The Waterfront episode 4 recap: to old friends and new beginnings

Despite how pulse-pumping things got between Harlan Buckley (Holt McCallany) and Clyde Porter (Michael Gaston) in the last episode of The Waterfront—the new Kevin Williamson-created thriller on Netflix, which follows a moneyed but dysfunctional North Carolina family desperate to protect their fishing business legacy—it didn't have dangerous effects on Harlan's still-recovering heart.

Clyde's head, though, has certainly seen better days, as Harlan and wife Belle (Maria Bello) quickly set out to cover up the scene of the men's bloody tussle by making it look like the sheriff accidentally got trapped beneath a Chevy Chevelle whilst doing mechanical work (when, really, Harlan had shoved a screwdriver directly into Porter's neck). They call in the "accident" directly to the lead deputy, saying that Harlan stopped by for a drink and found Porter like that—he'll buy it if he gets to be lead sheriff, Harlan surmises.

Though Clyde's death certainly gets on threat off the Buckleys' backs, it leaves space for more menacing personalities to move on in, including a blast from Harlan's past and the enigmatic head supplier Grady.

Here's everything that went down in The Waterfront episode 4.

Rest in peace, Porter

Seemingly everyone from Havenport has turned out for the sheriff's funeral, with a reception to be held after at, where else, the Buckleys' restaurant. Before he can put on his hosting hat, however, Harlan spots Stevie, one of Porter's lackeys—the lad says that he knows that it was Harlan who killed Clyde, he just doesn't have the proof yet. Harlan tells him that he'll let that threat go because he needs Stevie to lead him to Grady and wants a meeting set up between the two men.

That's not the only troublesome encounter at the services. For one, the former deputy—now acting sheriff—informs Harlan that a DEA agent (Gerardo Celasco's Marcus Sanchez) has been poking around Porter's case file. "We cremated his body without a complete analysis," the cop worries, but Harlan assures that they don't have anything to hide.

Harlan also spots a mysterious man at the funeral, who ends up being someone named Emmett Parker (Terry Serpico), who seemingly knows all about the Buckleys—and we mean all about the Buckleys, including the shady drug business. "I heard a nasty little rumor that you dipped your toe back in the water," Emmett taunts Harlan.

Cane spots the man talking to his folks and comes to introduce himself later. Emmett says he used to work with his father and grandfather and gives him his number: "If you ever find yourself in need of something to do...please, give me a call," he says ominously.

Nothing like sibling rivalry

With all of the secret inner-dealings between her father, mother (Maria Bello) and brother (Jake Weary), Bree (Melissa Benoist) feels like she's on the fringe of her own family. She wants to be more involved like Cane is. To that, her mother tells her: "Earn it—stay sober, show up. We're all here waiting for ya."

But based on what she's been learning from Marcus—including that he believes her brother is the one behind Sheriff Porter's death—and what Cane's been dealing with behind-the-scenes, she might want to rethink a full immersion into the family business.

After his mom Belle tells him that she wants to pull out of the land deal because she doesn't "like the terms of Wes Larson's offer," Cane decides to sit down one-on-one with Wes (Dave Annable) to find out what went wrong. Wes suggests that it wasn't the deal points that were the problem, but what happened personally between him and Belle. Cane isn't quite understanding, so Wes tells him to ask his mother.

As for his sister, Cane catches wind that Bree is in her own concerning coupling: with DEA agent Marcus Sanchez. After spotting them embracing on the docks after the funeral reception, Cane confronts his sister at the office. They go through all of their brother-sister issues: her still angry with him for going against her in court, resulting in her son being taken away from her, and him wanting her to take finally accountability for her own irresponsible actions.

She chucks a tchotchke at his head, to which he drops the bomb that it's not just him involved in the drug runs, but their entire family. Her giving him up to Marcus will mean ruin for all of them. She knows that Porter's death wasn't accidental, but Cane proclaims that he wasn't the one responsible.

He tells her to end things with Marcus now, which is easier said than done—the agent finds out about the botched report on Porter's death and that they cremated him without an official full autopsy. It seems like his investigation into her family is full steam ahead.

All in the family

And that family is expanding, what with Belle finally getting around to telling Harlan that he has an illegitimate child in the form of bartender Shawn (Rafael L. Silva). Harlan goes to the bar and asks to have a drink with Shawn, during which the two bond over memories of Shawn's late mother Bebe, who Harlan says, "was a far better person than me, that's for sure." Giving insight into their extramarital affair, Harlan tells Shawn, "None of what we did was right but now, none of it seems wrong either."

Later, Harlan shows Shawn around the fish houses and tells him the history of the family business. Shawn says that now that he's met him and the truth about his paternity is out, he's planning to head back to Texas to study for the bar exam, but Harlan says he should stick around town longer.

Resisting temptation

Cane's wife Peyton (Danielle Campbell) has rightly been clocking the growing flirtations between her husband and his high-school ex Jenna (Humberly Gonzalez). Out to mark her territory, she tries to get frisky with Cane at Porter's funeral—clearly not the time nor place—advances that he refuses. She then confronts Jenna, asking if she should be worried about the closeness between her and Cane. "It's just old memories resurfacing, nostalgia," Jenna assures, but Peyton warns her that she cuts deep. "If you touch my husband, I will come for you."

Fed up, Peyton questions Cane about why he's been lying for month, why he's been running off to the fish house after hours. She was attacked and he still won't tell her the truth about everything that's been going on, and now with Porter dead, real lives are on the line. She refuses to let their daughter be in danger, so she's going to take her to Durham to stay with her folks for a while.

Feeling lonely, Cane pays Jenna a visit at her dad's house, and it looks like she's not having a great day either: she's had no assignments since she's been there, and her marriage is dying faster than her sick dad is, she tells him. He tells her about Peyton leaving him and says he can't see her anymore. He nearly kisses her goodbye, but she tells him no and he listens. "See? Still a good guy," she tells him before they part.

Getting to know Grady

After their heated meeting at Porter's funeral, Stevie gives in to Harlan's requests and sets up a meeting with the mysterious Grady—who ends up being played by Topher Grace. No, chipper, clean-cut Grady isn't who Harlan (or we) were expecting to meet as the mastermind of a multimillion-dollar opium operation. But Grady soon displays the dangerous side hiding beneath that L. L. Bean wardrobe.

He tells Harlan that he's been looking for someone to depend on—Harlan says he can be just that, so long as they deal directly with each other and stay out of each other's way. They shake on it but before Harlan leaves, Grady brings up Stevie, saying that he was talking poorly about Harlan before he arrived. He gives Harlan the opportunity to kill him, saying they don't need a middleman anymore, but the Buckley man says that so long as Stevie keeps his mouth shut, he can work for him.

When they let Stevie go, though, he takes off running and Grady's men shoot after him with a machine gun, leaving Stevie very much dead and Grady very much looking like a sociopath.