Everything Elliot learns about his past in The Tourist season 2

BBC's The Tourist is one of the many international titles added to Netflix in recent months that's generated a ton of buzz. After being dropped by Max as its U.S. streaming platform, Netflix picked up the Jamie Dornan-starring drama and unsurprisingly, it's been a super popular addition. Viewers in the U.S. devoured the first six episodes of the series and have been waiting on the edge of their seats for the second season, which was just released on Netflix on Thursday, Feb. 29. And yes, we get a ton of questions answered about Elliot's past. So buckle up!

I was fortunate enough to watch The Tourist season 2 early and I was pleasantly surprised by how fun the second installment is. It's fast-paced just like the first season, very humorous, and charmingly quirky. This time around, we watch Elliot and his girlfriend Helen Chambers journey to Ireland, looking for answers about where Elliot came from. But what they find out is far more than they ever could've imagined. Below, we break down all the biggest reveals Elliot learns about his past.

WARNING: This post contains spoilers about The Tourist season 2.

Elliot's real name isn't Elliot after all

For starters, Elliot Stanley is not actually our protagonist's name. As you'll remember, the first season of The Tourist revolves around Dornan's character waking up in the hospital after a car accident, with no memory of who he is or what happened. He does not regain his memory in the second season, but he meets his family members in Ireland, along with the people he grew up with, and he learns his real name. His name is actually Eugene Cassidy. He got the name Elliot Stanley from a local man in his hometown who disappeared years ago.

To avoid any confusion, we'll be calling the main character of The Tourist "Elliot/Eugene" throughout the rest of this article.

Elliot/Eugene's family is complicated, and has a major rivalry

It's not all smooth sailing when Elliot/Eugene meets his family. When he and Helen arrive in Ireland, Elliot/Eugene is actually kidnapped by the McDonnell family, who has a years-long rivalry with the Cassidys. Of course, Elliot/Eugene has no recollection of this, and he has no idea why he's been kidnapped. Eventually, it's revealed that Lena, the woman who we meet in season 1, set it up. Remember her? It's revealed at the end of season 1 that Lena was a drug mule for Elliot/Eugene, and he seriously mistreated the women he worked with, resulting in multiple deaths.

As Lena explains, she remembered Elliot/Eugene mentioning a rival named Donal McDonnell, so she contacted him and he agreed to kidnap him for her. The McDonnells' longstanding feud with the Cassidys was enough for Donal to agree, and as we learn later in the season, Donal also knows that Elliot/Eugene's mom Niamh Cassidy has something that the the head of the family, Frank McDonnell, wants. It's a missing suitcase that was sent to him by his father. Donal thinks Frank would approve of the kidnapping if it meant he'd get his case back.

Well, when Frank finds out that his family kidnapped Elliot/Eugene, he's furious. He doesn't want to reignite the family rivalry, but it's too late. And to make matters even more complicated, the finale reveals that the Cassidys and the McDonnells are actually family after all! Frank and Niamh are half-siblings. What a twist. With the help of Helen, Elliot/Eugene learns the hard way where he's from and all his family drama.

Surprise! Elliot/Eugene has a son

And the family drama doesn't stop there! Another major component in the McDonnell/Cassidy feud — that they don't find out about until the second season — is that the young man who is supposed to be the son of Donal and his wife Claire McDonnell, Fergal McDonnell, is actually the son of Elliot/Eugene and Claire! This reveal is a huge complication to the McDonnell family, and it makes Donal hate Elliot/Eugene even more. The good news is that Elliot/Eugene and Fergal are able to bond, but Elliot/Eugene has no memory of his son.

The reason Elliot/Eugene left Ireland

Elliot/Eugene also learns the real reason he left Ireland, and his family, behind. And yes, it has everything to do with Fergal. He chose to leave Claire and Fergal for protection, so they could live their lives as McDonnells and not have to get caught up in the Cassidy feud (so much for that!). He thought he was doing the right thing, and maybe for Claire, Fergal, and Donal's sake, he was. But it doesn't take long for the big secret to be uncovered once Elliot/Eugene returns to Ireland.

So what did Elliot/Eugene do after he left Ireland? Well, The Tourist season 2 ends on a major cliffhanger that gives us a clue.

Elliot/Eugene was actually a special agent?!

At the end of The Tourist season 2, we get a six-month time jump where we get to see what Elliot/Eugene and Helen have been up to. Still happily together, they now live in the Netherlands and Helen works as a private investigator. We get a cute and silly moment of Elliot/Eugene showing off his dancing skills (which he also learns about in Ireland) and then the final scene shows a file on himself burning in their Dutch oven. He no longer wants to know about his past; he just wants to focus on his present with Helen. But as the file starts to burn, the audience sees a peek at its contents. Apparently, Elliot/Eugene was a special agent! What?!

Elliot/Eugene being a special agent would certainly explain why he got involved with Kostas and his drug trafficking business to begin with. But will we ever find out more about that? Well, The Tourist season 3 has not been announced, though the creators are saying "never say never" on continuing the show. We'll have to wait and see if the popular drama gets a renewal!

Both seasons of The Tourist are now streaming on Netflix.