I’m Confused About Colter’s Love Life After This New Tracker Season 2 Girlfriend Casting
Tracker Season 2 has announced a new cast for Justin Hartley’s love interest Colter Shaw, and I have to admit, it’s left me very confused about how the show will play out. Tracker’s first season was a huge ratings success for CBS’s most successful original show in years. Hartley was excellent in the lead role alongside Tracker’s large supporting cast, which includes Eric Graise as hacker Bobby Exley, Fiona Rene as lawyer Reenie Green, Abby McEnany and Robin Weigert as manipulators Velma and Teddi Bruin, Jensen Ackles as brother Russell Shaw, and more. Thanks to its dynamic, I’m really looking forward to seeing where Tracker Season 2 will go.
Unfortunately, Tracker Season 2 is losing Teddi Bruin, with Weigert leaving the show in a disappointing way. But Tracker Season 2 will introduce a new cast, and I have some concerns that not all of them will contribute to the story in a necessary or natural way. Specifically, Tracker seems determined to love Colter Shaw, even though he doesn’t need it. This has been confirmed by recent casting news, which doesn’t make me confident that the show won’t continue to try to force a romantic relationship.
Tracker Season 2 Brings New Love Interest to Colter Shaw
Supergirl Star Floriana Lima Cast as Flame from the Past
The casting announcement for Tracker Season 2 revealed that Floriana Lima has been cast as Camille Picket. Many of the actors who guest-starred in Tracker Seasons 1 and 2 will be more of the same. Lima’s casting won’t be much, except for the fact that she’s clearly a big part of Colter’s life, having been his on-and-off girlfriend for the past decade. As the official synopsis says
“Obsessed, alluring… Camille has been Colter’s on-and-off lover for at least 10 years. Camille’s sister disappeared 10 years ago and her case was never solved – which causes some trauma for Camille and Colter on each anniversary of her disappearance, but also causes them to reconnect, at least for one night.”
This is a bit of a shock, as her name never came up in the Season 1 Tracker, and I was hoping her name would at least be mentioned or referenced in their timeline, even if she hadn’t been cast. It’s a revelation that comes out of left field and seems out of place not only for the Colter Shaw character, but for the story as well. To me, it seems like the writers decided Colter needed a romance, and so a significant other from his past was created to tick an unnecessary box rather than serve an organic narrative need.
Justin Hartley Says Colter Has a Hard Time Getting a Girlfriend on Tracker
Colter’s Personality and Lifestyle Aren’t Relationship Material
Floriana Lima’s Camille’s reappearance doesn’t necessarily mean a romantic angle for Colter, but let’s be honest: Network procedurals are procedurals for a reason. Their formulaic choices are why we watch them as comfortable shows, but they’re still formulaic. It would be a huge surprise if Tracker introduced a serious lover from Colter’s past life and ensured that the thread would go nowhere romantically. However, if Colter and Camille do rekindle their romance, it will inevitably end up being a nomadic affair again, as Colter Shaw’s nomadic lifestyle simply doesn’t lend itself to a stable relationship.
Furthermore, while Colter has shown character growth in Tracker season 1, I don’t see how he’s ready for a relationship as a person. He has a lot of great qualities to admire, but none of them translate into a good partner or boyfriend. Even Justin Hartley had this to say about a romance for Colter at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con during the show’s panel:
“I think all the heroic and brave things about him come off as reckless and selfish. Like, I’m about to leave home and go through all this and put myself in danger and you’re back here worrying about me. I just don’t think that’s a good look.”
Hartley is right. He may look great in a tight T-shirt and he may be a good stalker, but let’s be honest: Colter is not relationship material. Given that his lone wolf personality and past trauma have been identified as important character-building traits, his readiness to be in a relationship doesn’t seem like something that’s going to happen anytime soon. Even if he were emotionally ready, the nomadic nature of his job would make maintaining a relationship extremely difficult. Most people aren’t ready for long-distance relationships, especially when a partner moves around a lot.
Most people aren’t ready for long-distance relationships, especially when a partner moves around a lot.
Right now, it’s unclear how Colter and Camille are still linked. As the character synopsis says, they still meet one night every year on the anniversary of their sister’s disappearance, but does that night count as the “opening” part of their relationship, however ephemeral it may be? Does this mean she’ll only be in a single episode or will she be here to stay? It’s unclear, but I also don’t think that’s what the series needs at this point.
Tracker Season 2 Doesn’t Need Love for Colter Shaw
It has more than enough character development without the need for romantic involvement
Considering the “will they/won’t they” dynamic Tracker So far, between Colter and Reenie, throwing a longtime lover into the mix seems really unnecessary. Only Colter, at the end of Tracker Season 1, started to show appreciation for his closest allies; at this point, I’m not sure I’d call them friends because he’s always kept everyone at arm’s length. The current relationships are the ones I want to see him develop first: Bobby, Velma, and Reenie in his group, and the deepening and healing of the relationship between his brother, Russell, and his childhood friend, Lizzy. Colter Shaw is one of the few TV characters who doesn’t need a love interest to develop interestingly.
Colter Shaw is one of the few TV characters who doesn’t need a love interest to develop interestingly.
In addition to these platonic relationships, another ex-lover/lover was introduced in Tracker Season 1: Billie. Sofia Pernas’ bounty hunter and Colter’s former business partner was a great addition to the show, even if it was only for one episode, as she was arguably the only character who could outsmart Colter and get on his radar. Their dynamic was great, which is no surprise considering Parnas and Harley are married in real life. I’d rather Billie go back to being a thorn in Colter’s side than a haunted ex. Besides, she’s figured out life, living it on her own.
