It's easy to love a show like Tracker because it takes the time to put its lead hero, Colter Shaw (Justin Hartley), in new and intense situations every week. The road show element is also a compelling factor, as Colter finds himself wandering all across the country taking jobs that put him in dangerous circumstances that often call for deliberate gunplay. That's not to mention his lone wolf mentality, and that he often jumps into situations ready to aim and fire at a moment's notice. If you, too, have noticed all of these elements, then you probably know where I'm going. Of all the genres that I'd love this show to tackle, Tracker needs to commit to a full-on Western-themed episode in Season 3. It's about time.
'Tracker' Has Been So Close to a Western Episode, but Never Fully Committed
Part of the appeal of a show like Tracker is that Colter Shaw travels the country, inserting himself in different cultures, locations, and spaces that open new doors that he may not have walked through otherwise. In many ways, one could compare Colter to a modern-day gunslinger, a modern drifter who travels between locations to meet needs before riding (or, driving) off into the sunset. The Western influence on a character like this is clear, and with that in mind, I think a Western-themed Tracker episode is long overdue.
Make no mistake. I'm not saying that Colter Shaw needs to travel back in time to the Old West and crossover with Hugh O'Brian's Wyatt Earp (as cool as that could be), but considering that our hero has often visited states like Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Colorado, Nevada, and California over the past two seasons (some of them more than once), it’s a crying shame that he hasn’t engaged more with the distinct Western culture found in some of these grand, mountainous regions. There's just so much to digest.
The potential is certainly there, and it's easy to see how the dots between Tracker and the Western genre could connect. Just about anything could happen. After all, we've already seen Colter take on secret agents, mafia bosses, serial killers, and cults, so why not dive into the more Western-themed elements of American culture? Colter could easily find his way onto the rodeo scene, stop a group of cattle rustlers, search an abandoned gold mine, or even lend a helping hand on a Native American reservation. Given the popularity of shows like Yellowstone, Longmire, Gunsmoke, and so many others (both old and new) that are set in this part of the country, Tracker ought to at least attempt to engage with the cultural identity of the modern West.
'Tracker' Is the Perfect Show To Have a Western Episode
One of the reasons why I believe that Tracker could attempt a single Western-centric episode so easily is because it's already genre-hopped before. Season 2's "The Mercy Seat" was something out of a survivalist horror flick, and "Ontological Shock" took plenty of cues from The X-Files. Because Colter interacts with people from all walks of life, there aren't really limits to the types of cases that he can tackle. Tracker's main "brand" as a show is Colter Shaw himself, but there are no other characters, locations, or long-term plotlines that would limit him from genre-hopping. The show has even tackled spiritual themes in the past, and while it's left much of that up to interpretation, the fact that it's willing to take chances proves that it's the type of show that's just ripe for trying a horse opera.
Despite the fact that Colter Shaw is not a cop, he carries himself like many of the types of Western heroes — lawmen or otherwise — who manage to drift into a new town just in time to stop some trouble. The standard Tracker formula itself feels somewhat derivative from the classic TV Westerns, evoking the same types of stories in a new, modern-day context. Again, I'm definitely not advocating for Tracker to travel back to the 1800s, but there is a whole Western-themed culture out there — be it through cowboys, rodeo, reservation life, etc. — that is worth exploring on a show like this. What's the point of Colter traveling across the country to all these different cities, communities, and cultures if we don't get to engage with the one that's distinctly American?
In Many Ways, Colter Shaw Echoes Classic Western TV Heroes
The Western influence on Colter Shaw, whether conscious or unconscious, can be seen best when we compare him to other characters from classic Westerns. The one that immediately comes to my mind is Richard Boone's Paladin. The Have Gun — Will Travel character's entire identity is wrapped in the notion that he's a sophisticated gunslinger who uses his brains and his quick draw to see jobs through to the end. He's a gun for hire, but one with a strong moral compass who tries to do the right thing. He's smarter than the average small-town lawman, and quite educated in various disciplines. Who does that sound like to you? We can see that Colter already fits the bill, and Tracker itself (aside from its clear lack of genre conventions) easily fits within that same Western framework as so many television programs of yesteryear.
Whether Tracker does a Western episode in the future or not certainly won't damper my enjoyment of the series. It's such a fun show as-is and Colter is such a great character to watch week-to-week. Since every episode feels as intense as the last, the lack of a Western episode only hurts my heart a tiny bit. However, the similarities between Tracker and many TV Westerns of old cannot be unseen once seen, and considering how much the character engages with the modern American West, it would be a real shame if we never got to see him in a cowboy hat at least once. Or at least in spurs…
