Tracker Season 2, Episode 18, "Collision" feels like a filler episode until the CBS show can get to its season-ending action. The story is serviceable, and viewers get a clear beginning and end to the case of the week, so it's not necessarily wasted time. But it just doesn't feel like the best use of their time. Colter Shaw has had more unique and more dynamic investigations than this.
In "Collision," ex-model Riley Adams is run off the road shortly after moving back home to Michigan — and then disappears. At the request of Riley's mother, Colter teams up with the local sheriff's department to locate her, which requires uncovering Riley's big secret. However, viewers will likely guess what it is (and guess everyone else's secrets) well before they're revealed. This is an episode that's going through the motions with bigger things on the horizon.
Tracker Season 2, Episode 18 Plays With Too Many TV Tropes
There's Too Much That Feels Familiar About the Plot
There's nothing inherently wrong with filler episodes. They're a necessary consequence of long seasons (usually for network TV shows), because there can't be a major plot twist or character development every week. What makes those big moments impactful is that they are not regular. But filler episodes still have to be written well, and "Collision" is unfortunately not one of those episodes. It's too familiar to anyone who's an avid watcher of crime and mystery series, with a couple of moments that are genuine head-scratchers.
Three different people are suspected at different points of stalking Riley, and they're all cliche. Maybe it's the creepy co-worker. Maybe it's the jealous ex. Maybe it's the clingy best friend. The latter turns out to be true, which isn't that novel of a plot twist either. Viewers know all about the obsessed friend who wants to control someone else's life from various Lifetime movies. When the real culprits are revealed, their motives are also in the "been there, done that" camp. They're the people who want a family, but can't have one, so they're going to take it from someone else by any means necessary. The fact that the Harpers suffered two miscarriages doesn't make them feel sympathetic, because they're never presented in a truly vulnerable light.
There are also some confusing moments when it comes to Colter's interactions with Detective Katie Douglas, the cop of the week. On more than one occasion, Colter points things out to Douglas that should be obvious to anyone who's risen to the rank of Detective. For example, when Riley's friend Cheryl is found murdered, Colter tells her that Cheryl can't have taken her own life — because if she were writing in her own blood, the message wouldn't be so neat. That's a fairly basic fact, and while Douglas doesn't come across as totally naive, there's enough of this kind of dialogue to make their entire partnership seem underwhelming.
Tracker Mercifully Avoids This One Frustrating and Harmful Trope
Season 2, Episode 18 Could Have Been a Lot Worse
Image via CBS
One positive element of this Tracker episode that shouldn't be overlooked is that, while the writing of the guest characters is uniformly flat, the script resists an all too common urge among TV dramas to choose the bad ending — particularly where women are concerned. For example, a similar premise involving a mentally troubled female suspect wanting a family was at the heart of FBI Season 7, Episode 6, "Perfect," which was just an hour of terrible things happening to women. More recently, Chicago Med had a character struggling to get pregnant not only suffer a miscarriage but require an emergency hysterectomy, seemingly just for the emotional impact. These tough ends are indeed emotional, and they might make for a lot of drama, but sometimes the most dramatic choice is not the best choice.
Tracker avoids victimizing Riley any more than is required to establish her peril. The most physical harm that happens to her is that Monica Harper holds her at scalpel-point during the final confrontation with Colter and Detective Douglas. There are no scenes of her being injured or tortured to show how "serious" things are. She doesn't somehow lose her baby in the struggle to save her. She gets to go home in one piece and be reunited with her mother. Is that cheesy? Maybe. But is it perfectly fine for things to work out okay? Absolutely. And is it nice to have a happy ending on a TV show more than once every few weeks? Most definitely.
There have been better-developed guest characters on this show. None of the people in Riley's life get to evolve much beyond their initial impressions, except for Cheryl's obsession with Riley being revealed. Her ex-boyfriend Vincent Rourke gets a few points for wanting to support her with the pregnancy, instead of just being the archetypical guy who's more concerned with his own well-being. But when it comes down to it, Tracker tells a story that might be predictable, but it's not exploitative and it leaves viewers feeling satisfied.
Tracker Season 2, Episode 18 Feels Like It's Biding Time
What Does the Show Have in Store for the Season Finale?
Image via CBS
"Collision" is a story that's easy to digest and put aside as soon as the credits roll. Even with Detective Douglas making a comment about keeping in touch, Tracker viewers know this is a one and done, with no lasting effects on Colter Shaw or the series as a whole. The biggest piece of character information that comes out is when Colter brings up his family history to try and appeal to Monica's husband Tyler. That sense of this episode not mattering does set the episode back a step further, both in the moment and in terms of it just not having a lot of rewatch value.
But with just two episodes remaining in Tracker Season 2, this almost works like a palate cleanser to clear the way before the final stories. The season still has a lot of moving parts, like the recent return of Bobby and of course, the continued unraveling of Colter's past. "Collision" is just an average episode on its merits. Yet in the big picture, it does exactly what it came to do — and there's nothing wrong with that.
Tracker airs Sundays at 8:00 p.m. on CBS.
