The Waterfront Season 1 Review: Intense Drama That Falls a Bit Short

There is a level of quality that people expect when they hear a project is created by Kevin Williamson. The unfortunate thing about The Waterfront Season 1 is that it only delivers on that expectation for about half of the episodes.

The season begins intensely enough: we are thrown into the world of the Buckley family, setting an expectation for violence and drama. However, the intensity lulls for the next four episodes and doesn’t pick back up until The Waterfront Season 1 Episode 6, “Hunting Season.”

Which, for anyone, that is much too long to wait around for the story to feel like it is going anywhere. How the show can fix this issue is hard to say because some of the development created in those less-than-stellar episodes is still relevant.

Maybe the issue isn’t in the pacing but in the fact that from the word go, the show promised to be a high-octane drama and then didn’t have that in every episode.

The Characters Are Messy

One of the stronger aspects of The Waterfront is definitely the characters. There are some who will criticize this series for not having any main characters that are worth rooting for, but I disagree. 

Yes, the entirety of the Buckley family is a hot mess express, making bad decisions left and right.

However, I would argue that both Belle and Bree have the potential for growth and redemption from the start. In fact, during The Waterfront Season 1 Episode 1, “Almost Okay,” I find myself really latching onto who Bree is overall.

The first episode really sets the groundwork for both of these women being victims of Harlan’s strong personality and no-nonsense way of dealing with the world. All the expectations that were placed on Bree’s shoulders as a daughter of the mighty Buckley family have clearly taken their toll on her.

Sure, she’s a recovering addict who really failed her son, but there are moments early on where Bree shows the audience that she wants to do better if only people would let her. Which brings me to Belle and why she is a character worth rooting for.

We meet her as she gets the call that her husband has had a cardiac issue while cheating on her with another woman. From the moment she appears, Belle conducts herself as a strong woman, but in her eyes we see the exhaustion and toll her husband’s actions have taken on her.

By the time we reach the end of the season, both Bree and Belle have shown just how strong the Buckley women are. They both have been at odds with each other all season, but in a moment of need, Bree can rely on Belle to just be her mom and see the best in her.

That is because these characters have been developed over the eight episodes to give us a reason to believe in their reconciliation. We have learned what they each were put through the last time the Buckley family was involved in the drug trade.

To put it mildly, the actions of both Bree and Belle are completely understandable considering everything they’ve endured. Plus, to see Bree refuse stronger drugs so that she could be better for Diller is growth that she’s earned during our time with her.

Cane and Harlan Deserve Everything They Get

If there are any characters who don’t deserve to have the audience root for them, they are Harlan and Cane. 

Honestly, out of all the characters, these two were expected to have some kind of growth or development. Unfortunately, it doesn’t happen. 

From start to finish, Harlan Buckley remains a formidable man with a short fuse, control issues, and no consideration for the feelings of his family. Meanwhile, Cane starts off being this skittish, cowardly character with no regard for anyone outside of himself, and by the end, he’s still every bit the same.

The Buckley men don’t deserve to be liked or even understood because despite everything they only sink further into their worst qualities. By the end, I am actually more upset at Payton for going back to Cane and treating everything as if it didn’t happen for the sake of their marriage.

Talk about a disappointing development. 

If I am being honest, I half expected one of them to be dead by the conclusion of the season. There is no way that Harlan or Cane managed to escape their showdown with Grady without either of them being killed.

This is especially true, when we consider how strong and formidable Grady has been built up to be over the course of multiple episodes. It’s an unbelievable conclusion that after multiple failed attempts at killing Grady, these two characters manage to pull it off in the final hour. 

It is moments like this that really highlight just how unevenly written The Waterfront truly is. There are moments that are really enjoyable, and then there are others that should be enjoyable, but they either lack excitement or they’re not quite believable enough to work.

Such is the odd progression of Harlan and Cane’s character arcs. It is as if the writers didn’t care enough to develop them until a scene required it, and by then, it feels disingenuous. 

Topher Grace Somewhat Saves the Show

While all the performances themselves are phenomenal, there is no performance better than Topher Grace as Grady. During the less-than-stellar episodes, episodes 2 through 5, the only reason to keep tuning in is for the unhinged moments with Grady. 

Here is a “villain” that truly doesn’t take himself too seriously. He’s constantly saying things that draw chuckles from the viewers and leave the characters he’s speaking to confused. 

Grady is the type of drug dealer that truly doesn’t care about perceptions or even opinions because at the end of the day, he knows how to make things happen. The Buckleys think they can pull one over on him, and he laughs in their face while creating even bigger problems for them and their businesses.

He’s the type of character everyone loves to hate. And that alone keeps our interest long enough to get us to those more exciting episodes. 

Harlan Buckley thinks he is top dog even after he meets Grady, and the man shows him he means business, under no uncertain terms. Thus begins an interesting back-and-forth where Grady mocks Harlan about father/son relationships.

Grady is the kind of character that should exist indefinitely as a formidable foe and from the time he is first introduced until about 5 minutes before he dies, it feels as that will be his fate. 

Which, again, takes me back to my complaint about Harlan and Cane killing him. Grady has completely outsmarted them at every turn (aside from Cane setting fire to Grady’s heroin stock) only to be taken out by a gunshot to the face.

If you ignore the lack of development for the Buckley men that moment can be taken as exciting. But, as it stands the moment doesn’t feel earned.

Which is the ultimate takeaway from this whole season: too much of the development doesn’t feel earned.

Stray Thoughts:

• Rafael Silva was massively underutilized throughout the season.
• The reveal that Shawn is Harlan’s son should have been more shocking/upending for the family. Instead, it is treated as a non-issue, which is disappointing.
• Bree’s vision of her grown self telling the scared child version of herself that it isn’t her fault is so healing to hear.
• Payton and Jenna deserved to be given more oomph; as such, they both fall extremely flat.
• The death of Hoyt in the first episode is shocking for shock value and nothing else, which is always frustrating.
• Despite everything that happens, the finale doesn’t feel like a conclusion for anything.
• I will say that Belle being the new “boss” in the final moments is everything she deserves and more. It just comes a little too late in the game for it to have the impact it deserves.

 

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The Waterfront is now streaming on Netflix.

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