Tracker (S01E05) Review/ Recap | In The Pursuit Of A Witness, Colter Nearly Gets Reenie Killed

Plot Recap

Something Different This Time – Stephanie, Colter

As seen in the past four episodes, Colter generally finds missing items and people. However, he also doesn’t have a problem sticking his nose in legal matters. But unlike Kira’s situation, when it comes to Stephanie and her putting up a $20,000 bounty for a witness, Colter finds himself trying to undo a murder conviction.

Hoping For The Best – Colter, Reenie, Clay, Grant

With murder being a legal matter, it is only right that Reenie joins the case and helps to keep Colter out of jail because he has no problem with getting locked up. But to begin, he meets Clay and tries to get a feel for him, and he seems like a good guy.

As for his lawyer, a public defender named Grant? When Reenie meets with him, she feels like something is off. Mind you, he is a public defender, so he is overstressed and pulled in many directions, so coming off a bit weird shouldn’t be unexpected.

The Better The Reward, The Higher The Risk – Colter, Reenie, Grant, Mallory, Caesar, Clay

However, the truth is that Grant betrayed Clay as a client. To summarize the case, Clay was accused and convicted of killing his friend and business partner, Avery. The only witness to Caesar, a criminal with a long rap sheet, killing Clay’s partner was Mallory,  Avery’s girlfriend at the time. She didn’t appear and confess because of Caesar’s reputation and instead went on the run.

However, Colter finds her, and because he finds her, Caesar eventually does, too. How? Grant. He has been keeping track of Colter’s movements, and despite Grant’s appearance, we learn he is willing to kidnap Reenie to force Colter to bring Mallory to Caesar so he can kill her.

Luckily, the only person who dies in all this is Caesar. After he tussles with Colter, Colter gets the best of him. Ultimately, this leads to Mallory being free enough to testify and help Clay get his freedom. And Grant? We can only assume being disbarred is the least of his worries.

Cast Guide

Character’s Name	Actor’s Name
Stephanie	Kudakwashe Rutendo
Colter	Justin Hartley
Reenie	Fiona Rene
Clay	Martin Roach
Grant	David James Lewis
Mallory	Katharine Isabelle
Caesar	Charles Zuckermann

New Character Description(s)

Stephanie

Stephanie is the client in this episode, who is looking to Colter to help find a witness to prove her dad, Clay, didn’t murder his business partner.

Clay

Clay is Stephanie’s father, who is currently convicted of murdering his business partner and continues to note he is innocent.

Grant

Grant is a public defender who was Clay’s lawyer during his trial.

Mallory

Mallory is the witness to the murder of Clay’s business partner and happened to be his business partner’s friend.

• The actor is also known for their role in “The Arrangement.”

Caesar

Caesar is the person who murdered Clay’s business partner after an underground poker game went wrong.

Review

Highlights

Colter Always Takes The Money

What I love about “Tracker” is that Colter isn’t so much a good guy as someone who wants to earn his money. Could he have said that Stephanie could have kept the money and used it to replace the money Clay lost from being in prison and been altruistic? Yes.

However, he doesn’t do that. He smiles in your face, thanks you for the money for his work, and moves on. A part of me is tickled by this since you are so used to the protagonist being selfless, some form of honorable, and even if they cut corners, they have this almost Batman sense of justice. That’s not Colter. He not only took the money but murdered Caesar and seems completely unfazed by it.

Which was wild in itself that, between claiming self-defense, Reenie working her magic, or maybe the cops being glad a notable criminal is off the streets, he is allowed to just leave after killing a man.

Chemistry Between Colter and Reenie, But Nothing Explored

It would be easy for “Tracker” to give Colter a lot of relationship drama, especially with Reenie. Yet, they avoid it. Is it clear she still likes him, and there are lingering feelings between them? Yes. However, they don’t explore what could be, and it makes this show better.

I’d even say “Tracker” doesn’t push the idea that they are end game. If anything, they just care for one another and have history but don’t have a romantic future, based on what we’ve seen thus far. Now, does this mean Colter is always going to be a good boy? Obviously not. He will have sex with women he just met and maybe hang out while he is in town, but there is something about how disconnected he is that really could keep this show fresh.

Now, if only they would elevate these guest stars to a level where you could miss them and not just see them as fodder.

On The Fence

Needing To See Long-Term Damage

I can learn to let go of Colter, always solving the case and helping whoever asks for it. However, I can’t let go of Colter being knocked out and able to move as easily as he did afterward. Never mind, within a day or so, there seemingly being no effect besides some blood on his neck.

To me, Colter shouldn’t have been able to accurately fire his gun and take out Caesar’s engine like he did. Unless I don’t fully understand concussions, especially the kind that knocks you out enough where someone can move you, handcuff you, and you take a while to wake up, something is off here.

Background Information

Episode Title	St. Louis
Release Date	March 17, 2024
Network	CBS
Director(s)	Gonzalo Amat
Writer(s)	Travis Donnelly, Graham Thiel
Previous Episode	Season 1/ Episode 4
Series Page	Tracker
Character Guide	Tracker: Character Guide and Noteworthy Information