M-Net's sudsy weekly drama Summertide reached the halfway point this past Sunday (28 July) at 18h00, 26 episodes after its premiere on 28 January.
If you've it missed it and want to tune into the next 26, here's a handy catch-up that recaps the past and present with a stroke of what's to come:
Where we were
At the start of the season, marine biologist Martin Field and his children Tristan and Lucy, moved home to False Bay, where they embark on a journey of resilience and family renewal as they mourned the loss of their wife and mother, Julia.
We followed their reintegration with Martin’s parents, Wilma and Jack Field - the latter a retired naval commander who runs his household like a military operation.
Martin's youngest brother, retired pro surfer Gavin runs a small surfboard business and still lives out the back of his parents’ house - and complications soon arose when it became clear that he was involved with Rebecca Solomons, who was Martin’s first love.
Gavin also had another love interest in Emily from the restaurant and a complex love triangle got even trickier - fast.
Rebecca was also finding her feet back home, having recently returned from the US after the death of her father, Solly, to take over Salty’s - her family's indebted and struggling take-away fish ‘n chip shop.
Hannes, Wesley and Yolande du Plessis crossed paths with the Field family early on in the series and soon drew them in - particularly Yolande, to whom Tristan was powerfully attracted, despite being in a relationship.
As their relationship blossomed, Yolande started to feel the effects of what is ultimately diagnosed as Motor Neurone Disease (MND), an incurable condition that affects the brain and nerves, causing weakness and a loss of control over the body.
There was a standoff as her father demanded she travel overseas for experimental medical treatment that may save her life - but she wanted to stay in False Bay with Tristan, where she feels safe.
Jack Field’s worldview was shaped by his upbringing and his time in the navy, which makes him a strict operator.
He and Martin clashed early on due to him ‘never being there’ for his family, while Tristan has his own issues with his father as he felt ‘forced’ into the move to False Bay.
As the season progressed, we started to see Jack struggling with life outside the Navy - and how that affected his relationship with Wilma and his children.
Wilma took up a community advocacy role that put her family in the firing line in an already-fraught environment - and this further challenged her relationship with Jack.
Martin’s purchase of Rebecca’s father’s old fishing boat and his status as a conservationist set him at odds with the local fishermen who saw him as a threat to their already threadbare livelihoods.
That friction came to a head when he suspected that fishermen were operating illegally in the bay and teamed up with Rebecca’s reluctant uncle Freddy to take them down - which came with a high price as his precious boat was destroyed in an ‘accident’.
It became clear that Hannes was also operating a shark cage diving business which draws sharks to the shore and puts the community and its livelihood in danger.
Where we are
We recently met the mysterious Amina along the way, who arrived at Rebecca’s restaurant, seeking her Aunt Cheryl.
She had to negotiate intense family politics - and prove that she was part of the family in the first place - before she could pursue an internship in conservation while aiming to start her studies at UCT.
Just as the dust settled, we discovered that Amina is Rebecca’s daughter - further complicating life in the Solomons family.
Later, it became clear that Martin is her father - with disastrous consequences for Rebecca and Gavin’s impending marriage.
The arrival of Charlie as Lucy’s educational psychologist sparked something in a conflicted Martin.
Charlie’s deep curiosity and empathetic nature gives her a compelling blend of professional drive, personal warmth and complexity that caused ripples throughout the Field family.
When Martin and Charlie showed more than a passing interest in each other, Lucy felt betrayed and Martin had to work hard to regain her trust and assure her that Charlie isn’t a replacement for her mother.
The news about Amina blows this relationship wide open and viewers will have to wait and see how the chips fall.
In the second half of the series, the coastal community is grappling with escalating tensions fuelled by illegal fishing activities and personal conflicts.
Gavin's desperate search for Rebecca coincides with Wesley's sense of isolation following Hannes and Yolande’s departure, while Martin endeavours to navigate family dynamics amidst growing unrest over fishing rights.
Where to from here
Having faced challenges in the community as he balances their safety with preserving the environment for great white sharks, Martin must now tackle the rampant poaching of abalone.
This lays bare deep-seated resentments and strained relationships within the tight-knit community.
Meanwhile, Wilma - serving as chair of the False Bay Action group - embarks on an outreach mission to the fishing community, but a violent episode changes everything.
Tensions reach a climax when an operation is launched to tackle abalone poaching - Martin must act when drama unfolds around Wilma and Jack while everyone's relationships get even more complicated.
Premiere episodes of Summertide air on M-Net on Sundays at 18h00.