CBS’s Tracker snagged the coveted spot following the Super Bowl, kicking off the network’s new primetime drama in what was supposed to be the best possible time slot to draw in viewers. Unfortunately for the series, the Super Bowl went into overtime which meant Tracker didn’t debut on the East Coast until after 11pm.
Based on Jeffrey Deaver’s The Never Game, the action drama stars This Is Us’ Justin Hartley as a loner who has a particular skill set that makes him the perfect person to track missing people. Episode one, “Klamath Falls,” introduces Hartley as Colter Shaw, a survivalist who earns a living by searching for missing people and collecting rewards. With support from his close-knit team – Robin Weigert as Teddi, Abby McEnany as Velma, Eric Graise as Bobby, and Fiona Rene as Reenie – Colter takes on cases that have stumped local law enforcement.
Prepare for a lengthy recap. There’s a lot going on that sets up the first season of Tracker in “Klamath Falls.”
Tracker‘s premiere opens with Colter Shaw using his natural charm and reassuring manner to calm Jessica, an injured hiker in Black Rock Desert, Nevada. He manages to convince her that everything will be fine if she just follows his lead, and as he takes care of her leg, Colter reveals a little of his backstory. His dad taught him how to track and a little first-aid, and he knows the mild hypothermia she’s suffering from will likely lead to death if they wait around for her to be airlifted out.
Colter gets her to his truck and then into a waiting ambulance. Mission accomplished.
Colter’s a good guy, but he’s not out there putting his life at risk performing rescues just to build up good karma. Colter expects a payday at the end, and in this case, the reward for Jessica’s rescue is $50,000. And as Colter explains, rewards are binding contracts.
Job done, he returns to his Airstream and checks in via Facetime with Velma and Teddi Bruin (in Denver), his handlers/family by choice rather than by blood. Both women are super protective of Colter, who’s currently shirtless and nursing a beer.
Velma’s a huge dog lover and tries to convince Teddi they need to adopt another cute rescue dog. Colter prefers to avoid the “is there such a thing as too many dogs” debate and asks about his next job. There isn’t one lined up yet, but they let him know an old friend from Devil’s Notch is trying to get ahold of him. He doesn’t explain but just says to ignore those calls.
It turns out the person has been calling Colter, too, but Colter doesn’t pick up.
The first Corgi sighting of the season arrives with a morning call from Teddi informing Colter of his next job. (Warning: all subsequent Corgi sightings will probably be mentioned. Sorry, not sorry.) A $20,000 payday is waiting if Colter can find Gilbert Brown, a 14-year-old who was supposedly taken by Edward Brown, his non-custodial parent. He was last seen in Klamath Falls, Oregon, and his mom and stepdad are offering the reward.
Colter visits the worried parents and explains that he makes his living collecting rewards. He doesn’t take any fees/expenses upfront. Mom Sarah says Gil and his dad haven’t had any contact in years; he apparently was into drugs and petty theft. Plus, he did six months for robbing a Juul (vape) store.
Gil told his brother that he was meeting his real dad for breakfast and would see him at school. He never showed up.
After everyone but Sarah leaves, Colter demands to know why she’s lying. Her story doesn’t add up, and Colter points out that he notices things. Sarah confesses she’s recently been talking to Eddie and that a few weeks back, he asked to speak to Gil. And it turns out Gil’s been texting his dad, but Sarah didn’t know Eddie would kidnap him.
Colter spots a photo of Gil in the woods with his dad and asks to take it. Plus, he needs a school photo and Gil’s phone number. Sarah didn’t tell her current husband about Eddie because it would break his heart.
Colter has a flashback to his dad teaching him how to climb. His dad also had a calm demeanor and convinced Colter never to let panic take the wheel.
Back to current events and Colter calls Bobby Exley, another member of his support team. Bobby’s incredibly tech-savvy and can track down info online on anyone. Colter asks for anything he can dig up on Edward Monroe Brown. Bobby’s willing to do a little dirty work (in the legal grey area) to obtain a text exchange, but it’ll cost Colter double. They have a great relationship, and Colter hints that he saved Bobby in the past.
