Tracker Season 2 did not come to play.
The CBS drama entered its second season as one of the most popular shows on television. The momentum from a solid but not flawless Tracker Season 1 has carried over, making the series among the most watched on television.
But what has the product been like? Has it improved upon its first year? Or has it fallen into the familiar television sophomore slump?
At the midseason point of the season, Tracker has only gotten better.
That’s not to say the show has been perfect. Still, they’ve upped the ante in many regards, giving Colter a storyline outside of the Shaw Family drama.
They’ve delivered on the cases of the week while continuing to center the best part of the series: Colter connecting with people and saving the day.
We’re breaking down the highs and lows of a stellar start to Tracker Season 2, so come check it out!
Best Episode – Tracker Season 2 Episode 8 Review: The Night Movers
Tracker Season 2 Episode 8 was not only the best of the season but also one of the best of the series overall.
The case of the week, which involved Colter seemingly looking for a dead man, was intriguing and had the right amount of twists and turns to make it feel unpredictable.
The dead man in question, Lucas, was a guy who needed to fake his own death to save himself from death, as he had some damning information that would have sullied the political career of a local politician.
Colter soon found himself involved with a crooked cop and the leader of the “night movers,” a low-key company specializing in helping people disappear when needed.
But Lucas broke protocol when he returned to town, and things got out of control rather quickly.
If not for Colter, his knack for being in the right place at the right time, his ability to solve every situation with quick thinking, and his particular set of survival skills, there may have been a much worse outcome.
This hour was also noteworthy for its ending, which brought the Gina Picket case back around, with Colter’s new friend Keaton delivering him a person of interest on a silver platter.
Colter may have finally gotten the break he’s been waiting for (we’ll have to wait and see, of course!), but Keaton was torturing the man for information, which isn’t necessarily Colter’s MO.
Plus, they got a nickname, not the government name of a suspect, so he’s still got a ways to go before he makes progress.
But it’s the most significant break he’s had in years, and it’s an appealing cliffhanger to leave us on as we await the series’ return.
Which Episode of Tracker Season 2 Has Been Your Favorite So Far?
Worst Episode – Tracker Season 2 Episode 3: Bloodlines
Billie has been a polarizing character since she appeared on Tracker Season 1 Episode 6, and she made her return during this hour when she called Colter in to help with a missing teen from her hometown.
This was a bit of a Billie backstory episode, which probably landed better with those who enjoy Billie’s character.
But even if you are a Billie fan, we didn’t necessarily need a deep dive into her history when we still have much to learn about some of our main characters who are there every week.
The case started promising in that a talented young baseball player was missing, and while the story could have spun off in many different directions, it ended up with blood donations and biohacking.
The hour was weird; not even the connection between real-life husband and wife Justin Hartley and Sofia Pernas could save it.
Which Episode of Tracker Season 2 Has Been Your Least Favorite So Far?
Character We Need More Of – Velma
When news broke that Robin Weigert’s Teddi would not return for the second season, many people wondered what that would mean for that character and Teddie’s wife, Velma.
And eight episodes into said season, the answer is still to be determined.
Velma is Colter’s handler, so while she’s not usually involved in the actual case-solving, the series still struggles to incorporate her in a way that allows her to be a fully formed character who exists beyond giving Colter his latest case.
Teaming her up with Reenie was a good first step, but they’ve done very little with it. Instead of always being at her home, she’s now just always at Reenie’s office for seemingly no real reason.
They also teased that Velma and Teddi might be having marital issues during Tracker Season 2 Episode 1 but haven’t followed up on it at all. As of right now, they’re apart, and they haven’t even mentioned Teddi’s name since then.
Tracker has always struggled with finding ways to develop everyone not named Colter, but they’re dropping the ball with Velma this season, which is saying something considering how little they did with her in Season 1.
