It doesn't fail. A television production is released as if it were a miniseries: with that comfort of knowing that the story will be told when they say goodbye after a few weeks (and that no cancellation can spoil it for you). Then, depending on the success, those responsible look for a way to stretch the gum or simply offer a new story with the same characters. And, in the case of The tourist, the comedy thriller surpasses this idea of stretching the gum with note with the second season that HBO Max releases.
Let's remember what the first season was about. A man (Jamie Dornan) suffered an accident in the Australian desert and, upon waking up in the hospital, he did not even remember his name. The amnesia was especially inopportune because a hitman (Ólafur Darri Ólafsson) wanted to kill him. Besides, that wasn't his country as his Irish accent betrayed. With the help of a good-natured police officer (Danielle Macdonald) whose wings her fiancé (Greg Larsen) wanted to clip, he tried to understand who she was and, above all, survive with a psychopath at his heels.
Harry and Jack Williams, the creators, offered a seductive combination that seemed to be inspired by the Coen brothers' Fargo. There was thriller, yes, but also a clear sense of black comedy. It was tense when it intended but had a sense of black comedy and fun that permeated the entire production, even when the subject matter turned dark. Who are you when you have no memory but discover that you were a cruel and deplorable human being? Are you free from sin or do you not even have the possibility of redemption?
The second season delves into this idea when forgetful Elliot decides to go to Ireland with Helen, the now retired police officer, after spending a romantic vacation in Southeast Asia. A note makes them believe that they will find more answers about his identity, understand Elliot's origins and why he ended up involved in organized crime. But, instead of reuniting with a childhood friend, the amnesiac soon finds himself kidnapped and Helen finds herself asking a disturbed local police officer (Conor MacNeill) for help.
The Williams brothers once again sign all the scripts for the six-episode season, which has its first incentive in the change of scenery. The warm colors of the Australian desert are abandoned to enter the island of Ireland, its humid landscapes, and a photography that exalts greenish tones. The thick accents of the characters that appear also help, especially that of a woman played by Olwen Fouéré whose hairstyle must be one of the greatest successes of the season, due to the way it helps create and sell her character.
The other advantage is that the English scriptwriters maintain the sense of fun with a work that, if possible, they take even less seriously: The tourist becomes a thriller of entanglements with the clear motto of never prolonging any situation too much to so that the viewer does not feel stuck or overthink the high rate of coincidences. And the fact is that, for example, the local police officer has his eccentric personal story, with the sole purpose of providing histrionic moments to the footage, and there is even a way to incorporate Ethan, Helen's former fiancé, again with an arc of character who laughs at the deconstruction of toxic masculinity.
This has its negative side. There are moments when The tourist loses its strength. It is missing that the key characters are squeezed because of so much speed in the turns. Perhaps the main conflicts remain (if Elliot can emancipate himself from who he was and if Helen can reconcile with the forgotten past of her lover) but, looking at the origins, it would be good to take advantage of the ancestral quarrels that arise.
Luckily, the tangle is tangled enough to distract from the lack of depth and the main couple maintains both their individual grace and their chemistry as a couple: Danielle Macdonald knows how to develop Helen's increasingly brave and unconscious drift and Jamie Dornan is confirmed as an actor of presence. He does not need to go overboard in acting to convey and to seduce the camera with each shot. He has the quality of a heartthrob (of those from before).
