The Tourist 1×05 tore open Elliot’s mind and allowed him to walk through his memories without fully grasping what they are. And I really enjoyed that the show didn’t go from point A of him not knowing anything to point Z and him knowing everything. His memories are still a mystery to himself but he is trying for something better nevertheless. And in a way, I think his mind is trying to protect him from something really bad and guiding him towards something surprisingly good by the end of season 1.
What Elliot’s Memories Mean
It’s kind of extraordinary that The Tourist managed to take us down this loopy timey wimey kind of adventure in 1×05. We got to see not just Elliott’s memories as they are but how he interprets them. We also got to see physical manifestations molded by his real life within his mind. Within it he found his father, how he met Luci, and how with Helen, he feels the safest he has in a really long time. All of it together paints a vastly complicated picture of a man trying to find himself.
I also feel like this episode made me once again interested in the mystery of The Tourist but not when it comes to the Greek guy or the detective who’s gone rogue. There’s more to Elliot than just a guy who worked for a deadly man who packed his millions away with a special spot for his first million. You don’t just end up in a position like that by mere coincidence. Maybe in real life you do. But in a show like this you don’t. These discoveries he made about the time he spent with Luci and what ended up happening to that guy in the barrel once he ended up in Australia, they matter. But they’re just surface level.
Personally, I don’t want Elliot to look deeper into his memories. We saw how calm and happy he was with Helen in that bed. We saw that this physical manifestation in his brain had them together in a moment of peace. She matters to him. And I feel like if he digs deeper into his previous memories with Luci and his other job, he’s going to pull away from this happy place with Helen. And this happy place is full of light and orchestra music because you best believe I caught that. That music was a choice by the showrunner and I feel like it speaks louder than anything else on the show.
Helen and Luci, I Love You Both
As much as I love the time that we explored Elliott’s mind, I really just loved seeing Luci and Helen interacting. I usually am really divided when it comes to shipping and the women in a series when it pertains to said ship. Or I used to be. I feel like it’s easy for shows to pit women against each other and for us the viewer to fall into that. And you kind of saw a tiny bit of that when Helen said that nothing happened in the hotel room. But that was instantly squashed because Luci didn’t care. She’s strong enough and confident enough within herself to not care about things like that and I want to move forward with that and kill any inherent biases I have had within me that pits women against each other.
Even though I know we’re at the tail end of this series, I like that Helen called Luci for help. I also like that Luci hung up on Helen. Just because Elliot cares for Helen does not mean that Luci has to care for Helen. Lucy has her own shit. In the same vein, Helen has her own shit. And I like that the fact that they both care for Elliot is what’s driving them forward. Or at least partially. Because it’s not all the Elliot show. Lucy is doing this because she’s a survivor and it kind of seems like she’s done leaving enemies or loose ends behind. And Helen is doing this because she is trying to discover who she is.
Truthfully, and I’ve said this before, I would like to see more of these characters spending screen time together. I want to see what adventures they get up to and see them put Elliot in his place when he comes around with his brooding nature. It would just be hilarious and I’m so desperate for women that I actually like spending time together. Yet I fear that this might not come true and that one of them might bite the bullet. The show has made me too comfortable with keeping the ones I love alive and it’s going to hurt one of these women in particular because Elliot is safe as the main character. And I can’t choose. Even if Luci is his past and Helen is the future, I like both of them and I don’t need any of them to die to progress Elliott’s story.
Still Don’t Care About the Mystery
The Tourist 1×05 further expanded on Elliott’s previous life. It showed us that he was okay working for a deadly man. But it also showed us that he was open to love and the possibility of more to the point where he left everything to go and find Luci in Australia. Keeping that all in mind, I think the weakest part of The Tourist is the mystery of who he was before. A part of it has to do with the writing for sure. And I feel terrible saying that because I’ve enjoyed what I’ve seen so far. But in comparison to the acting by the main cast and the chemistry they all have with each other, the mystery just disappears.
I literally do not care about whoever that old guy is on that phone in 1×05. I don’t care about this Greek guy looking for his million. I don’t care that he’s having hallucinations. And I don’t even care that this detective is doing this to Elliot because he’s got someone on the line as well. I simply do not care and hope that all of this ends and leads to my favorites being happy and healthy. Most importantly I hope it means that they are alive. But like Dwight said if wishes were horses we’d all be eating steak. It doesn’t make sense if you think about it too much but it does make sense in the fact that someone is not going to make it out of this season alive as much I wish wouldn’t happen. TV has taught me to wait for that blow. I just wish that the writing would be part of that blow.
Hopefully season 2 of The Tourist will find a better balance when it comes to character versus plot.
The Tourist season 1 is now available on Netflix.