Episode 1 of *The Lowdown* opens with a chilling scene deep in the heart of Tulsa, Oklahoma. A man named Dale sits pensively, scribbling out a suicide note. He carefully tucks it away inside a book titled *Texas by the Tail*, nestled inconspicuously in the middle of his bookshelf. With a resolute yet weary expression, he places his cowboy hat atop his head, retrieves his gun, and with a single, deafening blast, ends his life in a gruesome display of finality.
Unsurprisingly, the news of Dale's tragic demise spreads like wildfire, eventually catching the attention of our protagonist, the intrepid public investigator Lee Raybon. Lee, who proudly dubs himself a "truthstorian," is employed by the Heartland Press.
Dale's untimely death comes hot on the heels of a controversial article penned by Lee for the Heartland Press, an exposé that delved into the murky and corrupt past of his own family. This revelation casts a long, ominous shadow over the gubernatorial race, with Dale’s brother, Donald Washberg, poised on the brink of victory.
Yet, the spotlight cast by the article also falls unflatteringly on Lee himself, given that he was the one who dared to unveil the family's sordid secrets. Amidst the swirling maelstrom of controversy, Lee finds himself summoned to a meeting with a group of executives closely aligned with Donald, all of whom are affiliated with a sprawling conglomerate known as Akron.
Lee's latest investigative crusade, which he dubs a "truth-spiracy," stems from his discovery that Akron has been systematically acquiring Black-owned businesses. To Lee, it's glaringly apparent that Akron is orchestrating a ruthless campaign to stifle competition and cement its dominance as a monopoly in North Tulsa—a revelation he's determined to expose in a scathing exposé.
That fateful night, after stirring up a hornet's nest of controversy, Lee is approached by a man named Marty. Marty, too, has been keeping a close eye on the unfolding Dale saga, and the latest developments reveal that Dale's estate is slated to be auctioned off. Sensing that Lee is overlooking a crucial piece of the puzzle, Marty attempts to steer his investigation onto the right path.
Back at home, Lee finds himself under attack by a pair of skinheads who forcefully break in and give him a brutal beating. As a journalist, Lee has made his fair share of enemies, and these two individuals, Blackie and Berta, hold a deep-seated grudge against him. It appears that Lee penned an article branding them as Nazis after the duo set fire to a synagogue. In truth, the situation spiraled out of control when they lit a bag of refuse on their porch, causing half the building to go up in flames.
Lee, now sporting a black eye and bruised ribs as a testament to his writing, also runs a struggling bookstore. Deidra, an employee there, isn't being paid and lets Lee have it for his negligence.
Lee is also a father to his daughter, Francis. Though he and his ex-wife maintain some level of communication, there's an underlying tension, exacerbated by her new partner and the stability their new family unit enjoys compared to Lee's somewhat chaotic existence.
The Washberg estate sale presents Lee with the perfect chance to snoop around and uncover some dirt. He senses something amiss, given that the entire family had always viewed Dale as the black sheep, yet now, following his death, they're suddenly displaying an unusual amount of care.
Lee enters the largely undisturbed study and begins his search for incriminating evidence. There, he stumbles upon a letter from Dale and decides to take it for himself. Within the letter, Dale reveals that there are notes tucked away in other crime books that piece together the full story of what transpired. At the close of the letter, Dale issues a stark warning: "Don't trust any of them, not even my wife. She's part of it."
Meanwhile, the situation surrounding the Governor continues to intensify. Lee observes that Betty-jo, Dale's widow, appears to be quite cozy with her late husband's brother, Donald. Their intimate interaction suggests that there's more to their relationship than meets the eye.
In a desperate bid to make ends meet, Lee manages to secure an advance on an article (which he promptly uses to pay Deidra) and even goes as far as to sell a stolen painting.
Deidra urges Lee to offer a job to her cousin, Waylon. Though a bit eccentric, she believes that after Lee's recent beating, it's a prime opportunity for him to hire some security to prevent such incidents from recurring.
Regrettably, he's about as useful as a chocolate teapot in a crisis. Just as Lee is seized right outside the bookstore by those same skinheads from earlier—their attack fueled in part by another story that has just hit the headlines—the situation takes a dire turn. They roughly shove Lee into the trunk of a car and speed off to meet Allen Murphy, an executive from Akron.
In a chilling display of ruthlessness, Allen Murphy coldly guns down both men without a shred of hesitation. He then disposes of their lifeless bodies, dumping them unceremoniously into the river. Left alone in the trunk, Lee is in a state of shock and fury. But fortune smiles on him when Marty arrives on the scene, managing to free Lee from his grim confinement.
Still reeling from the ordeal and burning with rage, Lee takes off in the car. To his surprise, he discovers a substantial wad of cash stashed in a brown envelope. What a fortuitous, albeit macabre, bonus!
