Tracker Season 3 Episode 2 Review: Leverage
Despite the strong season premiere, Tracker Season 3 Episode 2, “Leverage,” takes the action and excitement down a notch. Continuing from the first episode, “Leverage” concludes the “Process” storyline as Colter and Russell put an end to it once and for all.
The storyline leading to this conclusion is underwhelming, but the episode still has its strengths.
For one, “Leverage” continues this season’s pattern of involving Randy more in the narrative.
Randy appears in multiple scenes throughout “Leverage,” underscoring his importance beyond being Colter’s tech guy. He appears for more than just one or two scenes, providing more than just the information Colter needs.
Randy’s interactions with Colter and Reenie liven up the scene, and his introduction to Russell adds a moment of humor in a tense situation.
Russell is his usual charming and amusing self, providing the comedic relief while he and Colter uncover the truth about the Process.
However, Colter and Russell are not the only ones involved. “Leverage” introduces Harith Holmes, the person who kidnaps and kills Raymond Ockman’s sister, who, in turn, ropes in Lisa by kidnapping Hailey.
Harith thinks he is free, but the Process sucks him in once again to track down Colter and Russell and eliminate the latter.
“Leverage” portrays two different sides of the Process through Colter and Harith, painting a clearer picture of the scenario while raising the stakes.
If the narrative only includes Colter and Russell’s journey, then the episode would become boring. Harith’s character brings something new and exciting to the table, even if he only appears for one episode.
Despite the thrilling trail, the result is a bit disappointing.
The Process exists because of an experiment in a graduate school classroom, where two students take it too far and bring it into reality. Don Schneider and Phillip Jost run the Process from an abandoned shed, utilizing the technology needed to make it work.
However, there is no significant plot twist in the Process, nothing that makes it remotely astonishing.
The only truth Colter uncovers about the Process is that Schneider (the ringleader) is a sadistic person who enjoys experimenting with the boundaries of human behavior.
There is no connection between any of the victims. In fact, the Process only has two interesting aspects.
The first is how, once the Process begins, Schneider does little to continue it. He creates the Process, but the people he recruits actually orchestrate the situations.
Schneider controls these people by holding personal leverage over them. Otherwise, they do all the dirty work of their own volition, without even realizing it.
This revelation depicts humanity’s darker nature. Colter is a wholesome, selfless guy, but he is an exception to the rule—a fascinating prospect to consider within Tracker‘s themes.
The second interesting aspect involves Colter’s family yet again, as Schneider teases Colter about potential family secrets.
Schneider suggests that both Colter’s mother and sister are hiding something from him, which will likely be revealed in an upcoming episode.
Although Colter has uncovered a lot about his family he had not known before, he knows his mother is still keeping secrets surrounding his father’s death.
Colter might not be ready to face his mother just yet, but he still must grapple with the fact that his mother betrays him by keeping her secrets.
Tracker steadily builds up to whatever these secrets might be, but the longer the narrative draws it out, the more exciting the revelations must be.
As for Colter’s sister, Dory, Tracker has teased a potential mystery since the Season 1 finale, when Colter’s old friend Lizzy tells him that Dory covertly keeps a box of their father’s things.
It is unknown if Dory is hiding something significant or if the show is teasing the possibility. Either way, it sets up a thrilling prospect.
Aside from these factors, “Leverage” is underwhelming.
The Process storyline has a lot of potential, but Tracker effectively squanders it by wrapping it up within two episodes.
Tracker rarely has a multi-episode storyline, save for Colter’s family’s secrets and his white whale case. However, the Process initially shows significant promise in crafting a compelling narrative that could last several episodes.
Unfortunately, Tracker does not capitalize on this potential, effectively ending this storyline in just two episodes. It is a letdown, but hopefully, the show will have more exciting plots to look forward to this season.
Colter Shaw: They created a system where if someone stepped out of line, they would either blackmail them or kill them, you had no way of knowing this is going on.
Despite the slight disappointment, “Leverage” is still a good episode with several highlights.
What did you think of this episode of Tracker? Share your thoughts in the comments below, and don’t forget to leave your own rating!
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Tracker airs Sundays at 8:30/7:30c on CBS.
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Sarah Novack
Sarah has been a passionate writer and blogger about various forms of media for as long as she can remember, and her favorite method of expressing this passion is through writing and discussion. She loves way too many TV shows, books, and movies, specializing in book-to-screen adaptations, fantasy, sitcoms, and procedurals.