Spoiler alert: The following article contains spoilers from Tracker season 2, episode 12, "Monster."
Since the beginning of Tracker, many have wondered who really killed Colter Shaw's father, Ashton, and while the show occasionally reveals information about the family, the fans still don't have many, if any, answers. The CBS action drama TV series is based on Jeffery Deaver's 2019 novel The Never Game. Tracker follows Justin Hartley's Colter, a nomadic survivalist who earns money by helping private citizens or law enforcement agencies around the country find missing people. While most episodes center around different cases that are solved within the hour, Tracker contains a central mystery that is nowhere close to being solved.
When Colter was young, his father abruptly moved him, his brother (Russell), his sister (Dory), and their mother to a secluded home in the woods, where he taught them survivalist skills. One night when Mary was away, Ashton stormed out of the house, paranoid. Russell followed him, and after a while, Colter left to find both of them. Sadly, Colter discovered Ashton's dead body at the bottom of a cliff and saw Russell standing on top of it, looking down. While Colter suspected that his brother killed their father in Tracker, a question mark hovers over the case decades later.
Tracker Season 12, Episode 2 Includes A New Revelation About The Shaw Family
Colter Opens Up About His Mother
Tracker season 2 has largely avoided the Shaw family mystery, meaning there haven't been any substantial developments since the season 1 finale. However, Colter surprisingly opens up about his family to Reenie in season 2, episode 12, "Monster," giving her and the audience more insight into his childhood. It is a small moment, but it means a lot given how guarded Colter is about his past.
At the end of the hour, Colter and Reenie meet up at a diner, and when he orders pancakes, she is surprised. She claims she didn't think he was a "breakfast for dinner kind of guy." Colter then explains that his mother used to say that breakfast goes with everything. She used to make him and his siblings breakfast whenever their father had one of his "episodes" as a refresher, to "start the day over." Consequently, pancakes make Colter think about his mother. Reenie suggests he should talk to a therapist, but Colter is less than receptive to that idea.
Colter Mentioning His Mother Is Great, But It Barely Impacts His Father's Death Mystery
Pancakes Aren't Exactly A Clue
While Colter telling Reenie the story about his mother making him breakfast when he was younger is sweet, it doesn't propel Tracker's Colter family mystery forward at all. It confirms that Colter, along with Russell and Dory, had it rough growing up with their father. The story behind Colter's love for breakfast also reveals how close their family was. Anything other than that, though, the new revelation doesn't bring us any closer to solving Ashton's death in season 2 of the CBS action drama series.
Tracker Season 2 Cast | Role |
|---|---|
Justin Hartley | Colter Shaw |
Abby McEnany | Velma Bruin |
Eric Graise | Bobby Exley |
Fiona Rene | Reenie Greene |
Jensen Ackles | Russell Shaw |
Floriana Lima | Camille Picket |
Sofia Pernas | Billie Matalon |
Brent Sexton | Keaton |
Perhaps Colter mentioning his mother in "Monster" plants seeds for her return in future episodes of Tracker season 2. Or it could just be setting up Justin Hartley's character going to therapy, like Reenie suggests. Whatever the case, pancakes don't exactly serve as a significant clue in the mystery of Colter's father's death in Tracker.
Tracker Season 2 Needs To Revisit The Shaw Family Mystery Soon (Even If It Doesn't Solve Ashton's Death Yet)
The Mystery Will Soon Be Forgotten
Tracker season 2 doesn't have to wrap up the Shaw family mystery, but it has to at the very least address it before the finale. It doesn't make sense that the ending of Tracker season 1 contained major revelations regarding Ashton's death, which are now being ignored in season 2. Colter has seemingly moved on with his life, having forgotten about the events of the previous finale. Justin Hartley's character is back to business as usual, traveling the country, finding people, and not thinking about the truth behind his father's death.
Of course, 10 episodes remain in Tracker season 2, as of the writing of this article. There is a lot of time left for the writers of the CBS action drama to get back on track and continue exploring the show's central mystery. The case doesn't have to (and frankly shouldn't) be solved by the season 2 finale. Instead, it needs to be a slow burn, with Colter slowly uncovering the missing pieces that make up the puzzle. However, Tracker risks viewers losing interest in Ashton's story if it keeps ignoring it, despite its importance in Colter's life.
