The Waterfront Recap: A Man With No Code

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In the aftermath of a satisfying romantic encounter, Cane Buckley receives an unwelcome call in “Nice Try,” revealing his father has been tormented by aquatic creatures’ tentacles. Despite the emotional turmoil, Cane appears unusually content for once. However, he doesn’t linger on this with Jenna as he swiftly hurries to his parents’ home. Upon arrival, he and Harlan find out that Grady, their adversary, didn’t just torture Harlan but also assigned someone to keep tabs on him constantly. When Grady calls to inquire about the situation, Harlan responds with a heated “you idiot” and informs him that they have ended things between them. Alas, everyone realizes it won’t be as simple as just saying goodbye.

The Buckley siblings brainstorm a scheme. Harlan initially proposes a violent solution: “Eliminate him and leave his body in the swamp.” However, Cane isn’t keen on starting with such a brutal act. Instead, they consider getting someone else to carry out the deed. At their workplace, they notice Grady has sent Harlan flowers for recovery with a sweet message, “Hugs and kisses, Grady.” This makes Harlan reconsider his initial plan. Cane remains firm. They haven’t considered one more solution yet, one that could resolve all their issues: They might ask Emmett Parker for help.

In case you don’t remember, Emmett is the man with the distinctive white beard who attended Clyde Porter’s funeral. He hinted that Cane might work for him if he ever felt like it. Now, let me tell you about Harlan’s situation: Emmett’s father, Jeb, was responsible for ordering a hit on Harlan’s father, Beau. Beau previously worked for the Parkers, a powerful drug trafficking organization with a long history of success, as Harlan puts it, “one of the biggest in the South.” When Beau betrayed Jeb, he paid the price with his life. Harlan wants no part of them; they operate on a much larger scale than Grady and have zero tolerance for disobedience. This is why Cane suggests striking a deal with the Parkers. They could not only earn more money but also get rid of Grady, an idea that Harlan strongly opposes—Cane’s already arranged a meeting about it.

As a movie enthusiast, I find myself bracing for my father’s familiar silence before the Parker meeting, assuming he knows best as always. However, little do I know that I, Cane, am far more resourceful than Harlan gives me credit for. When Emmett, Jeb, and their cronies show up at the fish house, it’s me who steps up to cut through the lingering tension of our past and propose a deal. We’ll use our boats to transport drugs for the Parkers weekly, for a year, with two shipments each week. If anything goes awry, we’ll take the fall legally. In exchange, they’ll pay us an initial seven million dollars, followed by another five million at the end of the contract. Oh, and we’re expected to help them eliminate our current supplier, Grady, before any negotiations can commence. The Parkers seem keen on this deal, but they’re curious as to why we’ve chosen to part ways with Grady. After all, he lacks both a moral compass and honor, and my father has no interest in dealing with such a man. Emmett agrees to dispatch his men for Grady that very night, and we seal our (old) partnership with a handshake. Have we just struck a deal with the devil? Perhaps! But any agreement sounds enticing if it means we’ll wake up tomorrow and find ourselves free from the Grady problem.

Grady isn’t an ordinary insect, folks! You underestimated his resilience, growing up! The next day, Cane walks into the office to find the men Parker sent to eliminate Grady dead, with a “well, tried” message on them. Grady even added a smiley face, so it seems like a friendly warning. At the same time, his team surprises Harlan as he’s driving to work, and coincidentally, Shawn is in the car with him. Grady’s men capture both of them and bring them to their superior.

In this scenario, Grady represents someone who’s tougher than people initially thought, and the “Goons” refer to his associates or henchmen. The “boss” is likely the person who sent Parker to eliminate Grady in the first place.

