What would you do if you could get a second chance at life? Would you opt for a fresh start or be weighed down by your past? A rather thought-provoking question confronts Jamie Dornan’s character in this thriller as he suffers from amnesia after a freak accident in the Australian outback, losing everything about his identity. The more this Irish man learns about his past, the more convoluted this thriller becomes. Despite an above-average screenplay, we see some fascinating characters as they become a part of this amnesiac man’s journey. Full of unexpected twists, this Stan original does not disappoint its thriller-seeking audience.
Spoilers Ahead
What’s The Story About?
As the series begins, we see Dornan’s character, also known as Elliot Stanley, driving through the Australian outback as he gets chased down by a truck. He initially outruns this murderous stalker but ends up being rammed into anyway, knocking him out. This Irish man wakes up in a hospital suffering from severe amnesia, unable to remember even his name. He is visited by an overly kind probationary constable, Helen Chambers, sent to put his case on the record, developing a soft spot for the poor man in the process. The only clue he is left with is a note with an address along with a date and time. He arrives at the location, ‘Gloria’s Diner,’ in a small town in the Outback. After a mysterious explosion at the diner, Luci, the waitress at the diner, finds him accommodation with an old couple. Riddled by questions about his past self, Elliot begins retracing his steps by following pictures from a camera recovered from the wreckage of his accident.
Meanwhile, the news about him reaches a high-ranking detective, Lachlan Rogers, as well as Billy Nixon, the man responsible for Elliot’s accident. Discovering his cell phone hidden inside a stuffed Koala that his previous self hid at a fuel station; he receives a call from a buried man providing information about his location. Elliot, accompanied by Luci, looks for the location provided by the man but finds him dead by the time they dig him up. Spotting similarities between the handwriting on the note that led him to ‘Gloria’s Diner’ and her signature on an insurance form, Elliot confronts Luci, who reveals his name, his past, and his connection to her. As Elliot finds out more about himself, a grand rigmarole of unfortunate happenstances and disturbing revelations about his old self unfolds.
What Are Elliot And Luci’s Real Identities?
Elliot Stanley, AKA The Tourist, is an Irish man on a run from Kosta Panigiris, a Greek drug-dealing kingpin with International notoriety. Elliot used to work as Kosta’s accountant. During their initial rendezvous, Kosta showed Elliot his most prized possession, a bag filled with a million dollars in cash, the first million that he made out of nothing before he rose to power in the Greek underworld. While working for this nefarious employer, he meets Victoria, one of Luci’s many aliases. In reality, Luci was a con artist with multiple identities who engaged the psychopathic criminal for his money. Luci is a pathological liar, as her idea of the world was forged by her father walking out on her. After meeting In Bali, Luci and Elliot fall for each other and decide to leave the criminal world and run away to Australia, stealing the million dollars from Kosta’s prized possessions. Having lost a memento from his past and his fiancé, Kosta blames Elliot, seeking gratification in hunting down the Irish man. He sends Billy Nixon and Marko to track down the couple; however, Marko, being a close friend of Elliot, gets caught aiding him and meets his unfortunate end after being buried alive by Billy, who. In turn, is killed during a fight with Luci/Victoria.
What Is Helen Chamber’s Story?
Helen Chambers is a kind-hearted probationary constable suffering from body dysmorphia because of her weight. More often than not, her kindness becomes a vulnerability, allowing people to take advantage of her. Engaged to Ethan Krum, a manipulative and self-centered man, she is coerced into a restrictive diet, doubting her own choices to pursue her wishes. We often see Helen struggling to stand up for herself. After meeting Elliot, Helen tries her best to help the man. Even against direct orders, she goes out of her way to help Elliot. This marks a significant shift for Helen, as she feels, perhaps for the first time, that she is standing up for herself. During the course of the series, Elliot and Helen grow close as friends and develop romantic feelings for each other as well.
Who Is Lachlan Rogers?
Lachlan Rogers is a high-ranking detective with a celebrity-like reputation amongst law enforcers. He is suffering from cancer, and it is likely that he only has a few months to live. After the explosion at Gloria’s Diner, he is notified about Elliot and tasked with locating him. Amidst his investigation, Kosta contacts Rogers, revealing that he has abducted the detective’s wife and demanding Elliot’s surrender in exchange for her safety. Faced with a rather grim choice, he ultimately tracks down Elliot and decides to apprehend him solo, leading to a tragic incident when he impulsively kills a younger officer, Lammon, who defies his order. Rogers hands Elliot over to Kosta, who, despite the exchange continues to withhold the detective’s wife, forcing the detective to help locate his money.