The caller Colter’s been ignoring texts him that they need to talk. That sparks a flashback to a night that his dad lost his cool and grabbed his younger sister Dory (age 9) and his older brother Russell (age 18) defended her. Their mom wasn’t there, and Colter’s dad took off – leaving the three kids on their own in a cabin.
Bobby worked miracles and got the text exchange, and it looks like Eddie convinced Gil not to tell his mom and to meet him at Burger Bin. Colter heads to the restaurant, spots a surveillance camera, and asks about the security camera. Accessing the footage needs corporate approval and Colter knows that will take too long. He takes matters into his own hands and enters the office to look for himself.
Unfortunately, two cops are eating in the restaurant and order him to leave the office. Colter refuses to come out until he sees the footage. He uses his phone to take a photo of Gil with a man and quickly sends it to Sarah. The man who took Gil is not his father!
Colter’s placed under arrest and wakes up Velma and Teddi by calling in the dead of night. The Corgi reacts by immediately barking – because that’s just what Corgis do – and Velma answers the phone, learns Colter’s in jail, and starts to work getting him set up with a lawyer.
Officer Amini (Paniz Zade) books him into jail, and Colter’s sure it’s an overreaction. He wasn’t resisting arrest, he was “grudging.” She doesn’t really care that he’s working with a family to find a missing child; she uses the term “mercenary” as a derogatory description. Colter corrects her and says he prefers being called a “rewardist.”
Officer Amini makes it clear she believes Colter’s only in it for the money and that he doesn’t care about the missing boy or his family.
Velma and Teddi work the phones and can’t find anyone to get Colter out of his predicament. Only attorney Reenie Green reaches out and will do it, but she wasn’t their first choice. Reenie and Colter have history, and Teddi thinks Colter’s going to kill them for sending her in to help.
Colter reacts as expected but then slips into apologetic mode, knowing he has no choice. Reenie speaks to the desk officer and ignores Colter, calling Colter a pathological narcissist whom she doesn’t really want to help. She also calls him a handsome idiot and says the last time she saw him, they had dinner, wine, and sex, and then Colter snuck off like a guilty frat boy.
Colter pleads his case, but Reenie doesn’t care. Fortunately for Colter, Reenie had an in at the Klamath Superior Court, and he’s free to leave. She’s sticking around for a few days, and Colter misreads the room and thinks she wants to hook up. She absolutely does not!
Officer Amini’s shocked Cotler’s walking free, but she did look at the tape and has put out an APB on the kidnapper. Gil’s bike was found in a dumpster, and they’re checking for prints. Officer Amini’s also surprised when Colter suggests an officer should check on the family and make sure they’re okay. She didn’t expect him to care about the family.
As Colter walks away, Reenie tells Officer Amini that she needs to tread carefully if she gets involved with him.
Bobby dug up more info, and it turns out Eddie Brown’s been dead for six months. Colter visits the halfway house where Eddie was staying and speaks with guys who knew Eddie. They also recognize the kidnapper. His name’s Jack Horvath and he probably impersonated Eddie because Eddie used to tell a story about $100,000 that he buried.
The guys reveal that Eddie buried it where he and his son camped, which means Gil would know the location. (Also, it’s the location where the photo Colter took from Sarah was taken.)
Colter meets with officers at Sarah’s house, and they’ve tracked Horvath’s truck to Sun Pass State Forest’s monitoring station. He’s probably up there now, and the officer in charge says the State Police are ready to search for Horvath and Gil. But Colter believes a show of force is the wrong move.
Horvath is dangerous and unpredictable, and Colter volunteers to go retrieve Gil without resorting to an armed response and helicopters. Colter believes the photo shows exactly where to look for Gil, but the cops disagree. Fortunately, Sarah trusts Colter’s judgement, so he’s given a two-hour head start before officers move in.
Officer Amini drives him to the location and tries to get him to explain why he chose to be a rewardist. Colter admits his childhood was unusual. His parents were professors at Berkeley until something happened with his dad. His dad then moved them to a compound in the forest and taught them to live off the grid. His dad kept claiming people were out to get them, so he taught his kids tracking, hunting, free-climbing, and how to survive on their own.
When he was just 15, the flashback from earlier in the episode took place. His dad ordered them to get their go-bags and then stormed out on his own, but not before pulling a knife on Russell. Russell was okay with him leaving because his condition was getting worse, but Colter was upset, so Russell volunteered to track him down.
