M-Net marks the halfway point in the 52-week first season of multi-generational family drama, Summertide, on 28 July – and things are set to get even more complicated for the Field family.
Where we were:
At the start of the season, marine biologist Martin Field (Frank Rautenbach) and his children Tristan (Jan Combrink) and Lucy (Evangelina Hallock), 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 (Amalia Uys).
We followed their reintegration with Martin’s parents, Wilma (Terry Norton) and Jack Field (Andre Jacobs) – the latter a retired naval commander who runs his household like a military operation. Martin's youngest brother, retired pro surfer Gavin (Ty Keogh), 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 (Monique Rockman), who was Martin’s first love. Gavin also had another love interest in Emily (Mila Guy) 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 (Morne Visser, Matthew Vey and Cassiel Eatock-Winnik) crossed paths with the Fields 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 struggle to come to terms with life outside the Navy – and how that affects 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 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 (Maurice Carpede) 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 met the mysterious Amina (Robyn Rossouw) 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 and aimed 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 becomes clear that Martin is her father, with disastrous consequences for Rebecca and Gavin’s impending marriage.
The arrival of Charlie (Tanya van Graan) as Lucy’s educational psychologist sparked something in a conflicted Martin. Charlie’s deep curiosity and empathetic nature give 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 we going:
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 strains 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 and the relationships involving Martin, Charlie, Amina, Rebecca, Tristan, Lucy and Gavin get even more complicated.
So much has happened – but there’s still so much to come on Summertide. Tune in to M-Net (DStv channel 101), every Sunday at 18:00. Every episode is live streamed on DStv Stream and the full series is available on DStv Catch Up. Join the conversation on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and Facebook using #SummertideSA.