Spoiler Alert for Tracker season 2, episode 6, "Trust Fall"Tracker season 2 is finally good again after a weird start to the show’s sophomore season. Tracker season 1 was the most-watched television show of the last TV cycle in early 2024. The show introduced a grounded premise with Justin Hartley as its central Tracker character, Colter Shaw, a self-proclaimed "rewardist" who finds missing people for reward money. After dethroning NCIS as the most-watched show for the first time in five years, Tracker has a reputation to uphold with its second season. However, the show strays from its successful formula until season 2, episode 6.
The Tracker season 2 premiere introduced a new mystery: the disappearance of a girl named Gina Pickett, who went missing 10 years ago. The case established another long-term mystery for Colter, who has a connection with the victim’s sister, Camille (Floriana Lima). While it wasn’t as exciting as what happened to Colter’s father in Tracker, Gina’s story added another mystery. After that, however, Hartley’s show has had many cases that have complicated its grounded premise without adding to its value. The most recent installment of season 2 returns the show to its roots, and not a moment too soon.
Why Tracker Season 2 Has Been Divisive Thus Far
Justin Hartley's Series Strays Too Far From Its Light
Because of the lackluster way it started, Tracker season 2 needed a more grounded case to tether the series back to its roots. Jensen Ackles returned as Russell Shaw in season 2, episode 2, “Ontological Shock, and while it was great to see the brothers together again, the outing took them to a top-secret Department of Defense site that the military seemed to be using to communicate with aliens, who may or may not make a landing during the episode’s climax.
Showing the brothers at a high-level DOD site made sense since episode 2 reveals that Ashton Shaw has connections to the DOD and that the brothers are on the agency's radar. Still, the episode left room for the possibility that they had been in contact with aliens, opening the door to more paranormal explanations in the show’s narrative. The series further compromises its grounded premise in episode 5, introducing a girl named Emmaline with magical healing powers, distorting Tracker's scope. Rather than contributing, the cases jeopardized Tracker season 2's transparent tether to reality, which it needs.
Tracker Season 2, Episode 6 Is A Classic Mystery Case
Colter Shaw Returns To The Woods
Tracker season 2, episode 6, "Trust Fall," brings back many of the show’s best elements. Colter investigates the case of three friends who go missing on a camping trip after their friend personally requests he work the case. While investigating at a nearby waterfall, Colter runs into a retired police officer, Keaton (Brent Sexton) working an old cold case. Colter teams up with the cop, trying to piece together what happened the night Jason, Monica, and Coop went missing. The case intersects with Keaton’s unsolved double murder, which he has worked on for 20 years.
Without any supernatural elements, the case in Tracker season 2, episode 6 is a classic mystery case and returns Colter to his old-school investigation and survival skills. To make things even better, what appears to be a straightforward case includes a properly executed plot twist. The episode brings back all the best parts of the show, including Colter working with another pseudo-vigilante on the case, possibly providing his best team-up yet. Some of Colter's best moments in Tracker are paired with local, rather than a high-profile guest star.
Tracker Season 2 Needs More Grounded Storylines To Continue Its Success
Tracker Season 2 Needs To Stay Grounded
Hartley’s series needed more grounded storylines to continue its success. While the show plays with different genres in Tracker season 2 and tries to have fun putting Colter in other situations, it’s risking the show’s overall cohesion and what made it so great. In the end, Colter is a regular guy working a job. Hartley made a name for himself by operating on percentages and probabilities — something that his recent run-in with witches and aliens compromises the integrity of. Moreover, when Tracker focuses too much on guests or bizarre cases, the logistics of the mystery suffer.
Colter’s life is interesting because while his upbringing is impossible to imagine for most, it occurs within the framework of his father’s United States government and military work. Colter's chaotic childhood makes for a great story, but it doesn't push too hard at the limits of what's possible, making its danger even more present. Playing with the idea of powerful witchcraft and aliens is fun, but Hartley’s series gave them too much leeway. Room in the Tracker universe for paranormal/supernatural elements crowds the real-life mystery of what happened to Ashton Shaw, leaving too many possibilities in Colter’s otherwise grounded world.
