The Lowdown's second season deepens its central mystery in "A Dog With Two Tails," revealing that Judge Jed Sallsman sits atop a corrupt power structure in Woodrell County. John Hawkes plays Sallsman, a rancher who invokes a modern masculinity cloaked in old-fashioned cowboy posturing. He's nearly the opposite of his Deadwood character Sol Star, a kind-hearted figure in that HBO drama.
When Governor Donald Washberg arrives in the county to spring Lee from jail, Judge Sallsman invites both men to tour his expansive ranch, Tallgrass, with an ulterior motive. There, Lee discovers the "Fresh Start" diversion program, a meatpacking facility where incarcerated men work instead of serving time in cells. Sallsman runs the operation without guards on payroll, presenting it as a model solution. Lee, played by Ethan Hawke, sees through the facade.
Kyle MacLachlan's Governor Washberg strains to maintain his blandly charming political persona while trying to keep Lee from asking uncomfortable questions. Meanwhile, Ginger finds herself in escalating danger. After Deborah Spence dies of apparent carbon monoxide poisoning, Lee interprets the death as validation of their investigation. Ginger, however, views it as a warning to stop. She pushes Lee away, but that night at a gas station, she's confronted at gunpoint by McMann and Lonnie and forced into a car trunk.
Rafael Casal directs the episode and appears briefly as Johnny. Daveed Diggs voices the Fresh Start promotional video, while also having co-written and co-starred in the indie film Blindspotting with Casal.