Is Frank Dead in The Lowdown?

Frank Martin’s character remains an intriguing background fixture in ‘The Lowdown’ during the early episodes of season 1. However, as the story progresses and Lee begins to look beyond the Washberg family drama, the businessman’s potential involvement in Dale’s death starts to become a lot more evident. The man seems to be connected to everything from One Well, the neo-nazi church looking to buy up Dale’s Indian Head Hill property, to Allen Murphy and his hired men. Furthermore, when Betty Jo learns about her departed husband’s apparent last will, in which he leaves his land to Arthur, an old Native American man, and his grandson, Chutto, Frank is the first person the widow calls. Therefore, as his character begins to cement itself as one of the central antagonists in the conspiracy surrounding the Washberg family, his demise inevitably becomes a point of intrigue. SPOILERS AHEAD!

Frank Gets Away With Arthur’s Murder

For the most part, Frank manages to stay hidden in the shadows, upholding a few degrees of separation as a perpetual shield against his crimes. His interests lie in ensuring that the Washberg family sells the Indian Head Hill land to pastor Mark of One Well church. This holds the twofold benefit of land expansion as well as gaining some leverage over Donald Washberg, who is currently campaigning for his re-election as Tulsa’s Governor. For the same reason, Frank cooked up a scheme with Betty Jo to intimidate and scare her husband, Dale, who was against the idea of selling the land. However, instead of directly dirtying his hands, he turns to Allen Murphy. In turn, the latter delegates the job to Blackie and Berta, who inevitably screw up and accidentally kill Dale.

Conveniently enough, once the widow passes off her husband’s death as a suicide, it opens up the opportunity for the land’s sale to simply go through Donald. Nonetheless, a new complication arises when Frank learns about the existence of a legitimate will, left by Dale, wherein he bequeaths the Indina Head Hill to Arthur Williams and his grandson, Chutto, whose family were the original owners of the land before the Washbergs wrongfully stole it from them. Consequently, this will become the single most important thing for Frank, as it holds the potential to stand in the way of One Well’s acquisition of Dale’s land. For the same reason, he visits Arthur’s house to find the will and inevitably ends up killing him in the process. However, in the aftermath, he’s able to argue his innocence in the matter by claiming he was acting in self-defence. Naturally, his power and influence allow him a certain immunity, letting him walk away from the crime without repercussions.

Frank Receives His Just Deserts at the Hands of a Vengeful Mother

Ultimately, Frank is able to absolve himself of the blame for Arthur’s murder legally. His social standing and privileges further discourage Chutto from seeking out justice since the young man already knows the system won’t take his side against the businessman. Yet, just because the latter dodges his commupence once doesn’t mean he can do it forever. In the end, once Lee manages to collect all the puzzle pieces that make up the mystery surrounding Dale Washberg, he publishes an article about it in the Heartland Press. The article contains information about Allen Murphy, his employees, and their involvement in the death of the older man.

Therefore, Bonnie, Blackie’s mother, learns the truth about what has happened to her son. In the aftermath of Dale’s death, once Blackie and his partner-in-crime, Bert, become enough of a liability for Allen, the latter ends up killing them and dumping their bodies in a river. As Lee’s article sheds some light on the fates of these two men, the mother realizes that her son’s entanglement with Allen Murphy and Akron led him to his brutal demise. Therefore, her grief inevitably brings her to Frank, the CEO of Akron. Instead of waiting for justice, Bonnie decides to deliver it herself and shoots Frank point-blank in broad daylight. Afterward, she walks away from the scene just as easily. Although she would likely pay for this action eventually, she at least makes sure Frank pays for his crimes as well.

Read More: Is The Lowdown Based on a True Story? Is Lee Raybon a Real Writer?