This article contains major spoilers for the ending of Turn of the Tide Season 1 Episode 7.
Turn of the Tide is an overly familiar bit of genre entertainment about a group of well-intentioned people making the wrong decisions for the right reasons.
The reasons are simple — better opportunities and a better life free from the limitations of their small island village. The well-intentioned people include Eduardo, a fisherman whose father is going blind and dreams of making a better life for himself in the U.S.; Silvia, whom Eduardo is in love with but who is dating his friend Rafael, who sometimes runs errands for Silvia’s drug dealer father Arruda; and Carlinhos, who has never quite been able to fit in.
The wrong decisions include, but are not limited to, claiming hundreds of kilos of Mafia cocaine which washes up on the shore after an unprecedented storm sinks the boat that was transporting it, and the hit-and-run of Gianluca Rossi, nephew of the Sicilian Mafia Godfather, Massimo Occhupinti, who was one of the men aboard the boat.
Things get worse from there, naturally. There is police involvement, the kids dipping into the supply, multiple deaths, including those of Rafael and Arruda, and rapidly worsening circumstances that lead all the way to seventh and final episode.
Turn of the Tide Season 1 Ending Explained
How are the drugs going to be smuggled?
After Arruda’s demise, Joe makes a promise to assist Eduardo in reaching the United States. To achieve this, he seeks the aid of Feliciano, an old acquaintance known for his dubious activities and a former associate of Joe and Eduardo’s father. They devise a plan to conceal cocaine within cans of tuna, which Feliciano sells, and facilitate Eduardo’s illegal journey to the US via the sea. Before departing, Eduardo visits his father’s grave, only to be confronted by Frias, who has been searching for him for some time.
Silvia and Carlinhos are also brought in for interrogation, but Frias fails to substantiate their guilt, as they all provide consistent accounts of their disappearance from the village. Lacking evidence against any of them, the authorities release them.
The question arises as to why Eduardo strikes a deal with Frias. Meanwhile, Carlinhos seeks forgiveness from the priest and encounters Monti at the church. Monti abducts Carlinhos and contacts Eduardo, demanding the return of his drugs to secure Carlinhos’ safety.
Upon learning of Feliciano’s association with Joe, Frias suspects that Eduardo and Joe might be utilizing the cans to store the drugs. However, the police search Joe’s factory and find nothing incriminating, yet they proceed to arrest Joe.
Why doesn’t Frias arrest Eduardo?
To save Carlinhos’ life, Eduardo meets with Frias and proposes to assist her in apprehending the true mastermind behind the operation. Frias agrees to collaborate with Eduardo and refrains from arresting him for the time being.
As for the whereabouts of the drugs, Eduardo transports them to the location where Monti is holding Carlinhos captive. The police also arrive at the scene. During the altercation, Monti injures Carlinhos, but Eduardo manages to escape with his friend.
Why does Silvia remain behind?
Unable to apprehend Monti, the police pursue Eduardo and Carlinhos as they board a boat headed for the ship that will take them to the US. However, Silvia discovers she is pregnant and opts not to join them in their journey.
Believing he has finally recovered his drugs, Monti opens the truck left behind by Eduardo and Carlinhos, only to find it empty. It turns out that Eduardo never took the tuna cans filled with cocaine along with him.
The police release Joe and hand him a package left by Eduardo. Inside the package, among other items, is a Rubik’s Cube. Hidden within the Rubik’s Cube is a message that leads Joe to a location where multiple packages await him.
Upon opening these packages, Joe realizes that Eduardo left behind the cans filled with cocaine before embarking on his journey to the US. Joe is astonished and overjoyed as Eduardo and Carlinhos are observed sailing toward their dream while he holds the drugs in his possession.
