Tracker Needs Something

Tracker on CBS was the most-watched new show on network television last season, so I gave it a try during the hiatus. I think I watched maybe three episodes and then gave up; however, before writing this review, I went back and watched the first episode just to see if it was as bad as I remembered and it was (hence the reason I didn't watch more than a few episodes). Maybe the episodes improved later in the season. Maybe its popularity is due to its star, Josh Hartley (I don't think I've ever seen him in any show or movie, and if I have, nothing I saw him in was memorable). Maybe it's just on at the right day and time when there's nothing else worth watching. Maybe viewers like a show that isn't about law enforcement or doctors (a reason that doesn't explain the continuing popularity of shows about those professions). Or maybe viewers like a show that looks better than it actually is. Tracker was popular in its first season even though its characters and storylines pretty much tossed any inkling of logic or reasonable semblance of it out in the premiere episode.

Yes, I realize it's just a TV show, but logic is an important element in any storytelling, including when the story is "just a TV show." Logic exists in all genres and is one of the cornerstones of good storytelling; it's the skeleton that provides the support so writers can flesh-out characters and create conflicts to be resolved (or not). And logic in storytelling isn't restrictive; it connects everything and and helps promote the suspension of disbelief because when things make sense--in the context of a story--the viewer can follow events more easily. Within every genre there's a logic to the characters, their relationships, and events in well-constructed stories which doesn't mean stories or characters have to be "realistic." The Mandalorian, Reacher, Star Trek, Dr. Who aren't "realistic" shows, and yet their characters and events are threads of a finished storyline that's logical in the context of their universes. So what about Tracker is illogical? Enough so that I find the show annoying to watch, but I'm just going to mention the things that were most obvious to me.

First, how does Colter find his cases? Do those two women, Teddi and Velma, surf the net to find articles of missing persons in the news? (If there are articles about a missing person, it seems likely the police and other authorities might already be involved or were involved.) Are there online bulletin boards or websites for "rewardists" (the job title he gives himself) where people post notices of missing persons with the rewards being offered? Is there some sort of database for missing persons, in general, similar to the database for missing children that these women access? Why doesn't Colter do this himself and cut out that step? He seems to have plenty of down time in between jobs, and he doesn't seem to have any sort of hobby--woodworking, cooking, restoring cars, etc.--to occupy his free time

A "rewardist" isn't an actual job or profession, so there's no licensing or specific training required. Colter doesn't provide any references or resume that lists his experience, education, or skills--or provide any identification that verifies he is who he says he is to his clients. Why would anyone trust a complete stranger to conduct a search for a family member or loved one, give them personal information, and enter into a contract with them to pay them handsomely without knowing anything about him except his name?

And then there are the other supporting characters. There's Bobby, a computer whiz, who helps Colter whenever Colter has a problem in a case which, surprisingly, never ever seems to interfere with Bobby's other job. And, of course, there's Reenie, a very skilled, Harvard-educated lawyer who grew up an Air Force brat, and with whom Colter has some sort of history. Anyway, she pops in wherever Colter happens to be whenever he faces a legal problem. Now, Colter's business takes him into many different states, and each state has its own bar exam for attorneys which an attorney must pass in order to practice law in that state. Lucky for Colter, Reenie has passed bar exams in multiple states because (at least early in season 1) she's able to represent him in each state where he gets into legal trouble. A viewer might think that she's able to practice law in a multitude of states would make her a highly sought out attorney--and she might be--but sought out or not, she always finds time to come to Colter's aid. These are just general problems, but there were several specific ones in the very first episode which didn't bode well for the series overall.

Colter's case in the premiere episode is that of a missing teenage boy (after the opening scenes where his character's introduced finding a young woman hiker who's injured and stranded). The entire episode is unbelievable from the very beginning because a missing child is an all-hands on deck case for any police force and often merits assistance from other, outside law enforcement agencies. It seems, though, that the mother and stepfather of the missing boy haven't notified the local police about their missing son, or if they have, the local police aren't interested in the case. So, they decide to rely on a complete stranger, a man, to find and bring their missing teenage sone home safe and sound because they're offering a reward, asking only the most basic questions. That seems perfectly logical and something every parent who cares about their child would do. 

Once the police do get involved--after Colter gets arrested for trespassing when he's in a restaurant and locks himself in the office so he can view the surveillance tape--the police don't seem to know exactly what to do next, how to investigate or respond to a missing teen. And finally when some higher law enforcement official enters the picture, he basically lets Colter run the rescue attempt. Meanwhile, the female police officer--one of the two who arrested Colter--succumbs to his charm and sleeps with him--and Reenie seems okay with that because women falling for Colter as soon as they meet him is, it seems, something she's seen before. She's cool with it, and while her comment to the officer while they both admire Colter's butt as he leaves the station is supposed to be funny or charming or sexy, it ends up being none of those; if it wouldn't be charming or sexy for a man to drool over a woman's butt, it isn't these when the roles are reversed, especially when the women are supposedly "professionals."

Naturally, Colter finds the kid and returns him to his parents, unharmed, and in the midst of this case, we learn a lot about Colter's past and his family. One of the things that seemed so totally out of character for Colter and completely illogical, among everything else in the story that was illogical, was when he opened up to the police officer--a complete stranger--and basically spilled his guts about his personal history and family. That was just a weird, weird and totally unbelievable way for writers to provide background information about this particular character who's supposed to be a loner.

Like I said, I watched a few more episodes after this, but the writing and storylines didn't improve, so I gave up. Maybe I'll give the show a try this season because sometimes shows improve after their first season because often they're trying to get everything in place and the characters fleshed out in that first season.