'The Lowdown' Star Reflects on Francis and Lee's Relationship
Ryan Kiera Armstrong shares insights on the dynamic between Francis and her father, Lee Raybon, following the season finale of The Lowdown. [Warning: Contains major spoilers for Season 1, Episode 8, “The Sensitive Kind.”]
Season Finale and Story Developments
The season concluded with an open-ended resolution for Lee Raybon (Ethan Hawke), leaving much about his relationship with his daughter Francis (Ryan Kiera Armstrong) unexplored. Both characters share a strong determination to uncover the truth.
In the finale, Lee solves the mystery of Dale Washberg’s (Tim Blake Nelson) death but confronts the harsh reality that his job endangers Francis both physically and emotionally. Although Francis experienced several close calls earlier in the season, Armstrong notes:
“I don’t think that she realized how big it was.”
She adds that Francis’s intelligence helps her sense that something serious is happening:
“I also think that she’s really intelligent for her age, and so I think that she knew something was up.”
Francis's Emotional Moment
After Lee missed her parent-teacher conference, Francis performed a poem at an open-mic event. The poem candidly expressed her pain over her parents' breakup and her father’s absence. Armstrong recalls her experience preparing for this scene:
“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 mentions the pressure of filming on her last day:
“It was also my last day on set, so I was like, I can’t regret anything, it has to be perfect.”
Author’s Summary
Ryan Kiera Armstrong reveals the complexities of Francis and Lee's father-daughter bond amid danger, intelligence, and emotional struggles in the gripping conclusion of The Lowdown.