The show begins with The Man (Jamie Dornan) driving across the Australian Outback. He stops at the Saddlepack Roadhouse for petrol and asks to utilize the toilet. The clerk, Tony (Jasper Bagg) requires customers to sign for the toilet key. He asks why and denies trying to buy it. He inspects the toilet, opens a door leading to the back of the store, and returns the key to Tony. After leaving, a semi-truck passes the convenience store in the same direction. He sings “Bette Davis Eyes” as the semi comes up from behind.

He pulls off the highway at Burnt Ridge, with the semi in tow. The truck rams into the back of The Man’s car multiple times. He watches the truck come up from his right. He veers off to the left to avoid hitting it. He travels through trees, forcing the truck to come to a halt. He reenters the highway and celebrates his success. A short distance down the road, the semi-truck hits the car from the driver’s side, causing it to turn over.

The Man wakes up in Cooper Springs Hospital. He was admitted to the hospital with no ID or cellphone. The nurse asks if he has someone to call. He doesn’t remember the accident or his identity. During an MRI, he listens to “If I Didn’t Care” by Ink Spots. He asks the technician to play “If I Didn’t Care,” but doesn’t know if it is an album or a song.

 

Cooper Springs Police Department Probationary Constable Helen Chambers (Danielle MacDonald) arrives at the hospital to question The Man. It is her first proper investigation. She specializes in traffic cases. He does not remember anything about the accident or his past life. She is shocked and has nothing to document in her notebook. Trying to remember is like trying to fly. She anxiously apologizes and tosses her pen across the room. The nurse gives him the clothes he was wearing upon arrival at the hospital. He searches the pants pockets and finds a note, with tomorrow’s date and an address to Gloria’s Diner. Chambers says the place is a small town to the north, the date could be tomorrow, last month, or next month.

The Man gives her the okay to say whatever she is thinking. A man driving through the Outback with no money, no phone, and no memory. He asks if she thinks he is lying.

Chambers stops for a chicken burger at Ronny’s, a fast-food joint. The clerk offers her a promotional deal, with additional cheese pockets. She eventually gives in. She eats her chicken burger while listening to classic music and dancing with her hands.

The Man gets out of bed to go get fresh air. He is tired of looking at the ceiling. The nurse takes him outside in a wheelchair and asks if it is what he expected. At least, he is no longer looking at the ceiling. He encounters a group of people congratulating someone for the birth of a baby. He takes the elevator back to his room but doesn’t remember the floor. He gets off on the third floor and searches for his room. A hospital worker asks if he is okay. He says, “I don’t know where the fu** I am.” The worker takes him to his room and helps him in bed.

 

Chambers arrives home and crams her fast-food wrapping in the dashboard before going inside. Ethan Krum (Greg Larsen) prepared avocado and roast beetroot. He wants to practice dancing for their wedding. Grinning, she says, “Oh, now, I just walked in.” as they dance, she talks about The Man who has no memory.

A man speaking Greek tries to scratch his way out of an underground coffin. He pleads for help.

Chambers visits The Man who demands to leave the hospital without medical advice. She tries to convince him to stay but he refuses. She gives him money for the bus fare and hopes he find what he is looking for.

The Man takes a commuter bus to Gloria’s. Diner. The note says to be at table 5 at 2:30pm. The bus driver alerts the passengers they have arrived at Burnt Ridge, which appears to be abandoned. He is met by a waitress, Sandy (Jeanette Cronin) who likes his accent. She asks what he is doing in Burnt Ridge. He says she wouldn’t believe him. Sandy tells Luci (Shalom Brune-Franklin) about The Man and his memory loss. He breathes a sigh of relief when a customer enters the diner. Luci spies on The Man from the kitchen.

Luci delivers a lemonade to his table. She has never met someone with amnesia and asks if she can do something to help. He tells her to give him the lemonade, which she spills. The toilet is not working, so she escorts him across the road. She apologizes for laughing when Gloria’s diner explodes. Sandy wasn’t injured in the explosion.

Chambers speaks at a Trim Team weight loss seminar. She talks about people teasing overweight people. If she loses weight, then she has given in. She tears up during her speech. Ethan says she did well for the first time. She r perceives a call from Sergeant Rodney Lammon (Kamil Ellis) at the Burnt Ridge Police Force during the meeting. The police have discovered The Man’s overturned vehicle.

The Man sets across the street from Gloria’s diner. He believes someone is trying to kill him. He takes a sip of his beer and says, “Oh, fu** me, that’s lovely, hope I didn’t use to be an alcoholic.” Luci drops him off at a rooming house. Ralph (Dannie Adcock) answers the door and points toward Sue (Genevieve Lemon). She charges 30 for the night but accepts his 20 and gets him a key. She gives the money to Ralph. She gives hi a hug to make him feel better. He breaks down and apologizes.

A man buried underground becomes short of breath while scratching the wall. He struggles to get his phone from an unknown caller.

The Man receives a phone call from Chambers. She is surprised he remembers her name. Sergeant Lammon found his camera at the crash site. She agrees to send him copies of the images from the phone to Sue’s email address. An officer asks what she is doing at his desk. She doesn’t have one yet. The Man looks at the images of the Nala Stone Men, which is about 10K from their current location. Sue offers to take him in the morning and says they can watch Survivor.

Billy (Olafur Darri Olafsson) arrives with a bouquet of flowers at the hospital. He asks a hospital worker The Man’s room number. He asks where he went. Billy’s mother was a nurse, it is fine work. He tells a parking attendant the machine at his ticket. His mother worked at a parking lot, it is fine work. He whistles while waiting for the parking attendant to lift the barrier.

The Man dreams of a woman. He unwraps the bandage from his ankle before getting out of bed. Sue drives him to Nala Stone Man. She is unnerved by his knuckle popping. He apologizes, “Habit, I guess.” A news segment on the radio says the explosion at Gloria’s Dinner was caused by a bomb. Sue says, “a bomb.” They arrive at Nala Stone Man. He still can’t remember. He visits the gift shop and asks for the surveillance footage from about three days ago. The clerk thinks his amnesia is awesome. On the 24^th, he enters the gift shop, which his shirt torn. Ralph helps interpret what he asks the clerk who gives him directions to the Saddlepack Roadhouse.

 

Sue gives him a strange look when he gets out of the vehicle. Tony calls him “The Comedian” but denies knowing him. He doesn’t remember signing for the toilet key. He asks Tony if he was trying to buy it.  He signed his name as “Crocodile Dundee.” He looks around the toilet and opens the door to the back. As he prepares to leave, he discovers the stuffed koala lying between a wall and a trash dumpster.

 

Luci grabs a beer out of the refrigerator and listens to “If I Didn’t Care” by Ink Spots. She stares at The Man’s photo on her phone. She has several images of them together stored in her phone.

As The Man walks back to the car, he hears a phone ringing. The phone is hidden inside the koala bear. He answers the call from the man buried underground. He pleads for help as the episode comes to an end.

 

The Tourist Review

As a big fan of Jamie Dornan, I decided to give the show a shot. It started out a bit shaky, about 15 minutes in, the actors began to settle into their roles. The cast is quite extensive for a 6-episode TV series. This basically means, there will be limited screen time for many of the characters.

The plot is not original, as it has been seen before in Duel and Breakdown, with Kurt Russel. After the first episode, there is no guarantee which route the show will take. At least, the amnesia tidbit is intriguing.

Can’t wait to see what will happen next. The episode deserves a 6.5.

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