The mid-season finale of CBS’s hit drama Tracker left viewers stunned. The episode, which aired on Sunday, December 14, 2025, ended with the lives of two central characters hanging in the balance after a shocking sequence of events.
Titled “Good Trouble”, this episode served as the first part of a tense two-part story. It brought back a popular recurring character, only to place them in mortal danger, concluding with a dramatic car crash that has sparked widespread discussion among fans.
A Deadly Reunion in Tacoma
The episode began with a simple request for help. Colter Shaw, played by Justin Hartley, traveled to Tacoma, Washington, after a call from his old friend Keaton. Keaton, portrayed by Brent Sexton, is a retired detective who needed Colter’s unique skills to find his missing former police partner, Nat Dobbs.
What started as a search for a missing person quickly spiraled into a much darker investigation. Colter and Keaton discovered that Dobbs had been looking into the murder of a local dairy farmer, Clive Sherman. Their investigation led them to Sherman’s farm, where they made a grisly discovery: multiple bodies buried in a pasture.
“When Colter’s old friend Keaton asks for help finding his former partner, they uncover a trail of bodies and a conspiracy that runs deeper than they could’ve imagined,” read the official description for the episode.
Police detective Willa Simms, played by Jes Macallan, informed them that the victims were criminals, suggesting a targeted operation. Meanwhile, Colter’s tech expert, Randy (Chris Lee), and attorney, Reenie Greene (Fiona Rene), uncovered financial ties between the dead farmer and an Armenian crime boss named Zhan Menassian.
Unraveling a Police Conspiracy
The mystery deepened as Keaton faced pressure from his former boss, Police Commissioner Ross Bogart (Sasha Roiz), to drop the case. Reenie and Randy’s research back in Denver began to reveal a disturbing pattern. They found evidence that Dobbs, the missing partner, had himself been on the payroll of Menassian’s criminal organization years ago, just like the murdered farmer.
This discovery pointed to a disturbing possibility: a wide-ranging conspiracy that likely involved corrupt elements within the Tacoma police force who were still being paid off. The man at the center of the violence was identified as a contract killer named Emile Lang, played by Mark Engelhardt. Lang, who was previously believed to be dead, was framing Dobbs for murders while holding him captive.
Colter and Keaton finally located Dobbs, but he was critically injured. Before dying, Dobbs confirmed to Keaton that Lang was the one who killed the farmer and revealed that Lang was not working for a rival Russian gang as police suspected. With his last words, Dobbs apologized to Keaton, leaving more questions than answers.
The Final, Fateful Minutes
Enraged by his partner’s death, Keaton joined Colter in pursuing Lang. They tracked the assassin to a house where he had just killed a mafia accountant named Bradley Weitz (Trevor Hinton). A confrontation ensued outside the property.
Keaton was shot by Lang. Colter managed to stabilize his friend and rushed him toward the nearest hospital, fighting to keep Keaton conscious during the drive.
In a final, devastating twist, as Colter sped down the road with Keaton bleeding in the back seat, a bullet shattered the windshield. The shot hit Colter, causing him to lose control of the vehicle. The car careened off the road and plummeted down an embankment. The screen faded to black with a “To Be Continued…” message, leaving both characters’ fates unknown.
The Cast Behind the Crisis
The intense episode was brought to life by a mix of series regulars and key guest stars.
- Justin Hartley led the episode as Colter Shaw, the survivalist and reward-seeker whose investigation triggered the crisis.
- Brent Sexton returned as the fan-favorite Keaton, whose personal mission put him directly in harm’s way.
- Fiona Rene and Chris Lee appeared as Reenie Greene and Randy, using their legal and technical skills from Denver to help Colter uncover the conspiracy.
- Mark Engelhardt played the chilling new antagonist, contract killer Emile Lang, described as “cold, calculating, and methodical”.
- The guest cast also included Dean McKenzie as the doomed former partner Nat Dobbs, Jes Macallan as Detective Willa Simms, and Sasha Roiz as the potentially corrupt Police Commissioner Ross Bogart.
The episode was written by Elwood Reid & Sharon Lee Watson and directed by Jeff T. Thomas.
When Will Tracker Return?
The story of “Good Trouble” is not over. The episode was the first half of a two-part case. Tracker Season 3 is scheduled to return with its mid-season premiere on Sunday, March 1, 2026, at 9:00 PM Eastern Time on CBS.
Viewers who missed the episode or want to rewatch it can stream it on-demand through Paramount+. The wait for the second part of this story will see fans debating the fate of Keaton and Colter, and speculating on the full scope of the police conspiracy that has been uncovered.
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