Tracker Boss Unpacks Jensen Ackles' Return, Colter And Russell's Emotional Reunion In Part 1 Of Season 3 Premiere

By the end of Sunday's "Tracker," the hunter becomes the hunted. But before the hit CBS drama leaves audiences dangling on a cliffhanger, it reunites Justin Hartley with his on-screen brother Jensen Ackles — who returns for not one but two episodes.

After Russell makes an epic entrance during a good ol'-fashioned bar brawl, he and Colter retreat to the Airstream, where Colter fills his previously estranged sibling in on what he — and viewers — learned about their parents at the end of Season 2: Twenty-two years ago, Mary Dove sought to leave her increasingly paranoid husband, Ashton, and take Russell, Colter and Dory with her. She turned to a local lineman, Otto Waldron, for help; he confronted Ashton that fateful night, and things got physical, leading to Ashton's fatal fall.

The premiere also confirmed TVLine's exclusive reporting — that Velma (Abby McEnany) had reunited (off screen) with Teddy, while Bobby (Eric Graise) was now working (off screen) as an encryption specialist at a new tech startup. Ergo, neither still works for Colter. In their place, Bobby's cousin Randy (returning guest star Chris Lee) will now recur, first alongside Reenie (Fiona Rene) as he helps improve security at her law office.

But the real crux of the Season 3 opener was Colter and Russell's emotional reunion, which afforded our lone wolf the chance to apologize to his brother for ever believing their mother's lies about his involvement in their father's death.

Below, "Tracker" showrunner Elwood Reid weighs in on that deep conversation — and what it does (and does not) reveal about the Shaw family matriarch.

TVLINE | When Colter and Russell clear the air, Russell mentions he's in contact with Mom — which feels like a reset. Since Mary led Colter to believe Russell was responsible for Ashton's death, I assumed they weren't in touch. Were Russell and Mary in contact all this time, even when the brothers were estranged?
I think the short answer is no — not really. Maybe a "Hey, I'm in Canada"-type check-in, but nothing deeper. Russell has a different understanding of what went on in that family before Ashton's death, and that comes out in their conversation. He was the older brother, the protector, and he saw things Colter didn't. But his mom lied to him, too.

This season is about airing out that poison — the lies that infected the whole family, especially their relationship with Mary. We'll eventually get a scene with Mom that gives more context, but right now, both brothers are still trying to figure out how much of her story they can actually believe.

TVLINE | Russell says that Mom didn't have a choice — that Dad was losing it, and he saw things Colter didn't. Did Russell go along with Mary's lie because he felt guilty, as the older brother, for not shielding his siblings?
Yeah, absolutely. He thought he was protecting his brother and went along with the easy lie Mary offered, but now he's seen the damage it's done to Colter. Russell's probably spent years wishing Colter would move on, but he knows that's not going to happen. Colter's stuck, and Russell's instinct — once again — is to reach in and help.

They're both alpha males who talk around their feelings, but there's real guilt there for Russell. He's the kind of guy who puts the past in the past and moves forward. Colter can't do that, and that dynamic is what makes their scenes so interesting.

TVLINE | From Mary's POV, we now know she enlisted Otto's help to make a clean break and leave Ashton. That makes her seem less sinister than before. Should viewers be less suspicious of her now?
If we did it right, it should be 50-50. You can understand her desperation — maybe she didn't have a choice — but there were other options she didn't take. She made a decision that probably was going to end the way it did eight times out of 10.

Was she trying to protect her kids? Sure. But we're also going to learn about some darker forces surrounding the Shaw family — the things that made Ashton lose his mind. And we'll question whether he was right to be paranoid. When we finally sit down with Mary, she'll be able to give context... but whether you trust her or not is another matter. I don't think either brother does — and neither should the audience.

Come back next Sunday for Part 2 of our conversation with "Tracker" showrunner Elwood Reid, as we dig further into the mystery of The Process, Ackles' return — and whether a Russell Shaw spinoff could be in the cards. 

In the meantime, grade Part 1 of the Sunday 3 premiere, then leave a comment with your full review.