Aahana Swrup
The Netflix Dutch show ‘High Tides,’ also known as ‘Knokke Off,’ brings a world of high society drama in season 2 as teenage antics, inheritance grabs, and infidelity run rampant in the Knokke. Even though Patrick manages to survive the near-death incident of getting shot by his young daughter, his recovery leaves him incapacitated and under his wife Elenore’s thumb. Nonetheless, his mother, Jacquline Vandael, remains suspicious of his injuries and enters the game to block Elenore from taking over the Vandael Group. Melissa also continues working for the family to unearth the truth about her sister Claudia’s demise. Meanwhile, her son, Daan, finally finds a footing in town after his photography career starts to take off. Nonetheless, things inevitably take a turn when he finds himself falling back into old habits, trapping himself in a toxic love triangle with Alex and Louise. SPOILERS AHEAD!
High Tides Season 2 Recap
Patrick manages to survive Olivia’s gunshot wound, though only barely. The incident leaves him in a coma, unable to move or speak. While he recovers, Elenore makes up a story about her husband falling down some stairs as a cover-up to save her daughter. Nonetheless, Patrick’s mother, Jacqueline Vandael, remains suspicious about the entire ordeal. Therefore, she decides to step in and oversee the business side of things in her son’s absence. During this time, Melissa, who only became Olivia’s babysitter to dig out information about Patrick’s involvement in the death of her sister, Claudia, continues working for the family. She extorts Elenore for money in return for her silence about the real reason behind Patrick’s condition while vying to squeeze out the details of where the man buried her sister.
On the other hand, Daan, Louise, and Alex—the three teens at the center of the story’s captivating love triangle, maintain some distance from each other. This distance serves Daan well, as he manages to snag the opportunity to have a photography exhibit at his boss’ gallery. Alternatively, Alex isn’t doing too well on the professional front, especially after his grandmother, Jacqueline, forces him to work up the ladder to earn his spot as the company’s successor. Similarly, Louise remains incredibly unhappy with her life as she is forced to take medication for her bipolar disorder. As such, she eventually ends up trying to get back into Daan’s orbit. He’s reluctant to restart his romance with Louise, given their history and the fact that he has a girlfriend, Anouk. Nonetheless, complications between him and Anouk and the undeniable pull he feels toward Louise eventually make him give in to her advances.
Around this time, Louise also secretly goes off her medication, fed up with the feeling of numbness they instill in her. Yet, consequences soon follow as she enters a manic, high-energy episode that makes her party, take drugs, and convince Daan to have a threesome with her and Alex. Back to the Vandaels, while Jacqueline tries to keep Elenore from her husband’s wealth, her significantly younger assistant/lover, Thomas, proposes the idea of a marriage between them. Although the woman readily agrees, her family remains concerned about the young man’s true motives. Nevertheless, the couple ended up finalizing the marriage at a courthouse.
High Tides Season 2 Ending: What Happens to Thomas?
Thomas, a new addition to the story, remains a suspicious individual from the very start. He enters the Vandael family narrative as Jacqueline’s assistant, with whom she is also in a relationship. He clearly has won over the woman’s trust, something her own daughter-in-law, Elenore, has yet to do. Nonetheless, his put-upon persona with the Vandael family matriarch and evident interest in Melissa cast him in a suspicious light. Despite their relationship, it’s obvious that the man isn’t actually in love with Jacqueline. On some level, even she seems aware of this, but is easily swayed by his sex appeal. Therefore, his inevitable betrayal doesn’t come as much of a shock.
In the aftermath, Thomas has one clear goal to achieve from his marriage with Jacqueline, which is to ruin her son, Patrick’s life. Therefore, when he fails to cripple the man financially, he decides to confront the issue head-on and arrives at his doorstep. At this point, Thomas is more than a little frenzied. He’s desperate to exact revenge on Patrick, but the plan he has been working on for months has been foiled. It’s starting to look like the man will once again get away without paying for the consequences of his actions. Thus, in his brewing anger, the man goes all-out and physically attacks Patrick. In his still-recovering state, the latter is barely strong enough to stand on his own feet, let alone put up a fight.
Even though Alex, who happens to be in the house at the time, tries to intervene, Thomas lashes out against him as well, uncaring of doling out punches left and right. The commotion catches Melissa and Daan’s attention from the studio on the estate, and they rush in to help. Even though the duo has no love lost for the Vandaels, who were behind Claudia’s death, they try to help out, unwilling to watch Thomas kill someone in his rage. However, this only makes him turn his fists toward Daan as well. Therefore, when he’s trying to choke out the teenager, Melissa slams down a hefty object on his head.
In the end, Thomas bleeds out to his death in the Vandaels’ house, killed at the hands of Daan’s mother. In a twist of fate, this puts the single mother and her son in a position similar to that of the rich family they have spent a long time hating. They despise the Vandaels for using their money and influence to get out of the toughest of binds, even murder. Nonetheless, now Daan has no choice but to team up with Alex to cover up a man’s death. Ultimately, the two boys bury Thomas in a Vandael Group construction site with the help of site manager John, Patrick’s long-time employee. As such, Thomas becomes another one of the mysterious names lost to the Vandael family’s ledger.
Does Melissa Find Claudia’s Body? Does Daan Leave Knokke?
The only reason Melissa and Daan arrive in Knokke is because of the former’s desperation to learn about what happened to her sister, who disappeared after working for the Vandaels as a babysitter. Nonetheless, she continues to have more questions after she learns about Claudia’s unfortunate demise at the estate. She wants to find the dead body to mourn her sister’s passing properly. Furthermore, the body will also help her create a legitimate case against Patrick. Additionally, the hush money she’s extorting out of Elenore also remains a bonus.
