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THE PERFORMER<\/strong> | Ethan Hawke<\/p>\n THE SHOW<\/strong> | FX’s\u00a0The Lowdown<\/em><\/p>\n THE EPISODE<\/strong> | “Tulsa Turnaround” (Oct. 28, 2025)<\/p>\n THE PERFORMANCE<\/strong> | Hawke shines as Lee Raybon, a truth-seeking citizen journalist living in Tulsa, Okla. The actor has consistently soared throughout, accentuating the character’s rough-and-tumble nature as he fumbles his way through life and finds danger at every turn. While Lee’s goals are admirable, his methods are sloppy. But all of his antics are a hoot, at least when he’s not getting abducted or shot at.<\/p>\n In the penultimate episode, Hawke made us cackle from the jump, as he forced his editor to take his hat off because “the hat’s my thing.” (The actor’s tiniest of quips go a looong way.) Lee promised he’d deliver the Pulitzer Prize-winning piece after a quick “five-min-er,” then proceeded to lay down for a nap on the guy’s couch. What could play as obnoxious in lesser hands came off as oh-so-cool, the actor continuing to charm and dazzle us throughout all of Lee’s shenanigans.<\/p>\n Later, Lee suavely convinced a lawyer to help him prove ownership of Native land to the dementia-stricken Arthur. Despite his propensity to fly by the seat of his pants, hearing the character proclaim his need to do something about an injustice once again peeled back his many layers. And after botching a cameo at a parent\/teacher conference, Lee told his daughter that he was going to parent her by “showing you what a good man looks like.” The actor’s teary-eyed delivery was full of conviction and love, showing us that even despite his fallibility, his intentions were pure.<\/p>\n Hawke switched gears to raging fury after discovering that Betty Jo’s loose lips led to Arthur’s murder. The actor’s wild man grew even wilder as he unleashed on his former fling’s voicemail. It all culminated in a showdown with the murderer at a church where Lee pulled a gun on, well, the entire parish. To outsiders, he may simply look like a maniacal townie. A mere opportunist, even. But thanks to Hawke’s steady hand, Lee has become one of our favorite new characters of the TV season, one whose rough-around-the-edges approach often overshadows his kind, altruistic heart. And that’s the truth.<\/p>\n Scroll down to see who got Honorable Mention shout-outs this week…<\/strong><\/p>\n