Into The Wild – The episode begins with Colter Shaw (Justin Hartley) running through the woods. His attire and several glances at his watch suggest that he is training, rather than running for his life. That is later confirmed when he gets out of the shower to find Reenie Green (Fiona Rene) standing in his kitchen, video him. After some slight teasing from both sides, she gets right down to business, asking for help locating a missing plane of family friend, Gus McMillion (Gil Birmingham). According to her, he owns a remote outfitting business in Idaho and recently had a plane go missing. Colter doesn’t even think twice after learning that Gus’s son and daughter were also aboard, Hank (Jarrod Daniel) and Madison McMillion (Rachel Colwell).
Once Colter and Reenie arrive in Idaho, she tells him that Hank and Madison were on board with a client. So, when Colter meets Gus, it’s right down to business. Gus wastes little time letting Colter know he is aware of his fee and is more than willing to pay it. Gus also appears confident that Hank and Madison are still alive, although there is no evidence indicating so. When the maps come out, Colter quickly learns that the plane was way off course. Despite Gus speaking with Hank and doing a flyover of his own, he can’t say as to why that is the case. Colter soon realizes his only option is to search the area on foot, which will require parachuting in.
As Reenie sees Colter off to the plane for the jump, he tells her to run back over the timeline with Gus when he returns to base. He has a suspicion that the flight was diverted way before the storm. Several minutes later, Colter is airborne. Colter doesn’t have a problem sticking the landing and after concealing his parachute, he quickly begins his search.
While reminiscing over old photos at basecamp, Reenie and Gus get a strange visit from an even stranger man (Peter Stormare), looking for the client who was on board the flight, Walter Bratton. Reenie immediately becomes suspicious of the man and attempts to ask questions that might reveal who he is or what he wants, but he proves far too enigmatic. He does offer her a stick of gum and promises to check back in after Gus tells him they’ve lost contact with the plane. Reenie takes several photos of the man as he returns to his vehicle.
By this time, Colter has discovered the downed plane and a body that is mysteriously full of several .44 magnum rounds. A quick call to Reenie reveals that Madison carried a .44, but why she would shoot her own client is a mystery. Although the deceased has no forms of identity, he is outfitted with a transponder of sorts. Not only that, but a photo sent from Colter to Reenie does not match with the one the stranger flashed earlier.
Reenie phones Velma (Abby McEnany) and Teddi Bruin (Robin Weigert) with the photo of the deceased man and a shot of Bratton’s license plate. When Teddi realizes Reenie is at Bratton’s car, she casually mentions how it would be easier and much faster to get the vehicle’s registration. Although it takes smashing the passenger side window, they soon learn that the vehicle is registered to a Holly Choi from Reno.
Colter has tracked the path from the downed plane to a makeshift campsite where he discovers several smashed cell phones. A quick conversation with Reenie also reveals that someone at the camp was injured and they left in a hurry. Still searching the vehicle and discussing further theories, Reenie discovers a Big Rock Printing Incorporated receipt in the car that’s timed stamped right before Bratton met with Hank. Their conversation is abruptly interrupted when Reenie hears nearby gunshots. Although Reenie finds Gus on the ground in his office with a head wound it’s mostly superficial. Not only had that but Gus managed to shoot his attacker in the gut. A quick conversation with Colter seconds later reveals that the stranger from earlier was the attacker, he stole Gus’s plane and is likely headed Colter’s way. Reenie promises to work on identifying the guy.
Reenie encounters immediate resistance at the printing shop from Leslie (Liza Huget). Despite Leslie’s staunch belief in discretion, Reenie cleverly spins a tale about a cheating wife to learn that the receipt was for photos for a Canadian passport.
Elsewhere, Coltar has managed to find Madison at the bottom of a ravine with a broken arm. It doesn’t take him long to rig a harness and pull her out. In the process, he learns that Bratton only still has Hank because he needed him to carry the large sum of money he stole from some very dangerous people. Bratton offered Hank $5,000 midflight to alter their course, which explains why the plane was so far off its original route. Bratton was also responsible for taking Madison’s gun and shooting the guy at the crash site after he used the transponder to track Bratton’s location.
Sometime later, a phone from Reenie reveals that Bratton’s stolen cash came from some dangerous dealers in Reno. Once she identifies the guy Gus shot as Valtz, they make plans to meet at the Ranger’s Station, which Colter and Madison just happen to be quickly approaching. Upon their arrival, they are surprised by Valtz who has already arrived, disarmed, and taken Ranger Moore (Jonathon Connelly). Once Valtz learns of Bratton’s plans to head to Canada, he appears to be in the process of eliminating witnesses but luckily Colter is a step faster. Colter ends up with a through-and-through shoulder wound but manages to hit Valtz. Valtz does escape and Colter pursues him after quickly patching his wound with tea bags from the Ranger’s Station.
It’s not long after Colter is dropped off on the main road that he’s picked up Reenie. A quick phone call with Teddi and Velma and the mention of Pinewood reveals a little camp just over the border. After a bit of bickering, Reenie is tasked with finding the manager of the camp while Colter searches the cabins. Reenie soon learns the manager won’t be any help to anyone. At nearly the same time, Colter discovers two more bodies that he identifies as Bratton and likely whoever he was meeting to help him disappear. Reenie is ordered to stay put and call for backup while Colter follows a blood trail. It soon leads him to a cabin where he’s attacked by Hank until he manages to explain he’s there to help.
Valtz isn’t far behind but luckily by the time he arrives, Hank and Colter are already hidden away in the crawlspace. A dropped gum wrapper leads to Valtz discovering Colter and Hank’s hiding spot, but once again, Colter proves the faster man and puts several shots in him through the floorboards.
The episode ends with Gus not only giving Colter his reward but a weekend fishing trip with Reenie. Colter attempts to turn the offer down until Reenie turns it into a competition.
Tracker Review
I felt like things were really stepped up in this episode. I didn’t so as much enjoy the story more than any of the others, but I can certainly appreciate the attempt to turn things darker. So far into the series Tracker hasn’t really focused on a lot of gore/deaths. Sure, there have been some slayings and dangerous situations but nothing like in this episode. The body count piled up in this episode and the fact that it was Peter Stormare behind the killings made it all the better.
Peter isn’t the world’s greatest actor by any means, but he is the ultimate bad guy. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him play a good guy. I’ve been a fan since the original Fargo, which he portrays perfectly as the strong, silent type. For that, the absence of Bobby, and so little of Teddi and Velma, I’d have to give the episode a solid 6 out of 10.
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