Since it originally premiered,Trackerhas had a leg up on the other procedurals that dominate the TV landscape. With a charismatic lead in Justin Hartley, an interesting ensemble of supporting characters, and a case-of-the-week format that allows Hartley’s Colter Shaw to travel to new locations and new mysteries in every episode, the show has a winning formula. Colter has proven himself uniquely qualified to be the person who tracks down missing people.
The series has hinted that Colter’s upbringing is what gave him the skills to become a “rewardist,” a title he has given himself to referenceColter finding the missing for reward money.Trackercould benefit from one change to just how those skills are being presented in the series when it returns for season 3.
Colter’s Been A Marty Stu In Tracker For Too Long
Colter Has A Lot Of Unexplained Skills
Colter is the procedural’s version of a Marty Stu. Though Mary Sue is the name given to female characters in media, and is more easily recognized by pop culture aficionados, that does not mean male characters can not be one as well. A Mary or Marty Sue is a fictional character who is perceived to be free of flaws or who is able to easily pick up any skill or trait as the story calls for it. Seeing a character for whom things always appear to be natural or easy takes a lot of fun out of the unfolding story.
While Colter has demonstrated that he has flaws, those flaws are more in the way he isolates himself from others or stubbornly attempts to take on seemingly impossible cases.The Marty Stu aspect of his character comes into play because he is seemingly a better investigator than any member of law enforcement he interacts with,can track anyone through the woods and snow, and always seems to know how to keep missing people alive in extreme situations.
There arevague explanations given for Colter’s skills inTracker, but they are not enough. They often boil down to him simply saying that his childhood was unconventional, with no further explanation.
Tracker Season 3 Needs To Show More Childhood Flashbacks To Explain His Skills
The Series Could Better Utilize Flashbacks
A great way to showcase Colter’s abilities would be to better utilize flashbacks inTracker.There have been a handful of flashbacks to his childhood, but they have been few and far between. Most of those flashbacks have been centered as part of themystery surrounding the death of Colter’s fatherwhen he was a kid.
They could also help deepen our understanding of the Shaw family dynamic instead of a family member popping up once a season…
The trouble is that the mystery surrounding Colter’s father, who was a college professor and had anti-government leanings, has only been addressed at the beginning and end of each season ofTrackerso far. Flashbacks have shown the family having dinner together, or Colter and his brother out in the woods with their dad, but the flashbacks have not actually shown their father teaching them the skills that Colter uses outside of using a gun.
Flashbacks would go a long way to help explain Colter’s vast knowledgeof the outdoors, his survival skills, and his investigative methods. They could also help deepen our understanding of the Shaw family dynamic instead of a family member popping up once a season to remind Colter that he never talks to them and the death of their father hangs over their heads.
Colter Can Also Continue To Share More About His Family In Passing Like He Did In Season 2
This Also Helps Develop Colter’s Relationships
Trackerhas shown a positive trend when it comes to Colter. While he was largely closed off and mysterious in the first season, he has gradually opened up to those around him. Colter never seems to want to talk about his family or his childhood, and it stands to reason that there is quite a bit of trauma tied up in the events of the past that he does not entirely want to revisit. It’s also made clear, however, that Colter wants to know what happened to his father and that he appreciates the skills his father taught him.
That is made clear becauseColter finally started talking more about his familyinTrackerseason 2. First, Reenie (Fiona Rene) calls Colter’s brother (played by guest star Jensen Ackles) to help find Colter when he disappears on a case. Then, Colter bonds with another survivalist while on a case to find a missing woman, and then, he makes friends with several small-town law enforcement officials. All of those instances allow him to start opening up a bit more and talking about his family.
A lot of those conversations, however, simply mention the Shaw family in passing. That is a great way to build up the audience’s knowledge of Colter’s past and his family without focusing entire episodes on it.The show could add these little pieces of information and flashbacks sprinkled throughout the season as a way to show us how Colter became the person he is, rather than just making the audience trust that Colter is just that good at what he does.
Not only would this help us better understand Colter, it would also help deepen Colter’s relationships with those he trusts and enrich the character dynamics of the show. It’s clear there is a lot of care and trust between Reenie and Colter if she was willing to call in his brother for him, but it’s not made clear how much the rest of his support team even knows about Colter’s past or how he developed his skills.
With just a few small storytelling changes,Trackerseason 3 can help satisfy the audience and the supporting characters.
