The Waterfront episode 3 recap: get in line or be burned alive

To say things got fired up last episode of The Waterfront—the new Netflix thriller centered on a wealthy North Carolina family desperate to protect their fishing business legacy, even if that means resorting to dangerous crime—is an understatement. Last we caught up with the Buckley clan, Cane's wife Peyton (Danielle Campbell) was getting horrifyingly pulled into her husband's drug-running mess via some masked thugs, a gallon of gasoline and one single match.

Thankfully, it ends up being just a scary warning from Owen, as the men stomped out the flames before Peyton could really get hurt. But the threat reverberates throughout the whole Buckley family, with Harlan (Holt McCallany) and Cane (Jake Weary) having to deal with the messy aftermath of their decisions.

All the while, sis Bree (Melissa Benoist) is working with her hunky DEA agent hook-up to find something aboard the Buckley boats that will incriminate her brother.

Here's everything that went down in The Waterfront episode 3.

Still unbeknownst to the rest of her family, Bree has been regularly shaking up at a motel with Marcus Sanchez (Gerardo Celasco), the DEA agent investigating the Miss Glory case. They have some intel from what Bree saved on that USB drive from Cane's computer, including boat manifests that show some shady and inexplicable activity on two of Cane's boats, but Marcus says they need more. He wants to get onboard the Morning Breeze, another Buckley boat, to look for evidence.

Bree helps him sneak onboard down at the marina the next day, where he finds that the AIS has been manually disconnected—which is illegal—and takes swabs the boat for any traces of narcotics. They nearly get caught by one of Harlan's ex-con lackeys Reggie Miller (Brian Ashton Smith), but Bree manages to deflect him long enough for Marcus to deboard without notice.

All of that effort is for nought, though: Marcus's captain says they don't have enough to warrant a shadow operation and has been questioning him about his sobriety. They want him to leave tomorrow, and Marcus is crawling out of his skin. To take the addict's mind off wanting to use, Bree distracts him with sex.

Sleeping with a colleague

Speaking of sex, Belle (Maria Bello) finally gets some, but not with her husband. No, after a very eventful few days—which has included dealing with the Peyton attack, the revelation from bartender Shawn (Rafael L. Silva) that Harlan is his father (which she handles sympathetically, gifting him photos of his late mother from back when she used to work at the restaurant) and a threat from Sheriff Porter (Michael Gaston) to get her husband in line or get burned, Belle needs a little something to take the edge off.

And that little something is a clandestine meet-up with dashing real-estate developer Wes Larson (Dave Annable). After, he wants Belle to linger over dinner and wine, but she's rushing out. He can tell she feels guilty about Harlan—though given his own adulterous track record, we don't know why—but she just wants to make sure that their personal rendezvous won't impact their beachfront project.

Weathering the storm

Unsurprisingly, things are a bit turbulent over at Cane and Peyton's house in the wake of the attack from Porter's men. Peyton is trying to move on and go about their days as usual, while Cane would rather she remains at home where it's safe. With a gun in her purse, Peyton stubbornly takes off with their daughter, though Cane has them followed by a Buckley Co. employee for extra protection.

And seeing as how revenge isn't making him feel any better—Harlan tracks down the men who attacked Peyton and offers them up to his son for violent retribution, but Cane doesn't see how hurting them is going to help him—he goes to the next best thing: Jenna (Humberly Gonzalez). He goes to the hardware store for a friend and a drink, and the two bond in the back storeroom over snacks and booze. "You're the one sweet distraction I have going on," he tells her.

When he gets home with liquor on his breath, a worried Peyton demands to know where he's been. She wants him to be honest with her, saying that she knows there's something up with him and his dad. Resolute, he tells her that he wants to start being better for her and their family.

Besting the competition

After what happened with Peyton, Harlan furiously reminds Porter that his family is off-limits. That doesn't stop the sheriff from threatening Belle, of course, who tells her husband that Clyde could stir up real trouble for them. "Get in line or be burned alive," she warns.

So later, Harlan goes to Porter's to make amends, albeit with a gun stashed away. They talk cars and share a drink, but then talk moves to business: Harlan wants to cut Porter out of the dealings with Grady, without cutting any of his pay. Clyde is the hand of the law, he needs to stay clean and not know the inner dealings, that way he can protect Harlan should anything legal come up in the future, the Buckley man reasons.

Unsurprisingly, Porter is not into the idea. "We do this my way," he barks, before pulling a gun on Harlan. The men get into a physical tussle over control of the weapon, during which Harlan stabs Clyde in the neck with a nearby tool. As Clyde bleeds out, Harlan collapses beside him clutching his chest. Will either man make it out of this feud alive?