The Waterfront review – this Dawson’s Creek for grownups is perfect summer nonsense

Twists come thick and fast, there’s tons of plot and action is set in a water-based community. The creator of the 90s megahit’s new show is an opportunity to wallow in nostalgia – albeit with added drug runningDo you miss Dawson’s Creek now that you’re all grown up? Kevin Williamson sees you. And he has reinvented his late-90s/early-00s tale of a close knit community round a watery area for an adult market. Not adult-adult, you understand – we’re talking drug-running and crumbling family empire rather than sauce – but the main ingredients of his first TV hit are all here. Namely, masses of plot and some lightly sketched characters to keep it moving swiftly enough that nobody has time to stop and say “Hang on, fellas – I simply don’t believe a word of this!” Those of us who sat through several young women choosing Dawson over Pacey are only here for the second part of the phrase “credible drama”.The Buckleys and their fleet have long dominated the small fishing town of Havenport, North Carolina. They are rich and troubled. More so the latter as they become less of the former because business is getting tougher and mighty patriarch Harlan (Holt McCallany, charismatic, humourless) took his hand off the tiller to have two heart attacks and left his inadequate son Cane (Jake Weary, uncharismatic, humourless) to run things for a bit. Cane decided the best way to do this was to start shifting illegal narcotics for wodges of cash and an unseen gangster called Owen. Alas, we open with a set of Cane’s smuggling crewmen being offed by a gang of armed men, and Owen’s $10m shipment going missing. Cane asks his cousin Lynette (Bethany DeZelle), at whatever the nautical equivalent of the DVLA, North Carolinian office is, to amend some paperwork to say that he sold the murder boat three months ago. I am sure this is a foolproof cover and that nothing will escalate. Continue reading...

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