IR TV Review: THE LOWDOWN - EPISODE 5 (“What Land?”) [FX]

After the interesting interlude last week with a great back and forth between Ethan Hawke and Jeanne Tripplehorn, the series takes a different path with a different guest star. While not as powerful, it is just as effective since it works on a different wavelength. "What Land?," the 5th episode of "The Lowdown" has an old friend of Lee's coming to town for a yearly ritual which is interesting because it blends the two thespians on screen beyond their performances. Peter Dinklage in a great one episode arc returns as the former owner of the bookstore Lee owns. He pivots to Lee's shenanigans in every way and can match him wit for wit with authors and references. While OK with not as much to do in "Roofman", Dinklage shines with Hawke here because their banter is effortless and can go from funny to almost deeply sad in an instant.

A quick and funny flashback shows how their reunions once a year usually go. The ode is to an old roommate and band member. During one scene around a bucket fire outside Lee's van on the edge of town, it is simply a masterclass in minimalism from two great (and not aging) New York actors who came up in the 90s. It is very cool to see. In the meantime the whole point is that Dinklage's character subtly pushes the plot forward while letting this function more as a standalone character piece. In the meantime, Kyle MacLachlan's Don has a vicious but effective scene with Tripplehorn's Betty Jo and displays one great burst of power we haven't seen in a while. The ending walk of the episode is a real cool one shot run that has so much going around it and captures the chaos of the underground Lee is actually dealing with. B+

By Tim Wassberg