Bloodline Season 1 Premiere Recap with Spoilers: “Part 1”

Netflix’s new original series Bloodline opens with a voiceover from John Rayburn (Kyle Chandler), anticipating that something’s coming – “something is going to go terribly wrong.” He’s headed to his parents’ hotel in the Florida Keys with his family, as well as the other Rayburn siblings, Kevin (Norbert Leo Butz) and Meg (Linda Cardellini). They’re eagerly awaiting the arrival of their black sheep bro, Danny (Ben Mendelsohn).

It’s the 45th anniversary of Sally and Robert Rayburn’s hotel (Sissy Spacek and Sam Shepard), and Sally is nervous enough about the guests and festivities to come for the party – let alone any drama between her kids. John heads to the bus station to pick up Danny, but he hopped the bus early, thinking about turning around entirely. While the others party and compete in a fierce beach rope pull, Danny eats alone at a diner, when he runs into an old acquaintance, Eric (Jamie McShane).

The old friends catch up over a joint, discussing Danny’s failed restaurant business, when Eric offers him some easy money performing an undisclosed job. John calls Eric, wondering if he and Danny have crossed paths, but Eric denies that they’ve met. Just as John returns back to tell his mother Sally that her son won’t be making an appearance, Danny appears, much to her delight, to join in the rope pull.

Another voiceover from John, “I couldn’t have known there where all this was gonna end up,” and the scene cuts to John in a fierce rain, carrying a body through the woods. He trudged through, eventually stomping neck-deep into the ocean, and the body is revealed to be that of Danny.

Next, the episode cuts back to the party, where everyone is dancing and drinking casually. John’s wife Diana (Jacinda Barrett) asks Meg when she’s going to have kids. Meg says she’ll need a good man first, just as her pseudo-fiancé, Marco (Enrique Murciano), scoops her up for a kiss. Danny approaches Meg and asks if she can squeeze in one more chair in at the head table, for a date he’s invited.

An argument quickly ensues between all four siblings, as Danny insists that his date, Sheryl, should sit at the family table. None of the others agree, but Danny claims he won’t sit at the family table without her. Cut to later, and as Robert is giving a speech, Sheryl repeatedly, drunkenly interjects her thoughts.

In Robert’s speech, he alludes to a time in the past, where the family was in trouble, thanking those that helped them through it. He then goes through the list of his children, honoring each of them, though his comments about Danny, his oldest son, are a bit less enthusiastic. The elder son rises to say a few words in return, notecards in hand, but just jokingly asks to borrow a twenty, lightening the mood. Sheryl gets increasingly drunk as the night goes on, even falling on the dance floor.

Later that night, after the party has ended and almost everyone has gone to bed, Danny apologizes to John for not getting off the bus like what was planned. John steps outside and gets called in to work by Marco, his apparent co-worker at the station. Danny tells his brother that he’s thinking about moving back and helping their parents with the business, but John is skeptical.

The episode cuts again to John in the rain, carrying Danny along the shore, eventually climbing into a boat, plopping Danny on the ground next to him.

Back at home, Danny and Diane talk about Sheryl and his most recent relationship prospects. He tells tale of a girl who punched him in the nose while they were having sex, trying to get him to smack her back. Danny continued to date the volatile woman for few months – an example of his romantic struggles. Meanwhile, John, Marco, and some other local police wade out into a bay, where they find the dead body of a teenage girl. 

Danny meets with Eric in the morning to tell him that he’s not interesting in working with him, on whatever his ominous job offer was. The two discuss while gathering lobsters from a trap, nearby which Danny sees a seahorse necklace in the sand. He gathers it in his hand and swims back up, only to realize that his hand is bleeding, and the jewelry he thought was in his hand was actually a fishing lure and hook. 

At home, the family and their guests play volleyball peacefully. John tells his father that Danny wants to stay home and help with the business. Robert doesn’t like the idea, suggesting that the three siblings decide whether to let Danny stay, agreeing to respect their decision.

The sun goes down, and John, Kevin, and Meg are shown talking about Danny. Kevin thinks that Danny will eventually screw up, crushing their mother’s spirits, but Meg thinks they have to give him a chance to change. John worries that if they turn Danny down, he will leave and never return. He adds that “you don’t give up on family.”

At the same time, Danny meets with Eric, who shares his drugs and his belief that Danny’s family is “the enemy,” telling him to move on. Danny snaps, flips the table, and restrains himself from hitting Eric, before he leaves. Danny is followed by a woman, who asks him if he’ll stay. He pops some sort of painkillers and prompts her to follow him, strip down to her underwear, and run into the ocean.

As Danny gets deeper in the water, he starts to struggle. He shouts for help but his cries are muffled. He begins to have some sort of flashbacks or memories, including the image of the seahorse necklace he thought he found earlier, as well as that of a little girl running. Danny continues to possibly drown. 

The episode cuts to Sally in the morning, who marches towards the shoreline with a sheet. Danny is face down on the dock, bare butt in the air – but alive. She throws the sheet on him, angrily reminding him that they have guests.

Danny and John go fishing later in the day, Danny reminiscing about a fishing trip from when they were younger. He admits that he’s a difficult brother, saying he plans to pay back all the money he owes. John tells him that their father made his decision on whether Danny can stay, saying, “it’s not going to work out.” Danny tries to get more info out of John, wondering if he even tried to convince him. 

Danny says to John, “Your life’s not always going to be this perfect. Things happen to people. And then you’ll need me. Then you’ll know.” John reminds him that he’s been doing his best to protect him – his big brother – for his entire life. John drops Danny off at the bus station later that night. 

The episode ends with a final John voiceover, over the rain scene. “I always thought the greatest thing that ever happened to me was being born a Rayburn, ” he says. “Now I’m not so sure.” Scrambling in the boat, John pours gasoline all over Danny’s body. The voiceover continues:

“I’m going to tell you everything. It’s not very pleasant, but it’s the truth. What we did to our brother, we had to do. Please don’t judge us. We’re not bad people, but we did a bad thing.”

He lights a flare, blows up Danny’s body, and leaps out of the boat.