‘Tracker’ Welcomes Jensen Ackles Back In Season 2, Episode 2

Tracker Season 2 is only two episodes deep, but the hit CBS show’s spectacular guest star streak is going strong.

Season 2’s premiere let Manifest ‘s Matt Long show his range , and the second episode of the sophomore season marks the moment Supernatural fans have been waiting for. That’s right, folks. The great Jensen Ackles returns!

Fans of the Supernatural star went wild when Ackles was introduced in Season 1 as Colter’s (Justin Hartley) brother, Russell Shaw. Though the Shaw brothers only tag-teamed it for the penultimate episode, Hartley confirmed that Ackles would return in Season 2 for “a great story” and even teased the possibility of his pal appearing in multiple episodes down the line.

What Time Is ‘Tracker’ On Tonight? How To Watch ‘Tracker’ Season 2, Episode 2 Live On CBS And Online

With a larger 22-episode season, one might assume that Tracker would save an Ackles appearance for the end to build up suspense, but no! Two episodes in, Russell Shaw has already returned, and in a twist, he’s back to save Colter’s ass.

In Season 2, Episode 2, “Ontological Shock,” which premiered on CBS Sunday, October 20, Colter disappears while investigating a missing man, Scott Palmer, and a ~supernatural~ mystery/government conspiracy. Worried about the Tracker Gone Missing, Colter’s good friend/lawyer/icon Reenie Greene (Fiona Rene) calls the one man who she knows can track him down.

After being tranquilized in an open field, Colter wakes up chained to a bed in an empty concrete room with a security camera capturing his every move. Rather than wait to learn his fate, Colter breaks free from his restraints, disables the camera, and kills the lights. He plans to strangle and fight the guard who comes inside to check on him, but the armed man who enters is the one, the only, Russell.

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“Who else was gonna get you out of this pickle?” Russell playfully asks before advising his curious brother to save the “who, what, where, when, and whys for later” so they can move. As if taking out three guards by himself wasn’t impressive enough, Russell tells Colter he brought him a present and hands him a gun. What a guy!

With Russell’s wide array of life experience (most of which we know nothing about!) he proves to be the perfect person to accompany and advise Colter on the case. He knows all about Department of Defense people who think they “can touch anyone, anywhere.” He knows to check the back of Colter’s neck for a tracking device. (They were tracking the tracker!) And, crucially, he knows how to lighten the mood. Ackles and Hartley have natural chemistry and a seemingly effortless rapport that adds a refreshing layer of entertainment to the show. Tracker is, first and foremost, a drama. But when Ackles is on board, the show expands outside its comfort zone in refreshing ways.

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As the brothers head out on the road in their matching black jackets, they chat about everything from childhood memories to aliens. (The stuff Russell’s seen will blow your hair off!) When the bros break into the house of a professor who’s connected to the case, Russell makes himself a sandwich on homemade sourdough because he “had to top off the tank” and Colter says he tried to stop him but “he’s an animal.” You just don’t get that kind of banter on typical survivalist dramas, folks! The bros are silly one minute and dramatically wielding guns the next. They’ve got range, and together, they’re unafraid to use it.

Like Russell tells a man with a gun to his head, “My brother likes to go his own way. He says left, I say right.” While Colter has his guard up and is more serious in his daily adventures, Russell likes to have fun whenever he can. He talks to himself when he’s alone, has hilarious comebacks at the ready, and knows just when to egg his brother on. But never forget, he also has mad skills and can get the job done just as well — if not better (as this instance proved) — than his bro.

In Decider’s interview with Hartley ahead of Season 2’s premiere, the actor did speak on a potential love triangle ahead, and we get a taste of what a messy Colter/Russell/Reenie romantic sitch might look like in this episode. Ackles’ personality and comedic chops shine whenever he pushes Colter’s buttons about his lawyer friend, and we can’t get enough. “I keep asking her to dinner and she keeps ducking me,” Russell laughs, before adding, “It’s alright. Rescuing you? That’s gonna give me a date 100% — especially when you tell her how brave and heroic I was.” Colter shuts Russell down then, and again later on when Reenie calls Russell and Russell says, “I better answer this. She could be worried. You know how it goes, right?”

When Reenie finally gets a hold of the “two dumb Shaw brothers” later in the episode, Colter answers, and Russell shouts, “It’s Russell! Sorry I missed your call! It was Colter’s fault,” in another prime comedic moment. In the end, his personality pays off, because Reenie agrees to a dinner date after all. At the end of the episode Russell heads off to Colorado to try to woo the lawyer, but fingers crossed we haven’t seen the last of him this season. Based on mention of their father, Ashton Shaw, and the box of his belongings Dory (Melissa Roxburgh) has, it’s clear the siblings still have some family secrets to sort out.

New episodes of Tracker Season 2 premiere Sundays at 8:00 p.m.

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