Aahana Swrup
Trouble continues to loom on the horizon for the Buckleys in ‘The Waterfront.’ The prominent Havenport family is running drugs to meet their bottom line, and Harlan, a pro at the game, has recently been forced out of retirement. Nonetheless, time hasn’t dulled the patriarch’s skills, and he’s able to dive into familiar waters with ease. Inversely, the weight of the family secrets lies heavily on Cane and his marriage. Things take a particularly adverse turn when his enemies put a target on his wife, Peyton’s, back. Similarly, Harlan’s wife, Belle, also struggles with the pitfalls of her blatantly faithless marriage and ends up making one wrong move or two. Meanwhile, DEA Agent Sanchez keeps his investigation going, thanks to insider information from the black sheep Buckley heir, Bree. SPOILERS AHEAD!
Peyton Survives the Attack
The men who ambush Peyton outside of her house stop the burning flames before they can reach her. In the aftermath, as the cops circle the premises, it becomes evident that the attack had only been a threat. Furthermore, Harlan knows exactly whom to blame. Porter isn’t pleased with his condition of hindering shipments until a meeting with the head supplier, Grady. Therefore, he is coming after his family to scare the fish mogul into submission. Nonetheless, Harlan refuses to back down and lets the Sheriff know it as well. Meanwhile, Peyton remains shaken from the intense, life-threatening attack.
However, she refuses to show it and hides behind a fierce demeanor and a pocket-sized gun. She knows that her husband’s recent secrets are to blame for the play on her life. Nonetheless, since Cane remains adamantly against discussing these issues with his wife, Peyton has no choice but to ice him out. Soon enough, Harlan works his magic and finds the men who had carried out the attack on his daughter-in-law. Even so, when he brings Cane to them, expecting him to dole out punishment in the form of physical violence, the latter refuses to play by his father’s rules. Thus, when it all begins to feel too much, he inevitably finds himself returning to find some familiar comfort with Jenna.
Marcus Tries to Build a Case Against The Buckleys
While the rest of the family struggles with keeping up with their illegal side hustle, Bree continues secretly working against them with her lover, DEA Agent Marcus Sanchez. The young Buckley clearly has a bone to pick with her brother and subsequently remains adamant about unveiling the drug operations she believes Cane is running on his own. Consequently, after helping her boyfriend get his hands on classified ship logs, she agrees to take him on one of the boats to accrue further evidence.
Although they nearly get caught during this sleuth operation, Bree’s quick thinking and family connections manage to get them in and out of the boat without much hassle. Thus, Marcus is able to gather proof that Cane’s ships have been traveling while illegally shutting off their geolocation tracking systems. Nonetheless, when he brings the case to his seniors, they dismiss his suspicions, refusing to greenlight more resources for the investigation. Much like Bree, the agent’s dark past with substance abuse keeps him on the outside of his department, as everyone around him remains reluctant to believe him. Still, the duo remains optimistic that they’ll be able to work through any obstacle together.
Harlan’s Visit to Porter’s House Results in a Death
While Harlan tries to stay firm in his resolve even after Porter’s move against Peyton, Belle doesn’t agree with his methods, especially after she receives a visit from the Sheriff herself. Thus, she convinces her husband to try to patch things up with the other man. It remains clear that part of Porter’s contempt toward the family comes from his feelings of inferiority, which have been reinforced repeatedly over the years. He hates Harlan for being the perfect golden boy with generational wealth to show for himself. Therefore, now that he’s in a place of control and power over the new money heir, he’s inclined to tighten the reins at his will.
On his part, Harlan earnestly tries to make amends with the cop. He takes a bottle of whiskey to Porter’s house instead of a gun and attempts to genuinely connect with him. However, he still wants to do the shipments by his own rules, which grates at the latter’s desire for control. Therefore, their meeting inevitably results in an altercation, which ultimately results in Porter’s death. In the aftermath, Belle helps her husband cover up the murder by making the death seem like an accident and taking control of the next Sheriff in line. Nonetheless, the cop’s sloppy murder continues to circle above Harlan’s head, bound to invite the wrong kind of attention.
Cane Catches Bree in the Act
Although Porter’s death is officially written off as an accident, Marcus continues to fixate on it. He believes Cane had something to do with the murder and that his father is now covering for him. Predictably, Bree doesn’t take too well to these accusations and attempts to convince the DEA Agent that he has the wrong idea about her family. Unfortunately for her, Cane witnesses her speaking to Marcus and realizes the two are closer than he thinks. Inevitably, this ends in an intense confrontation between the siblings.
During this, Bree reveals that she has been plotting against Cane because of his involvement in the court hearing against her, which ultimately declared her an unfit mother. Still, the fact remains that her actions will come back to haunt not only her brother but the entire family, who are also in on the drug runs. Naturally, this discovery, paired with the fact that she’s the only family member who had been kept on the fringes about this crucial decision, weighs heavily on Bree. Worse yet, when she tries to talk Marcus out of working the case against her family, her attempts prove to be futile.
Harlan Learns the Truth About Shawn
Shawn came into the Buckleys‘ lives around the same time as the Miss Glory incident. At first, Belle thinks his timing is too suspicious, which leads her to assume he must be working for the DEA. Nonetheless, she eventually learns a different truth. As it turns out, Shawn is Harlan’s illegitimate son, born from an old affair. His mother recently passed away, which stirred him to seek out his biological father. Since he didn’t know how his presence in the Bukleys’ life would be received, he decided to don the flimsy cover of a bartender applicant at the family restaurant.
Even though the revelation is surprising, Belle takes the news well enough and believes Shawn from the get-go. Although it takes her a while, she eventually shares the information with Harlan as well. His reaction to the estranged son remains much the same as he welcomes Shawn with open arms. Despite never knowing about his existence, the Buckley patriarch is happy to have the new addition to the family and even takes steps to make him feel more included in his life. Nevertheless, the fact remains that the fake bartender has little knowledge about what really goes on behind the scenes for the Buckley family.
Harlan Visits Grady on His Heroin Farm
Although Porter’s death gets the Buckleys out of the very prominent trouble he himself posed, the family isn’t yet out of the red. Their finances remain disastrous, threatening to have all their assets, including their land, seized. Furthermore, Belle’s decision to back out of the beachfront development deal with Wes Larsen puts them in an even more vulnerable state. Thus, Harlan needs to get in touch with Grady if he wants any chance of making a quick, risky buck from drug shipments. Fortunately for him, once the latter catches wind of this fact, he’s quick to extend an invitation to his private farm.
As it turns out, Grady is a huge fan of Harlan and his Buckley name. The latter’s father was a big name in the drug underworld of the 70s and 80s era. Therefore, the up-and-coming drug cartel boss is excited to work with someone who is essentially an industry legend. Grady has an impressive setup and is even looking to dabble in growing his own product from scratch. However, it remains evident that behind his friendly and funny mask, there’s a loose cannon who is itching to pull a trigger at the first misstep. As such, even though Harlan strikes up a deal with the man, it’s clear he would need to watch his back for the days to come.
Read More: The Waterfront Episode 1 and 2 Recap: Almost Okay and Taking Control
