Knokke Off High Tides Season 2 Ending Explained: Thomas’ Secret, Bonmamie’s Revenge, and a Final Act of Violence

Netflix made the second season of High Tides available globally after its first season, released in 2023, attracted a wide audience. This new chapter continues with the characters now facing the impact of the decisions they made earlier, and before the season ends.

Newer events add more problems to the already troubled lives of these individuals. Patrick Vandael, who survives being shot by his daughter, spends the season trying to recover from his injuries, unaware that someone from his past has come back to settle old scores.

At the same time, Louise and Alex continue their confusing relationship, moving closer then drifting apart again, while a newcomer, Daan, finds himself caught in the middle of their emotional confusion. This piece focuses on how season 2 ends and considers what direction season 3 could take.

What is Thomas’s real identity?

Season 2 introduces two important new figures — Patrick’s mother, Mrs. Vandael, and her assistant and romantic partner, Thomas Peeters. Jacqueline Vandael, affectionately called Bonmamie by her grandchildren, is tough.

Determined elderly woman who holds deep loyalty to her son and their family’s wealth, which Patrick’s wife, Eleonore, is now managing. Bonmamie does not trust Eleonore’s capabilities and has always harboured a strong dislike towards her.

She feels Eleonore often turns everything to suit herself, and while that opinion might seem harsh, it’s clear Eleonore tends to focus too much on her image. To ensure things don’t spiral out of control, Bonmamie arrives in Knokke to take matters into her own hands, both the business and her son’s mysterious injury.

Only a few individuals know the real reason Patrick landed in a coma. The public version is that he fell down the stairs, a tale most people doubt but are too afraid to question because of the Vandael family’s influence.

It is through Thomas that Bonmamie begins to dig deeper into the issue, though she avoids making direct moves herself. People quickly take notice of the bond between the two, largely because Thomas looks like he is in his late 20s or early 30s, while Bonmamie is clearly over 70.

What raises eyebrows within the elite social circle in Knokke is that their connection isn’t limited to work — the two are frequently seen together. At first, Bonmamie claims Thomas manages her finances, but this is later proven false, as she secretly alters her property details without telling him.

But what truly leaves people, especially her family, shocked is when she discloses that Thomas is not just her aide, but also her partner, and that she plans to marry him soon. There’s little doubt that Thomas has been staying close to the old woman for her money, and he acts devoted to avoid any suspicion.

As part of Bonmamie’s plans, she instructs Thomas to approach Melissa, who is Olivia’s nanny, to gather more facts about Patrick’s supposed accident. A quick bond forms between Thomas and Melissa, and they begin an affair in secret.

But soon after, Thomas agrees to go along with Bonmamie’s wedding proposal. Melissa is understandably furious about this and confronts him, which leads to the revelation that Thomas’s interest in marrying Bonmamie is tied to both her riches and his desire for revenge.

Beneath his public image as Bonmamie’s much younger lover, Thomas hides a personal agenda that he keeps under wraps until later in the series. His real name and family history connect him to Jacques, a businessman and one-time friend-turned-enemy of Patrick, who used to run a surf club and restaurant before his life fell apart.

During season 1, Jacques was portrayed as an alcoholic, but the truth behind his drinking problem was the betrayal he faced from Patrick, with whom he once started a business. Years later, Jacques assisted Alex, Patrick’s son, in opening his club, which reignited old rivalries.

In response, Patrick forcefully bought Jacques’ business, cutting him off from the only thing giving his life meaning. That pushed Jacques deeper into alcoholism and led to his death by cardiac arrest. Thomas blames Patrick entirely for what happened to his father and now wants to make him suffer in return.

His strategy involves marrying Bonmamie and taking charge of the family wealth, cutting Patrick off from it completely. His goal is to disgrace Patrick and his entire family, although he has no real structure for how he plans to achieve this. He gradually loses focus as the season draws to a close.

It is only Melissa and Daan who uncover Thomas’ true motives and background. They choose not to alert others because they have their reasons for wanting to see Patrick fall, particularly Melissa.

Why does Thomas want to kill Bonmamie?

The wedding between Thomas and Bonmamie takes place quietly at a courthouse, without any invitation extended to the Vandaels, and they celebrate in private. But soon after, Thomas starts to reveal his actual intentions — he had never cared for Bonmamie and only got close to her for revenge.

Yet, what takes Thomas by surprise is the fact that Bonmamie had already suspected something wasn’t right. She had always believed that a younger man would only want to marry her if he had his eyes on her money.

Even though she briefly seemed convinced by Thomas’s displays of affection, it becomes clear she had her agenda all along. She likely sensed he was involved with someone else, and she decided to use him as long as she could before everything came crashing down.

So, before tying the knot, Bonmamie secretly moved all her assets into a corporate fund and ensured that everything would go to her son, Patrick. This news hits Thomas hard. Learning that Patrick — the very person he was trying to punish — would still walk away with the entire inheritance pushes Thomas over the edge.

He loses control completely and attacks Bonmamie, using a pillow to try and suffocate her. Though he had not initially planned to harm the old woman, his sudden outburst shows just how far gone he has become. Rage and frustration cloud his thinking, and he no longer cares about what might happen afterward.

All the pain that Patrick caused his father and the misery Thomas grew up with come rushing back, fuelling his violent actions. He no longer considers consequences and only wants to destroy those who caused his suffering.

Luckily, Olivia and Eleonore happen to visit Bonmamie at that moment — Olivia had wanted to apologise to her grandmother — and they arrive just in time to stop Thomas. After fleeing from Bonmamie’s house, Thomas heads out again, this time to confront Patrick directly and harm him.

Since Patrick is still recovering from previous wounds, he’s in no position to defend himself. Thomas, now consumed by anger and driven by a deep hatred for the wealthy, lashes out in what seems like a personal revolt against the upper class.

The others in the show frequently mention that although Thomas wants to bring justice for his father, his way of doing it — by trying to kill someone — is completely unjustifiable.

What happens to Thomas in the end?

During Thomas’s attack on Patrick, Alex steps in to try and protect his father but gets badly injured. At this point, Daan also happens to be around, having come by to share the news of his photography exhibit being cancelled and to visit his mother.

When they hear the commotion, Melissa and Daan rush in and try to stop Thomas from doing something irreversible. Although both mother and son are tired of how the rich have messed up their lives, they still have the clarity to know that killing someone is wrong.

By now, Thomas has lost all reason and sees even Daan as a threat, so he turns on him too and starts beating him up. At that moment, Melissa acts on instinct to defend her son. She grabs something heavy and strikes Thomas at the back of the head. The blow is fatal. Thomas falls, lifeless, into a pool of blood.

While Melissa acted to protect Daan, her action ended up saving both Patrick and Alex as well.