Netflix ‘The Waterfront' Ending, Explained
Within the span of seven episodes, Netflix's latest drama series The Waterfront has unraveled the perfect façade of the wealthy Buckley family, showing the dark and ugly things they've been hiding from Havenport society, from their employees, and from each other. The eighth and final episode of the series is a satisfying culmination of events, tying a lot of loose ends together neatly—more-or-less. Though, of course, because drugs, guns, fishing boats, family drama, and a sociopathic narcissistic bad guy are involved, it's definitely a messy, intense, and bloody battle to the finish.
Besides all the action, audiences also get to see some heartwarming moments, redemption arcs, and a tease of what might be another season to come—with a whole new captain possibly taking charge of the Buckley family ship. A lot certainly happens within the span of the finale's 43-minute run, but we've got you covered.
Here's the ultimate breakdown of the last episode of The Waterfront.
In the seventh episode, the Buckleys deal with the repercussions of their attempt to take out Grady (Topher Grace). Grady had been a little too close to their family for comfort, and Harlan (Holt McCallany) has been trying to cut him loose only to be met with brute force, torture, and threats to his family's lives. So as part of the business deal Cane (Jake Weary) and Harlan (Holt McCallany) made with the Parkers—who run a big drug-smuggling operation, and with whom they used to be involved with—the Parkers's men would kill the drug supplier for the Buckleys. Unfortunately, that plan didn't work out. And as revenge for this attempt at his life, Grady's men abduct Bree (Melissa Benoist).
Bree wakes up on Grady's yacht, figures out what's going on, but is surprised to see her teen son Diller aboard with her. Diller tells her that he saw the men take her and snuck onto the boat to try and save her. While she appreciates the gesture, Bree tells Diller to hide, protect himself, and make sure no one else knows he's there. This plan ultimately fails, and when Bree takes a stab at Grady, he shoots her in the leg—figuring he only needs to hold one Buckley as hostage. As Bree's leg bleeds out, she gets thrown overboard. But Diller manages to throw a raft over to his mom before she drifts away.
As soon as Harlan learns about his daughter Bree's kidnapping, he gears up for battle. Grady wanted to take Harlan in exchange for Bree, but that would make it too easy to kill them both off. So Cane, and his half-brother Shawn (Rafael L. Silva), decide they're coming with. They hide in a secret compartment of their boat, and ambush Grady and his men just in time to stop them from killing Harlan. They retrieve Diller, but soon discover that Bree has been thrown overboard and is floating away somewhere out in the ocean.
A gunfight and chase on the yacht ensues. It ultimately ends with Grady, cornered by Harlan and Cane at the bow of his own boat. He tries to talk his way out, speaking to Harlan about how Cane isn't worthy to be his son because he's a coward and isn't willing to do what it takes to get the job done. Grady goads Cane, saying that he doesn't even have it in him to shoot him then and there. And in a split-second, before Grady could even finish his whole rant—much to Harlan's surprise (as well as the audience's, I'm sure)—Cane shoots him in the head multiple times and his dead body drops in the water.
Though shaken by these events, the Buckleys move quickly to rescue Bree.
All alone, on a raft while bleeding to death, Bree has a flashback and is finally able to forgiver her nine-year-old self for not having been able to help her grandpa when he was tortured and killed in his own home. In real time, she then finds the strength to use a flare gun to send a signal for rescue. This is when her family finally finds her and rushes her back to shore to get the care she needs at a hospital. Diller is happy to find out that his mom's surgery goes well and tells her while she's in recovery that he doesn't want to move out of Havenport with his dad. He wants to stay in Havenport to be with her.
Meanwhile, on land, another one of the Buckley women is trying to handle her own problems. Upon learning of her husband Cane's infidelity, Peyton (Danielle Campbell) marches off to Jenna's (Humberly González) house to confront her. However, things don't pan out the way that Peyton imagined as she's met with a Jenna who's just returned from the hospital with the news that her ill dad had just passed away.
Instead of giving Jenna an earful, Peyton ends up helping her with everything—from funeral arrangements to calling Jenna's family for support. And though Jenna tries to apologize and talk about everything with Cane, Peyton stops her and says that's a conversation they can have another time, if needed.
When Cane gets back from all the action out at sea, he goes to Jenna's house. He tells her that he's heard the news about her father's death, so he wanted to come over to check-in on her and provide some comfort. But instead of welcoming him into the house, Jenna tells him about Peyton's visit and how incredibly kind she was to her despite the fact that she's been sleeping with her husband. This is when Jenna says that Cane was probably just a distraction from the terrible things happening in her life—from her dad's illness, from her impending divorce—and that she's probably the same to him. She tells him never to return to her house again.
Cane is greeted at home by Peyton, who has a glass of scotch ready for him. They have an honest conversation about where they want their relationship to go from here, and Cane says that he wants to do better by his family, his wife, and himself. Peyton then says that she'll make sure that everything between them is alright, insinuating that no one and nothing can get in her way when it comes to securing their future.
Though they appear to be the town's power couple, it's become clear that Harlan and Belle (Maria Bello) have marital problems of their own. They've been lying to and cheating on each other, but they've stuck through it all to appear as a united front. The events that have transpired with Grady, and dealing with all these threats to their family, have made their bond stronger. But while they seem to kiss and make up, it's clear that Belle is still hiding something from her husband.
One of the big revelations during this season is Shawn's identity as Harlan's son with their now-deceased friend Bebe West. He came to Havenport wanting to learn more about his father, the Buckley family, and see if he could finally find the place where he belongs. It turns out that he has, and that he's staying with his newfound fam for the foreseeable future—which makes total sense given the rollercoaster he's been through with them.
We have to remember that the reason why the Buckleys got into this whole mess in the first place was because of financial trouble. They were $2 million in debt to the bank, and moving drugs was a way to earn money to pay that back as well as ensure the future of the family fishery and restaurants. Belle initially had a plan—behind Harlan's back—to work with a local businessman named Wes Larsen (Dave Annable) to develop some parcels of land they owned by the beachfront. But things went sideways after she ended up sleeping with him and things got complicated. So when Belle tried to get the deal back, Wes refused.
However, while sorting out all the Grady stuff, Emmett Parker (Terry Serpico) offers her a deal to help them out—but only if she's in the driver's seat, and not her husband. At the end of the episode, Belle meets with Emmett in the dead of night, and it seems as though she's accepted his offer. And to kick things off, Emmett decides to bring Belle a gift: a bloody Wes, tied to a chair. Emmett then introduces Belle as Wes's new boss, to which the poor tortured man has no choice but to agree with.
This ending teases up a second season in which Belle double-crosses her own husband in order to take charge, and possibly save their business from ruin. Although, naturally, working with a crime family such as the Parkers is sure to have its own potentially-deadly consequences.
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