Ass Pull: The Sequel Hook, which was only foreshadowed with a single scene, where Danny's previously unmentioned son shows up at John's house. It feels like something thought up at the last second, and is the only scene that hints at a second season.
Bizarro Episode: "Part 32" is set entirely in John's guilt-ridden psyche after he suffers a cerebral event during a solo dive.
First Installment Wins: Season one is by far the most popular season, to the point where it's been said the show should've just been a miniseries.
Jerkass Woobie: Danny is an undeniable scoundrel, but he wound up that way because his family treated him like one for most of his life. As a teenager, in an attempt to comfort his younger sister, he accidentally caused her death by drowning. Rather than try to ease his guilt, his father savagely beat and ostracized him over this. The injuries he sustained from this experience left him in pain for the rest of his life, with his addiction to pain killers leading him to get addicted to much illegal narcotics and furthering his descent into a criminal lifestyle. Despite enduring his family's scorn for all this time, Danny still wishes to make things right between them and go straight. And though he seems to make genuine progress in doing so, his father, in their last interaction before his passing, shows he still despises his son and tries to pay him to leave, and after his funeral, Danny discovers that the rest of his family all stood by his dad and lied about his abuse. Enraged by this, Danny then goes off the deep end and does everything in his power to make their lives Hell, all while still being haunted by his deceased sister and listening to a recording of their betrayal to fuel his revenge. Though Danny is to blame for making these choices, it's hard to act like his anger is unjustified, and even after he drives his brother John to murder him, he can't help but weep for his brother and express guilt at how they all wronged him to begin with.
Unpopular Popular Character: Danny Rayburn has attracted much hate from his family for decades, but he's easily the show's biggest fan favorite.
Win Back the Crowd: After the first season finale wrapped up most of the story, the only Sequel Hook felt like a major Ass Pull to many. Because of this, many felt it was better as a stand alone miniseries rather than a show with multiple seasons. The season two trailer was very well received, and proved that the Rayburn's story was far from over. The season itself also makes much more clear that John was meant to be an Unreliable Narrator in the first season and we're supposed to find all the Rayburns unlikable and unworthy of our sympathy.
