A review of this week's The Lowdown, "Raw Milk" — with spoilers — coming up just as soon as beards do not fare well in an orgy...
Alan Sepinwall
Every now and then in these virtual pages, regardless of the time of year, I'm reminded of "Dayenu," a Jewish folk song from the Passover holiday. Each line lists one miraculous aspect of the story of the Jewish slaves' exodus from Egypt, then concludes with the word dayenu, which translates to "it would have been enough." In other words, if only this one thing happened by itself, it would have been enough. When they all happen together? My goodness.
The only reason I'm even hesitant to give "Raw Milk" the dayenu treatment is that it feels like The Lowdown as a whole is operating in some rarified air this season. Every scene leaves me smiling, every line of dialogue feels diamond-cut, and every performance is perfect, whether from an actor I expect great work from like Tommy Lee Jones or Betty Gilpin, or a surprise like Paul Schneider as the late Chili Franks.
That said, there's something particularly rascally and delightful about "Raw Milk." Moment after moment, line after line, my smile broadened, my enthusiasm rose, and my confidence in the storytelling soared. This is a show operating at an incredibly high level at the moment, and this was an episode overflowing with joy. To wit...