One key character needs to return in Tracker season 3 if the Shaw family mystery is to be solved. Tracker season 2 ended with Colter finally discovering it was Otto Waldron who pushed his father Ashton off the cliff on the night he died, along with learning about his mother Mary Dove’s involvement in the matter, per what Otto said.
It’s unclear whether Colter’s mother had something to do with Ashton’s death or only knew what he was involved in. Her refusal to talk about their past nevertheless hints at her having something to hide, making her involvement in any form easy to believe. If Colter has to finally solve the Shaw family mystery, one character in particular must return.
Jensen Ackles Subtly Teased Russell's Return In Tracker Season 3
Russell's Return Isn't Confirmed, But Ackles Teased It
Jensen Ackles as Russell Shaw looking angry in Tracker
CBS hasn’t announced Russell’s return officially, but Jensen Ackles subtly teased potentially returning as Russell in Tracker season 3. His comments about there being a good chance to appear as Colter’s brother in season 3, just like Ackles already did once in Tracker season 1 and another time in season 2, acknowledge such a possibility, making it feel more real.
No official confirmation about Russell’s return from CBS, nor Ackles himself, might mean Colter’s brother will appear later in the season, something that already happened when Russell was introduced in Tracker season 1, episode 12. Indeed, with the Tracker cast members filming season 3’s beginning, Russell’s return early in season 3 as in Tracker season 2 is almost impossible.
The Shaw Family Mystery Cannot Be Fully Resolved Without Russell's Return
Colter & Russell's Relationship Suffered Too Much Not To Include Them In The Mystery Resolution
Colter and Russell in Tracker season 2, episode 2, talking to someone
Melissa Roxburgh as Dory Shaw standing on the campus in Tracker
Colter and his Mother Mary in Tracker
Ashton Shaw in Tracker
Colter with his hands behind his head in Tracker
Ackles’s mention of “a lot of stuff to uncover there” nevertheless also hints at why Russell’s return could be warranted, teasing it having to do with the big Shaw family mystery. Every appearance of Russell in Tracker has until now been indissolubly connected to the Shaw family past and what happened the night Ashton died.
Mary Dove pushing Colter away from Russell and being behind the two brothers being estranged for so long made their reunion in Tracker season 1 indirectly about Ashton. Indeed, while the brothers met to find Colter’s former unit mate, the topic of Ashton Shaw’s death couldn’t not come up, having been the reason for which Colter shut Russell out.
Russell’s appearance in Tracker season 2, episode 2 also indirectly involved their father, as he and Colter discussed Ashton’s government work, and Colter even met someone within the military who hinted at knowing what their father’s job was. It’s highly unlikely that Russell’s potential return in Tracker season 3 won’t have to do with their father and his sudden demise.
Tracker season 2 having ended with Otto’s confession makes Russell’s likely return in season 3 necessarily and directly involve the partial resolution of the Shaw family mystery at least. After all the Shaw siblings' appearances uncovering small details about the mystery, Tracker season 3 needs to bring some kind of answer, and that cannot be done without Russell’s return.
