Posted by The Tourist Season 2 meets the expectations: we discover that Elliot Stanley is Eugene Cassidy, let’s have their stories explained.
After a successful Season 1, The Tourist returns in February 2024 with a new set of surprising events. In Season 2, we see the protagonist, Elliot Stanley, traveling up to Ireland to discover more about his past: we find out his real name is Eugene Cassidy, and he’s part of a criminal family in constant war with the McDonnell gang. However, things get pretty complicated, and the plot of The Tourist Season 2 gets so thick that you may need to have some details explained. Let’s do it like a little journey: come with us.
The Tourist Season 2 explained: who is Eugene Cassidy?
For the whole of Season 1, we know the protagonist as Elliot Stanley: that’s the name he used when he left Ireland to start a new life elsewhere. However, the moment he stepped foot in Ireland, all the people who used to know him recognized him immediately. He’s Eugene Cassidy, the infamous son of Mama Niahm Cassidy. So, as Mama Cassidy’s son, he was involved in the never-ending rivalry with the McDonnell family.
What did Eugene Cassidy do when he was young, and why did he leave Ireland? While the plot develops, we discover that Eugene was romantically involved with Claire, Donal McDonnell’s wife, and even got her pregnant. Fergal McDonnell was Eugene Cassidy’s biological son. When Donal discovered that, he obviously wanted him dead, and he immediately went after him. When he fired a shot, Donal actually killed Eugene’s brother. At that point, Eugene realizes his presence in that town is too dangerous for everybody and leaves the country, acquiring a new identity: Elliot Stanley. So, now the question is…
Who is Elliot Stanley?
Elliot Stanley was a diver hired by Frank McDonnell 42 years before. In those days, Frank’s father died and said he would send something important to Frank. However, the plane that transported the mysterious item plunged into the sea. Frank wanted to have what his father sent him, so he hired Elliot Stanley, a professional diver who would rescue that for him.
And he did. However, with him was Niahm Cassidy (we’ll tell you in a moment why). The rivalry between the Cassidys and the McDonnells was already on. So after Elliot Stanley took the travel bag out of the water, Niahm apparently decided to kill Elliot Stanley and bury it in the mud.
What was in the travel bag? What was the important thing Frank’s father wanted him to know? We discover this at the end of The Tourist Season 2: the travel bag contained love letters exchanged between Frank McDonnell’s father and Niahm Cassidy’s mother. This means that Frank’s father wanted his son to know that the Cassidy-McDonnell rivalry was not supposed to be, as Frank and Niahm are biological siblings. Nevertheless, that rivalry represented Niamh Cassidy’s life. Her identity. Therefore, she buries the travel bag, hoping no one will ever find it.
Why did Eugene Cassidy pick Elliot Stanley’s name as his new identity?
When we discovered the story of Elliot Stanley in The Tourist Season 1, it was clear that the protagonist was known by everybody with that name. He precisely picked it as his new identity for the second part of his life. Why did Eugene Cassidy decide to restart as Elliot Stanley? This is what Helen tries to discover in the final episode, asking questions to Elliot Stanley’s wife. When Helen asks if she knew Eugene Cassidy, Elliot’s widow asks her if he’s ok and explains that her Elliot “put it about a bit,” a British slang meaning that he used to have sex around.
Why did she say that at that moment? The answer could be only one: Elliot Stanley was actually Eugene Cassidy’s father. This would explain why Niahm was with him when Frank hired him: Niahm was pregnant from him that day. Then Elliot Stanley dies. At this point, we can no longer be sure it was Niahm killing him: after all, we see her saying on the phone, “Elliot Stanley is dead.” He probably died while he was doing what he was paid for, and Niahm Cassidy managed to rescue the travel bag, discovering his content.
Eugene Cassidy must have discovered all this before leaving Ireland. When he had to pick a new name for his new life, his choice fell on the man he always wanted to know: his biological father.
Again, who was Eugene Cassidy?
The biggest plot twist in The Tourist Season 2 blossoms in the final scene. While we watch Eugene/Elliot dancing on the stage, we also see the file they sent on him burning in the Dutch oven. And we discover that Eugene Cassidy was a special agent. How does this fit with his story and the fact that he is Niahm Cassidy’s son? That’s not explained by The Tourist Season 2, and that’s also the beauty of it. If we have a Season 3, there is already an important point to be explored.
