There were a lot of complaints about the fact that the season 4 premiere episode of Tracker didn’t touch on any of the lingering storylines from the previous season, but Tracker Season 4 Episode proved that they weren’t forgotten.
The premiere episode eased us back into Colter’s orbit, reminding us that he’s absolutely capable of single-handedly taking on the Russian crime syndicate all by himself.
The second installment of the season took him down a different route—the picturesque Pacific Divide Trail in the Sierra Nevada. The show is really embracing its new production location and underscoring that the beautiful nature shots don’t have to be a thing of the past just because they’re calling California home now.
However, what Tracker Season 4 Episode 2, titled “Switchback,” did was establish the future pathway for the series and its beloved characters, laying the breadcrumbs for what’s to come.
Those of you wondering about Russell Shaw aren’t alone, as Colter is equally concerned about his brother, whom he’s been unable to get in contact with. At the end of the episode, Colter finally gets a text back from Russ, who apologizes for being MIA, tells him he’s been busy and says they’ll talk soon.
The reply is strange to Colter, as it’s unlike Russell, and when he asks if he’s okay, he once again doesn’t get a reply. The red flags are mounting, and it’s only a matter of time before Colter starts seeking out answers about Russell’s whereabouts.
As we all know, Russell took on a shady, secretive job for the man behind a covert government operation at the end of season 3 to prevent Colter from learning a disturbing secret about their father, Ashton.
Russell told Reenie not to tell Colter anything before he went to work with the people they’d been trying to stop, and surely season 4 will at some point force him and Colter to deal with the consequences of said job.
Then there’s the case of Mel Day’s mother’s death, which was first mentioned in season 3 when she became Reenie’s assistant. At the time, there were many questions surrounding her character—and fans ultimately didn’t trust her—but she’s seemed to have grown on everyone since. And we all knew that eventually, her mother’s case was going to fall on Colter’s desk.
For now, she only asked Reenie to look into it after a military officer who worked with her mother a few weeks before she was murdered retired early with an honorable discharge. When she tried to look into it, the records were blocked.
It’s unclear if Reenie found anything, but she looked rather concerned at the end of the day while making it a point to tell Mel to have a good night. What gives?
Both of these plotlines will likely serve as overarching mysteries for the series, bringing us closer to Colter’s orbit.
Then, there’s the possible new romantic interest introduced for Colter with the trail angel—Becca (played by Erica Hernandez). The two hit it off immediately, and there was definitely chemistry (but maybe Colter/Hartley just has chemistry with everyone).
The thing I liked about Becca was that she could hold her own. When she got hit by a truck, she didn’t panic, instead, encouraging Colter to go get the suspect. She proved that she’s cut out for Colter’s chaotic lifestyle, being an adventure-seeker herself.
Executive producer Elwood Reid hinted at the possibility of a long-term, established love interest for Colter, and while there’s nothing indicating it is Becca, I wouldn’t be opposed to it.
Plus, she hit him with a quote that definitely gave him pause, encouraging him to follow his dreams and hobbies: “don’t let someday become never.”
“What would happen if there was someone who challenged him emotionally in a way where maybe his job comes into cross purposes with that? That’s the thing we’re toying with. We’ve shot two scenes with this person, so [we’re] just seeing if it’ll work,” Reid previously teased.
Becca would make a good addition to Colter’s pack—a rewardist and a trail angel just make sense.
And if it isn’t Becca, well, at least Colter seems open to new connections, which is growth on his part.
Tracker Season 4 Episode 2 Recap
Becca came into the fold searching for the two missing hikers—a mother and daughter—that Colter was hired to find. Together, they were able to cover more ground, eventually locating the mom, Leanne, who clued them into what happened to Kayla—she was taken shortly after she told her mom she thought they were being followed, and they found a camera filled with photographs of them on the trails.
Unfortunately, Leane didn’t know who took her because she was hit in the head with a rock and fell unconscious.
Colter was able to locate a drifter living in a rough part of the trail, who did see Kayla limping away with a man in a baseball cap who got into an old brown pickup, which he’d previously seen at the Sierra junction.
Without much out in that direction, Colter—with Randy’s help—was able to pinpoint a quick-stop coffee shop, Rise & Grind, as a starting point, though the woman, Diana, who was working the shift when they were there, didn’t recall them.
Colter left convinced, but there was something off about the whole interaction.
When he finally cornered the suspect, Jack, he didn’t get much out of him because, as Colter put it, he “took himself out.”
He did, however, find Jack’s address, arriving at the house to find out that Diana was his mother. She was protecting him the whole time. Thankfully, she was on the same property as he was, chasing down Kayla, who was doing her best to run away on a sprained ankle. What a fighter.
Diana told Kayla that her son had the same “urges” as his father, which explains why he kidnapped her, as she helps him take care of his needs. I’d rather not even dive deeper into that one.
Colter tracked down the women, and as he aimed at Diana, she raised her rifle toward him. Before either could fire, Kayla managed to sneak up behind Diana and knock her unconscious, finally bringing the ordeal to an end.
Kayla was reunited with her mother and sister as they continued on their journey to spread their father’s ashes.
This is the second case where Colter’s gotten a win, and things ended on a happy note, wrapped up neatly in a bow within the hour. Hopefully, as the season progresses, there will be more substance and meat for Colter to bite into, with cases that don’t always provide the desired outcome, ones that stick with him for a bit, and even ones that fully loop in the rest of his team.
Colter is definitely good at the lone-wolf thing, but I do want him to start relying on others more.
What did you think of the episode? What are you looking forward to seeing this season? Do you think Colter is suspicious of what’s going on with Russ? Did you like Becca or are you hoping for a different love interest for Colter?