Tracker – Season 1 Episode 7 “Chicago” Recap & Review

Chicago

Episode 7 of Tracker brings Colter Shaw to Chicago, Illinois. This time around, Colter isn’t on a paid job. He is helping his friend Bobby track down Sun Mai, a Vietnamese-origin MMA fighter. Sun has been missing for a few days. She was last seen exiting her gym through the back door which leads straight into an alley. Scrutiny of the scene reveals that Sun was apprehended. Her phone is found near the bins, alerting the duo.

They go to see Dake, a fighter at the gym who had some heated words with Sun the last time she was seen. Although Dake is intimidating and a hothead, he seems surprised when the duo ask about her. Art Arfano, the owner of the gym, steps in and tries to offer insights. According to him, Sun was tense the past few days given her visa situation. She lives alone with her mother, Apple. They are on the verge of being deported and that might have made Sun do something drastic.

At the moment, Colter does not rule out the possibility that Sun might have been taken by the federal immigration agency. He and Bobby visit Apple and learn about a lawyer Sun was talking to, George Prine. While going through her laptop, Bobby finds evidence that suggests Sun did not let her grudge with George go. He cheated Apple and Sun out of money, pretending to be an immigration specialist.

Colter visits his office, which alerts George and her partner in crime. George is actually a conman whose real name is Marv Johnson. After Colter leaves, George follows him with a gun, determined to get to the bottom of the issue.

However, Colter is able to overpower George and take control of the situation. After much haggling, George reveals that he is in cahoots with a loan shark group. He sends his victims to the group to arrange the cash for his fees and get the purported visa. He confirms that the group is the one who took Sun after he arranged a meeting between them. George tells Colter about a van that the group generally uses.

Reenie finds out through her source that Sun isn’t in detention. She also promises Apple that she will give them the best chance of renewing their visas. Using Bobby’s help, Colter tracks down the van, which is abandoned in a parking lot.

Inside, Colter finds bags of money and two men approaching him. He cleverly places his own phone in the van and asks Bobby to pick him up. Reenie and Bobby discuss Colter’s tough past and how he avoids talking about it. It is his past that has made him into a “lone wolf.” Bobby also reveals that Colter saved his life from the Russian mob during an online hacking thing gone wrong.

After following his phone, the duo approaches a dingy building. Although Colter asks Bobby to remain in the car while he checks out the noises coming from inside, Bobby quietly follows suit. Inside, Colter is shocked to find Sun fighting another woman and the crowd cheering them on. It is an illegal fighting ring where the organizers profit from the fighters’ misery. 

Colter is finally able to talk to Sun alone. She reveals that the loan sharks have given her an opportunity to pay back the debt by participating in this gruelling illegal fight. It is an inhumane task but one that she must complete to pay back the debts she took. Colter encourages her to leave the circuit regardless and promises safety for Apple and her. Just as they are about to leave, one man approaches them with a gun. Bobby, who had sneaked up behind him, shows courage to distract the goon and help Colter take him down. 

The final reveal sheds light on the mastermind of this whole plan: Art. Bobby and Colter are cornered by him and his men. Art has no remorse for making Sun and the other fighters go through hell just for his own profiteering. In an inspired move, the trio works like a team and helps Art get arrested.

Reenie’s legal smarts help Sun and her mother to get a chance at a U-visa, specifically tailored for victims of crime. Bobby and Sun seemingly start a relationship as Colter once again hits the road for his next destination: Sioux Falls. 

The Episode Review

Tracker’s new episode is action-packed and determined to impress. Colter’s “lone wolf” appeal is the identity of his character but the show rightly proves that without a team, he cannot help other people. The episode brings Bobby into focus, which is a fresh concept.

Now that the show has been renewed for another season, such new emotional avenues become a necessity. I hope we get similar episodes that focus on Teddi, Velma, and Reenie, without whom the show wouldn’t be the same.

The convenience of network television of making things fall into place does ensure that Tracker’s new episodes do not spring unexpected surprises but the execution is once again on point to make your time worthwhile.