‘Tracker’ Can’t Overlook the Unresolved Chemistry Between Reenie and Colter

Tracker is, for some reason, determined to ditch everything that made the show interesting in its third season. The procedural series has almost completely shed its original cast: Robin Weigert, Abby McEnany, and Eric Graise. The only remaining supporting character from Season 1 of the CBS series is Fiona Rene’s Reenie Greene. Her character and Colter Shaw (Justin Hartley) have a “will they/won’t they” tension that could lead somewhere in Season 3. However, a possible new love interest named Mel Day (Cassady McClincy) has been introduced on the show for the notoriously isolated rewardist. As fun as the new character already seems, it would be a shame if Tracker ignored this pairing’s clear potential.

Reenie and Colter’s Relationship Is a Fan Favorite on ‘Tracker’

Reenie is a key member of Colter’s team. She’s able to look up legal records that assist in his cases. She can also help get him out of scrapes with local law enforcement and occasionally call in favors. In both Season 2 and Season 3, we learned more about Reenie’s professional and personal life outside of Colter. That’s awesome! But that doesn’t mean she can’t also date him. Contrary to what every romantic comedy wants to sell audiences, romance and career are not mutually exclusive. Not to be dramatic, but a slow burn still has to burn or the candle will go out.

Colter and Reenie are a good team. What better basis for a romantic relationship is that? They very clearly care about each other. They worry about each other. They’re both very responsible. They have similar values, but clash over a few things. Reenie does not always approve of Colter’s vigilante methods, and Colter does not always approve of Reenie’s shady clients. It’s good to have tension in addition to chemistry. Some of the best scenes on the show occur when Reenie and Colter happen to be in the same physical location and debrief over drinks outside of Colter’s infamous van. And she’s one of the only people that he’ll open up to about his past. There’s real trust there.

They understand each other on a level that must be pretty deep given how different their lifestyles are. To be fair, from a logistical standpoint there are more obstacles in the way of Reenie and Colter than their own emotional barriers–especially from Reenie’s point of view. Even if Colter is the guy for her, it’s pretty clear to see why a talented lawyer used to a certain comfortable standard of living wouldn’t be anxious to move into a van.

Mel First Appeared in ‘Tracker’ Season 3, Episode 3 “First Fire”

Image via CBS

Mel applied to work at Reenie’s law practice as a legal aid and got hired on the spot. She’s sort of a replacement for Velma (Abby McEnany)… but wasn’t she Colter’s handler in addition to Reenie’s assistant? Who’s going to do that part of the job? Anyway, the eager new hire has bangs and a bubbly personality. (Mel lists her interests as: murder podcasts, romantasy books like Fourth Wing, and TikTok witches. She’s the most Gen Z girlypop-coded character to hit network procedural television in a minute.) She also has a tragic past and knows a lot about Colter Shaw’s business already – but that’s something viewers can put in a pin in for later. While the character has not interacted with Colter Shaw as of her first appearance, she seems very interested in him. Regardless of what happens, it’s awesome to see McClincy in a role like this that’s so different from her intense character Lydia in the final three seasons of The Walking Dead.

Colter’s Lone Wolf Tendencies Will Probably Win Out on ‘Tracker’

Maybe fans and ‘shippers alike should just trust the process. Perhaps Mel has been introduced in order to prove to Reenie and Colter that they do have feelings and should try to make a relationship work. It’s not unheard of for a television show to do something like that. Anyone who has ever ‘shipped characters on a long-running television series likely has a grievance with some character who “got in the way” of the inevitable. Using The Walking Dead as an example, think about how Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) briefly flirted with a suburban single mom named Jessie (Alexandra Breckenridge) before ultimately getting together with his future second wife and love of his life Michonne (Danai Gurira). Maybe Mel is the Jessie here. Reenie, on the other hand, is broken up with her boyfriend Elliot (Michael Rady) at the beginning of Season 3. You all caught Colter’s brother Russell (Jensen Ackles) asking about her love life, right? At least someone in the Shaw family is curious!

However, Tracker seems particularly hesitant to commit to anything romantic when it comes to Colter. Even with characters like his new hacker Randy (Chris Lee) urging him to put himself out there, and a few passing situationships with former clients and fellow rewardists haven’t made a dent. He knows how to flirt, but he’s neither a womanizer nor a yearner. Given that history, it’s honestly unlikely that Mel will be “the one” for him, or that anything will happen with Reenie any time soon. Sorry to those hoping for some romantic sparks between Reenie and Colter. The format of the show, not to mention the way the show has dropped its main and recurring cast members, indicates that the powers that be want their intrepid protagonist to be moving from person to person as quickly as he moves between cases and towns.

The lone wolf vibe is an interesting idea for a character like this, and befitting his profession, but that doesn’t mean it’s the right creative decision. Eventually, it’s going to alienate audiences. Characters have to change and grow. Taking risks is not just a healthy thing for a human being. It moves the story forward. Even if Colter and Reenie do date in the third season of Tracker, and it’s a disaster, that’s something! Let them crash and burn. They can learn from that experience and both grow as characters. It’s way better than ignoring the dynamic completely.