Warning: Major spoilers ahead for the ending of Netflix’s “The Waterfront.”
The Buckley family’s shady dealings caught up with them by the finale of Netflix’s “The Waterfront.”
The show created by Kevin Williamson follows a fishing family dynasty in the fictional Havenport, North Carolina, as they struggle to financially stay afloat. The family’s patriarch, Harlan Buckley (Holt McCallany), stepped away from leading the restaurant and fishery due to his health, leaving son Cane (Jake Weary) to take his place.
The show, which hit Netflix June 19, opens with two of the Buckleys’ employees being murdered after Cane decided to take on drug smuggling runs using the company’s boats to bring in extra cash.
From there, the entire family, including mom Belle (Maria Bello) and daughter Bree (Melissa Benoist), is implicated in Harlan and Cane’s criminal activity, culminating in a final faceoff against Grady (Topher Grace), a supplier at the helm of the rapidly unraveling drug operation.
And by the end of Episode 8, Williamson, known for creating “Dawson’s Creek” and “The Vampire Diaries,” tells TODAY.com that it’s time for a new Buckley “to step forward” as leader of the pack.
Below, read a breakdown of all the twists and turns in “The Waterfront” Season 1 finale.
How Does ‘The Waterfront’ End?
“The Waterfront” finale picks up right where Episode 7 ended, with yet another kidnapping. This time, it’s Bree and her estranged son, Diller (Brady Hepner).
Seeking revenge against the Buckleys, Grady took the mother and son to try and draw out patriarch Harlan, who was responsible for blowing up the farm where he produced opium.
Back at the house, the family, which now firmly includes Shawn (Rafael Silva), revealed to be Harlan’s son from an affair, hatches a plan to get Bree back. While Harlan pretends to surrender, Cane and Shawn sneak onto Grady’s boat to free Bree and Diller.
But before they arrive, Bree tries to fight back on her own. As a result, she’s shot in the leg and thrown overboard. Diller throws her a life-saving kit, complete with a raft and flare gun.
Unable to find Bree, Cane and Shawn reveal themselves to save Harlan, starting a shootout with Grady and his men.
Who Dies in ‘The Waterfront’ Finale?
In a final standoff on the boat, Harlan, Cane and Grady go face to face. Held at gunpoint by the father and son, Grady puts his weapon down.
Taunting Cane for being unable to pull the trigger, Grady turns to Harlan and asks, “You want this guy for a son?”
Cane then shoots Grady multiple times in the face, and he falls into the water.
Meanwhile afloat on the life raft, Bree falls in and out of consciousness before her family arrives to her rescue and rushes her to the hospital.
In the waiting room, Cane appears haunted by the murder, but Harlan reassures him, “Grady never would have stopped. … You were protecting your family.”
Weary, who plays Cane, tells TODAY.com that the final murder represents a turning point for him.
“I think he crosses the threshold into the life of crime that he maybe never saw himself being thrust into,” he says. “But it does come from a place of need, that he needs to protect his family and that means taking a life …. It’s also proving to his father that he’s capable of doing these things, and making him proud in a morbid way.”
What Does Belle Do?
The show seemingly wraps on a high note for the Buckley family. Belle and Harlan reaffirm their love for each other, Cane reconnects with his wife Peyton (Danielle Campbell) after carrying on an affair, and Bree is reunited with Diller. Meanwhile, the new sheriff, Drew, tells Harlan the boat was “all clean” of any evidence, suggesting they quite literally got away with murder.
Williamson says Season 1 is only the beginning for the Buckleys.
“Bree has earned her place. She’s no longer on the outside, she’s no longer an outcast,” Williamson says. “And I think Cane has grown and he’s gotten some answers. … I think he’s sort of reconciling his life choices.
“Harlan is going back to a life of crime, which he wears very well, and he kind of finds his purpose again,” he adds. “And I think Belle — we’ve just barely brushed the surface of this family.”
At the very end, Belle’s previous attempt to save the Buckley enterprise comes back around. While Cane turned to drug running to raise the funds needed to keep their business open, Belle worked with Wes Benson (Dave Annable) to potentially sell some of their waterfront property in Havenport. Over the course of the dealings, Belle carried on an affair with Wes.
Belle eventually backed out of the land deal, claiming the sale would “kill” Harlan. But having knowledge of the family’s finances, Wes goes behind her back to buy up some of the Buckley family’s debts, effectively taking away control of the property.
While Harlan was furious at Belle going behind his back, it doesn’t seem to stop her from doing it again. To get rid of some bodies at the fishery, Belle enlists the help of, in Williamson’s words, a “new threat in town” — the Parkers.
Belle calls on Emmett Parker, part of another crime-running family responsible for killing Harlan’s father decades ago. Emmett reminds her of their shared history and says he’s on her side.
“Maybe you should be in charge,” he tells her. “If you ever needed a favor, I could be a friend to you.”
Later at the hospital, Belle takes a call from Emmett.
“We’ll help you with the land deal, but only if you take over,” he says.
The very last scene of Season 1 reveals that she took that deal. She walks into the fish house to find Emmett, with Wes tied up and brutally beaten.
“We’ll need his complete loyalty, to both of us,” Emmett explains after Belle asks if they’re going to kill him.
Emmett then rips the tape off Wes’ mouth and says, “Well, what do you have to say to your new boss?”
Williamson says Belle’s turn to crime boss was a long time coming.
“She married into the Buckleys, and I think she has always pulled the strings in the shadows,” Williamson says. “I think by the end, she realizes she’s more of a Buckley than Harlan — and that it’s time for her to stand front and center and he needs to sit down.
“She’s tired of having to go through him and convince him and sort of work with him,” he adds. “And now she’s just going to take charge.”
Overall, Season 1 leaves the Buckleys and Belle “beholden to this other crime family — and that’s not going to go well,” Williamson says.
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