Tracker (S01E04) – Colter Returns A Favor Owed To Reenie
As Colter takes on a case as a favor, “Tracker” shows how simplistic of a show it is, for better or worse.
Plot Recap
Reenie decides to call in a favor for a friend whose son has gone missing. She is playing the lawyer, threatening the school that cares for wayward kids who need a non-traditional school environment, and Colter is tasked with finding the kid. This kid, Noah, is like a son to Reenie, so this is huge for her and Noah’s mother, Erika.
Naturally, Colter finds him by the end of the episode, but that’s not without the usual dose of him being threatened multiple times. In this episode, Ray, who is the ex of Noah’s girlfriend, is the person threatening him and who caused Noah to go missing.
But, thanks to the school Noah goes to teaching the same kind of things Colter learned about surviving in the wilderness, Noah may have some bruises and cuts, but the episode ends with him alive and overall fine. Maybe a bit hungry from hiding out in the woods for more than a day, but fine.
Cast Guide
| Character’s Name | Actor’s Name |
| Reenie | Fiona Rene |
| Colter | Justin Hartley |
| Noah | Hunter Dillon |
| Erika | Marley Shelton |
New Character Description(s)
Noah
Noah is a student of Shelter Stone Academy and is a recovering drug addict who finds the structure of the school, from outdoor classes to learning survival skills, helpful. Heck, he even met a nice girl there.
Erika
Erika is Reenie’s friend and Noah’s mom, who calls upon her in order to help her learn what happened to her kid since Noah’s academy prefers to handle things in-house whenever anything goes wrong.
Review
On The Fence
The Simplicity Of It All
Generally, we need nine paragraphs, sometimes more, to cover what happens in an episode. Mind you, never to break down the entire script, but at least, if you ever needed to catch up, or if a character ever returned, you could know who they are, who they matter to, and etc. With “Tracker,” it feels like three paragraphs is all you need, and I don’t know how to feel about that.
In some ways, I appreciate the simplicity of “Tracker.” It doesn’t feel like a show you need to overanalyze to know what’s happening. Yet, with that in mind, it makes me wonder if simplicity is an asset or a liability?
Colter’s allies are people he doesn’t interact with in person as he travels, and who knows if they know each other. Unlike this show’s lead-in, “The Equalizer,” Colter’s team doesn’t have parts that require them to get in the field, get their hands dirty, or risk their lives. This does allow more time for the case, Colter, and whoever he is trying to help, but as mentioned previously, “Tracker” isn’t using all that spare time it gives itself well.
While likable, Colter is generic, and his cases lack oomph or anything that could make them memorable. Heck, even though Reenie is a familiar face, I can’t say I was expecting to see her again or missed her. To me, this is the kind of show where the leads might be written with a flaw but are never allowed to be unlikable, and if they ever feel someone is leaning towards the viewers turning on them, they will immediately soften them up. A prime example is there was a moment when it seemed Colter ended up sleeping with a woman in every town he stopped in, but they retracted that a bit.
Ultimately, this makes “Tracker” feel far too formulaic and in need of more than just Colter failing a rescue and not getting paid.
Background Information
| Network | CBS |
| Episode Title | Mt. Shasta |
| Release Date | March 3, 2024 |
| Director(s) | Doug Aarniokoski |
| Writer(s) | Steve Harper |
| Previous Episode | Season 1/ Episode 3 |
| Series Page | Tracker |
| Character Guide | Coming… Eventually |