It appears that things have taken a turn for the worse. Harlan and Shawn are handcuffed and kneeling, while Grady is displeased that Harlan entrusted his murder to the Parkers. To make matters worse, Grady is also upset to discover that Harlan has another son who isn’t him. Their only chance for salvation arrives in the form of Cane, Tim, and Reggie, each carrying a gun. Facing such a large group! And let’s not forget about that machine gun? Somehow, they manage to cross the field and enter the barn where most of Grady’s stockpile is kept. Ever the peacemaker, Cane looks for non-violent solutions (he truly is a kind soul). Noticing an abundance of highly flammable liquid, before Grady can harm Harlan’s two Buckley hostages, the barn bursts into flames. The ensuing chaos results in Tim sacrificing himself to save others. In a surprising twist, Cane manages to get Harlan and Shawn out unscathed. (Rest in peace, Tim.) In an even more unexpected turn of events, Harlan actually expresses gratitude towards his son for his actions. A true miracle indeed. Harlan is proud of his son. And all it took was blowing up a barn full of drugs to achieve this. Who would have thought?

Indeed, Grady manages to make it through the chaos, which implies that the entire Buckley family remains at risk. Harlan urges Cane to hasten their return home since any of them, including Belle, Bree, Peyton, Diller, and others with distinctly Southern names, could potentially be utilized to balance things out.

It appears Belle and Bree are currently at work, dealing with an unexpected situation – they’re handling deceased bodies in the office. This new development fills Bree with a mix of emotions, as she’s only just begun her sobriety journey, and Rodney has caught her using drugs. He’s now demanding a drug test, and if she refuses, it could jeopardize her visitation rights. To make matters worse, Rodney has received a job offer in Virginia Beach, intending to move their son Diller with him. This news causes Diller to run away momentarily, but Bree manages to find him hiding behind the fish house. They then have a heartfelt conversation, reassuring each other that despite any distance, Bree will always love and protect Diller.

Bree, who was making progress with her son, encounters an unsettling situation where she finds her mother cleaning up after two deceased individuals. This incident is undeniably distressing and will likely exacerbate Bree’s PTSD. However, there’s a glimmer of hope in this grim scenario: Belle, compelled to confess everything to Bree, shares secrets about Marcus, Diller, and even their shared family secret concerning Bree’s grandfather. Bree, in turn, opens up to her mother about these matters, which she had been carrying alone for years.

Belle explains that she asked Bree to lie about the events of that night to protect her (as a witness, the Parkers would pursue her), but acknowledges that it was wrong to do so. This confession fills Belle with guilt, a burden she must carry. Despite their conversation taking place amidst the grisly remains of the two deceased individuals, they have an emotional, deeply vulnerable exchange. Such heart-to-hearts can happen unexpectedly, and one just needs to accept them as they come, regardless of whether there’s a corpse present or not.

Belle wasn’t exactly in a calm state of mind when it came to disposing of bodies, either. Since she revealed the failed land deal to Harlan, their relationship has been strained. He’s furious with her for deceiving him and for secretly attempting to sell his family’s property without his knowledge. In retaliation, Belle confesses that she had an affair with Wes, but it fails to improve the situation. Harlan storms out, feeling betrayed, while Belle is hurt because Harlan refuses to acknowledge all the sacrifices she’s made to keep their family together. As she drags dead men downstairs and buries them in the makeshift ice room of the fish house, many thoughts are swirling through Belle’s mind.

After wrapping up their discussions by the corpse, Bree receives a message from her ex-Diller: He’s still not back home. She steps outside again towards the fish house, hoping to find Diller at his secret spot. However, she doesn’t locate him; instead, Grady’s men seize her. The scene fades to darkness. Grady is indeed efficient, I must admit.

Bait and Tackle

Topher Grace seems to be enjoying himself, as he believes everyone gathered their thoughts and concluded that working for an individual with narcissistic traits isn’t particularly enjoyable. It’s worth mentioning that this person has received a professional diagnosis of such behavior.

I’m no longer able to sympathize with Shawn any further. With all those warning signs prior, it seems bizarre that he’d stay when offered a casual fishing trip with Harlan Buckley instead of escaping the chaos. It appears he’s made this predicament himself, buddy.

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2025-06-24 00:55