[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for The Waterfront Season 1.]
The Buckley household went to hell and again to save lots of one another and their empire in The Waterfront’s first season. As Harlan (Holt McCallany), Mae (Maria Bello), Cane (Jake Weary), and Bree (Melissa Benoist) sought to proper the ship, they discovered themselves within the crosshairs of a maniacal drug lord named Grady (Topher Grace). When the diabolical Grady didn’t get what he needed, he made certain everybody round him suffered. (We’re nonetheless shuddering over that jellyfish torture scene.)
Grady wasn’t afraid to harm the Buckleys—the truth is, he thrived on it. From by accident grazing Bree’s son with a bullet on a searching journey to taking pictures Bree after which throwing her overboard, Grady needed to be put down. When Cane and Harlan cornered Grady within the Season 1 finale, it was Cane who pulled the set off. Collectively, the daddy and son blasted the drug lord with bullets till he fell from his boat into the water under.
As Cane labored alongside his household to guard what they constructed, Harlan and Mae’s oldest son reconnected with an previous flame, Jenna (Humberly González), regardless of being married to Peyton (Danielle Campbell). In The Waterfront finale, Cane returned to Peyton in hopes of fixing their marriage. Peyton was onboard, however she’s the captain now. Jake Weary spoke with TV Insider about The Waterfront’s wild finale, Cane and Peyton’s future, and his hopes for Season 2.
Let’s begin with Grady’s loss of life. What goes by means of Cane’s head when he pulls the set off?
Jake Weary: Whenever you’re confronted with a doubtlessly life-altering choice. A minimum of for me, in these moments, as myself, I get this tunnel imaginative and prescient, and I form of felt that approach when studying the episode. I utilized that to Cane as a result of I feel that each one the occasions which have led as much as this second are occasions that I feel he must internalize as a way to perform this bodily act. These are occasions that contain his household and the safety of his household, so I feel it’s this fight-or-flight second for him, and it actually does contain the preservation of his household. He sees his father, who has been crushed to each inch of his life, and his sister, who Grady’s kidnapped and mainly threw out to sea. All these items are swirling by means of his thoughts, however the tunnel imaginative and prescient is simply: Grady is in the best way of every little thing that he loves and cares about. So, pulling the set off needs to be simple for him, however taking a life for him shouldn’t be simple.
It’s one factor to teeter on the sting, as Cane did the entire season, and one other to leap proper into the chaos. What would be the emotional repercussions of killing Grady, and what does that weight do to any individual?
Weary: I feel you even get a glimpse of it with Cane in that closing second we see with him and Peyton on the finish. I attempted to hold that over into that scene, this sort of paradigm shift in his life. I feel he’s very cerebral in that second, however he’s additionally letting life unfold in entrance of him. He’s undecided the plan of action to take, and he’s letting another person make the choices for him at that time, which is attention-grabbing to consider as a result of he’s taken life into his personal palms. I feel he’s at this second the place he’s form of uncertain now that life is there in entrance of him. It’s protected to some extent now. There’s form of this reassurance that Peyton needs him again, and that life ought to proceed as deliberate. However there’s one thing form of off. It doesn’t essentially really feel like every little thing’s again to regular, proper?
Dana Hawley / Netflix
After all of the gunfire, the kitchen scene between Cane and Peyton feels just like the scariest second. Cane seems a bit scared as she talks about their future collectively.
Weary: It was actually attention-grabbing to try this scene as a result of, in that second, we didn’t really feel that approach, me and Danielle. I feel the best way we got here into that scene, and that’s a testomony to Kevin [Williamson]‘s writing and the best way he’s crafted these characters. However working with Danielle was such a deal with as a result of I feel each time we approached a scene, we approached it with this abandon. We promised ourselves to simply be utterly weak with one another, which is attention-grabbing as a result of our scenes main as much as that time have been guarded on this emotional restraint. However this scene felt like a second the place the floodgates might open just a little bit, and it’s loopy as a result of after we had shot the scene I bear in mind our director of images for that block had come as much as me after, and I mentioned, “How did it go?” And he was similar to, “It’s horny and terrifying and simply uneasy but in addition lovely. It was simply all these form of conflicting feelings.” And I used to be like, “Nicely, that wasn’t our intent, however I’m completely happy that it’s provoked so many various emotions.”
