Many agree that Tracker season 2 couldn't live up to the high expectations set by season 1, and accordingly, Colter Shaw couldn't live up to his "skilled survivalist and tracker" name in the latter episodes. The CBS action drama centers around Justin Hartley's Colter, who, as I alluded to before, is considered an expert in his profession. Tracker season 1 certainly proved that Colter has many skills. However, over the course of season 2 (which had a bigger episode count), one couldn't help but notice that the protagonist fell short of expectations.
The good news is that CBS has already renewed Tracker for a third season. Colter now has the chance to prove that our impression of him from season 1 is correct (as opposed to his disappointing performance in season 2). He should be the very best in his field, after all. The main characters of most TV shows have to be the greatest at what they do. Otherwise, the story will inevitably grow dull, and Tracker can't risk making that error with Colter when heading into season 3.
Colter Had To Rely On Luck Or Help In Many Of His Tracker Season 2 Cases
Colter's Season 2 Performance Is Much Less Impressive Than Season 1's
As opposed to his work in Tracker season 1, Colter had a lot of help and luck to solve his cases in season 2 (and it happened almost from the jump). For example, Jensen Ackles' Russell was called in to save Colter after he was kidnapped in Tracker season 2, episode 2. It allowed the two brothers to bond and somewhat drove the Shaw family mystery story forward. However, it still displayed how Colter sometimes needs to be saved instead of doing the saving. And just a few episodes later, a "witch" had to heal Colter after he got shot in the stomach with an arrow.
Tracker Season 2 Cast | Character |
|---|---|
Justin Hartley | Colter Shaw |
Abby McEnany | Velma Bruin |
Eric Graise | Bobby Exley |
Fiona Rene | Reenie Greene |
Jensen Ackles | Russell Shaw |
Floriana Lima | Camille Picket |
Sofia Pernas | Billie Matalon |
Brent Sexton | Keaton |
Chris Lee | Randy |
Pej Vahdat | Leo Sharf |
Other trackers like Billie and Keaton also consistently assisted Colter in Tracker season 2's episodes. Meanwhile, luck came into play quite a few times in the show's second season. In episode 10, "Nightingale," Colter got very lucky when dealing with a biker gang that he knew was dangerous, and he should've been able to predict their movements. Innocent people could've died, but Colter was fortunate that the criminals didn't jump the gun (literally). Ultimately, with how much help and luck Colter got in Tracker season 2, he's not looking like the expert rewardist he was in season 1.
Season 3 Should Look To Season 1 For Inspiration
Tracker season 3 must get the CBS action drama back on track, especially when it comes to Colter's profession. Season 2 had other shortcomings outside of Colter's mistakes, but fixing how the show utilizes the main character's skillset should be a priority. Thankfully, the writers can look to season 1 for inspiration.
Colter took a step back to look at the big picture many more times in Tracker season 1 than in season 2. In the show's early days, he used all his tracking knowledge to his advantage to solve cases and save innocent people. However, Colter rarely came up with plans in season 2, frequently choosing to wing it instead when taking on a job. The Tracker main character cannot rely on his charms, improvisation abilities, outside help, and luck going forward, though. Something needs to change in season 3 so that Colter can return to his season 1 self.
