Diksha Sundriyal
Netflix’s ‘Turn of the Tide’ begins with a boat full of cocaine washing up on the shore of an island called Rabo de Peixes. Eduardo and his friends discover it and decide to use it as a way to escape their dreary lives. Of course, getting involved in the sale of drugs is not a piece of cake, and the protagonists soon land in a host of problems that escalate with each passing day. By the end of the second season, things take a serious turn, showing Eduardo and his friends just how dangerous things can get. Apart from creating more trouble for them, the drugs also get stolen, and in the third season, Eduardo dedicates his time to finding out who stole them and how to get them back. SPOILERS AHEAD.
The Drugs Were Stolen by an Unexpected Third Party
Eduardo and his group’s plans to change their lives by selling drugs and making millions from it are foiled when the real owners of the shipwrecked cocaine show up on the island. The Italians are not happy with the way the drugs ended up on the island, and their main motive is to get the situation resolved as soon as possible. Eventually, Eduardo and his friends realize that the drugs are not worth losing their lives over, so they hand them over to the Italians, but then someone steals the shipment. At first, it seems that some other rival has entered the picture, wishing to take over the drug trade in Rabo de Peixe and the possibilities that arise from it. Later, however, the player turns out to be someone entirely unexpected.
Earlier in the show, we are introduced to João Canto Moniz, also known as the Rockefeller of the Azores. He is an ultra-rich man who is a patron of the arts and wishes to make things better on the island. Eventually, he finds out about the drugs, and while he is not exactly a mob boss, he thinks that this is the opportunity to make a lot of money, which can be funneled into his grander plans. Through his contacts, he manages to find out about the shipment’s location and has it stolen before the Italians can take it back and rid the island of the cocaine for good. While the Italians are busy with Eduardo and his group, Canto has the whole thing stolen from right under the nose, with none the wiser about who committed the deed.
Eduardo blames this unknown third party for the unraveling that happened in the Season 2 finale. Not only did he lose his beloved uncle, Joe, but he also went to prison for killing Fagner, though it was Silvia who fired the fatal shot. Eduardo believes that had it not been for the person who stole the cocaine, things would have ended up rather differently. So, in the third season, when he comes out of prison about three years later, he has revenge on his mind. Even though he is just out of prison and the cops are still keeping an eye on him, he decides to jump back into the world of drugs and get to the bottom of the truth. What he discovers turns out to be even more destructive than he could have imagined.
The Stolen Drugs Were Used to Change Rabo de Peixes for the Worst
While Eduardo and Co try to figure out where the cocaine went, Canto is knee-deep into his plans for the island. After getting his hands on the shipment, he knew that it wouldn’t be wise to keep it to himself. He needed to get rid of it as soon as possible. Thanks to his connections, he knew just how to sell the whole thing, and that’s exactly what he did. Three years later, when Eduardo comes looking for the cocaine, it has already left the island and turned into millions of dollars that are now in Canto’s account. Interestingly, Canto doesn’t use that money for personal gains, or at least, not directly. He uses that money to buy off the land of the local people, particularly fishermen who have been driven out of business due to the lack of fish in the sea.
It turns out that Canto is pushing for the cruise line business, which has allowed a boost of tourism to the island. However, the increased number of ships in the sea has also led the fish to disappear from the shores, leaving the fishermen with next to nothing to continue their livelihood. Their desperation leads them to sell their land when Canto’s people come up with a seemingly generous offer. What the public doesn’t know is that this is a systemic plan to push them out of their own island. Apart from buying the land, Canto has also used his money to buy off politicians like Cristina. He has backed her campaign, hoping that, if she wins, she will approve the plans for a proposed port on the shore.
The port’s construction would be the final nail in the coffin of the local fishermen. For Canto, however, it would be a boon. The port would mean that more parties would be interested in the island, and this would drive up the land prices. Since the locals have already sold their land to Canto, he would be the one to sell the land to new, prospective owners, who would be ready to pay an exorbitant price for the land, thanks to the port and the business it brings. With that, Canto would make an even greater sum of money, getting richer in the process, while the locals and their businesses are completely annihilated in the process. When this scheme comes to light, Eduardo and his friends decide to expose Canto and save the island. The way they go about it is what sets the stage for the chaos of the finale.
Read More: What Happened to Paula’s Daughter Mariana? Who Killed Her in Turn of the Tide?
