining the cast.
The setup came from the previous episode. Lee confronted the man who had been following him and, along with Johnny, took him down, only to learn he was a sheriff’s deputy. Ginger had also shot an interloper who tried to break into her house, and she is still searching for Mekko.
The hour opens with Lee and Johnny racing off with the deputy, Lonny Reed, hoping to get guidance from Cyrus and his lawyer friend. Cyrus isn’t pleased to have a corrupt cop delivered to his doorstep, and the problem solves itself when Lonny escapes. That leaves Lee with questions, concerns and a broken tooth.
Lee tells Ginger the man was a cop, and she isn’t happy to learn it. They head to Johnny’s office to get the tooth fixed, and the scene turns loopy when everyone takes a few hits of nitrous before the capping.
Ginger and her old colleague Jeff Morgan then dig into the case that matters most. Nathan Spence died in the custody of the Sheriff’s Department even though he was supposed to be in a diversion program. Jeff warns that an investigation exists, but the sheriff isn’t someone to cross.
Ginger and Jeff visit Nathan’s mother, who hesitates until Ginger makes clear she wants the truth. She opens up a little, though the episode leaves that conversation hanging.
Lee meets Dale Slater, played by Steve Earle, the man who gave him a ride last week. Dale turns out to be the editor of the ‘Woodrell County Monitor’ and recognized Lee, though he said nothing at the time. They talk about Nathan’s death, and Dale urges caution, but Lee isn’t built for caution.
That leads him to a county fair and a 4-H hog contest, where he confronts Sheriff Vela Thorne, played by Martha Plimpton. Before the face-off, Lee tries some raw milk, and it doesn’t sit well. He throws out a few accusations before running for the toilet.
🤠📚 THE LOWDOWN : SAISON 2 📚🤠 Disponible sur 📺 : Disney+ Date de sortie 📅 : 26 décembre 2026 Genre 🎭 : Policier, Comédie dramatique, Néo-noir #TheLowdown #EthanHawke #TommyLeeJones #BettyGilpin #DisneyPlus https://t.co/CtCtROv682
— CineTrailers (@CineTrailersfr) October 26, 2026
While Lee is recovering, Lonny shows up and asks for his badge and gun. Lee only has one of them, and he soon finds himself in jail. The twist is that McMann, the guard who killed Chili Franks, is the sheriff’s cousin, and McMann, the sheriff and Lonny all believe Lee is the key to finding Mekko.
The last beat is the one fans will keep talking about. Lee rolls down his boot and looks at a phone number labeled “Big D,” and that’s the call he decides to make. The A.V. Club suggested it could be his lawyer friend Dan, Dale Slater, or Governor Donald Washberg, and guessed Lee is going big.
The episode also checks in with Marty and Ray, who are hunting for answers about secret societies and ancient relics. They bump into Senior, played by Jones, in Lee’s bookstore, and since he knows something about digs, they bring him along to an auction attended by wealthy elites. There, hints of a deeper mystery start to appear.
The critic noted that this subplot is fun mostly for its mix of actors but is still waiting to connect with the main plot. It also noted that Ginger hinted Lee might be more like his father than he wants to admit, which seemed to hit a nerve.
With the halfway point reached, the Woodrell County mystery is now fully in motion. Lee is locked up, and the people holding him want what he knows about Mekko. The A.V. Club called the episode an A-, saying it turns up the season’s energy and intensity.
The next episode, “A Dog with Two Tails,” airs on November 4, and it will have to show who picks up when Lee makes his one call.
Who do you think "Big D" really is?
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