I hated so much of The Tourist 2×03. And it’s not because of Elliot or Helen. Per usual, they are pretty spot-on and continue to be my favorite part of the show. I hated a lot of this episode for one single reason: Ethan. Every single time his toxic face popped up on my screen I just wanted to create a machine to jump into the show and destroy him. Because no matter what he says to Elliot, he is still the same patronizing and sexist jerk he’s always been. But this time around, he delivers his garbage with a veneer of therapy and supposed enlightenment. And I took great pleasure every single time Elliot looked at him like he was the biggest buffoon in the entirety of Ireland. Because he is.
A little bit more on my Ethan hate. He really had the nerve to act like he believed in Helen more than anyone else when he basically told her that she had delusions of grandeur and should stay where she belongs in season 1. He probably thinks that we’re going to forget that but we’re not. And it’s clear that Elliot isn’t buying anything he’s serving up either. In addition, Ethan thinks he’s going to fight for Helen’s hand? This isn’t the stone age. You can’t just club Elliot and then win Helen. She’s her own person and the fact that he thinks he can come and do this in this century just shows how backward he is and how he is the true villain of this entire series.
Ethan’s microaggressions weren’t even just for Helen. At every turn he wanted to be the one to lead the charge while still being a coward when confronted with an actual physical altercation. He had to make sure that he checked the gate even though Elliot had his hands on it. And he had to check the location on his super creepy stalker phone even though Elliot was very capable. He’s a clown and I cannot believe he thinks he has even an iota of a chance with Helen or to befriend Elliot. And he is dangerous because that thin veneer of therapy that he has and uses as a shield to act like he’s better, that can shatter in 2 seconds. Imagine how infinitely worse a man like him could be. Definitely worse than that cop that kidnapped Helen.
The cop, whose name I don’t even care to know, feels like a waste of time in the grand scheme of The Tourist. I still don’t understand what was the point of having Helen be kidnapped by him and to dive into this plot of loss and grief. Furthermore, I don’t understand why the show found it necessary to remind Helen that Elliot is a “broken man.” This cop who kidnapped her is not comparable to Elliot, even though fairly enough he did kidnap her in season 1. But I don’t think there was any chance of Elliot actually killing her. But this guy? If he had to choose and she actually did stab him during that dance, he would have killed her. And I really hated that they had to throw a bone of sad puppy dog story time to the guy who had his dead wife in the basement and had no problem pretending like Helen was her.
I think we’ve gotten to the point in this review for The Tourist 2×03 where I’ve realized that I haven’t really talked about Elliot as much as I should. Or Eugene, if we’re going by his OG name. But Elliot got some major moments in this episode. Moments that I would definitely be catatonic for after because he’s just taking in so much information in a rush in comparison to season 1 which was a trickle of information. He got to meet his mom and see his home in 2×03. He also learned that he was a dancer and that he had a brother that looked just like him that was killed. All of that is devastating to know and it sucks even more that he’s not able to connect with that part of himself. The same thing goes for finding out you have a son. And I’m with the mom in thinking, maybe it was better that he didn’t know.
With Ethan being the elephant in the room, I don’t know where Elliot and Helen are going to go next. I know that Lena Pascal is still a looming threat. And there’s the fact that the mafias of the area are about to throw it down. But all of the mafia stuff feels like a giant misunderstanding that hopefully will be fixed before more bodies drop. But things can’t be that easy and we’re only in episode 3. More people are going to die and I hope it’s not that young boy that Elliot just found out is his son. But in comparison to season 1, I think The Tourist 2×03 is really fleshing out Elliot’s world in surprising yet terrifying ways. Because in season 1 he found out about all the terrible things he did. But in season 2 we’re really getting a look into the people who loved him and what was his younger years looked like.
Here’s hoping that when everything comes crashing down, Elliot and Helen can ride off into the sunset together and whole. Because I don’t think I’ve ever watched a TV show with such a lovely reunion with a female lead that looks like me and a man that looks like him. I haven’t seen those desperate kisses shared after time apart or the relief of finding out that someone like her is okay. It feels right and one of the reasons why The Tourist, no matter how it ends, we’ll have a special place in my heart.
The Tourist season 1 and 2 is now available on Netflix.
Before you go, please check out our previous review for 2×01 here.