Warning: Minor spoilers forThe Tourist.Season 2 of The Tourist was recently released onNetflix, and since then, the series has sat comfortably within the platform’s Top 10 list. The show’s first season introduced viewers to Elliot Stanley (Jamie Dornan). Following a car wreck inthe Australian outback, Elliot is left with no memory of who he is or how he ended up so far away from home. As the season unfolds, he meets Helen Chambers (Danielle Macdonald), a probationary constable investigating his car wreck. Hellbent on helping him figure out what’s going on, she essentially becomes his only friend. While the season includes a slew of characters that weave themselves in and out of Elliot’s story, Helen remains a constant as the show’s second season makes its way to Ireland. Given how the narrative of the series develops, there isn’t much room for recurring characters.
As Season 2 shifts its focus toward Elliot’s past and changes its setting to Ireland, an entirely newcast of charactersenters the fray. While two characters manage to return for the show’s sophomore season, their presence in Ireland is a temporary situation. Also, by the end of the newest season, Elliot and Helen have already moved on to another country, which means a possible third season would see plenty of new characters yet again. While it’s possible characters from seasons past could make an appearance, there’s one in particular it should most definitely leave behind if the show ever continues beyond Season 2. Despite his comedic presence, viewers don’t need to see Ethan Krum (Greg Larsen) return.
Who Is Ethan Krum in The Tourist?
Ethan Krum is Helen’s former fiancé, a mean and manipulative partner in Season 1. Viewers were first introduced to him while he and Helen planned their wedding. Rather than love her for who she is, he continuously pushes her to lose weight and advises her to “stay in her lane” regarding her work aspirations.
Throughout Season 1, he’s always annoyed by her desire to exist outside the confines of their relationship and undercuts her skills as a police officer. While he purports to care about her and love her, he’s simply controlling. Helen finallybreaks up with himduring one of their dance lessons for the wedding after she realizes that he doesn’t respect her or believe in her abilities the way a partner should.
In Season 2, Ethan provides more comic relief, and his character undergoes a hefty transformation. Following his breakup with Helen, he realizes the error of his ways, and he actually apologizes to her for how he treated her. However, he does so over the phone while she’s on speaker, where a room full of people can hear her. Nonetheless, he’s no longer the mean character from the first season, which makes his comedic timing more enjoyable to watch. He participates in what he refers to as “NED Talks,” similar to TED Talks, to discuss the problemwith toxic masculinityand the negative effect it had on his relationship. While on his personal journey, he decides to win Helen back and sets off to find her in Ireland.
Despite his supposed journey of personal growth, he travels from Australia to Ireland for a woman who has no interest in his affection. Such an outlandish gesture is meant to be funny and works well, given who the characters are. It makes sense that Ethan would do something so grand and expect something in return. While in Ireland, his interactions with Helen are humorous as he makes side comments about Helen and her new beau, Elliot. Furthermore, he winds up aiding Helen in her search for the truth about Elliot’s past, showing just how far he’s come as a character.
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Why Should Ethan Be Left Behind in The Tourist?
The Tourist
While Ethan’s comedic return worked for Season 2, bringing him back for a possible third season would feel forced. Furthermore, it would counter the progress his character made throughout the series, which was a pleasant transformation to see, given how terrible he was in Season 1. Because Helen and Elliot moved on to another country at the end of Season 2, there’s not a real plausible way to include Ethan. There are a slew of other characters introduced in the latest season that should make a return before Ethan ever does, and the show doesn’t needhis comic reliefbecause it already has enough of it via its main characters, particularly Elliot.
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There simply isn’t the proper space in another potential season for Ethan. Members of Elliot’s family should make a return before Ethan does, which would make more sense for the series overall. Given the show only scratched the surface regarding Elliot’s family history, there’s ample opportunity to dive deeper into those dynamics. Furthermore, given what viewers learned at theend of Season 2, there’s an entirely new rabbit hole for the show to fall into, which inevitably wouldn’t provide any breathing room for a character like Ethan. However funny he might have been, Ethan should most definitely be left behind if the series ever continues.All episodes ofThe Touristare currently streaming on Netflix.
