Directed by Tom Goris, High Tides tells the story of a group of young people from Knokke, Belgium. Everything changes when a boy from Breda, Daan, enters their lives and, due to the conflicts that arise, leaves them exposed and facing their worst fears. So, let's find out what happened in the first season of High Tides and analyze the events that impacted the characters' lives.
Alex Vandael, Louise Basteyns, Margaux, Matti, and Victor, young people from privileged families who lived in huge mansions in the neighborhood, used to meet daily. They didn't have much to do except use drugs and alcohol and enjoy a luxurious life with their parents' money. Alex dreamed of opening an exclusive gentlemen's club that he wanted to call Crazy Lulu, but the problem was that he didn't know how to convince his father, Patrick, to invest in his project.
Creator: Anthony Van Biervliet
Stars: Pommelien Thijs, Willem De Schryver, Eliyha Altena
Patrick didn't believe his son was capable of anything, which is why he looked down on him. Over the years, certain incidents had distanced his son and his father. They had stopped understanding each other, and every time they spoke, Alex's mother, Eleonore, had to intervene to prevent them from killing each other. Alex made a presentation and gave it to his father, and he thought Patrick would be truly impressed this time. But none of that happened. Patrick not only disliked the concept of a gentlemen's club, but he also insulted Alex and bruised his ego by telling him he was useless and that the idea he had presented was simply a joke. The situation became so heated that Alex also lost his temper and ended up assaulting his father. Patrick also gave in to his impulses and got into a physical fight with his son.
Besides the steadily deteriorating relationship with his father, there was something else troubling Alex. He would often have blurry visions of two women sharing an intimate moment, and a man bursting into the room and assaulting them. It was clear that Alex couldn't get over his past. There were incidents that changed his life forever. Alex's relationship with Louise and his friends didn't help either. At times, Alex treated everyone with great respect, but sometimes he said very cruel things that made them judge the kind of person he was. Louise maintained a relationship with him for a long time, but sometimes she wondered what she gained from it.
Alex stole his father's watches and gave them to Jacques, the owner of the local beach club, to sell on the black market so he could get funding to open the club. Jacques was a wise man and knew what Patrick was capable of, but he too couldn't resist the urge to get revenge on his former partner. In fact, Jacques had been cheated on by Patrick at one point. Patrick and Jacques were supposed to be partners, but Jacques decided his partner lacked business acumen, so he withdrew from the joint venture, leaving Jacques in critical condition. But now Jacques had the opportunity to partner with Alex and show Patrick what they were capable of. Patrick, on the other hand, had promised himself he wouldn't let Alex live in peace. He did everything he could to make Alex's business fail. He used his influence to raid Alex's bar; he bought Jacques's beach club just to show him he could destroy his life in the blink of an eye. Patrick may have had good intentions for his son, but what he did only distanced Alex from him even further.
There was no doubt that Louise loved Alex, and vice versa, but they had reached a point in their relationship where Alex had started to take her for granted. It's not that Alex didn't love her or had plans to end things with her, but Louise still longed for those moments when he would go out of his way just to make her feel good. Furthermore, it's undeniable that Alex could be very cruel and rude at times. He said very hurtful things to Louise, which negatively affected her, as she suffered from bipolar disorder. Meanwhile, Daan arrived at the location because his family was going through a financial crisis, and he decided to work for Jacques at the beach club. But, unbeknownst to him, his mother had ulterior motives for going there. Daan's first encounter with Alex wasn't very good, and he ended up hating him after that. Alex saw that Louise couldn't take her eyes off Daan and, jealous, decided to teach him a lesson and put him in his place. As a result, Jacques fired Daan on his first day, as he knew he had to keep his regular customers happy, especially someone as rich and powerful as Alex. Louise wasn't happy with the outcome and felt sorry for Daan.
One day, Daan was trying to enter a nightclub to talk to the manager and get a job when Alex and his group arrived. Alex saw that the bouncer wouldn't let Daan in. Deep down, Alex wasn't as cold-hearted as he pretended. He told the bouncer to let Daan in and, later, even invited him to sit with the group. This is how Daan and Alex became friends, although it was clear from the start that their bond wouldn't stand the test of time. Daan came from a poor family, and he and his mother worked day and night to make ends meet. But Louise, somehow, was still very attracted to him. There were times when she couldn't hide her feelings, and things would become very awkward between her and Alex. Daan was also in love with Louise, and it was evident from the way he looked at her. Louise had just discovered that her father had been in a relationship with a man named Paul for the past five years, and that her mother knew about it. Louise felt overwhelmed and needed someone by her side. Obviously, she first turned to her boyfriend Alex, but he was very busy and didn't bother to find out what was happening. So Louise went to see Daan, and he was too smitten to turn down the offer to spend the day with her. Daan took Louise to his family home in Breda, only to discover that his mother had sold everything to pay off her debt. That house had belonged to Daan's grandfather, and he had an emotional connection to the place.
Daan was in a vulnerable state, as was Louise, and they both gave in to their impulses. Daan and Louise spent the night together, and Louise decided it would be best not to talk about it with anyone. Daan and Louise continued seeing each other after that day, but Daan didn't like having to lie to Alex. Daan tried to ask Louise a couple of times what she really wanted, but she didn't get an answer. Louise was confused; she wanted the best of both worlds, but by giving in to her impulses, she was making herself the villain. Alex knew deep down what was going on between Daan and Louise, but he refrained from clarifying things or asking her questions. But then one day, Alex walked in on them kissing, and that's when he completely lost his temper. The next time Alex spent time with Louise, he couldn't keep quiet and ended up hurting her. There was a moment during that violent confrontation when Alex felt like killing Louise by drowning her in the pool, but he eventually came to his senses and left. Alex even assaulted Daan, who was seriously injured. I think Daan always knew things would never work out between him and Louise, and Louise conveniently turned to him whenever Alex abandoned her or needed support. Louise might have had feelings for Daan, but it was undeniable that she used him. Yes, the boy wasn't opposed to being used, but that didn't mean Louise was innocent.
The storyline involving Daan and his new neighbor, Anouk, was quite intriguing, and it would be interesting to see what direction the creators would take in High Tides season 2. Anouk had a special charm. Perhaps her independent life, her way of approaching things, and her carefree attitude set her apart from the pretentious crowd. Anouk knew what the world looked like, how lustful those rich guys could be, what was going through their minds, and what they wanted to do to her—that's why she was always on guard.
She worked at the same nightclub where Alex and his gang used to go. Sometimes, Alex and other strangers made advances toward her, but the way she defended herself and responded spoke volumes about the kind of woman she was. Once, Louise and Daan were spending time together when Alex arrived at Daan's house, suspecting his girlfriend of cheating on him. Anouk came to Daan and Louise's rescue, pretending they were dating. Alex believed her lies, and the four of them had a great time that night. That was the first time Anouk and Daan were intimate. Somehow, after that day, Anouk started to develop strong feelings for Daan. He never confessed his feelings to her, but the jealous look in his eyes when he saw Daan and Louise together spoke volumes. Anouk always came to Daan's rescue, even when she knew she wouldn't get anything in return.
At the beginning of the first season of High Tides, we learned there was a reason why Daan's mother, Melissa, started working at Patrick's house. His sister, Claudia, had suddenly disappeared, and no one really knew what had happened to her. Melissa only knew one thing: the last time she spoke to her, she was working as a nanny for the Vandaels. Melissa realized that Eleonore, Alex's mother, had a lot of affection for Claudia.
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