The Tourist Season 2 Episode 6 Recap

The episode opens with Helen Chambers (Danielle Macdonald) visiting Elliot Stanley (Jamie Dornan) in jail. He immediately chides her for not being home recuperating from the gunshot. Despite the evidence against him, he still claims his innocence. Although they both profess their love for each other, she claims not knowing his history is too much to bear.

Frank McDonnell (Francis Magee) attempts to help Fergal McDonnell (Mark McKenna) get over his father’s, Donal McDonnell (Diarmaid Murtagh), death by giving him the mission of killing Eugene Cassidy (Jamie Dornan). After Frank gives him an inspirational speech about living up to the family name, Fergal is shown in his room with what appears to be a crude homemade explosive.

Elliot is stunned when Officer Garda (Kevin Oliver Lynch) tells him he’s going to be released. When he finds Niamh Cassidy (Olwen Fouere) outside waiting on him, he incorrectly assumes she is behind the release. She wastes little time letting him know Frank facilitated the release to make him an easier target. She assures him the protection of the family right before he receives a text from Fergal.

Helen’s plans to return home are thwarted when she sees Detective Ruairi Slater (Conor MacNeill) and Ethan Krum (Greg Larsen) laughing it up at the airport bar. Although she’s incensed with rage, she ends up asking for Slater’s assistance after he reveals Frank facilitated Elliot’s release.

Elliot attempts to convince Fergal he had nothing to do with his father’s death. Fergal claims he doesn’t care before asking for Elliot’s help. After Elliot reluctantly offers his help, it’s revealed that Sean (Brian Robinson) has been monitoring and reporting their meeting to Niamh. He’s caught off guard and shot in the head by Ned Tooley (Fin Dowling), who is then picked up by an accomplice in a yellow sedan.

Slater uses his police contacts to track down Elliot Stanley’s widow, Deidre (Alma Kickham). He and Ethan later tag along while Helen questions her. Deidre doesn’t try to conceal his distaste for Niahm or the belief that she was responsible for Elliot’s death.  Helen learns that Elliot was a semi-famous salvage diver, who was contracted by Niamh’s husband, Frank to dive for the wreckage of a downed plane. Deidre suspects whatever he found led to his death. She also mentions rumors about him last being seen getting into a Diamond Express Taxi with Niahm. She would later show up in town, alone and covered in dirt.

Elliot is in the process of taking Fergal to the Cassidy Pub when he notices they are being followed. A chase ensues and ends up with Elliot and Fergal barrel-rolling off a cliff. Looking down at the destroyed car from atop the cliff, Ned phones Liam (Rory Mullen) to boast about the success and make sure the news is passed on to Frank. Ned doesn’t know how to take it when Liam says Frank’s orders were not to harm Elliot. As Ned and his associate return to the vehicle, Elliot and Fergal are revealed to be hiding in the brush.

Helen, Ethan, and Slater visit the Diamond Express Taxi Company where they learn from the owner’s son, Monsieur Tiot (Reginal Kudiwu) that his father was a meticulous record keeper. The only problem is, they are all paper and Tiot has no intention of helping them dig through them.

Now traveling by foot, Fergal tells Elliot that he lied about not caring for his father and even now feels guilty for wishing he would die. Elliot attempts to comfort him.

While searching through the taxi records, a confrontation with Ethan forces Helen to reevaluate her relationship with Elliot.

Liam receives another call from Ned Elliot’s vehicle was empty. The news is quickly relayed to Frank at the same time Fergal and Elliot arrive at the Cassidy Pub. Fergal immediately questions his decision to tag along but Elliot assures him he will be fine. Inside the pub, Niamh is furious with Elliot and immediately orders Fergal to the other side of the bar to reveal the contents of his bag. There is no bomb in the bag but there is a handgun, which causes a bit of a stir. Elliot attempts to defend him, but in Niamh’s haste and anger, she admits to killing Fergal’s father. This incites Elliot, but he doesn’t get much of a chance to express his anger, as Niamh orders Tomasz (Raresh DiMofte) to call Frank and tell him they have his grandson. She dismisses Elliot and assures him that if Frank comes she won’t hurt Fergal, but he insists on staying.

Helen manages to locate the 42-year-old ticket while Slater and Ethan are discussing a rabbit sandwich Ethan mysteriously showed up with. As they head out to track down the lead, the McDonnells and Cassidys are shown preparing for a showdown. The ticket leads Helen, Ethan, and Slater to a payphone aside the road. While Slater steps away to take a call from the station, Helen and Ethan debate where Niamh might have buried whatever she retrieved from the plane crash. Once Slater returns to tell them about the potential showdown between the two families, they begin walking the fields behind the pay phone. After what appears to be hours of searching, Helen finds a tract of ground that looks recently disturbed. At nearly the same time, Frank arrives at the pub and refuses to be searched as he makes his way inside. He and Niamh trade insults before she offers Frank the opportunity to trade his life for Fergals. Frank responds by mentioning Fergal’s betrayal and reveals the bomb that Fergal was supposed to bring with him. They continue to argue about how to proceed until Helen shows up with love letters. She explains that the letters are from Frank’s father and are addressed to Niamh’s mother. It’s also revealed that Frank and Niamh are brother and sister. Although Niamh attempts to deny the claims, it appears that she already knew.

6 months in the future, Helen can hardly contain her excitement as she arrives home with her new private investigative business cards. She rants about the cards and how nice the Dutch people are while Elliot appears to be stressed over a manila envelope on the coffee table. When asked, he refers to the file as, “The Life and Times of Eugene Cassidy.” Her first question is why someone would have a file on him, which he has no answer for. He says he hasn’t read the file but offers her a chance to read it. She claims she doesn’t need to know either and he throws the file a woodstove.

With that decided, she takes him to a theater where he stands alone. After some words of encouragement, he begins dancing. The footage begins switching between his dancing and the burning file  The cover slowly burns away to reveal that Elliot may have been some kind of special agent.

 

The Tourist Finale Review

I must admit that the ending threw me for a loop. I certainly was not expecting Eugene/Elliot to be a special agent, if this in fact the case. As bad as I felt this season was, fans may never get a chance to find out because there is a real possibility for a cancellation here. From start to finish, it felt like a chore slogging through this.

The possible relation between the McDonnells and Cassidys was interesting as well, but I feel that a short runtime would have sufficed. In fact, a 30 to 40-minute episode would have probably ended up being more impactful. Giving this episode a 4.4 out of 10 feels far too generous. I had really high hopes for this.

The episode deserves a 4.5 out of 10. Get more The Tourist recaps here. Support Reel Mockery by donating. Our onsite advertising can help build online awareness, click the link to reach our staff. Join our newly established forum to discuss the latest TV shows, celebrity news, sports, and films.