Best Storyline – Gina Picket’s Disappearance
On the surface, you could say, “How can Gina Picket be the best storyline when it hasn’t even started?” And you wouldn’t be wrong to pose that question, but introducing Colter’s white whale case brings something fresh to the series.
Outside of the cases of the week, Season 1 honed in on Colter’s personal drama with his family (more on that soon).
While that was highly intriguing, it was wise to introduce something else from Colter’s past to continue shading in his character and giving the audience an overarching mystery to get invested in.
Colter and Camille’s romantic connection also adds something to the series. We’ve seen Colter be a bit of a lady’s man but not have many romantic conquests that go beyond some little flirting and wondering about what could be if things were different.
Colter and Camille have a past that existed before Gina disappeared and has morphed into something else in the years since. They seem to be bound by grief, and the minute Camille decides she needs to start moving beyond that pain, Colter gets the biggest break he’s gotten in the last decade.
The story has been slow-growing and not a major factor thus far, but it’s new and intriguing.
Missing Storyline – Shaw Family Drama
The Shaw Family drama was hands down one of the best aspects of the first season.
We quickly learned this thing lingering in the background helped shape Colter into the man we were now getting to know.
Bringing in Dory and Russell only upped the stakes, as they became more than just Colter’s estranged siblings whom he was ignoring.
Instead, they became tangible pieces in his life’s mission to better understand both his parents and his father’s death.
It’s a gripping story on its surface, yet they’ve acted as if it didn’t exist thus far.
Outside of Russell’s appearance during Tracker Season 2 Episode 2, Colter has barely touched on what happened at the end of last season, which was that Dory had this box of Ashton’s things that no one knew about.
It wasn’t exactly the most tantalizing cliffhanger. Still, considering how much of Colter’s existence revolves around his unresolved feelings about his childhood, you’d think he’d be more eager to jump back into things.
If you were jumping into the story now, you wouldn’t even realize Colter had significant issues with his past because, as it relates to his family, it feels like they’re almost going out of their way to get away from it.
But why? God if I know, but that needs to be rectified in the second half of the season.
Best Guest Star – Jensen Ackles
Let’s call a spade a spade here: Jensen Ackles tends to make everything better. That’s why the man is all over the television these days.
His on-screen presence is unmatched, and he and Justin Hartley have tremendous chemistry.
It truly feels like these two are brothers with a complicated past who bicker and try to one-up one another but also have a lot of love and respect for each other.
His appearance this season was in an hour centered around extraterrestrials, and the brothers had to work together to help one another and find a missing man caught up in a government conspiracy.
Russell wasn’t there for a long time, but he was there for a good time, and the little tease about him and Reenie going on a date was a nice way of introducing Colter’s jealous side because doesn’t a tiny part of everyone hopes Colter and Reenie may give it a go one day?
Well, maybe not everyone, but Russell always brings some fresh energy to the show.
Ackles is a treat as the accomplished, rough-around-the-edges but incredibly skilled older brother who lives to crack a joke and reminds his little brother who’s the boss when they’re out saving the day.
Overall Grade – A-
Tracker Season 2 has not been perfect, but it’s been damn fun.
Some cases may have been overly convoluted, but they’ve been entertaining and put Colter in some situations we have yet to see him in.
From aliens to the supernatural to animals and trying to find someone presumed dead, they’ve gone outside the box, and generally, it’s worked.
All things run through Colter, and continuing to send him around the country and place him in these new situations allows the audience to continue getting to know the survivalist and career tracker.
Overall, we still need more Reenie, Velma, and Bobby. Every hour without them feels like a wasted opportunity, and they need to address this.
It’s the Colter show, not an ensemble, but you have a great supporting cast with great chemistry. If you can come up with biohacking blood banks, you can craft storylines that will get all these characters in the same city at the same time multiple times a season!
Drop all your thoughts into the comments below about the start of Tracker Season 2!
We’ll return in the new year to discuss everything when the series returns!
Tracker Season 2 returns to CBS on February 16 at 8/7c.
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