‘Tracker’ Recap: What Happened in Jensen Ackles’ Return as Russell

On Tracker right now, the audience knows something that Colter doesn’t (which Justin Hartley likes): what Russell’s (Jensen Ackles) is up to. Colter’s brother ended last season accepting some shady work in exchange for the rewardist not finding out what’s in a file about what their father did to him. It’s very mysterious. So, did Russell’s return in the latest episode shed any light on that storyline? Warning: Spoilers for Tracker Season 4 Episode 5 ahead!

The simple answer is no. When Russell first called Colter, the latter did remark that he hadn’t heard from him in months, and we do see Russell is in the middle of some questionable work as he leaves a dead body in a shed. But even amidst that, there was the humor you expect from Russell when he greeted a goat outside with, “Just a couple of goats hanging out. You know what I mean?”

For the most part, it was then all about the case: One of Russell’s friends, Grant (Jeff Pierre, who was on Walker with Ackles’ Supernatural costar Jared Padalecki), needed help when his wife and daughter were kidnapped. The ransom wasn’t for money; rather, Grant was to retract a report on an explosion during his last tour. What he thought was just a convoy with medical supplies was actually holding a proprietary weapon, and if it got out that there was a malfunction, it would cost the company that made it a lot of money. Grant’s partner on the mission with him did retract but was killed.

Once Russell was back stateside, he met up with Colter to work the case — in time to watch his brother just miss landing on his feet when he jumped roof to roof in pursuit of a suspect but pull himself up before he raced up the stairs — while Grant tried to stall for time by prolonging the retraction process … and also fighting off the man sent to make sure he did what he was told. Russell and Grant then tossed that man, unconscious, in the trunk of a car, while Colter took the CEO of the company behind the kidnapping hostage and forced him to bring them to the ranch where Grant’s family was being held.

Meanwhile, when Reenie (Fiona Rene) heard that Russell was back, she told Randy (Chris Lee) to keep her posted. Remember, Reenie was the one that Russell called in the Season 3 finale to pass a message to Colter: “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. 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.”

She did call Russell, who acknowledged that he just went dark, returned without a word, and owed her a grand gesture and explanation, but she said she just wanted to make sure he was OK.

After Grant’s family was rescued and the right people were in cuffs, Colter wondered if Russell was going to disappear again. Bills to pay, his brother claimed, brushing off remarks about him surfing, as he’d claimed to be when he first called at the beginning of the episode. Reenie then called Russell and assured him his name wouldn’t be in any reports linked to this case, and Grant was cleared of any wrongdoing. When Colter told her they were saying goodbye to Russell, his brother did offer to stick around and get dinner with Reenie. She seemingly accepted, though if he’d actually be around long enough for that was definitely a question mark.

But Russell was going to stick around long enough to grab beers — at a bar, not in Colter’s Airstream — with his brother. Let’s just hope Ackles returns for more episodes this season, like Hartley hopes he does.

So, what did you think of Jensen Ackles’ latest episode? Let us know in the comments section below.

Tracker, Sundays, 9/8c, CBS