As the third episode of The Tourist begins, we hear Kostas (Alex Dimitriades) talking to another person about going hunting when he was younger. He talks to him about hunting before Kostas takes aim and kills the animal in front of him. They drag the animal out of the woods. They talk about how things change when you get older and simple things become complicated. He admits things cannot remain the same as the animal is thrown into the back of their van. He wonders what it is becoming and what the sum of all these parts might be. They take the animal back home and prepare it while the man says he has more money than he knows what to do with it. Still, he can’t capture the feeling he had when he was younger on the hunt. They sit down and prepare to enjoy dinner. Kostas says a man in his position can’t go scrabbling around in the sewers of Athens again.

Kostas doesn’t like the taste of the meat so the other man gives him something to drink that might make it better. He adds a few drops of something to the drink and takes a sip. He gets up and walks away from the table as the other man calls his name. Kostas is told there is only one hunt that matters and gives him what he needs. That would be Elliot Stanley. Next, the man (Jamie Dornan) asks Luci (Shalom Brune-Franklin) about Elliot Stanley and how she knows him. She begins by saying they met on Suluban Beach in Bali six months ago. He bought her a drink and things moved fast because they had chemistry. They stayed in her room for about three days before moving their flight to stay together a bit longer. He never talked about what he was doing before Bali so she stopped asking. He canceled his return flight and agreed to stay there with her forever if she wanted.

Luci admits the feeling was mutual and they liked each other. One day, a man with a gun showed up at their motel room. When he tried to kill them, Elliot broke the man’s neck. Meanwhile, Helen Chambers (Danielle Macdonald) knocks on Sue’s door hoping to find the man as we hear Ethan Krum’s voicemail message. She leaves a message telling Ethan (Greg Larsen) she came here like she said and feels stupid now because she doesn’t know what she is doing. She will wait another half hour and return home if they don’t show up by then. She congratulates him on the promotion and reminds him he said he belonged in the fish section. Luci tells the man that he said he made some bad people angry before they went separate ways. They had many differences so it was never plain sailing. When Elliot told her to leave and he’d handle it, she did.

He followed her to Australia so he is a needy murderer. When she found out about the accident, she went to the hospital and left the note in his pocket. Elliot says they still have no clue how he is connected to the man buried alive or the diner explosion. He believes they should find a charger for his phone to see if it holds any of the answers they’re looking for. He admits he might not want to know if what she is saying is true. He wonders whether the memories in his head are hiding because they don’t want to be found. He’d like to believe he could leave it all behind. The man also feels like he is trying to tell himself something that he should listen to. Luci confesses he never liked to listen and she doesn’t believe people change. Instead, they turn it inside-out and repeat it over and over. When he asks whether she was curious who he was, Luci reveals she Googled him a few times but found nothing. She didn’t care at the time because she was high on that crazy little thing.

They continue talking about their relationship and the fact Elliot was a gentleman although he had his moments. She admits it was like having a reset button and getting to start from scratch. She says they didn’t work like you wouldn’t believe. Eventually, they return to their rooms and enter separate rooms. However, the man eventually crosses the hall, enters Luci’s room, and they have sex. She shows him a position and promises that he likes it. After they’ve finished, they agree to get some sleep. Next, we join Detective Inspector Lachlan Rogers (Damon Herriman) and Sergeant Rodney Lammon (Kamil Ellis) who is asleep in the vehicle. Rogers wakes him up and welcomes him to Murray Waters. Lachlan says they should go get some sleep in addition to the sleep Lammon just got. As they try to get out of the vehicle, Lammon asks whether he snored.

Rodgers doesn’t want to talk about that. They go into The Weary Head Motel which is where the man and Luci are staying. Billy (Olafur Darri Olafsson) decides to visit Ethan Krum to see what he can find out about Helen. He calls himself Detective James Logan and claims to work undercover with Helen. As they step inside, Ethan admits he is worried about Helen because she has gone off the reservation without a permit. He offers to get them a drink while complaining that Helen has ideas well above her station. When he turns around and says Helen has gone full Florence Nightingale for the man, Billy pulls out his gun and prepares to kill him. Eventually, Ethan reveals Helen gave the man money to go to Burnt Ridge so he lowers the weapon. He asks Billy to have a word with Helen on his behalf. Before Billy goes, he agrees to do it and says Helen is lucky to have Ethan. Then, we see Lena Pascal (Victoria Haralabidou) zipping her suitcase before the man wakes up.

When he looks out the window, Luci looks over, spots Sergeant Lammon, and warns the man to get down. He wonders why they are there since they can’t know about the body, but Luci expects it might have something to do with the explosion. They briefly argue about her being sarcastic and the man asking stupid questions as they get dressed. Since the motel shift has changed, Luci believes they’ll have enough time to escape before the detective knows which room they’re in. They manage to escape and drive away in their vehicle. Seconds later, Sue (Genevieve Lemon) walks outside where she finds Helen sleeping with her face pressed against the car window. She gives Helen a drink before she gets out and introduces herself as probationary constable Helen Chambers with the department over in Cooper Springs. Helen asks her about the man who isn’t around. Sue tells her he went off somewhere yesterday and she doesn’t know when he is going to return. She goes inside where she is introduced to Ralph (Danny Adcock).

