Reviewer Rating: 4/5.0
4
Tracker returns to its roots.
That said, they paired Colt and Renee in Trackers Season 2 Episode 4, and we saw their effortless chemistry as they tried to track down a missing woman.
This series is always at its best when the team is able to put down the phone and get in the same room.
Forget Billie. Russell Shaw, who?
When you lose the great chemistry of Colter and Renee, you forget how great it was. You forget how wonderfully competitive they are with each other, especially when they mix a little business and personal stuff into the mix.
Colter is called to an upscale Napa Valley winery where a chic corporate retreat is taking place, and I love the scene where Colter is a little out of it.
Dealing with the rich and famous was never going to be Curt’s thing, but it certainly was Renee’s. She’s very handy in a place like this, making connections and doing enough to get Colter to the front door when an executive goes missing.
From the beginning, there were many problems with this case, including the failure to call the police. Sure, people sign NDAs and stuff, but it’s not like Quinn is just missing, and there’s no real reason to think she’s in any danger.
Completely opposite! It was a veritable crime scene, with bloodstains, broken mirrors and crooked windows, but no one knew a woman was missing while they were wine tasting, mud bathing and meditating.
Without Colt on the case, Quinn wouldn’t have had a chance because no one was looking for her.
They did a cursory scan and so on, but they didn’t do the investigative work that really needed to be done. Without police intervention, they literally would never have found her.
When Curt arrives, he seems more interested in Renee’s date than the case itself, but I hardly blame him. Elliot is handsome, kind, and smart, and seeing Elliot now after Russell took her out, I can see where the jealousy bug might have bitten him!
Colter and Renee will-they/won’t-they have been around since Trackers Season 1 Episode 1, though it’s always been in the background.
It’s their first hour together in a while, and Colter takes every opportunity to ask Renee about her plus-one. The playful banter between the two will always be a highlight of the series, as there is a natural air of fun and flirtation.
I’ve seen people think these two give off brother and sister vibes, but I don’t believe that because they have an obvious attraction, even though they’ve now given themselves over to being friends who occasionally work together.
But back to this week’s case, Quinn’s disappearance has a dark side written all over it, and the first meeting between Colter, Rainey, Locke, and Reynolds is a serious one, with each trying to bring closure to the other’s relation.
Rock was too concerned about keeping it a secret for my liking, and apparently Colt felt the same way because he knew the guy was hiding something.
Initially, he was an obvious suspect, and his refusal to let them see the surveillance footage was a huge red flag. But when did Colt and Renee ever stop denial?
See Rainey sweet-talk security and then take off his badge so we can avoid another scene of Colt putting someone in a sleeper pod.
Scenes like this make me wish Colt and Renee would team up more often, even though we’ve already established that that will likely never happen given Colt’s lone wolf status.
That the footage was doctored is the least surprising thing ever because Locke didn’t want anything to be seen. But according to TV logic, it’s too early in this episode for the bad guys to be caught, so from there it’s clear that Locke knows more than he’s letting on, but isn’t necessarily the bad guy.
As I’ve discussed in the past, in every issue of Trackers, there’s at least one moment where something weird happens. This is toad venom.
Pardon my ignorance, but is toad venom a thing? Is this high-end psychedelic or something I’ve never heard of? Where to get toad venom?
It’s one thing for Locke to want to hide his toad venom deal, but it’s sad that he knew he was sending Quinn off on his own and wasn’t more invested in finding her. He may have had security clear the entire place, but they needed to do more.
Quinn could get lost or a million other terrible things happen to him, but he’d still be doing his thing.
There’s a lot of weird behavior happening here.
It’s one of those strange mysteries that becomes more puzzling the deeper you go into it.
If not Locke, who else could it be? Security chief Reynolds? This also seems unlikely.
When Colter discovers blood stains in the vineyard and water trap, it becomes clear that this isn’t just Quinn’s problem. There were people on that property killing people and disposing of their bodies.
Locke may have lied to save himself, but he honestly doesn’t seem to have anything to do with Quinn’s disappearance, nor would he leave all these bodies on his property and then sign off on construction in the area.
So does Reynolds.
This brings Colt back to square one, and I’m confused because we’ve reached this point without at least a viable suspect.
Trackers work better when we can follow along and take guesswork, but that’s not the case at all with this one, as we don’t even hear the name Jesse Pardew until more than half an hour has passed.
They only have a little time to hook us as an audience and get us invested in the mystery. The result and part of the investment comes from trying to solve cases with the characters.
You couldn’t have guessed any of this because you didn’t know the groundskeeper or Pardew existed until the very end.
Colter was always lucky when he was out doing his thing, because what do you mean, he was snooping around and actually bumped right into the groundskeeper, the migrant worker who was helping Pardew dispose of the death that he covered up?
Colt gets the action scene he needs when he beats up that worker in the barrel room, and I’m glad they gave us a beautiful barrel room scene with the entire plot taking place on that disgustingly gorgeous property.
When we finally meet Pardew, he’s lost his mind, but it’s an anticlimax because we know nothing about the man. Quinn could have been kidnapped by one of the Creepers from the Strangers movie and it would have had the same impact.
But having said that, the final showdown with the downed groundskeeper standing up after Pardew knocks her down and shoots her, then watching him fall onto a wood chipper, is the pinnacle of television.
Then we see everyone with disgusted looks on their faces and their bones being crunched, it’s hilarious.
Elliott’s little summary of praising Colter’s work was a bit harsh.
Still, I’ll never dislike the long looks between Reenie and Colter, both of them wondering if they were in different places, living different lives, and Colter wasn’t hell-bent on living between them, Maybe things will turn out differently.
Ah, these two could have been a power couple.
Keep track of notes
- They needed to give Velma something to do instead of sitting in Renee’s office looking up stuff. I know Velma and Teddy did the same thing last season (in the comfort of their own homes), but I think they had bigger plans for Velma when they got rid of Teddy, but so far, what do we Didn’t see it either.
- Do we really think Colter Shaw would send a valet out of his truck? I don’t believe it!
- I think Locke offered Colter a villa for the night and he chose to park in the vineyard, drink beer and enjoy the night air before heading to his next stop.
- No Shaw Brothers family drama here! But it’s still a long season.
It’s time to leave things to you, good people!
What are your thoughts on this case?
Do you like Colt and Renee working together?
Do you want to see them explore their connection?
Leave all your thoughts in the comments so we can discuss it!
You can watch Trackers on CBS Sundays at 8/7c.
watch tracker online
