Have you noticed something different about Colter Shaw (Justin Hartley) on Tracker lately? Ever since solving the Gina Pickett (Lina Lecompte) murder case, Colter has been uncharacteristically forthcoming. It’s one thing for Colter to share something about his past when there’s a reason for him to. Be it a scared client he’s trying to rescue or Reenie (Fiona Rene) and Bobby (Eric Graise) when he needs some information, we’ve seen Colter reveal oddball things about his upbringing before, especially when it was necessary to the plot. But in the past few episodes, we’ve seen Colter offer up these details a bit more frequently, and it seems like Tracker is building toward something big.
Let’s get real — Tracker didn’t just show up to be another action-packed ride. It did something deeper. It peeled back the layers of Colter Shaw, the mystery-chasing nomad we’ve been riding with for a while. And this time, it hit different. But here’s the kicker: unless you were really paying attention, you might’ve missed the subtle (and not-so-subtle) nods to Shaw’s complicated past. That’s right. Tracker isn’t just pushing the plot forward; it’s circling back to his origin story — and it’s got emotional punch written all over it.
‘Tracker’ Season 2 Continues To Drop Hints About Colter’s Father. Season 2, Episode 18, “Collision,” continues this fascinating trend that the series has been establishing for a few episodes now. In both last week’s “Memories” and this week’s Tracker adventures, Colter has revealed elements about his upbringing that seem to be pointing to something larger. In Season 2, Episode 17, “Memories,” it all revolved around a firearm that once belonged to his father. Colter shares with another previously-unknown family friend that he wants the weapon back in tip-top-shape, reflecting on his time using it as a child. Before this, the events of “The Mercy Seat” served as a twisted echo of Colter’s own survivalist youth. There are some pretty clear parallels between the backwoods horror-inspired antagonists in that episode (a father and two sons) and the Shaw family.
It’s no accident that the darkest night of Colter’s life was also anchored in the relationship between a father and his two boys. In contrast, the latest bit of Shaw family trivia that we receive in “Collision” is a bit, well, stranger. Almost instantly upon meeting Detective Katie Douglass (Mercedes de la Zerda), Colter reveals that he was always scared of chickens. “Couldn’t stand them,” he says, almost as an afterthought. While it’s not exactly a smoking gun reminding us of the murder of Ashton Shaw (Lee Tergesen), it’s an odd admission (seemingly out of left field) that reveals something especially interesting about Colter. “Everyone’s afraid of something,” the resident tracker says, an eerie play on his long-forgotten “Everyone’s looking for something” catchphrase from the beginning of Season 1. While there’s nothing diabolical about these chickens (at least, as far as we know), it’s another small glimpse into the past that Colter has long tried to run away from, and it’s proof that the nomadic rewardist hasn’t left as much behind as his Airstream would have us believe.
Colter Shaw Can’t Escape — and Is Haunted By — His Past. It seems now that Colter has dealt with his “white whale” case, the one that has plagued him for nearly a decade, he subconsciously has become more invested in unraveling the mysteries of his family. Perhaps a more accurate descriptor of what’s going on is that his mind, which had always been looking for answers about Gina’s disappearance, is now preoccupied with solving the puzzle that is his father’s death. For the most part, Colter seems to have come to terms with the idea that his brother, Russell (Jensen Ackles), was not responsible for their father’s murder. But then, the question remains: who is responsible?
This is a thought that, from what we can tell, has haunted Colter since the end of the first season. All of this was made even worse when he discovered that his mother, Mary Dove Shaw (Wendy Crewson), had been having an affair — and had been lying to him about his brother for years. Colter still has yet to confront her about any of this. Though not the main focus of many of Tracker’s last few episodes, the way that Colter has been expressing new information about his past cleverly reminds the audience of what is to come. With only a few episodes left of Season 2, it seems obvious that Tracker intends to put the Shaw family mystery back front and center. If this is the case, Colter will likely never be the same. In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Justin Hartley noted how he wants to see Colter on the run from the government in Season 3, echoing his father’s paranoia in Season 1’s flashbacks. “It would be interesting, I think, to see him be set up,” Hartley explained. “In other words, to see him using all those skills to run from the authorities, because you’ve been set up for whatever reason. I’d love to have all that tie into the family background, the government.” For that to work, the show needs to redirect its attention to its larger mythology. With subtle hints being thrown into the past few episodes, it seems like that’s exactly what Tracker is trying to do.
Tracker isn’t just entertainment. It’s a study of grief, resilience, and redemption. Colter Shaw is digging deep — not just into mysteries, but into his own soul. And for those of us paying attention, it’s one hell of a ride. If you missed the signs, go back. Watch again. This isn’t just a man hunting truth. It’s a man trying to become whole.
