Tracker Season 2, Episode 5 Continues the Strange Narrative Twist for Justin Hartley’s Hit Series
This article contains SPOILERS for Tracker season 2, episode 5, “Preternatural.” Tracker season 2, episode 5, “Preternatural,” continues a strange trend that began earlier in the season. In the fifth episode of Tracker season 2, Velma Bruin takes on a new case for Colter Shaw involving a teenager, Emmaline, who has been reported missing by her brother and guardian. Colter quickly gets to work, and the case turns out to be bigger than he expected. People are dropping dead animals on the road to Emmaline’s house to scare her and her brother away, and rumors are circulating that Emmaline has an unhealthy obsession with magic.
“Preternatural” ramps up the stakes even further when Colter discovers that the Drell Family, a group of people who run a drug factory, have kidnapped Emmaline. Colter almost lost his life trying to save her, but he miraculously survived. The latest episode focuses primarily on Colter, leaving most of the Tracker characters aside. Surprisingly, it includes supernatural elements, something that season 2 delved into in episode 2’s UFO storyline. Expanding the supernatural in season 2 of Tracker is a strange narrative choice and doesn’t quite fit the story.
In the second episode of Tracker season 2, “Ontological Shock,” Colter Shaw’s case involves UFOs. A character named Scott believes that UFOs are real, but despite his insistence, the case turns out to be fake. However, the fifth episode of Tracker season 2, “Preternatural,” takes the impossible to a whole new level as Colter searches for a missing girl named Emmaline, who turns out to be a witch doctor steeped in witchcraft. Colter learns that Emmaline healed a woman with cancer and an elderly man.
While the two instances of Emmaline healing people with magic legitimize the supernatural element in Tracker, they are not inherently problematic. Emmaline’s magic only affected Colter when a member of the Drell clan stabbed him, causing Colter to bleed out rapidly. The paramedics who later arrived on the scene were surprised to find Colter in relatively good condition, especially considering how much blood he had lost. It turns out that Emmaline healed Colter with her magic, a strange plot decision that could have major consequences for Tracker later on.
Colter Shaw’s resourcefulness and survival skills are what make Tracker interesting, and adding the supernatural weakens these qualities. Having a teenage girl heal Colter with her magic legitimizes the supernatural element and thus diminishes the impact of Colter’s skills and experience. The introduction of supernatural elements into Tracker season 2 could have consequences for the mystery surrounding Colter’s father, as it opens the door for more bizarre explanations for his death.
Now that the storyline has officially introduced supernatural elements, this could affect Colter’s personal arc moving forward.
It’s disappointing that Tracker takes this unexpected turn. It’s been fun to watch Colter solve cases week after week using only his resources and skills. Now that the storyline has officially introduced supernatural elements, this could affect Colter’s personal arc moving forward, especially since “Preternatural” suggests that he would have died without supernatural intervention. Hopefully Tracker will keep the magical elements to a minimum in the future so that the Colter character can continue to shine without the need for outside forces.
Tracker follows lone survivor Colter Shaw as he navigates the country as a bounty hunter. Using his expert tracking skills, he assists private citizens and law enforcement in solving various mysteries while struggling with issues from his broken family.
Cast Arianna McGregor, Zia Newton, Dalias Blake, Aggie Bell, Jeremy Jones, Ashley Roxburgh, Paniz Zade, Mattia Castrillo, Link Baker, Matthew Nelson-Mahood, Prestyn Bates, Garfield Wilson, Eric Graise, Abby McEnany, Fiona Rene, Oscar Chark, Sean Owen Roberts, Sofia Pernas, Alison Araya, Colm Hill, Nicole Anthony, Lee Tergesen, Justin Hartley, Wendy Crewson, Jensen Ackles, Robin Weigert
