Season 2 of the hit CBS action drama Tracker finds its hero Colter Shaw (Justin Hartley) facing plenty of conflict in his personal life and his job as an elite tracker, but the structure of the sophomore season thus far has made it really hard to care. Colter tackles a different weekly case, including missing family members, a lost dog, organized crime, and supernatural elements. The expert survivalist himself even went missing until Colter's brother Russell (Jensen Ackles) tracked him down and assisted in finding another missing man in episode 2, "Ontological Shock."
Aside from reuniting with Russell, Colter also has a few personal unsolved cases that haven't been given enough depth for the audience to care about fully yet. These include the Shaw family mystery regarding the death of the tracker's father, Ashton (Lee Tergesen), along with the white whale case involving the decade-long disappearance of Gina Picket. Tracker season 2, episode 8, which served as the fall finale, began to develop Colter's involvement with the latter case, but the question is how far this mystery (and other cases) will unravel during the show's return in 2025.
Tracker Season 2's Overarching Storyline Is Barely Set Up
Gina's Disappearance Lacks The Depth Of Colter's Usual Cases
While the Gina Picket case was a challenging and intriguing case for Colter, the show fails to establish why this particular case haunts him other than the fact that it is unresolved, and he has an on-and-off relationship with Gina's sister, Camille (Floriana Lima). When Camille meets up with Colter in Tracker season 2, episode 8, "The Night Movers," she tells him they should let it go and accept that Gina is gone, leaving a sense of dissatisfaction that Camille has given up hope of finding her sister alive.
Colter catches a break when Keaton (Brent Sexton), a retired police officer and new ally this season, encounters someone who knows what happened to Gina. Unfortunately, that's where the fall finale ends, leaving viewers wondering what this suspect knows and the connection to Gina. While it shows the Gina Picket storyline is finally gaining traction, Tracker is already a third of the way into season 2 and it still hasn't offered a reason for audiences to care about Gina, Camille, or the case. It's a real problem considering there are other, arguably more interesting storylines being neglected for this one.
Tracker Season 2 Ignores The Storylines That Actually Need Resolution
Coltler's Other Unsolved Stories Deserve More Attention This Season
There are other essential plots that the show has ignored during its sophomore season. For instance, the death of father Ashton Shaw was the central mystery of season 1, but there has been no update thus far this season regarding how Colter's dad died other than he and Russell briefly mentioning it to each other in episode 2. Due to this case being a personal family matter, this mystery is set up as the big case for Colter, and more expected confrontations between him and Russell so they can resolve their issues and understand what happened to their dad.
Another pivotal storyline that deserves answers is Teddi Bruin (Robin Weigert), an original character from season 1 who worked with Colter and was crucial in running his caseload. While Teddi's wife and Colter's other handler, Velma (Abby McEnany), tells the tracker's team in the season 2 premiere that Teddi is out of town and assisting her mother, it's unclear where she is and if she'll still be part of the team in the future. The question needs to be answered, either way. On top of this is the lingering romantic tension between Colter and Reenie Grene (Fiona Rene) that hasn't gone anywhere beyond a few awkward moments.
What Tracker Season 2, Part 2 Needs To Do To Fix Its Storytelling
Tracker Should Go Back To Basics From Season 1
By now, it's clear the second part of Tracker season 2 needs more organizational structure and detail in Shaw's personal cases. Gina's disappearance should clarify Colter and Camille's relationship, reveal the importance of Gina's character, and prove Keaton's significance as Colter's ally. After the resolution of Gina's case, the mystery of who killed Colter's father should be unveiled in the season 2 finale for a concluding payoff that reveals why he died, what he was involved in, and resolve the longstanding issues in Colter and Russell's relationship.
The supernatural elements have been an intriguing addition to season 2, especially with the addition of Supernatural star Jenson Ackles as an homage to him and that popular series. However, Colter and his cases tend to be more thrilling when the tracker faces more practical, grounded situations in a case-of-the-week format. Tracker needs to return to its roots from what worked in season 1 to get back on track this season.