What Happens To Kosta And Luci?
Elliot, while in a psychoactive state, after having sipped Kosta’s acid-laced water, leads him and Rogers to Nala Stonemen, possibly because Elliot figures that he must’ve stashed Kosta’s money somewhere around this place since he took pictures of this place. Going through the highs and lows of his psychedelic journey, Elliot explores his memories for clues about his past self, finding the whereabouts of the bag as well. In the meantime, Luci shows up, revealing to Kosta that his beloved brother, Dimitri, who died when he was a kid, is actually alive and lives a reformed life in an ashram in India. Luci had crossed paths with Dimitri at the ashram, years before meeting Kosta, who in passing, mentioned his brother, planting the seed for her plan to con him.
As a way to cope with his loss, Kosta, who also battles schizophrenia, found solace in visualizing his deceased brother as a form of coping mechanism. Seeking guidance from this imaginary figure had become a source of comfort for Kosta. As a last resort to plead for Kosta to spare Elliot’s life, she arranges a video call between the brothers but fails to make any changes to Kosta’s ways, resulting in an aimless shooting between Rogers and Kosta after the commotion knocks out the light, as a result of which Kosta and Luci get caught in the crossfire.
What Finally Happens To Elliot And Helen?
Following the unexpected death of Kosta Panigiris, using Kosta’s phone, Rogers, using Kosta’s phone, successfully tracks his wife’s location and rescues her from the clutches of Kosta’s henchmen. Following a complaint lodged by Helen, Rogers finds himself under interrogation regarding Officer Lammon’s death. However, taking an unexpected twist, he shifts all the blame onto Helen, accusing Elliot as her collaborator. Displaying quick-wittedness on her part, Helen outmaneuvers Rogers. With assistance from Freddie, a fellow police officer, she leverages her experience as a traffic cop to secure a photo captured by a speed camera. This compelling image places Rogers with Elliot at the time when he was en route to Meet Kosta. Armed with this concrete evidence against the Detective’s claim, Helen establishes their innocence.Â
While in prison awaiting bail, Elliot is finally visited by Lena Pascal, the subject of recurring dreams, whom he believes holds vital information about his past self. Lena, however, sheds light on the brutalities of the man he once was. Elliot was culpable for exploiting Lena and two other women in smuggling heroin to Australia. They were coerced into carrying bags of heroin inside their guts, resulting in the deaths of the other women when the bags ruptured inside them. Upon her arrival, the man Elliot paid to receive Lena, callously cut her open with a dirty knife, leaving lasting impacts on her health. This traumatic incident continues to haunt Lena.
Disgusted with himself, he confesses everything to the police, yet Lena refrains from supporting his claims, wanting him to suffer from the guilt of his actions. Helen also abandons him upon hearing the truth, finding it utterly inexcusable even for a reformed man. However, a conversation with her friend, Freddie brings more clarity to her feelings for him. Drowning in remorse in a hotel room, he swallows a handful of sleeping pills in a desperate attempt to end his life when he receives a burrito emoji from Helen, evoking a personal moment from earlier when a clueless Elliot found the only thing his new self loved—burritos.Â
What To Expect In Season 2?
By now it’s evident that Elliot Stanley has a pretty complex and troubled past— formerly an account to an international drug lord, he has stolen a million dollars and has been entangled in drug trafficking. He might’ve forgotten his past, but the world clearly hasn’t as the repercussions of his past still linger, and the shadows of the underworld cast long-lasting ones. The introduction of new adversaries seems inevitable. If imprisoned, Lachlan Rogers may become a potential threat as he encounters individuals familiar with Elliot’s reputation.
As for Elliot and Helen, season 2 might delve deeper into their dynamics. Their relationship, forged amidst secrets still concealed, might see new challenges. As Helen comes face to face with the aftermath of her association with the Tourist, legal troubles might surround her, which she must navigate through as well. On the flip side, she might receive a promotion, which would add another layer to her character but also make things more complex for her. However, this show has proven its reputation for unexpected twists and turns. Just when the characters seem poised with some stability, unforeseen circumstances might shake their narrative again.