TV Tuesday: The Tourist

Book By Book

While we’re mostly watching TV shows on cable right now, we do have a few streaming shows in the mix, and one of our favorites is The Tourist, a twisty, action-packed thriller about a man with amnesia.

As the first episode opens, a man, played by Jamie Dornan, is driving through a desolate stretch of Australian desert, listening to the radio, when a tractor-trailer truck comes out of nowhere and hits him violently. He wakes up in the hospital with no memory of … well, anything. A police officer named Helen Chambers, played by Danielle McDonald, comes to his hospital room to question him about the accident, but he doesn’t remember his name, what happened hours ago, or anything at all about his life before he woke up in the hospital. His only clue is a paper he finds in his pocket, as he’s leaving, with a date and time and the name of a diner written on it. He goes to the diner for the meeting, but nothing jogs his memory, and he doesn’t recognize the woman who is there, though he learns that his name is Elliot. And then … bad things happen! It’s clear that someone–or maybe more than one person–is trying to kill him, but he doesn’t know why. Elliot must try to protect himself while striving to learn who he is, though maybe he doesn’t really want to know about his life before this. Helen is kind and is intrigued by this mystery man and wants to help him. And she has her own problems, with a controlling husband-to-be.

I know that’s a pretty non-specific description, but I don’t want to spoil anything. In this show, the unexpected twists and surprises come fast and furious right from the first episode, making it both suspenseful and engrossing. The viewer doesn’t know any more than Elliot does. It’s non-stop action–and quite a bit of violence–but the show is also funny, warm, and sometimes sweet. Helen is not an experienced police officer nor a detective, but she wants to help. You’ll be rooting for Elliot and Helen, as they try to stay safe from killers and learn more about who he is. We are now watching season 2, which takes place in Ireland, and the secrets and surprises keep coming!

The Tourist has two seasons, with six episodes each, and is currently airing on Netflix.