Sue tells him how deaf and rude Ralph is so she shouldn’t worry about him. Since Sue is going to head to the grocery store, she agrees to let Helen stay and wait for the man to return. Before she leaves, she tells Helen that the man went off with Luci. Sue asks if he is in trouble. Helen admits she doesn’t know although there are some dodgy people after him. She describes it as the snake game on mobile phones since the snake gets longer and has a greater chance of running into itself. Sergeant Rodney Lammon plays that game on his phone before Arlo (David Collins) walks by. Rodney shows him a picture of the man and he quickly confirms he saw him and the woman. Rodney screams for Rogers to come over and talk to Arlo since he can help them. Rogers tells Rodney to be less excited before checking his watch and realizing it is nearly 10. He excuses himself to call someone. While he is on the phone, Arlo tells Rodney he flew Luci and the man to the middle of the bush although they wouldn’t say why.

When they left, Arlo says it was very weird. He agrees to take them to the spot where he dropped them off, but he’ll have to get the keys from his brother who is likely in a pub somewhere. While Arlo goes to retrieve the keys, Rodney listens to Lachlan talk about cooking on the phone. Luci and the man stop at a gas station to get a charger for his phone, but they don’t have one. She believes Sue will have one since she is a hoarder. She admits she forget that he did this passive-aggressive thing. He complains that she knew he was a killer all this time although she says he killed in self-defense. He reminds her he knows nothing and just nodded along the previous night when she was talking. She believes they should go back and separate. They argue about that as the man wonders who she is. As they drive away, we see a missing poster for two tortoises named Hilda and Geoffrey.

Rodney says he has a friend in major crimes and they believe Lachlan calls someone at 10 every day. Rogers didn’t know he was a topic of discussion in police circles. He says you’ll make priorities in life. He used to just work every hour God gave him, but that changed when he got sick and had to go through surgery and chemo. As he spent a lot of time in hospitals, he started thinking about the most important things in his life. He didn’t want his other half with him so he decided to call her every day at 10. Even after he finished the chemo, he kept that habit. He thought about the amount of time he wasted and knew he never took time for what mattered in life. Once Rodney asks if he is better now, Rogers says he still calls. Arlo returns with the keys and offers them to sign a waiver before they go. Rogers reveals he flew Apaches for ten years so he is going to fly Arlo’s plane too. He flies them out to the waterfall sign seconds later.

Meanwhile, Luci and the man arrive at Sue’s place and Elliot heads inside alone. Helen answers the door and asks him how he is. He goes along with it before Luci shows up behind them. Luci insists she is a part of this and wants to know what is on the cellphone. Elliot believes Helen is his only friend in the whole world. While he goes for a charger, Luci asks Helen why she drove all the way down there. Helen explains there is a guy looking for him and he is outside right now. Billy walks toward the house whole shooting through the walls and windows. The others hide although Ralph hears nothing and continues watching television. Once Billy enters the house, Ralph stands up and gets blasted into the wall behind him. As Billy looks around, the man tries to get Helen to run over to where he is so they can escape through the door nearby. Instead, she stands up, points her gun at him, and identifies herself as a police officer.

He walks toward her as she orders him to put his weapon down. Billy laughs at the idea of Helen shooting him. She fires the gun but doesn’t come close to hitting Billy so he tries to shoot her. The man quickly knocks her to the ground to save her. Billy slowly walks around the table while telling Elliot he is a cockroach. As Billy gets closer, Elliot asks what he has done. Billy isn’t going to tell him. Before he can shoot them, Luci stabs him in the back with a pair of scissors. Elliot and Luci escape from the house. Helen checks on Ralph, but he is already long gone. Billy goes outside and chases Elliot and Luci in his vehicle. He follows them to another building and goes inside to kill them. Elliot hits with him a crowbar and Luci quickly grabs the shotgun. Billy stumbles outside and sits on the edge of the well. Elliot tells Luci to lower the weapon and wait before Billy leans back and falls into the well. Back at Sue’s place, another female police office wants Helen to get checked by a doctor. She tells Helen she’ll get Constable Sweeney (Simon Gilgora) to drive her there.

Before Helen goes, she takes a few minutes to comfort Sue. Lammon and Rogers find the dead body as Arlo says he didn’t see this because he was playing Dawn of the Vikings in his copter. Arlo says the man mentioned something about calling the police when they got back in the helicopter but quickly changed his mind. Lachlan calls the station to tell them to put everyone and everything into finding the man with amnesia because he might be a killer. He learns about the shootout at Burnt Ridge. Elliot sits down and complains that this didn’t have to happen and Ralph shouldn’t have died. Although Luci says it isn’t his fault, Elliot isn’t sure about that. She reminds him that the phone should be charged now and she isn’t coming because they’ve been down this road before. She let herself forget that last night and calls it stupid. She recommends using this as a fresh start while saying what he does now is what is going to matter.

