Tracker Season 1, Episode 12 Recap: Jensen Ackles Guest Stars as Colter’s Brother, Russell

In the second-to-last episode of Tracker‘s first season, Jensen Ackles plays Russell Shaw, Colter Shaw’s estranged older brother, in a special role. This episode, called “Off the Books,” is very exciting because it follows Colter and Russell as they look into a complicated case involving a lost friend, a severed finger, and a secret security operation.

Tracker Season 1, Episode 12 Recap

In Roanoke, Virginia, at the start of the story, a man waits nervously at a run-down gas station. When he sees a flashlight in the woods, he quickly throws something away in a trash can and runs away. At the same time, Colter’s Airstream in the woods becomes the setting for the Shaw brothers’ meeting.

Russell interacts with a classic 1967 Chevrolet Impala that looks a lot like the famous car Dean Winchester drove on Supernatural. This is a subtle nod to Ackles’ famous part. Fans of both Tracker and Supernatural will enjoy the car because it gives a hint about Russell’s link to his past.

Russell shows up with beer, and the brothers try to start a long-ago conversation in an awkward way. Russell says he didn’t push their dad off a cliff, but he does imply that there was someone else in the woods that deadly night. He tells Colter that their mother told him to keep quiet and asks for help finding his friend Doug, who has gone missing. Colter agrees to help, even though he has doubts about Russell’s honesty.

Russell says that Doug has been missing since a recent event because he is showing signs of PTSD. When they get to Russell’s house, they find a strange package with a severed finger inside it. This suggests that Doug’s past work has a dangerous link. Russell says that they are involved in off-the-books protection, which shows how secretive and dangerous their job is. Bobby looks at the finger and figures out that it belongs to Len, who died not long ago.

Through their research, they end up at the morgue, where they find Len’s body without any fingers. The cops catch them before they can find out more. Even though they are in a tough spot, Colter and Russell keep looking for leads. Russell’s charm fails again as Reenie helps get them out of jail. They learn that there is a link to the Horizon group, a client who is involved in Doug’s case. This suggests that there are bigger plots going on.

As they looked into it more, they found a symbol that was tied to a supernatural curse. When they are attacked, they turn the tables on the people who attacked them and tell them that Doug was involved in a curse practice. Russell tells them about a task they did in the past that may have set off these events, putting them in a fight with Carlos, who wants revenge for the death of his brother in a previous operation.

Horizon has stopped helping, so the Shaw boys have to find Doug on their own. They save him, but they know Russell has to face Carlos by himself. Russell leaves with a touching present for Colter after making sure Doug is safe.  Colter finds Russell’s goodbye gift at the end, which is a roll of cash, his beloved pocket knife, and a note telling him to be careful with it. As the brothers part ways for good, the stage is set for a dramatic end to the season.

Russell leaves at the end of the show, leaving open questions and a promise that he will return. This sets the stage for his character to play a big part in later seasons. Colter’s drive to find the truth and Russell’s ongoing doubts about their family point to a possible confrontation with their mother and more research into their family’s dark past.

Visit tvacute.com again soon for more “Tracker” news, previews, and recaps.

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