Even so, as time passes and Daan continues to get tangled up with the spoiled rich brats of Knokke, it becomes evident that the town isn’t the best fit for his aspirations. He’s sick of the cruelty that reigns in Knokke, which is perpetually governed by the whims of the rich crowd. Worse yet, he seems to be perpetually unable to stay away from Louise’s orbit, which only ever ends badly for him. For the same reason, the best course of action for him is to leave the town and start over somewhere. Eventually, Melissa also realizes that a change of scenery might be the best for the two of them. A conversation with Olivia reveals to her that the family usually uses their construction sites to bury any evidence, including dead bodies. As such, she realizes that the search for Claudia’s body is ultimately useless and won’t ever bear results.
Consequently, Melissa decides to use the money she got from Elenore to move away and buy back her father’s old home. Nevertheless, moments later, the mother-son duo gets caught up in the incriminating altercation between the Vandaels and Thomas. Since Melissa is the one who delivers the fatal blow—and Daan has to help Alex hide the body—both of them have effectively joined the Vandaels in covering up murders. Therefore, it seems unlikely that they will be leaving town anytime soon. The instance serves as a turning point for the characters, transitioning them from the story’s moral compass to yet another family sullied by the duplicity and dishonesty of Knokke’s most elite.
Why Did Louise Ruin Daan’s Exhibition?
Despite Daan’s general dislike for the town, he finds a moment of satisfaction after his talented photography finally gets a chance to be exhibited at a gallery. The opportunity promises great things for the young man’s future, offering financial and professional benefits. However, Lousie sneaks into the gallery the night before the exhibit and splatters paint all over the displays in a manic fit. In the aftermath, the gallery owner, Christine, holds Daan responsible for the wreck and cancels the entire exhibition. As such, the photographer’s girlfriend has definitively ruined his one chance at a golden opportunity. Naturally, Lousie’s destructive actions remain a point of intrigue.
After the couple’s initial breakup, Daan attempts to move on from Louise by starting a relationship with Anouk. Even though that romance has complications of its own, it offers some stability to the young man’s life. However, Louise pulls him back into her life, compelling him to give her another chance. During this time, she’s undergoing a world of her own complications. Her bipolar disorder has long been a point of conflict for her and her family. She detests taking medication for her condition since it leaves her numb and uncreative. Nonetheless, her manic episodes are patently too hard to handle without the pills.
Even so, Lousie decides to go off her medication in secret, unwilling to live life on her mother’s terms. Initially, the decision comes with a rush of euphoria as she’s filled with a zest for life. In this period, she ignites her romance with Daan, takes up painting again, and finds happiness in everyday life. Nonetheless, this high only lasts so long. Eventually, the rush of emotions becomes too much, sending her on a manic episode. This is when she starts picking fights with her friends, taking drugs, and initiating a sexual relationship with Alex. The crash from this episode is catastrophic and almost pushes her to attempt suicide.
Although Louise abstains from fatalistic self-harm, she starts feeling incredibly alone and vulnerable in the aftermath. For the same reason, she finds it difficult to cope with the newfound success in Daan’s life. In fact, she’s even a little jealous of the appreciation he is receiving for his artistry when her own art remains confined to her studio. Therefore, in one of her lowest moments, she decides to sabotage her boyfriend’s exhibit. Even though she regrets the action almost immediately, there’s nothing she can do to undo the damage she has caused. The events also compel her family to grow concerned for her to the point where they’re considering hospitalizing her for professional help. Initially, Louise attempts to run away from home and even considers ending her life at the beach. Still, she realizes it would be another example of manic, selfish behavior done out of misguided self-preservation. For the same reason, she ultimately decides to check herself in at a help center.
Who is Thomas? Why Does He Really Marry Jacqueline?
Thomas’s role in the narrative remains ambiguous for some time. Although it’s evident that he’s with Jacqueline for her money, the details of his plan remain in the dark until one crucial piece of information is revealed: Thomas is Jacque’s son. Jacque was the beach bar owner and Patrick’s ex-business partner. The latter had betrayed him during their entrepreneurial days and had tried to gain acquisition over his beloved beach bar a few months ago. This inevitably led Jacque to break his sobriety and submit to an unexpected demise.
For the same reason, Thomas blames Patrick for his father’s death and has come to settle their score. Initially, his plan is to gain Jacqueline’s complete trust and marry her. In Patrick’s declining condition, all the Vandael family power is in the older woman’s hands. As such, marrying her would grant him complete financial control over the family and their business billion-dollar funds. From there, he plans to snatch this wealth away from Patrick, leaving him penniless and destitute, just as the other man had once done to his father.
Does Jacqueline Die? Does Thomas Take Her Money?
Thomas plans on overtaking the Vandael family wealth shortly after his marriage to Jacqueline is finalized. Even though the older woman seems weary of the man and his motives, she’s beguiled enough by his youth and beauty to go through with the process. Nonetheless, once Thomas shows his true colors and attempts to incapacitate Jacqueline, she also reveals the ace up her sleeve. As it turns out, the woman had never trusted Thomas—at least not to the extent he believed. Therefore, while she had allowed him a seat at the Vandael Group table and handed over control over some of the family’s inheritance, she had also put several safeguards in place.
Before marrying Thomas, Jacqueline had already transferred all her wealth to Patrick’s name. As such, even though the couple had married into a community of property—meaning they share their assets—the woman doesn’t have any billion-dollar assets to begin with. Once Thomas realizes he’s been tricked, he becomes increasingly violent. Still, despite attempting to kill Jacquline, he doesn’t succeed. In the end, the woman survives—thanks to a timely interruption by Elenore and young Olivia. Ultimately, the Vandael family funds are safe with Jacquline’s son.
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