‘Tracker’ Finale Sets Russell on a New Path — How Colter’s Past Is Involved
Spoiler Alert
What To Know
- The Tracker Season 3 finale introduces a new family mystery for Colter — one he doesn’t know about yet.
- Jensen Ackles’ Russell makes a major decision to protect his brother.
Just as Colter (Justin Hartley) is starting to get answers about his father and the events leading up to his death, there’s another major mystery introduced about his family in the Tracker Season 3 finale. But that’s not all: His brother Russell (Jensen Ackles) is seriously wounded. Does he die? Warning: Spoilers for the Tracker Season 3 finale ahead!
While Danny (Reid Miller) is reluctant to go with Colter, the young kid who was part of a government experiment does agree to when the rewardist promises to find his friend, Lola (Laurel Marsden), who’s being held in the Quiet Place, another facility where they’re taken when they don’t do as told. Thanks to a remote viewing session guided by Serena (Jeri Ryan), Danny’s able to give Colter clues as to its location. While he heads there, Russell meets with Felton (David Costabile) again, only for the two to be ambushed by McIntyre’s (Glenn Morshower) men, looking to tie up loose ends. Felton is killed, and Russell is shot, but not before he learns about the Delta Force guy sent after them, Vickers.
Colter encounters just that guy and thinks he kills him, but Vickers is wearing a vest and Lola, who’s a precog, informs him he’s alive — and that Russell, despite his attempts to hide his injury from both Colter and Reenie (Fiona Rene) when he asks her to dig into a phone he got off one of his attackers, needs him. The two get to Russell in time to patch him up as best they can before Vickers and a team of men descend on their location, with kill orders.
Darko Sikman / CBS
Colter and Lola split off from Russell. Colter takes out three of the men, while Russell handles another. When it’s just Vickers left, Russell has him in his sights, but his blood dripping down from above alerts the other man, who ducks away. Vickers ultimately gets the upper hand, offering Russell a quick end if he gives up Danny and Lola’s location, but Colter saves him just in time.
Colter calls Barbie (Freda Foh Shen from “The Night Movers”) to help hide Serena, Paul (Jerry Trimble), Danny, and Lola, while Russell gets to work on cutting off the head of the snake, McIntyre. But that’s when things take a turn.
Thanks to Reenie digging into that phone, Russell knows where McIntyre lives. But whereas Russell’s dad made up his own rules, McIntyre tells him that he doesn’t have that choice. If he kills McIntyre, he’ll be looking over his shoulder the rest of his life, but if he doesn’t, the same will be true because he’ll send another guy after him and Colter. But it doesn’t have to be like that because there’s always use for men like Russell.
And while Russell immediately gives that a “hard pass,” McIntyre shows him a file on his father that changes his mind. Reading it, Russell calls it B.S. but McIntyre tells him, “You know it isn’t. What’s in that file, what he did to Colter, it’s all true. Now I’m guessing you wouldn’t want him to see this and he doesn’t have to, so think very carefully. Now I have a problem that needs fixing. Do it and I will put you in the clear.” Colter, too. Uh-oh.
Russell takes the job, calling Reenie to say goodbye and pass along a message to his brother. “I gotta go away for a while and I know Colter’s going to start asking and poking around, but he can’t know why,” he explains. “Just tell him that I’m OK and I had to split. He can’t know why. … I promise when I get clear of all this, I’ll find you and I’ll give you all the details.”
And so Colter has no idea what’s going on when he goes home — yes, he has a home, “sort of,” and has Keaton (Brent Sexton) meet him there with the rundown car from his cabin. Colter’s planning to fix his dad’s car up, and Keaton hangs around a bit to help him. The two discuss their fathers; Keaton’s wasn’t the greatest. Colter tells him that he didn’t “quite” get the answers he’s looking for but he did find out that his dad was trying to do the right thing.
What did you think of the Season 3 finale? What do you think the Shaws’ father did to Colter? Let us know in the comments section below.
Tracker, Season 4, Fall 2026, Sundays, 9/8c, CBS
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S
I don’t like the path we put Russell in. They finally have the brothers in a good place only to threaten with something dad did to make Russell leave. Granted I never expected Russell to hang out because Jensen meant to show up if colter needs see his brother. But I need my sibling reunion. We need dory back. All the times Russell in town no dory. I don’t like secrets in family even pretend family. Questioning why writers went the route they did.
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N
Could definitely do without the precog nonsense and the family drama is getting tired. Like seeing Colters lair and bringing back Keaton is a plus-hopefully see him more next season. Just bring his brother and sister back occasionally without their past issues.
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J
Yeah, this was the end of the THIRD season and suddenly there's a fully-functional, furnished lair that Colton has had all this time? That seemed like such a cheat. And I bet it'll suddenly be more of a 'home base ' for him going forward.
With all this ridiculous secret government conspiracies we've seen, this show has gotten a LONG WAY from the original premise of him finding people who have gotten lost in the woods, or run away from their lives.
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R
Ashton Shaw did something to Colter, which prolly means subjected his son to the research, even more than the brothers suspected (i.e., beyond the survivalist training).
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L
This is an excellent segue from the focus on Colter's father to a new mystery that can underpin Colter's adventures for the next two or three seasons, and we get more Jensen Ackles(YAY!!!)
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J
This may be an unpopular opinion, but I think the finale was pretty dumb. First we're told (in first season) that Colter's father was crazy, deranged, and put his family through he!!. Now it's been retconned so that his father was goodhearted, and tried to do the right thing. But the thing that really doomed this finale, in my opinion, is the whole "government conspiracy" thing that goes "all the way to the top." And now Russell has been roped in. I really don't care about the Shaw family history. This episode should have closed the book on it and filed it away under Case Closed.
I'm certainly not going to go out of my way to watch this show again in the fall, It's just too ridiculous to take seriously.
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K
I totally disagree I cant wait to watch again
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H
I am looking forward to more Jensen! I’d rather see him on Tracker than on Vought Rising. Not a fan of The Boys. I am a Jensen Ackels fan and a Jaden Padelicke fan .
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L
I enjoy looking at Russell. such a pretty face. Need more Reenie in the show. I hate they are moving to California. Vancouver such a better look
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S
I agree!! Reenie and Colter had such a great almost romantic chemistry in season 1, then they completely removed that and Reenie is not in the show as much now.
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