The Waterfront: What really happens to Grady in the Netflix drama? Details explored in depth

The Waterfront sets sail with secrets, crime, and betrayal at every corner. But when it comes to what really happens to Grady, the show holds nothing back. The drug kingpin meets a brutal end, but getting there isn't simple.

His death doesn't just close down the episode — rather, it shifts the entire direction of the Buckley family's fate.

Let's break down exactly how it unfolds.

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How Grady’s downfall comes about aboard the yacht in The Waterfront

Grady, played by Topher Grace, starts off as the smooth-talking, dangerous supplier behind the Buckleys' drug-running business. However, when the Buckleys and their rivals take down his operation, Grady snaps.

Finally, in The Waterfront, Grady kidnaps Bree and her son Diller, dragging them to sea on his yacht. It's not just rage but a trap meant to lure Harlan out for a final confrontation.

As the situation turns deadly, Bree attempts to fight back. She pulls a gun on Grady, but when Diller is taken hostage by one of Grady's men, she gives up her weapon. Grady shoots her in the leg and throws her overboard.

Diller quickly throws her a raft kit, helping her to survive until rescue. Meanwhile, Harlan and Cane get to the yacht. While Harlan distracts Grady, Cane sneaks on the yatch, setting up the final fight.

Grady's unhinged fury boils over as he yells at Harlan:

"I want you to die knowing you're the one to blame. You're the one that led your family down this path. This isn't me, this is you!"

That's when Cane makes his move in The Waterfront. He kills Grady's men and corners Grady with his father. Despite Grady trying to mock Cane for not having what it takes to kill him, Cane pulls gun, shooting Grady in the face. His body falls into the water. The drug dealer is gone for good.

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What Grady’s death really means for the Buckleys

Grady's end may bring a moment of relief, but the ripples from that moment run deep in The Waterfront. The whole rescue mission turns Cane's life upside down. Killing Grady isn't just about survival. It marks the first time Cane crosses the line from smuggler to killer.

His father Harlan sees it as a defining moment. Holt McCallany, who plays Harlan on the show, explains to Netflix's Tudum the importance of the moment:

"That's the moment Harlan thinks Cane became a man."

But Cane doesn't see it the same way. Actor Jake Weary, who plays Cane, shares on Tudum that taking Grady's life doesn't bring peace.

"I don't think it brings closure to Cane... If anything, Grady's death just complicates things more for Cane, morally."

The father-son bond strengthens in that violent instant, but the emotional cost is high. Grady is obsessed about a partnership with Harlan. As Topher Grace, who plays Grady, puts it on Tudum:

"Grady is the bad guy. But he actually wanted the partnership to work out between him and Harlan."

That longing turns deadly when Harlan chooses his real family over Grady's offer. In the end, it is Cane and not Harlan who ends it, but it is something, Grace says, Grady definitely would have hated.

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Grady's death in The Waterfront is violent, personal, and packed with meaning. It signals the end of his reign and forces Cane to confront a new version of himself.

Although the Buckleys survive, the lines between right and wrong blur forever. As the ocean swallows Grady's body, the family sails into murkier waters.

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