Tracker has been working toward an interesting impasse since its debut, and with the start of its third season, it appears the show is finally doing something it’s been promising fans to try since the beginning. Tracker season 3, which began this past week, saw Colter Shaw (Justin Hartley) in fascinatingly different circumstances than the show’s tackled in the past.
With a bold new ability to move confidently into the stories it’s telling, Tracker season 3 opened with one of the show’s best episodes in some time, and made it clear that there was going to be an entirely new status quo. After Tracker season 2 saw Colter and Russell’s father’s murder come to a somewhat clear resolution, the floor quickly fell out from beneath the brothers.
As Tracker has forged ahead, moving away from the Shaw family dynamic hasn’t worked as well for the series as moving increasingly closer to it has. Instead of backing off the Tracker family plot, the show seems to be choosing to gravitate towards it, and in doing so may finally deliver on a long held-off promise to put Colter in actual danger.
Tracker’s Putting Colter Shaw In Real Danger For The First Time
Hartley Shared This Could Come Sooner Than Many Expect
As Tracker season 3 was gearing up to premiere, Hartley spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about what was coming for the successful series, sharing that Colter may be in more danger than viewers would anticipate when episodes resumed. “Instead of him always looking and chasing after someone, he is being chased,” Hartley shared about future episodes, revealing Colter will be in imminent danger.
With a new development in the way Tracker’s logic is going to work, it’s clear that the show is looking to establish itself as a series that’s far more than one-note. Colter being put in genuine danger, going from the tracker himself to the person being tracked, is a fascinating twist that will lend itself to Tracker’s strengths as a series.
Allowing viewers to see Colter working from a disadvantage, in some ways, could endear him to the audience in a whole new way. While Colter always seems to figure out what he’s doing when he’s in a crisis, knowing that someone is coming for him and presumably is working at least one step ahead is a challenge that he hasn’t had to face before.
Tracker’s Personal Storytelling Style Is A Bold Move For The Show
Moving Into More Personal Territory Could Open The Series Up
Although Tracker will always keep the bones and framework of a proper procedural, it’s clear that the series is trying something new when it comes to more personal storytelling in its third season. With Colter actually coming under fire as Tracker season 3 progresses, even the show’s premiere episode lent itself to a shift in the way the series tells stories.
With Russell showing up fairly quickly during Tracker season 3’s opener, the show wasn’t resting on its laurels in a way that made Colter out to be the picture perfect savior, and the brothers got the chance to lean into their dynamic more freely than they have before. Allowing the characters some space to breathe, viewers got to see Russell and Colter in a new light.
If Tracker season 3 continues to choose to add more personal storytelling into the mix, the show will be far better for it. While Colter can sometimes be a stifling protagonist, the way he’s able to work through his internal savior-complex with his family present is fascinating. Giving Tracker more personal stories will allow the series to expand in a natural way, rather than adding plot-heavy material.
Tracker Can Keep Moving The Needle By Raising The Stakes & Keeping Colter On His Toes
A Tonal Shift Will Keep Tracker Fresh For Viewers
Rather than allowing Colter, or any of the characters out in the field on Tracker, to be steady in their surroundings, the series should choose to keep its characters on their toes. After Tracker season 2 spent half its season on a mystery that didn’t really pan out for viewers, the show was able to find their footing in the second half of the season.
Even so, it was tough to regain confidence in where the story was headed once Tracker made the move to rectify its overall storytelling. As the show prepared to return this season, it was clear the series knew it needed to shift things around. Not only did Tracker find two of its secondary characters on the cutting room floor, but the show rejigged its agenda.
Now, knowing that Tracker was planning to lean more into Colter and his backstory, the moves make sense. Refocusing the show on Colter and those close to him is a great move, and allowing the natural danger that lives within the Tracker universe to seep into the story is a fun touch. Putting Colter’s life in danger, even for just a little while, will help keep Tracker fresh.
