Jamie Dornan returned to television in 2021 with The Tourist, a 6-episode thriller about an amnesiac man trying to find out his true identity. Originally produced as a miniseries, it was rewarded with a second season given the popularity and the strong critical reception. It is created by acclaimed writers Harry and Jack Williams, and it was a co-production between BBC, Stan and HBOMax. Given how good the first season was, expectations were naturally high for the second one.
Unlike the first season, this season is set in Ireland which works well for the show as it gives it a new mysterious setting. Also, the UK produces some of the best crime dramas, so this landscape would naturally fit the twisted storyline. The season picks up with Helen and Elliot traveling the world and at some point in time they decide to go to Ireland so that Elliot can know more about his past. Things very quickly start going wrong for the couple as soon as they arrive in the country and many of Elliot’s friends and foes start appearing.
One of the strongest parts of the first season was that you could never see the twists coming, well this time around the twists are more shocking and come your way much more frequently. The story is really well constructed and layered, which is a result of a clever and well-rounded script. The direction is also note-worthy and this season is given a more grand and sort of epic feel to it. We also get some dangerous stunts and action scenes, especially during the car chase sequences. As far as the supporting characters go, the less you know about them the better.
It is great to see Jamie Dornan back on the small screen where he first broke out with the role of Paul Spector in The Fall. He once again shows his acting prowess here and proves that he is very capable of pulling off layered dramatic roles as well. Danielle MacDonald was excellent as well. She gets a much heavier arc this season, but she pulls them off comfortably. Conor MacNeil also continues to impress and has a bright future. The real standout this season is Greg Larsen as Ethan Krum. He is hilarious and gets an amazing arc this season, and was also the only source of charm and comic relief this time around.
The first 3 episodes of this season absolutely knock it out of the park. The fourth episode is where it starts getting shaky and going overboard. The second half of the season isn’t bad, but it is certainly not as strong as the first half. The makers give us a shocking twist sometime in the second half, but they don’t stick with it and I really wish they did. They tried to do something very ambitious, which just resulted in a rushed ending that left too many things unresolved.
The Tourist Season 2 is an exhilarating edge-of-the-seat thriller that offers an intense rollercoaster ride of mystery. Led by 2 powerhouse performances from Dornan and Macdonald, this season has an even more twisted story with compelling characters and offers some of the most shocking twists you’ll see all year. Overall, it’s a great sophomore return for this show and sets up some very exciting things for the future. If you love fast-paced mystery thrillers, this is one of the best out there.
The Tourist season 2 will release on BBCiPlayer on January 1.
