'The Lowdown' Star Reflects on Francis and Lee's Father-Daughter Relationship
Ryan Kiera Armstrong shares insights about the characters' dynamic after the series finale. Warning: major spoilers ahead for The Lowdown Season 1, Episode 8, “The Sensitive Kind.”
The season concluded with Lee Raybon (Ethan Hawke) in a somewhat unresolved place, leaving much unexplored between him and his daughter, Francis (Ryan Kiera Armstrong), who mirrors his determination to seek the truth. In the finale, Lee uncovers the mystery behind Dale Washberg’s (Tim Blake Nelson) death but confronts the harsh reality that his career endangers his daughter both physically and emotionally.
Francis faced several close calls earlier in the season. Armstrong notes,
“I don’t think that she realized how big it was,”
regarding the danger involved. However, she adds,
“I also think that she’s really intelligent for her age, and so I think that she knew something was up.”
After Lee missed Francis’s parent-teacher conference, she performed a poem at an open-mic event, expressing the pain caused by her parents' separation, especially her father’s absence. Armstrong recalls,
“I read it, and at first I was really moved, and then the next thought was I have to make it really good.”
She also shared,
“It was also my last day on set, so I was like, I can’t regret anything, it has to be perfect.”
Summary
The finale highlights the complex and evolving father-daughter bond, emphasizing the emotional risks of Lee's detective work on Francis and her growing awareness of those dangers.