(Credit: Netflix)

Netflix loves a good crime drama, especially with a syndicate at its centre. And with The Waterfront, it’s safe to say, the streaming giant has knocked it out of the park. The Waterfront revolves around the Buckley family, whose patriarch returns to Havenport’s criminal underbelly upon discovering his son’s agreement with the town’s kingpin, Owen, to smuggle drugs using the Buckleys’ ships.

This comeback turns out to be the defining moment when Harlan Buckley slowly descends back into his old patterns to assert his authority over Owen’s. Following Harlan’s return, he has only one motive, which is to find Owen. But the question hovering over the viewers’ minds from the get-go is: Who’s Owen? Towards the conclusion of the premiere, the Netflix series reveals that Sheriff Clyde Porter is the drug lord Owen. However, there’s much more to his story than meets the eye.

Creator Kevin Williamson explained to Tudum that although Porter and Harlan’s friendship goes way back to their childhood, the former always harboured resentment and had a score to settle. Harlan and Porter have lived a life of contrasts. Unlike Harlan, who had a wealthy lifestyle growing up in a palatial beach house, all Porter has done is “protect and serve for a measly pension.”

Porter tries to establish dominance over Harlan in the first few episodes of The Waterfront, going as far as to forge a goon attack on Cane’s wife, Peyton. However, his actions don’t come without consequences. In episode three, Harlan kills Porter. But following the cat and mouse chase, a realisation dawns upon Harlan. He knows now that Porter was merely an intermediary, and the real force of evil is actually Grady.

Who is Grady in The Waterfront?

Grady is a notorious heroin lord from the adjacent town in The Waterfront. He pulls the strings of the entire ordeal, but his motivations are rooted in the need for a father-like approval. However, Harlan’s refusal to give Grady what he wants pushes his fixation to a saturation point, making it clear that he is obsessed with Harlan.

But when Grady spirals, so much so that he abducts Bree’s teen son, Harlan has to suck his pride and ask for help from the Parkers family. Although Grady could never become Harlan’s son, when Cane kills Grady, he becomes exactly what the latter wanted to become. And the equation between the Buckleys and Parkers? That’s history.

The link between the Buckleys and the Parkers

Harlan Buckley’s retirement from his criminal past stems from his father’s brutal murder at the hands of the Parker family. His father was one of the fundamental figures of the Cali cartel. But his death served as a generational trauma not only for Harlan but for his daughter, Bree.

Although Harlan wants to exact revenge on the Parkers, what holds him back is the possibility that his family will end up as collateral. So, after Owen and Grady’s collaboration with the Buckleys goes up in smoke, seeking the Parkers’ assistance in stopping Grady ultimately humbles Harlan. But what happens at the end of The Waterfront?

All about The Waterfront ending

By the conclusion of The Waterfront, the clearest truth is that Grady is dead. As for Bree, she’s saved by Cane, Shawn, and Harlan. Although the Netflix show began with Belle’s secret real estate deal with Wes, her relationship with Harlan is nearly reconciled by the end. However, what changes the equation in a heartbeat is Belle’s clandestine meeting with the Parker family at the fish house.

Belle finds out that the Parkers have abducted Wes and have been torturing him ever since. It was revealed in episode six that Wes used the financial documents from Belle to exploit the situation. However, with Wes now held captive by the Parkers and them forcing him to call Belle the “boss,” The Waterfront leaves viewers thinking. While the first season may have focused on Harlan and Cane, the last scene ensures The Waterfront has another key player to focus on: Belle.