This week, Tracker switches up the focus on supporting characters. It makes for a fantastic episode with room for extra plot twists, but it does leave me wondering how the final three episodes in the season are going to play out. Last week, Bobby (Eric Graise) came back to the show (surprisingly, with absolutely no fanfare for his return), and it could have spelled the end for replacement Randy (Chris Lee), but episode 17 puts the tech genius’ cousin in the spotlight, as he calls Colter for help.
“Memories” is another episode with a case that comes from personal connections, not publicly offered rewards (which really has me wondering how Colter’s (Justin Hartley) finances even work), as Randy’s ex-girlfriend calls for help when she wakes up with no memory, blood on her dress, and her best friend missing. It’s a very Hangover-esque episode, but it works! Colter and Randy get some great banter going on, and because there’s no screentime devoted to side plots, there’s room for a succession of twists that are genuinely unexpected — especially the wedding chapel!
It’s a fantastic episode that doesn’t lend itself too much to theorizing because it’s so focused on the case of the week. In some ways, that was what I loved about it. “Memories” is all about Colter (and Randy) finding the bad guys, which is the heart of the show. At the same time, this feels like an episode that would have worked best a little earlier in the season, as I’m starting to wonder if there will be a Big Final Arc at all in season 2.
Randy Is So Good In This Episode That I’ll Be Devastated If He Doesn’t Return. It’s Not Clear If “Memories” Solidifies His Place, Or Acts As A Send-Off. While I loved the twists piled on top of twists this week, and delighted in not being able to predict where “Memories” was going at any moment, Randy was undoubtedly the star of the show. He and Colter made a surprisingly excellent partnership, despite Colter’s determination to work alone (of course), and their banter was top tier. Seeing them work together to hack into security footage in person may not have been as amusing as when Colter locked himself in a fast food restaurant’s office in Tracker’s first ever episode (“Klamath Falls”), but it makes so much more sense for where the show is now. It also makes the point that Colter could do with an in-person partner from time to time.
But the best part of this Batman and Robin dynamic was seeing Colter and Randy use a codeword from an earlier conversation to get the jump on Bad Guy of the week and his collection of HenchDudes. It made sense, it worked, and most importantly, it was so much fun to watch. Randy, who started out as a very clear stand-in for Bobby, has become a fantastic character in his own right, and this episode proves it.
That said, it’s not clear if “Memories” is intended as a way to solidify Randy’s place in Team Tracker, or if it is going to act as a send-off to the character. Now that Bobby is back, Randy’s previous place in the team is filled, and as much as they worked well together, it doesn’t really make sense for lone wolf Colter to suddenly take him on as a regular partner.
The episode ends with Randy getting a second chance with his ex, his one-who-got-away. In some ways, it feels like giving him a happy ending and ushering him out. Despite that, I hope he sticks around. I want to see more of him, not just for his dynamic with Colter, but because watching him bicker with Bobby last week (and challenge his tech expertise) was an absolute joy.
Reenie Is Missing – But It’s Actually A Refreshing Change. She (& Her Potential Relationship With Colter) Is Going To Return. The big gap in this week’s episode is Reenie (Fiona Rene), who doesn’t show up at all. Velma (Abby McEnany) gets a single scene toward the end, and Bobby gets one of his own, but Team Tracker’s lawyer doesn’t get so much as a mention. This isn’t unprecedented, of course.
In season 1 and the first half of season 2, it was relatively common for Reenie to pop in and out of the show, as needed, but this sticks out right now because she has been such a huge part of it in recent episodes. In the past few weeks, her storyline with her big client has received as much attention as what Colter is doing — so what’s going on?
From a storytelling perspective, it was refreshing to focus on just one case, and not spend as much time wondering what exactly is happening with Reenie and her morally gray client. However, it does seem odd that so much time has been spent setting up a big mystery there, just to have it omitted completely. What’s even more interesting is that romance — and specifically, relationships where the chemistry is there, but the timing is wrong — is a huge part of “Memories” and seems to be setting the stage for Colter’s love life to pick up.
Of course, Randy’s leading conversation with Colter about “the one that got away” might not point to Reenie, despite the way their romantic history was played up in season 1. Recently, Reenie’s boyfriend has had some screentime (although not for the past couple of episodes, interestingly), and Colter had his moment with Billie (Sofia Pernas) in “The Grey Goose”, so maybe this pushes in a different direction. Only time will tell, because Colter remains carefully silent on the issue, but I’d be excited to see a romance storyline come into play.
