Turn of the Tide (Portuguese: Rabo de Peixe, [ˈʁa.βu d(ɨ) ˈpɐj.ʃ(ɨ)], lit. 'Fish Tail') is a Portuguese drama television series based on a true story, created by Augusto Fraga. It follows Eduardo, a young fisherman, and his friends who find a boat full of cocaine washed up on the shore in the Azorean village of Rabo de Peixe in São Miguel Island. They decide to sell the drug, but soon they face the wrath of the drug lord who owns it, the police who are after it, and a series of unpredictable events that put their lives at risk.
Premiered on May 26, 2023, on the streaming platform Netflix, the series reached 10th on Netflix's world top views on May 29, 2023 and 7th on May 30, 2023, being in the Top 10 in 33 countries. The show was renewed for a second season in July 2023 and renewed for a third in October 2024.
Contents
Synopsis
The story takes place in the Azorean village of Rabo de Peixe, when a ton of cocaine comes ashore, completely changing the lives of the inhabitants. Eduardo, a young fisherman, and his friends start selling the cocaine. But, a ton of cocaine does not go unnoticed and our protagonists will face the owners of this drug, the police and a series of unpredictable characters in a dangerous adventure with no return.
Connection to real-world events
The TV series is loosely based on a true story. In 2001, a large quantity of cocaine was found in Rabo de Peixe after a 14-meter-long Sun Kiss 47 sailboat used by cocaine traffickers suffered a broken rudder off the Azorean coast in June, carrying more than 500 kilograms of cocaine with a purity of more than 80%, worth over 150 million euros at 2023's prices.
The captain of the boat dumped the cocaine sealed in rubber packages placed in nets weighed down with anchors off the coast of the island of São Miguel, so he could take the yacht to a harbour to be repaired without arousing suspicion. However, a storm dislodged the underwater cocaine stashes and the packages began to wash up on the shore of the island.
Many villagers decided to try the drug. As they were not used to it and the cocaine was very pure, a significant number of people ended up in the hospital with an overdose, and some even died. Still others were selling the product for a bargain price of 25 euros per full glass of beer. Years after the incident, many inhabitants of Rabo de Peixe still remained addicted.
Cast
Main
José Condessa as Eduardo Melo
Helena Caldeira as Sílvia Arruda
André Leitão as Carlos / Carlinhos
Rodrigo Tomás as Rafael Medeiros
Maria João Bastos as the Inspector Paula Frias
Albano Jerónimo as Arruda
Afonso Pimentel as Ian
Kelly Bailey as Bruna
Pêpê Rapazote as Uncle Joe
Francesco Acquaroli as Monti
Adriano Carvalho as Jeremias
Marcantonio Del Carlo as Francesco Bonino
Paolla Oliveira as Ofélia
Caio Blat as Fagner
Recurring
Dinarte de Freitas as Zé do Frango
Filippo Fiumani as Gianluca
Salvador Martinha as Francisco
João Pedro Vaz as Banha
Luísa Cruz as Valentina
David Medeiros as Lavrador
Miguel Damião as Father António
Benedita Pereira as Elvira
Romeu Bairos as Sandro G
Rafael Morais as Morcela
José Medeiros as Prisoner
Daniela Ruah as Fátima
Victória Guerra as Cristina Brum
Madalena Aragão as Mariana
Joaquim de Almeida as João Canto Moniz
Tomás Furtado de Melo as Police Officer #1
Keven Santos as Police Officer #2
Luís Henrique Matos as Marcelino
Frederico Amaral as Ferrugem
Maria João Falcão as Gisela
Ana Lopes as the Reporter
Nelson Cabral as the Hotel Clerk