After an impressive debut last week that netted a record-setting 18.4 million viewers, Tracker returned for its second episode tonight, building on the intriguing premise laid out in the pilot and delving deeper into Colter’s past as he worked toward tracking down another lost soul.
While viewers learned a lot about Colter Shaw’s backstory in the pilot, he lost his doomsday prepper father at the hands of his own brother who is now trying to reach out to Colter for a mysterious reason that has yet to be revealed. Much of Colter’s life still remains shrouded in mystery.
She immediately calls Colter, who inspects the scene. The two fluff it off as kids, but there is clearly more to Colter’s mother than he realizes. She is harbouring secrets, which is hardly a surprise given that, in just two episodes, viewers have discovered that the Shaw brothers have a lot of secrets of their own.
At the Positive Light compound, Rebecca agrees to let Colter speak with Jackson, on the condition that Colter first meet with Seth, who holds a status akin to that of a prophet. An unsettling session with Seth hits Colter a little where it hurts, as Seth has clearly done his research and brings up Colter’s painful past with his father. The conversation reveals that Colter does not know why his father quit his job before moving the family into the woods, and that Mary is keeping a secret about his father’s true identity. Being the recluse that he is, Colter is not interested in unpacking any of his past trauma, though viewers are definitely interested in learning more about it.
Luckily, Colter isn’t one to back down from a challenge so he persists and manages to get through to Jackson. After Colter takes down Rebecca, Seth and their beefy security guard, the police apprehend them, allowing Colter to return Jackson back to his family. While earning a paycheque may be Colter’s main objective for doing what he does, viewers are quickly learning that there is a genuine satisfaction that comes from Colter seeing the people he tracks, joyfully reconnected with their loved ones. As Colter gets in his truck to leave, he opens up the file on himself that he received from Seth, but viewers are not privy to what is written in it.
As a procedural drama, the episode certainly delivered. It cleverly balanced the development of Colter’s story arc with an engaging case of the week, but it lacked continuity. Colter’s brother spent most of the pilot trying to get a hold of him with Colter avoiding him at all costs, yet this wasn’t even touched on this week, not even a missed text or phone call. Though it is inevitable that this will be addressed at some point, it was definitely odd that there was no mention of his brother in this episode, considering it was a main plot point of the pilot. It is becoming clear that the depth of Colter’s character will be gradually uncovered, with the writer’s choosing to sprinkle bits of his backstory across various episodes. It is safe to say the same is true for his mother and brothers, whom we have yet to meet.