Cane’s acquired a sure love for Jenna and a sure love for Peyton. Do you suppose there’s one who’s finally higher fitted to him?
Weary: I feel Peyton is the love of his life. I feel that Peyton was at all times the one which was there for him. I feel she’s so supportive of him and actually cares about him, and I feel he actually trusts her and loves her. I feel Jenna is simply that illustration of this second in his life, this turning level. I feel he realizes that the rug has been pulled out from below him, and Jenna is the one factor that he can seize maintain on. It’s the escapism of all of it. And that’s to not say that him and Jenna don’t have an natural connection. I feel there’s one thing youthful about their connection, which represents that aspect of Cane that we possibly haven’t seen but, that charming a part of him and the goofy, childlike sensibility that he actually does harbor inside him that’s possibly hasn’t introduced itself but.
Dana Hawley / Netflix
Cane and Bree have an advanced sibling dynamic, however as soon as he learns concerning the trauma she skilled prior to now, it appears like their relationship turns over a brand new leaf.
Weary: I feel there was at all times one thing there together with her that possibly he suspected. I feel when he lastly hears it, there’s the shock of it, however there’s additionally that a part of him knew and will by no means ask. He’s resenting that a part of himself that by no means pushed her to inform him that they might be trustworthy with one another as siblings. I feel that that’s additionally due to what transpired later in our lives with the entire custody listening to and every little thing. Me testifying in opposition to her, I feel that it’s an attention-grabbing dynamic as a result of testifying in opposition to her is the last word betrayal, however in a approach, I feel it was additionally Cane defending her and looking for her. And I imply, it finally was in her greatest curiosity.
After Animal Kingdom, a present targeted on the dynamics between a mom and her sons, what was it like forming a father-son dynamic with Holt over the course of the season?
Weary: I’m a mama’s boy in actual life. I had a relationship that was so totally different with my mom than the connection I had with my father. So it’s attention-grabbing to form of deliver these dynamics into your scene work and your character improvement. Working with Ellen Barkin these first few seasons [on Animal Kingdom], we had fashioned such a powerful friendship and bond that it was attention-grabbing to see how that manifested onscreen. Leaping into this and attending to work with Holt simply felt like that different a part of me. I needed to set up this paternal connection there, and it provides a special dynamic. You’re capable of be extra weak with the maternal aspect, a minimum of from my perspective. I feel Cane and Harlan’s relationship is so bodily. They’re not capable of actually be them 100% real with one another. I feel there’s a guard up there for apparent causes. I feel Harlan actually held Cane again from changing into the person that he needed to turn out to be and form of infused this self doubt that was shrouded in attempting to embolden his son, however I feel it went the other approach. I truly suppose it gave him quite a lot of self doubt, and that was in Harlan’s personal self preservation. I feel he needed to maintain his household collectively, but it surely had the other impact on Cane, and I feel it actually screwed with Cane and stunted him emotionally as nicely.
What are you hopes for Season 2? The finale leaves a lot nonetheless in movement.
Weary: The tip of the primary season feels prefer it’s nonetheless shifting since you don’t need it to cease, proper? In order that’s a great signal, I feel, for Season 2. I want to see it simply preserve shifting. I want to see the household come collectively to stave off some common villain.
There must be extra Cane and Shawn [Harlan’s secret son and Cane’s half brother].
Weary: Simply attending to work with Rafa [Rafael L. Silva] extra can be unbelievable. I really like Rafa dearly. The entire forged is unbelievable. There’s a bond there that may’t be damaged. Even when we don’t do a Season 2, we’re all gonna be buddies for all times. I really like them so dearly. Rafa, too, that’s my boy. He’s such an unbelievable actor, and that will be cool to see extra of and Cane and Shawn for Season 2, for certain.
The Waterfront, Season 1, Streaming Now, Netflix