Originally published on Screen Rant on February 28, 2024.
In the wake of The Tourist’s well-plotted first season, it was easy to want more. From Jamie Dornan’s effortless charm to series’ writers Harry and Jack Williams’ edge-of-your-seat plot twists, the six-episode show managed to bottle lightning. Although the Williams brothers (Fleabag, Angela Black) didn’t set out to make more than a miniseries, BBC One renewed the surprise hit. Despite Dornan and Danielle Macdonald’s palpable chemistry, The Tourist season 2 sounds about as appealing as the sophomore outing of Big Little Lies did: Great in theory, but, in reality, purely a (Laura Dern) meme factory.
With Ethan Coen’s brutal-yet-hilarious Drive-Away Dolls in theaters, it’s hard not to compare The Tourist to a Coen brothers project. Season 1 drops Elliot (Dornan) in the middle of the outback. He survives a car crash, but wakes up with amnesia. The mystery surrounding Elliot’s identity becomes even more enthralling when it becomes clear he’s in danger. Even if he doesn’t remember his motivations, Elliot committed some pretty dark deeds, which makes for a rather layered protagonist.
For better and worse, The Tourist season 2 doubles down on its signature blend of thrills, twists, and dark humor.
The Tourist Season 2 Sets Itself Apart By Relocating To Ireland
At the end of The Tourist season 1, Helen Chambers (Macdonald) decides to give Elliot a second chance. In between seasons, the newly minted couple leave Australia behind to travel the world. Predictably, the easy bliss of budding love doesn’t last. Helen reveals that she received a letter from “Tommy,” a man who claims to know about Elliot’s past. Intrigued, Elliot and Helen head to Ireland. Almost immediately, Elliot is abducted by the cold-blooded McDonnell family gang, prompting Helen to seek help from Detective Ruairi Slater (Conor MacNeill). By chance, she also meets Elliot’s ruthless mother, Niamh (Olwen Fouéré).
The Emerald Isle’s verdant fields and sea-shaped crags offer a stark contrast to the orange-hued sands of The Tourist‘s season 1 filming locations. However, the striking setting isn’t the only glaring change. While season 1 excelled at dropping unpredictable plot twists — often couched in ridiculous antics — season 2 misses the mark. Instead of creating solid, episodic stories that feed deftly into a larger narrative, the sophomore outing becomes a somewhat exhausting string of plot twists. As the shock value fades, tedium sets in — a real surprise given the show’s subject.
A Fargo Derivative, The Tourist Still Gives Genre Fans An Entertaining Ride
Gratuitous at times, The Tourist mines its material for all the weird, stunning beats it can. In a television landscape that’s dominated by remakes, reboots, sequels, and spin-offs, The Tourist‘s commitment to originality is commendable, even if it doesn’t always land.
Despite its unique feel, The Tourist bears a resemblance to FX’s Fargo. The tightly plotted Fargo season 5 does the whole idiosyncratic crime caper schtick better, partly because it holds up to scrutiny. The Tourist‘s greatest season 2 flaw might just be that there’s so much crammed into six episodes that the narrative logic isn’t always sound.
Still, The Tourist season 2 is worth watching. Led by Dornan and Macdonald, The Tourist‘s cast helps ground the show even when it’s in too far over its head. As in season 1, Dornan proves he has leading-man charisma, action-hero chops, and killer comedic timing. Elliot might not remember much about his troubling past, but, somehow, Dornan makes the character appealing. Looked at too closely, the story’s twist-a-minute gimmick falls apart, but there’s no denying that The Tourist is a fun thrill ride.
Sometimes, being entertained, charmed, and surprised is enough, especially when you’re surrounded by familiar faces. That logic was sound enough for Big Little Lies and Dern, and it holds true for Dornan and The Tourist season 2.
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