When his mom got home, Russell was still gone. Colter looked for them and found his dad dead at the base of a cliff. His brother was on top, just looking down at him in the rain.
They arrive near the location and Colter goes in on his own to find Gil. He finds the teen handcuffed and lying in the bed of Jack Horvath’s truck. Horvath spots Colter and orders him to drop his gun. Colter complies and tries to make a connection with Jack, letting him know he understands what happened. Jack’s in a dire situation now, and Colter reminds him that this is kidnapping with a weapon. However, he has half an hour before the cops get there. Colter will take Gil and go, leaving Jack time to escape – if he leaves right now. If he refuses, the cops will catch Jack and he’ll either go back to jail or be shot dead. It’s not much of a choice.
Jack gives Colter the handcuff key and just as Colter sets Gil free, a helicopter appears overhead. Jack panics and shoots Colter before taking off with Gil still in the back of the truck. Officer Amini heads towards the gunshot as an injured Colter tries to cut Jack off by taking shortcuts down the hill.
Colter finally catches up and leaps into the back of the moving truck. He and Gil hold on as Jack takes the turns way too fast. Cops chase Jack into a dead-end outlet and have him surrounded. Colter holds Jack at gunpoint through the back window, and Jack knows the jig is up. He takes his own life, and his foot leaves the brake, causing the truck to roll backward to the edge of a cliff.
Gil and Colter dangle 100 feet up, with Colter explaining they need to let go and drop into the river. There’s not enough time for them to be rescued before the truck plunges off the cliff with them in the back.
Gil trusts Colter and they let go, landing safely in the river.
Colter gets fixed up at the hospital, and the cop in charge apologizes for getting antsy and going in early. Colter accepts the reward money while he’s checking on Gil, who survived just fine thanks to the rewardist. Gil knows his dad is dead, and Colter points out he has a helluva stepdad.
“You’ve got a lot of good people around you. Lean on the people you’ve got,” suggests Colter, who knows a thing or two about dead dads.
Reenie calls with the good news that the local cops are letting him go. The charges from the Burger Bin have been dropped. She says the problem with him is that he’s so damn interesting. She wants to be first on the call list next time Velma and Teddi need help.
Officer Amini is now off duty and with Colter at his RV. She doesn’t want to talk and prefers to just enjoy each other’s bodies.
Back at the Bruins’ home, Velma’s upset because someone adopted the rescue she wanted, and it turns out Teddi did it! Velma tells her partner she loves her as she holds their newest furry family member.
Colter and Officer Amini are in bed when Teddi calls with his next case in Colorado Springs.
Colter hits the road but makes a pit stop in Devil’s Notch. He pauses in front of his dad’s grave and relives finding him dead. He screamed up at his brother, asking what he did. Russell didn’t reply.
Colter’s mom joins him at the grave, which is right in front of her cabin. He informs her that Russell called, and although he didn’t speak to him, he knows Russell won’t stop calling. Russell texted him that there’s something he needs to know. His mom suggests he ignore Russell and block the number. She’s asked very little of him and wants him to leave it be, for everyone’s sake.
* * * * * *
So, what did we learn from Tracker‘s first episode? Colter’s good at his job, has an awesome support team, and a traumatic backstory. We also learned that Justin Hartley’s pretty good at playing the strong, silent type.
New season one episodes of Tracker will air on Sundays at 9pm ET/PT.
- Tracker – Justin Hartley Interview on His New Action Drama
- Season 1 Episode 2 “Missoula” Recap
- Tracker Season 1 Episode 3 “Springland” Recap
- Tracker Season 1 Episode 4 “Mt Shasta” Recap
- Tracker Season 1 Episode 5 “St. Louis” Recap
- Tracker Season 1 Episode 6 “Lexington” Recap
- Tracker Season 1 Episode 7 “Chicago” Recap
- Tracker Season 1 Episode 8 “Camden” Recap
- Tracker Season 1 Episode 9 “Aurora” Recap
- Tracker Season 1 Episode 10 “Into the Wild” Recap
- Tracker Season 1 Episode 11 “Beyond the Campus Walls” Recap
- Season 1 Episode 13 “The Storm” Finale Recap
