Right off the bat, I’m loving the way that The Tourist season 2 introduced us to what Elliot has been up to since we last saw him in season 1. Because he isn’t still in Australia, going through a really tough moment where he almost took his life. He’s moved forward and he’s done it with Helen. Coming into The Tourist as a show, I hoped that it would go in this direction. But if there’s anything that I’ve learned from Hollywood, this doesn’t really happen. The big girl doesn’t get the fit guy. She’s always the designated ugly fat friend or the duff. So I’m super grateful to The Tourist 2×01 for completely throwing that narrative out the window and having Elliot and Helen in bed together and traveling the world. These are the kind of adventures that I want to see from women that look like me. And it’s a very promising start to The Tourist season 2 that Elliot is in a more grounded place and that Helen is stepping outside of her box.
Of course, things aren’t easy after that special little moment of them blissfully happy. And I expected drama. You don’t take someone’s memory away on a show and not expect to unearth some really nasty stuff. But what I didn’t expect was for us to enter the Saw franchise. Part of it (and the pig) felt like it came out of nowhere but then I had to remind myself that season 1 had Elliot tripping after some psychedelic water. This show has done weird things and it continued to do so in 2×01. Thankfully that didn’t last too long and we came to find out that Elliot is even more trouble than he looks. So much so that they kidnapped him, chased him around the countryside, before sequestering him on an island. Elliot really can’t catch a break.
While I don’t have much to say about Elliot in this episode, because he’s kidnapped and everything, I’m really proud of how ready Helen is to find him. She meets this new policeman who definitely needs to spend more time socializing and less time in his basement. But even when he’s being a little bit too comforting and slightly bordering on creepy, Helen is still super proactive and faces every challenge that comes her way. It doesn’t even matter if that challenge is Elliot’s own mother, which is a completely woah moment. This character has proven to us, the viewer, that she will do what needs to be done to make sure her people are safe. And right now her person is Elliot. Like we mentioned earlier, Hollywood doesn’t give us women like Helen, so everything she does in this season 2 premiere feels different and like I’m watching something I’ve never seen before. It feels like progress or like the studio executives are finally listening to what we want instead of what they think we need.
But there is one thing about The Tourist 2×01 that I did not need. So much so that I have to control myself from cursing him out in the same manner that Helen did in season 1. I’m talking about Ethan. I see no earthly point of bringing him into season 2. He was Helen’s past and that past should stay there. And I’m aware that it’s a little of a double standard because we have Elliot dealing with his past, but Helen already told Ethan how she felt and where he could go. And bringing him back only leaves me with more questions than answers. What else could there be when it comes to Ethan? How does he fit into the story? I thought he was just a side character that she was supposed to realize she didn’t need. But now he’s here and sitting next to Lena Pascal?! Make it, make sense!
One thing’s for sure in The Tourist 2×01, Neve aka’s Elliot’s mother, she’s got a fire inside of her. And I mean more of a fire than stabbing someone in the face as a message. There is something about this actress that she exudes presence even when she’s just sitting in a diner having a cup of tea. And I think it’s a combination of the actress and the writing of The Tourist that she seems like someone who would put the fear of God in you with one look. I need more. I especially need more of her if it means that I’m going to figure out or see more of the kind of person Elliot is. You don’t just have a mom like that and come out unscathed or unable to do some truly horrifying things. And we know that Elliot is capable of horrible things thanks to Lena Pascal’s confession. Imagine how much worse he can be?
Looking forward to season 2 of The Tourist, my hope is that Elliot and Helen get more time together instead of time apart. The show has genuinely surprised me at various moments, including the romance between Elliot and Helen, but there’s something in the pit of my stomach that tells me it’s going to take a bit for them to get back together. Or if they even get together at all. This itch is so prevalent that I feel like skipping to the end of season 2 and figuring out if they end up together. I know that might be cheating but in this day and age, where everything is canceled left and right before romances can be fully realized or explored, I don’t have time to mess around. I’m just hoping that my gut is wrong and that The Tourist season 2 continues to surprise me in a way shows haven’t in a really long time.
The Tourist season 1 and 2 is now available on Netflix.
