The Tourist season 2: Helen's dream in episode five explained

Contains spoilers for The Tourist

The Tourist is officially back on BBC One for season two, two years after the original series aired and sees Elliot (Jamie Dornan) and Helen (Danielle Macdonald) travel to Ireland to discover more about Elliot's past. From kidnappings, to long-buried family secrets, to that basement scene, there's a lot to unpack from this season. And one major thing we can't stop thinking about is Helen's slightly odd dream from episode five.

After being shot in the stomach by Lena, Helen heads into hospital, and after a very quick recovery, we then see Elliot and Helen head back to Australia. However, as soon becomes evident it was actually all dream. But what really happened in the dream? And what was the meaning of it? Here's what you need to know.

What happens in Helen's dream in The Tourist?

Episode five of The Tourist opens with the aftermath of Helen being shot by Lena in the forest. Elliot/Eugene takes Helen to the hospital where she undergoes surgery. Helen then wakes up and cracks a joke about not remembering who she is in reference to Elliot's beginnings in Australia.

The two then decide it's best to head back to Australia and leave Ireland behind. Helen recovers remarkably quickly and they fly home where they take on a new apartment with the most annoying oven sound.

Helen stays at home a lot where she is digging into the mystery of Elliot Stanley and hires a private investigator to help her. Elliot finds out and is understandably upset, and walks out of the apartment after the pair argue.

This is then when things start to get really weird as the dead cowboy from season one shows up and the walls start closing in. Helen then wakes up and it becomes obvious the last few scenes have actually just been a dream.

What is the meaning of Helen's dream?

As well as causing us all to panic and think the season was going to end without giving us answers, there was actually a point to Helen's dream.

Helen's slightly weird dream was to show Helen's subconscious working out how she really felt about Eugene/Elliot and if she could trust him, which if you've watched episode six you will know she finds it difficult to fully commit to Elliot.

It also explained how Helen is obsessed with finding out the truth about Elliot's past, when she hires a private investigator and keeps digging for clues from his past.

And that annoying oven sound? Yeah that was actually her heart rate monitor.

Thankfully, those weird scenes were just a dream and we do get all our questions answered in the season finale.

The Tourist season two is available on BBC iPlayer now

Lydia Venn

Senior Entertainment and Lifestyle Writer

 Lydia Venn is Cosmopolitan UK’s Senior Entertainment and Lifestyle Writer. She covers everything from TV and film, to the latest celebrity news. She also writes across our work/life section regularly creating quizzes, covering exciting new food releases and sharing the latest interior must-haves. In her role she’s interviewed everyone from Margot Robbie to Niall Horan, and her work has appeared on an episode of The Kardashians. After completing a degree in English at the University of Exeter, Lydia moved into fashion journalism, writing for the Daily Express, before working as Features Editor at The Tab, where she spoke on BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour and Talk Radio. She has an encyclopedic knowledge of Gilmore Girls and 00s teen movies, and in her free time can be found with a margarita in hand watching the Real Housewives on repeat. Find her on LinkedIn.