Tracker season 3 has promised to share more about Colter Shaw’s (Justin Hartley) difficult relationship with his father, and the show could find itself taking cues from an unexpected series in doing so. Throughout Tracker season 2, Colter and his family uncovered more information about what led to his father’s unexpected death, and eventually even uncovered who murdered Ashton Shaw in the end.
While Tracker season 2 left a lot to be desired in various ways, the mystery of Colter and his father’s death weaving through the season was an interesting plot that helped ground the second half of the season. Colter himself, who often lives a solitary life because of the way his father raised him, became more interesting as the mystery started to unravel.
Although Colter, his brother Russell Shaw (Jensen Ackles), and his sister Dory Shaw (Melissa Roxburgh) didn’t find themselves together to resolve the big mystery of their father’s passing, it’s clear that understanding what happened has always been important to the family. Watching Colter move through the different phases of discovering what occurred created an interesting sense of tension for the series.
Now, moving into Tracker season 3, the series is looking to expand on the dark secrets of the Shaw family and bring the mystery back into the forefront. Colter’s ability to look past his emotions about the tragedy will be interesting to watch, and judging by the last TV season’s biggest storylines, Tracker could take cues from an unexpected inspiration.
Tracker Has Promised To Reveal More About Colter’s Family History
There’s A Lot More To It Than The Murder
Although Tracker season 2 had a bumpy start, the end of the season brought one of the show’s central mysteries back to the forefront. Tracker saw Colter investigating his own father’s murder once again, a plot that’s been ongoing since the pilot of the series. While Colter’s hit dead ends about his father in the past, this time, things unraveled.
While Colter was finally able to figure out who murdered his father, finding that an acquaintance had been behind his dad’s demise, it was clear there was a lot more to the story. As Colter discussed what happened with Otto Waldron (Alex Waldron) and how his mother, Mary Dove Shaw (Wendy Crewson), played into the fatal blow, it became clear that there was a lot of information missing.
Tracker has promised that the show’s upcoming season will do more digging into what happened to Colter’s father, and in doing so, it’s clear they’re going to bring back his siblings to help investigate. With Colter more focused on his family’s dark past with Russell and Dory tagging along, Tracker could find itself in need of some inspiration on handling tough familial relationships.
Sullivan’s Crossing Uncovered More About Cal’s Past With His Father
The Series Was Unexpectedly Deep About Their Relationship
Albeit in a very different tone, Sullivan’s Crossing took a leap and did its own world-building this past season, expanding on the difficult relationship that California “Cal” Jones (Chad Michael Murray) shared with his father in his childhood. While Cal and his father weren’t quite as dark as Colter and Ashton on Tracker, things were tough. Cal’s father struggled with PTSD, making his relationships difficult.
While it was clear that Sullivan’s Crossing was going out on a limb in trying to keep Cal’s relationship with his father both dark and understandable for the viewers, the series delved into the complicated mess of emotions surrounding parents and children with difficult dynamics. Cal’s father, who was similar in nature to Colter’s, clearly struggled to connect with his kids.
Though Cal’s dad was alive during the episodes of Sullivan’s Crossing he was featured on, it didn’t diminish the looming spirit of the past that hung over all of his interactions with Cal himself. Their strained relationship wasn’t easy for either of them to work through, but they ultimately found some common ground to stand on before Cal’s father got too sick to build a bond.
Tracker Taking Cues On Colter From Unexpected Shows Could Shift The Narrative
Using Different Angles Could Make The Show More Interesting
Although Tracker and Sullivan’s Crossing aren’t quite the same style of show, the latter could take some major inspiration from the way the former handled such a difficult storyline. Despite knowing that Colter and his family are going to have to work through their understanding of the mystery around Ashton’s death before moving through their emotions, when it’s time to grieve, Sullivan’s Crossing could help.
Despite having very different tones, Sullivan’s Crossing has been doing the sort of work that Tracker is looking to achieve with the story about Colter’s father. In hopes of creating something nuanced, layered, and interesting, Sullivan’s Crossing could be great for Tracker to take guidance from in learning how to construct the way Colter and his siblings relate to their father.
Regardless of the way Tracker handles the mystery, the emotions behind the relationships are the most important part of the storytelling process. If Tracker can capture Colter, Russell, Dory, and even their mother gaining a better understanding of their grief and talking about their loss in a more emotion-heavy way, Tracker could find itself pulling viewers back into the overall mystery of the series.
