- Colter Shaw searches for a friend’s missing daughter in the season finale.
- Unresolved mysteries around Colter’s father’s death will be addressed.
- Colter’s complicated relationships with family and fellow trackers are explored.
There are 10 exciting things to expect in the Tracker season 1 finale, which has audiences looking forward to how the first season wraps up. It’s hard to say exactly what is next for Justin Hartley’s Colter Shaw, but the first season has left open-ended questions that need to be resolved in the season’s final episode. What’s known is that the finale will follow Colter as he takes to the water in search of the missing daughter of his friend Lizzy Hawking, portrayed by Hartley’s This Is Us costar Jennifer Morrison. Hopefully, some of Colter’s storyline gets resolved, although it’s likely the showrunners will leave a cliffhanger for Tracker season 2.
Tracker‘s first season has followed Colter, the self-proclaimed “rewardist,” and other Tracker cast members as they solve missing person’s cases of both strangers and close family and friends across the country for reward money. Colter has backup from his skeleton team of Teddi (Robin Weigert) and Velma (Abby McEnany) Bruin, who search for potential cases for Colter to take. He also has help from Bobby Exley (Eric Graise), who provides him with intel, and Reenie Greene (Fiona Rene), who assists him in legal matters as his attorney (but who often goes above and beyond that on a job).
Colter Will Search For A Friend’s Missing Child
The recently released trailer for the Tracker season finale revealed that Colter will be investigating the disappearance of a family friend’s daughter in the season finale. As such, episode 13, “The Storm,” will see Colter revisiting an old Shaw family connection. Hartley revealed in an interview with Collider that his This Is Us costar would join him on Tracker to portray someone from deep in Colter’s past, and the connection could provide an opening to uncover the truth about his father.
How Did Colter’s Father Ashton Shaw Die? Revealed
One major detail that remains unclear heading into the Tracker season finale is what happened to Colter’s father, Ashton Shaw (Lee Tergesen). What’s known about Colter’s father is that he trained Colter and his siblings to be able to track animals and people, and to survive anything. When Ashton tells the kids that they need to suddenly leave one night while Colter’s mother is gone, it sparks a family conflict that causes confusion surrounding the cause of his death. The season finale can reveal what actually happened that night, and whether Colter can trust his brother moving forward.
Colter’s father’s death is unresolved due to a harrowing series of events that played out the night he died. After lashing out at his children, Ashton decides to leave the house to sacrifice himself to whoever he believes is after him and Russell goes to find him soon after. When Colter joins the hunt for his dad, he finds him dead. His father experienced what looked like a fatal fall off the cliff’s edge, but what happened remains unclear. Colter has believed for years that Russell (Jensen Ackles) pushed his father to his death, but his brother claims otherwise.
Why Did Colter’s Father Leave Berkeley? Explained
In the Tracker season finale, why Colter’s father left Berkeley could be explained. The characters have hinted at why this could be so far, but it’s clear that Colter and sister Dory (Melissa Roxburgh) don’t know exactly why their father left the university. Their father had a series of legal incidents, but when Colter gains access to details about his family, he finds out that he and his siblings haven’t been told the whole story. Whatever happened to Ashton Shaw could explain his mysterious death, and why he was so paranoid in his final days.
Who Broke Into Colter’s Dad’s Office?
Another detail that remains unresolved heading into the season finale is the unsolved break-in at the Shaw family home. At the beginning of episode 2, “Missoula,” Colter’s mother calls him to report a disturbance at the family home after she wakes up and finds a note that warns her she’s being watched. Her late husband’s office has been broken into and papers are scattered everywhere. When Colter comes to investigate whatever happened, his mother says she overreacted. Finding out who broke into the Shaw family home in the finale could begin to unravel the mystery surrounding Colter’s deceased father.
What Is Colter’s Mother Hiding From Him?
After the break-in at the family home, it’s clear that Colter’s mother is hiding something from him. When he presses her on it, she asks him to trust her and to drop it. Colter tells his mother that his brother has been calling him. His mother responds that Colter needs to put it behind him. It’s clear that Colter shouldn’t fully trust his mother. When investigating his late father’s office, Colter is clearly suspicious of her answers to his questions, but he is more concerned with protecting his mother. The Tracker season finale could reveal what she’s been hiding.
