Ahhh! I knew there was going to be a second season of The Tourist, but I had no clue when. And I certainly didn’t know that it moved over to Netflix! Max’s trash is Netflix’s treasure, I assure you.
This time around we meet up with Elliot and Helen as they are on their extended travels. After some time, Helen convinces Elliot that they should go to Ireland to find a friend that had reached out in a letter that she’d been safekeeping. With some reluctance he agrees and it’s almost immediately blown to bits. While waiting to get some answers from his old friend, he gets kidnapped by a rival family for some payback. It’s early here that we learn he’s actually Eugene Cassidy and the family that’s seeking some retribution are the McDonnell’s. The more Elliot is trapped with these people, the more he’s convinced he doesn’t want to know any more about who he was.
Luckily, the youngest McDonnell, Fergal, helps him get back to the mainland where he learns that Helen has been kidnapped in her quest to find him. That’s a lot of kidnapping for just the first two episodes! Helen, bless her heart, tries helping out the local Garda, Ruariri, who’s got some seriously deep-seeded psychological issues. He doesn’t want to hurt Helen, but you know that he just might if she makes the wrong move. Eventually, the two do come to an understanding once he’s had some sense talked into him. She vows to not say anything as he promises he’s going to turn himself in anyways. Yeah, okay.
By the time Elliot and Helen reunite, they’ve already had the sit-down with his mother, a ruthless woman, and they learn that Elliot left shortly after his brother was shot and killed by the McDonnell’s. This is a family war, and Elliot and Helen want nothing to do with it. In fact, despite how much Helen loves Elliot, she realizes that she doesn’t really know him and is swayed by some pretty serious doubts. She’s got time to dwell on it while Elliot tries to right the wrongs his mother had set in motion a long time ago. I think we do ultimately get a happy ending, and of course there’s just enough of a cliffhanger to warrant another season if the Netflix programmers and budget allow.
I really enjoy this show, especially the way Jamie Dornan and Danielle Macdonald act as the leads, but this season also added some really wild twists and turns that made for an interesting season. Definitely check this out!