Tracker Season 2, Episode 13, "Neptune" ventures into the spy world, but makes Colter Shaw more of a passenger. The CBS drama tells a story where Colter has an important part to play, but at a certain point he's no longer the one driving the action. This might be weird to any viewers who tune in specifically for actor Justin Hartley, yet it's actually a testament to the strength of the show's writing.
"Neptune" sees Colter hired to locate Clare Dillard, who disappears from a Manhattan dressing room and leaves her husband Logan dumbfounded. What seems like the most basic premise for an episode evolves into a pretty exciting game of espionage and betrayal, with an unexpectedly memorable dynamic between Colter and Logan. It may not be a standard Tracker episode, but producers Sharon Lee Watson and Ryan O'Nan serve up a pretty great one.
Tracker Season 2, Episode 13 Is Driven by Clare Dillard, Not Colter Shaw
The Show Isn't Afraid to Let Its Hero Be in a Support Role
Most Tracker episodes revolve around Colter Shaw, with very good reason. The entire premise of the show is following him around, and with Justin Hartley's name recognition and fan base from shows like Smallville and This Is Us, of course the writers want to put him front and center. The inherent risk that comes with that, though, is that the characters who move through Colter's world don't register enough. See Season 2, Episode 9, "The Disciple" as an example of that problem. Colter has plenty to do in "Neptune," but as the hour unfolds, it becomes clear that the real story is Clare Dillard's to tell.
Audiences know there's more to Clare's disappearance than meets the eye, because it would be a very short episode if she just walked off. (Although, ironically, the police's belief that she abandoned her husband turns out to be sort of right — she was indeed walking away from him, albeit not by choice, and she does so again at the end.) But it's how the truth unfolds that makes it interesting. The viewer is pulled into Clare's story in the same way that Colter and Logan are, and once she appears on screen, she becomes the focus of the episode. It's Clare who has to meet with the villain, Clare who has the emotional arc because said villain is her boss, Clare who gets the final fight and has to make the big decision. Nancy Drew alum Alvina August is excellent in the role, leaning hard on Clare's internal conflict as someone who has both lied and been lied to.
Colter is still very much in play; he gets to do some searching, is able to rescue Logan from Eileen's pair of unnamed henchmen, and is there at the end to convince Clare not to murder Eileen. But the biggest moments — meeting the villain face-to-face, the suspense of whether or not the government spy satellite gets repositioned, taking Eileen down (literally) — belong to Clare. She gets to be the hero of her own story. Colter is there to support and help her, not rescue her like a damsel in distress. And from an acting standpoint, Hartley is great in that capacity, too. His willingness to let other performers shine is evident in his scenes with both Clare and Logan.
Tracker Season 2 Creates an Unlikely Friendship
Colter Shaw and Logan Dillard Have a Memorable Rapport
Clare doesn't appear in "Neptune" until later in the episode, so the first part of the story is carried by Colter and her husband, Logan. The latter is obviously worried sick about his wife, but Season 2, Episode 13 makes sure that's not all he does. The script includes a decent amount of information about who Logan is and how he met Clare, so viewers get a sense of who he is beyond this specific moment in time. That allows the audience to actually care about him, rather than Logan just serving as an entry point into the mystery. Firefly Lane actor Oliver Rice makes him charming, even at what's probably the lowest point of his life.
What's interesting is that viewers come to invest in Clare and Logan's marriage, even though the plotline demands that August and Rice share very little screen time together. Their biggest scenes are at the beginning, when their characters seem like any other couple and they don't have the additional layers to play. That happens because both actors are able to convey how strongly Clare and Logan care about one another, even if they're not physically in the same place. The revelation that Clare is a spy will not shock many audience members, but it's supposed to be a devastating reveal for Logan, and Rice nails that emotional beat.
As the episode goes on, Tracker creates a little mini-arc of friendship between Colter and Logan. Colter isn't just navigating Logan through looking for his wife, but Logan comes to rely on him for some kind of emotional guidance (simply because there isn't anyone else). Colter is always sympathetic to his clients, yet in this case Hartley and Rice build a noticeable rapport. It's great that O'Nan and Watson include a final scene of Colter passing Logan the apology note Clare wrote for him. It shows that Colter has an investment in Logan, however brief, and it also gives the audience a sense of semi-closure to Logan and Clare's story. They can imagine that Logan eventually reunites with his wife in Fiji, and that hope is enough for the episode itself to feel finished. At the same time, if the two of them pop up again or even just send a postcard, that would be very welcome. Reenie's mention of a letter from Eileen's boss does leave open future story possibilities.
Tracker Season 2, Episode 13's Storytelling Risks Pay Off
Fans Have Reason to Be Excited by This Kind of Episode
Image via CBS
The biggest thing that Tracker fans may dislike about "Neptune" is the comparatively small role that Colter and his team play as the episode goes on. The supporting cast is pretty much nonexistent at a certain point. Randy helps Colter with some computer magic when Colter checks out the SLD Publishing office, and Reenie pops up for a scene when Randy asks her to use her government contacts on Colter's behalf. But neither character is seen on screen for very long. This is disappointing, but not necessarily abnormal, given that the rest of the crew is often separated from Colter anyway. It just becomes more noticeable because of Colter taking a step back from the story, too.
It's a risky move to let guest characters take the spotlight, because if those characters aren't compelling, fans will quickly check out. After all, it's the regular characters that viewers tune in for every week. But if done right — as Watson and O'Nan do in "Neptune" — it's a huge boost to any show, particularly one like Tracker that's essentially an anthology series. Strong guest characters make the world around Colter feel alive. The whole series gains more depth than just whether or not he finishes a job. Viewers will leave Tracker Season 2, Episode 13 wanting to know what happens to Logan and Clare, and that's an example of how the show is continuing to successfully build out its world.
Tracker airs Sundays at 8:00 p.m. on CBS.