Colter & Russell Reunion After Unfinished Business
At the end of Tracker season 1, episode 12, “Off the Books,” (the final episode before the Tracker season finale), Colter parts ways with his brother after helping him track down his friend. Colter takes Russell’s friend to safety, and Russell says that he will see his brother later, because he has unfinished business to attend to. It’s a moment that shows their dad raised them similarly, and that they carry the same sense of duty and determination to see things through to the end. Colter encourages his brother to let it go, but Russell refuses.
When Colter asks if parting ways means that they’re saying goodbye, Russell says no. When Colter comes looking at Russell’s hotel later on to find him, he’s informed at the front desk that Russell has checked out, but he left him his knife and a bundle of money with a note that told him to keep it safe. The package is a signal that Russell is safe. Since Russell had the knife with him when he was last seen, it’s a signal to Colter that his brother survived and will live to follow up on his “exit plan” for life.
Is Russell Guilty, Or Was Someone Chasing Ashton Shaw?
Although the brothers have a reunion that sees Colter help Russell save his friend’s life, it remains unclear whether Russell pushed their father off the cliff. While Ashton Shaw was paranoid, he claims that there was someone chasing him, and it matches Russell’s claim that there was someone else with Russell and their father in the woods with them on the night their father died. In his final days, Colter’s father thinks that someone is following him, and that’s why he urges his kids to leave with him, but so far, the portrayal of their father is paranoid and incredible.
The Return Of Billie
The Tracker season 1 finale could see the return of Billie Matalon (Sofia Pernas), a fellow tracker who chases reward money like Colter. Colter and Billie clearly have a past, which is revealed when Colter runs into Billie in the town he’s in and is shocked to find out that Billie is after the same reward money. The relationship starts as somewhat adversarial; although they have worked together before, Billie has crossed Shaw in the past on a previous job. The return of Billie could further expand on the character’s backgrounds by explaining what happened between them in detail.
Very few people can talk Colter into dinner (barely even his little sister) but Billie is the one person to turn him down, and it’s clear that he’s disappointed that the date between colleagues doesn’t take place. Usually quick to depart for his next job, Colter wanted to give Billie more of his time, but she gave him the usual excuse that he gives people when he’s ready to move on. Billie is portrayed by Hartley’s actual wife, Sofia Pernas, which gives showrunners motivation to prioritize the chemistry between the pair in the season finale and Tracker season 2.
Answers About Sun Mai’s U Visa
Another question that could be answered in the Tracker season finale is whether Sun Mai (Dianne Doan) will get her U Visa approval. At the end of episode 7, “Chicago,” Reenie helps Sun Mai apply for her U Visa after helping Colter save her from an underground fighting ring. Throughout the episode, Sun Mai’s mother is concerned that Sun has been picked up by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), but Reenie pulls strings to get confirmation from a connection that Sun is safe from ICE, and then she starts the process of attaining Sun a visa.
Reenie reports the man who conned Sun and her mother will be apprehended, and she’s applied for Sun’s U Visa, which is specifically set aside for noncitizens who have been the victim of criminal activity. While things are looking up for Sun at the end of the Chicago-set episode, Reenie tells her the visa isn’t official yet. The season 1 finale would be a great time to signal Sun’s permanence in the cast of Tracker season 2 by confirming her visa status. It looks like Sun will explore a romantic relationship with Bobby after he and Colter save Sun’s life.
Fishing Trip Weekend With Reenie At The Lake
A perfect end to the Tracker season 1 finale would be Colter and Reenie enjoying the relaxing fishing trip that was promised to them by Reenie’s family friend Gus McMillion (Gil Birmingham) in episode 10, “Into the Wild.” Reenie and Colter have an interesting relationship that Reenie hints started as a one-night event. Regardless of her feelings of what happened (Reenie feels that Colter left in a hurry), Reenie saves the day on more than one occasion in Tracker season 1, and it would be good to see her and Colter end the series on a high note.
