Jensen Ackles’ Appearance on CBS’ Tracker Is Full of Supernatural Easter Eggs, and I Can’t Wait to Stream It Again
Spoilers ahead for Episode 12 of Tracker Season 1, titled “Off the Books.”
Just a week after Tracker expanded the Shaw family by introducing Melissa Roxburgh as Colter’s sister Dory, “Off the Books” introduces his brother. None other than Jensen Ackles was cast as Russell, and not many actors have as much experience playing a specific character as Ackles after fifteen seasons of Supernatural. The penultimate episode of Tracker Season 1 shed some more light on the baggage between the Shaw siblings, while also containing a few Easter eggs for Supernatural viewers.
Overall, this episode made me happy all over again that Tracker is available to stream with a Paramount+ subscription and I can rewatch “Off the Books” with ease.
In “Off the Books,” Russell finds Colter despite canceling a meeting earlier, leaving Colter less than pleased with the surprise visit. The brothers recap some of their past stories over beers, with Russell denying that he caused their father’s death that day, and then asking Colter for help tracking down a friend from the army who went missing. The Shaws team up and are able to find Doug before the worst happens, with some help from Reenie, but they don’t end the episode with a nice dinner like Dory and Colter did last week.
And honestly, even if there weren’t any other Supernatural-Tracker parallels in this episode, the fact that Colter and Russell have a complicated sibling relationship with poor communication and daddy issues would be enough to make me reminisce about Dean and Sam’s days on The CW. Jensen Ackles’ first line in Tracker is even “Hey, little brother.” Am I allowed to not remember his time as Dean?!
Admittedly, some of the Easter eggs can be interpreted in multiple ways, but there was one that immediately caught my eye because it was impossible to ignore. When Colter drops by to pick up Russell, Russell passes by a car that looks a lot like a 1967 Chevy Impala and pats it before climbing into his brother’s truck. Take a look and tell me that doesn’t look like Jensen Ackles brought Supernatural’s Baby to the set of Tracker!
The episode also features Russell living in a rundown motel, trying to fake his way into a morgue, bonding with his brother over beers, reminiscing about their childhood with his dad’s weird survival lessons, and flirting with a bunch of girls. Add to that the fact that Tracker is filmed in Vancouver, just like Supernatural, and it almost feels like a reality where Dean Winchester has gone in a direction other than monster hunting. Then there’s Russell’s line to Colter: There are some guys in my unit who are pretty superstitious, Doug included. They’re into the woo-woo stuff, the prayers and rituals. Blood magic. Protection. In fact, I hear there’s a guy you can go to for a blessing.
Aside from the fact that I can’t imagine even the most surreal of Supernatural’s 300+ episodes having Dean mention “woo-woo stuff,” that line sounds like it could have been lifted straight from Jensen Ackles’ previous show. It’s not exactly a scene where the actor looks directly into the camera – although he did in one of Supernatural’s most surreal episodes – but it definitely stands out to me as someone who’s watched the Winchester series.
And I’m not suggesting that Jensen Ackles playing a character like Dean means he doesn’t have range. Anyone can just look at his turn as Soldier Boy on The Boys and his Gen V cameo to prove that he can definitely play a variety of roles. Plus, the actor hasn’t tried to distance himself from his Supernatural past in the years since the show ended in 2020. He’s an executive producer on The Winchesters, as well as the narrator who occasionally appears on camera as Dean.
At the time of writing, Jensen Ackles has yet to comment on whether there’s actually a Supernatural Impala on Tracker, but he did get to keep the iconic car at the end of the long-running series. Who knows? Perhaps Russell could return in Season 2 to flesh out the story a little more. The episode certainly left the door open for Colter to reunite with his brother again, and Tracker was renewed for a second season a few months ago. For now, check out the promo for the upcoming Season 1 finale: Tune in to CBS on Sunday, May 19 at 9 p.m. ET to watch the Season 1 finale of Tracker, between the Season 4 finale of The Equalizer at 8 p.m. ET and the series finale of the recently canceled CSI: Vegas.
