The Tourist 1×06 marks the season finale of the new Netflix series. And we’ve got thoughts. Or I in particular have thoughts. Because while I liked season 1 of The Tourist, it left plenty of things to be desired. And I think that 1×06 is a perfect example of an episode that gives me a lot of things that I want like Elliot and Helen bonding but also an episode that takes away and absolutely breaks my heart like what they did with Luci. The death of Luci feels like a particularly brutal hit and I’m having trouble moving past it even though I had a gut feeling that someone was going to die by the end of the show. So was it worth it? Yes, I think it was worth it to watch season 1. But there are definitely things that this show can work on and I want to break them down.
Elliot’s Devastating Truth
What Elliot learned about himself in 1×06 was absolutely devastating. As the viewer, I knew that Elliot had been up to some s*** in the past and before he lost his memory. Luci clued us into it when she said he killed a man and the writers set up a mystery that went hand in hand with that. Nevertheless, it was so shocking and disgusting to find out the kind of person that Elliot really was. Because that vision of a woman that he kept seeing, he thought it was someone close to him. And because of the way that the writers for The Tourist set up the scene, I thought it could have been a mother or a relative. It wasn’t any of that. It was a woman that he had butchered.
Learning that you are such a vile human being right after losing Luci, aka the person he had a really deep connection with, absolutely broke Elliot. And it hurt me as the viewer to see this person who has gone through various phases when accepting that he doesn’t remember who he is, enter the ‘giving up’ phase of it all. Elliot was going to kill himself. He ended the season finding out some of his memories and not all. He lost Luci and kind of lost Helen too. All of that wrapped up together with discovering that he gutted someone and let two other women die, it was just too much for Elliot. And it was definitely the hardest moment to watch in The Tourist as a whole.
In many ways, when Elliot was laying there, waiting for those pills and alcohol to kill him, I thought that season 2 of The Tourist would maybe focus on somebody else. Because he had nothing and he was really in a dark place. But the writers did give Elliot something to hold on to. Maybe not a light at the end of the tunnel. But a spark of hope that acted as a throwback to something that happened earlier on in the season. A burrito emoji. Call it fate or maybe Helen knowing that Elliot needed her at that moment, she saved him. And I’ve got to believe that that smile at the end means that he’s going to be okay. It’s not going to be perfect because I’m pretty sure Luci wouldn’t be with someone who gutted a woman. Meaning, even she didn’t really know him. So who was Elliot before he met Luci? Personally I don’t think his name is even Elliot. He’s hiding something and season 2 will hopefully uncover it.
Helen Getting Rid of Dead Weight
It felt like Helen was reaching the culmination of something grand in this episode. Since the very start we’ve seen Helen hold back. We’ve seen her hold back in making changes to her weight, her job, or even just practicing for her wedding. She didn’t know what was holding her back or stopping her from choosing for herself. But we knew. Ethan was holding her back. This buffoon of a man came in when Helen needed him. And he stuck to her like a f**cking barnacle, sucking the absolute life out of her and putting her into this little box. A box that only he approved of and that he was okay with. And her time spent with Elliot helped her come to the realization that she doesn’t need Ethan. In fact, she’s better off without him.
Watching Helen tell Ethan to go f**ck himself felt cathartic. He has given her ultimatums and put her in such tough spots. And here she was standing up for herself, showing the natural progression of her journey built by the writers. And this progression is honestly one of the strongest parts of The Tourist. In the beginning I was hoping it was the mystery of it all. But as the show progressed I came to the realization that it is the characters that are the real star of this show. And one of the brightest shining stars of season 1 is Helen. Because we love a good underdog story and we love when someone starts believing in themselves for themselves. Not for a man or a career or children. Even though those are fine if you choose to follow those paths. Helen did it for herself.
I especially like how in this episode she also went and helped Elliot after the death of Luci but also during the hostage situation. It’s a dynamic that I have loved since the beginning and I truly didn’t expect to get here or for Helen to go for what she wanted when it came to kissing Elliot. Him reciprocating means something. And I hope that Helen stays in this empowered place whenever season 2 drops on Netflix because I want to see more of her. If this is just the beginning, it’s going to get a little messy as she tries to figure out who she is, but I hope that she is there to continue on this path that Elliot himself is on. But them together as a couple is something that we will talk about at the end of this review.
Luci Deserved Better
The Tourist 1×06 broke my heart when it came to Luci. I knew that someone was going to have to pay the price for none of the main characters dying during the series, but I didn’t want it to be her. Truthfully, I didn’t want it to happen to any of the main characters. And even though I felt like it was coming, I hoped that The Tourist would be different and let Luci live. But I was wrong. And she died from a gunshot wound in the most trope-like scene ever. A trope that breaks my heart and that I loathe with a ferocity. Luci deserved better.
I wanted to see Luci come back for season 2 of The Tourist. I haven’t looked into what happens in the second season but I wanted to see her survive. Because if there’s anything that The Tourist taught us, it’s that she’s a survivor. And it feels like the same old story of a woman having to be fridged to give the character development. Usually that character is male. And this has nothing to do with shipping and the fact that I like Elliot and Helen together more. This has to do with the fact that Luci had potential to be a rogue baddie by herself in season 2. Plus I wanted to see her throw it down with other bad guys with Helen by her side.
Looking back on season 1 of The Tourist, I really liked how Luci came about and how she was this morally gray character. Women like her, you don’t see that on screen. You see that even less on the screen if it’s a woman of color. And I think I would have been in a happier place with this show if Luci survived. She fought so hard and she deserved better than dying in the backseat of an old car in the middle of nowhere. And she deserved infinitely more than having her body left out there for someone else to find. It’s like the whole thing when heroes can’t have parents. They always have to die. It’s the same thing with women like Luci. They are there to prop up other characters when they themselves are intriguing AF and deserve time to shine.
How Elliot and Helen Changed Each Other
Elliot and Helen were that unexpected element of The Tourist season 1 that grounds this show. Looking back at everything that happened, I definitely don’t love everything. I remember what I thought at the beginning of the show and how I was so interested in the mystery. And as the show progressed the mystery went out the window and I was more focused on the relationships between the main characters. I was especially intrigued by the relationship between Elliot and Helen because we don’t see things like that. And I feel like a broken record saying that over and over again but I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone who has my similar body type in a position like Helen’s.
Helen got to have the adventure with the super hot fit guy. She got to be the heroine and the one pushing past obstacles and coming in clutch when needed. She was also the one who went through this journey of self-discovery with Elliot but also by his side, which is the most important distinction as to why I like this ship. Elliot is trying to get his memory back. But he’s also trying to figure out what kind of person he is. So he’s doing this for himself but also knows that he can depend on Helen. Not because she’s easily manipulated or daft enough to think that he would like her. He does like her. He respects her. And he knows that if he’s in trouble he can call her. I also think that Helen knows that there is someone in the world that unequivocally knows that she is a force of nature that can be depended on.
That’s why I think it’s going to be interesting to see what will happen to Elliot and Helen in season 2. I took a little peek and I saw that they’re both in it. And it’s going to be interesting to see who they become as their relationship turns into something more. Because I had my doubts in the beginning and did some wishful thinking. But it’s definitely going in that direction and they both are going to hopefully gain some good from them being together, specifically who they are without the dead weight of someone like Ethan or the dark and heavyweight of a super murky past. Having someone by your side can change your life monumentally. They already did it in season 1. I can’t wait to see what they’ll do in season 2.
The Tourist season 1 is now available on Netflix. Season 2 is coming February 29th.