He laughs and asks whether she got that from a fortune cookie. Luci responds she got it from her father just before he died from colon cancer. He apologizes, but she says it is okay because she thinks her dad got it from a fortune cookie. Ethan rushes to the clinic to check on Helen who promises she is fine. He is distraught and can’t believe that she almost died. He admits he doesn’t care and is only glad that she is alive. When he tells her he loves her, she tells him the same. Ethan wants Helen to come home right away, but she has a few things to clear up first. She follows him outside as he tries to convince her to leave. She tells him no because she isn’t coming. She spent a lot of time saying she wasn’t this or that and now she is worried she could be wrong. Helen wonders if she could be the only person capable of helping him. Ethan reminds her they have dance practice with Diego (Willian Rodrigues da Silva) at 4. She promises she’ll only need an hour max to ask a few questions.

Ethan warns her that she is going to lose him and that nobody else will want her. When she says that was really mean, he tells her to stop whimpering. He reminds her of the dance practice again and tells her not to come home at all if she misses it. Luci reveals she is going to go back, pack her belongings, and get out of there. She believes she has told him everything she knows. Elliot apologizes for everything and dragging her into it. Luci admits he was always terrible with goodbyes. They jokingly curse each other before going separate ways. Billy begins climbing his way out of the well so we know he isn’t dead. Once he props himself against the well, he gets a call from Kostas who wants an update. Billy says he was close until they got the drop on him. Kostas is worried Billy is getting overzealous again before learning they’re in Burnt Ridge. Kostas decides he is going to come out there and meet Billy.

Helen returns to Sue’s place. She talks to the other female officer shortly and agrees to watch the crime scene while he deals with a kid who ran out of petrol. She chugs an entire glass of water loudly before leaving. She checks the phone and finds the screen scrambled. As she steps outside, Elliot shows up and tells her the guy in the hat is gone. She gives him the phone back and explains it took a real beating. She thanks him for saving her life before mentioning that the bloke called him Elliot. The man introduces himself as Elliot Stanley. On the radio, Helen hears the dispatcher describe Elliot and confirm they want him arrested. Elliot insists that can’t be him while trying to get her to let him leave, but Helen wants to take him in. He doesn’t think he killed anyone. Helen believes the bigwigs can clear everything up if he goes down to the station. He pretends he is going to let her take him in. He quickly grabs her gun and takes her car.

When he finds it has a stick, he forces her to get into the vehicle and drive it for him. Once they get into the vehicle, Helen says she needs to be home by four. She warns him that he won’t be able to run forever since his face will be on all the newspapers in the country. Still, Elliot says he can run toward. As the car drives away from Sue’s property, Ethan tells Diego that she will be here. Diego says they can practice while they wait for her and they do. While Helen drives, Elliot messes with the phone and believes he can see a number on it. He taps it and throws the phone in the back seat as it begins calling someone. Luci walks toward her trailer. Billy waits inside with a baseball bat. Billy’s phone begins ringing so Luci realizes he is hiding in her home. She grabs a knife before we see Billy’s phone which says Marko is calling him. Billy asks about Elliot not remembering anything and whether it is true. She says it is.

Billy says lucky him while Luci ponders how Billy is still alive. He says he was going to ask the same thing while calling her Victoria. He swings the baseball bat at her as the episode ends.

 

The Tourist Review

It is easy to want and expect more from The Tourist since it has an outstanding cast and backing from some of the most successful production companies. Furthermore, HBO was once known for airing unmissable television. The cast is undoubtedly capable of delivering a hit series. The unique and beautiful scenery of the Australian outback was enough to help establish a creepy, strange mood.

Unfortunately, the show is beginning to deteriorate as it becomes obvious that it should’ve never been six episodes. The acting is respectable although the dialogue is cheesy and unrealistic at times. I really despise feeling overwhelmed with filler and any progress being quickly rewound by one simple twist. In other words, the episode placed significant emphasis on Billy’s hunt for the man. After a few action scenes, Billy was dead and that felt like a good way to progress the story, but he wasn’t.

When he climbed out of the well, it made many of the prior scenes feel pointless. While I am interested in seeing what happens, the fates of the characters concern me very little. Besides one scene, the humor doesn’t hit home for me although it might for others. It also doesn’t help that this is quickly transforming into a soap opera centered on a possible love triangle.

I just wish this was taken more seriously with authentic portrayals of Australians and humans in general. There is still time to make this a worthwhile series. It could be one of those shows that you have to watch every episode to fully enjoy the complex story. The episode scores a 5.5 out of 10. Recaps of The Tourist will be available on Reel Mockery here.