This article contains SPOILERS for Tracker season 2, episode 5, "Preternatural."Tracker season 2, episode 5, "Preternatural," continues a strange trend that began earlier in the season. In the fifth episode of Tracker season 2, Velma Bruin procures a new case for Colter Shaw regarding a teenager, Emmaline, reported missing by her brother and guardian. Colter quickly gets to work, and the case turns out to be bigger than he expected. People drop off roadkill at Emmaline's house to get her and her brother to leave, and there are rumors of Emmaline having an unhealthy obsession with witchcraft.
"Preternatural" raises the stakes even further when Colter discovers the Drell Clan, a group of people who run a drug factory, have kidnapped Emmaline. Colter nearly loses his life trying to save her, but he miraculously lives. The newest episode largely focuses on Colter, sidelining most of Tracker's cast of characters. More surprisingly, it includes supernatural elements, something season 2 already delves into during episode 2's UFO storyline. The expansion of the supernatural in Tracker season 2 is a strange narrative choice, and it doesn't quite fit the story.
Tracker Season 2, Episode 5 Deals With Another Supernatural Case
This Time Tracker's Supernatural Case Is Worse
In Tracker season 2, episode 2, "Ontological Shock," Colter Shaw's case deals with UFOs. A character named Scott is convinced that UFOs are real, but despite his insistence, this case turns out to be fake. However, Tracker season 2, episode 5, "Preternatural," takes the impossible to the next level when Colter looks for a missing girl named Emmaline, who turns out to be a healer immersed in witchcraft. Colter learns that Emmaline healed a woman with cancer and an old, sick man.
While the two instances of Emmaline healing people with magic legitimize the supernatural in Tracker, they are not inherently problems. Emmaline's witchcraft only affects Colter when a member of the Drell clan stabs him, causing Colter to bleed out quickly. The medics that later arrive on the scene are surprised to find Colter in decent shape, especially given his amount of blood loss. It turns out Emmaline healed Colter with her magic — a peculiar narrative decision that could have major repercussions for Tracker going forward.
Tracker Going Supernatural Betrays Its Premise
Including Supernatural Elements Diminishes Colter's Survival Skills
Colter Shaw's resourcefulness and survival skills are what make Tracker so interesting, and the addition of the supernatural undermines these qualities. Having a teenage girl heal Colter's injuries with her magic legitimizes the supernatural and, as a result, lessens the impact of Colter's skills and experience. Including supernatural elements in Tracker season 2 might have repercussions for the mystery surrounding Colter's father as well, as it opens the door for more outlandish explanations of his death.
It is disappointing for Tracker to take this unexpected turn. It's exciting to watch Colter solve cases week after week with nothing but his resources and skills. Now that the narrative has officially introduced supernatural elements, it may affect Colter's personal arc going forward, especially since "Preternatural" suggests he would be dead without supernatural intervention. Hopefully, Tracker keeps magical elements at a minimum going forward so that Colter's character can continue to shine without outside forces.
