The 8th episode of the Justin Hartley-led Tracker aired on CBS earlier tonight. Hartley plays Colter Shaw, a “rewardist” who helps find missing people and missing things for the reward money. Shaw has an interesting past thanks to his survivalist dad, who has given him skills that make him really good at his job. With a fresh twist on the classic procedural, Tracker offers a compelling blend of mystery and action.
Tracker’s visit to Camden, Maine
So far, each show episode is named after a city where Colter is doing a job. So when I saw that Camden was the episode title for this one, my inner Philadelphian did a bit of a squee because that’s right across the river from the City of Brotherly Love. Alas, this show doesn’t take place in Camden, New Jersey, but in Camden, Maine. Incidentally, a quick look on the website formerly known as Twitter shows that others had that Jersey-based thought, too.
It turns out that Camden has big problems, and that’s where Colter Shaw comes in. Don’t read ahead if you hope to avoid spoilers because they are ahead by the plenty.
A woman’s fiancé is missing in episode 8
This episode’s mystery concerns a missing fiance. Nicole Muñoz plays Daniela, a woman who is engaged to marry a dockworker. Her betrothed, Sully (Anthony Konechny), has a checkered past. And he’s missing. Daniela’s father, Dwayne (Francisco Trujillo Avalos-Davidson), isn’t convinced that Sully didn’t just run off with cold feet or maybe another woman. There are only two weeks before the wedding, so time is of the essence, especially if Dad is going to get his deposits back. (Sorry, Daniela, your broken heart isn’t as important as Dad’s cash.)
The town’s sheriff (Darien Sills-Evans) also has suspicions about Sully. According to him, Covid hit the Maine locale hard. Fentanyl and crime moved in, and things became less idyllic. People actually had to start locking their doors. Crime is tempting, and Sheriff Miller wouldn’t be surprised if Sully got pulled back in. In this episode, Miller is just trying to keep his head above water. It was refreshing to see local enforcement not actively thwarting Colter. This played with the small-town cops are crooked trope that was on full display earlier this season in the third episode, Springland.
I won’t spoil how the mystery is solved, but it’s safe to say that Colter still has the moral high ground despite a bit of breaking and entering. The case is solved, and all is well in Camden again. And Colter Shaw is presumably headed in his Airstream to wherever his rewardist services are needed next. I’m guessing Aurora, Colorado, based on the next episode’s title. With all the crisscrossing through the country, Colter’s Airstream sure seems to be worth it.
A Standalone Episode for Colter Shaw
So far, each episode of Tracker has given us some insight into Colter’s backstory or the backstory of his merry band of helpers. Camden, episode eight, broke the mold in that respect. Teddi (Robin Weigert) and Velma (Abby McEnany) were barely on screen. At least Bobby (Eric Graise) was there to do his tech thing.
Camden didn’t mention Colter’s dad and definitely didn’t utter a word of his maybe-murderer brother that the past episodes have layered in with the definite feel of foreshadowing. There was also none of the back and forth with Reenie (Fiona Rene), which has been so fun this season. Camden could have easily been slotted in anywhere this season story-wise; that’s not to say it was a boring episode, just that it didn’t really build on everything we’ve learned. It was an old-fashioned standalone episode. I’m an advocate of more episodes in television seasons, so this isn’t really a complaint but an observation.
Camden still featured a really enticing mystery with quality acting. Everything that Colter did was on brand and made sense for his character – from figuring out the details of how a car went over a cliff in the woods to convincing a man to listen to his better angels and not pull the trigger in a tense situation. Colter Shaw cares about the cases he’s working on, and that’s part of what makes him so root-worthy to the audience. For all of those reasons, the Camden episode of Tracker is worth watching.
Tracker Season 2 and Beyond
There are at least three episodes of Tracker’s first season left to go, including interestingly titled Into the Wild. The show was already renewed for a second season, but there’s no information about when we can expect a premiere date.
Tracker airs on Sundays on CBS.
You might also like…
‘Tracker’ Season 1 Episode 9 Review – Aurora (spoilers)
‘Tracker’ Review: The First 6 Episodes of the CBS Drama