Tracker season 3 premiere ending explained: Are the Shaw brothers in danger?

The Tracker season 3 premiere kicks off with the Shaw siblings reuniting for a new disturbing case. Titled The Process, the first episode of the new season also catches the tail end of Colter's emotional fallout after learning what his mother has done about his father. It sets the stage for a season of family drama and high-stakes missions, further teasing what the brothers are in for in the next episodes.

Not only is their new case mind-bending, but it also puts the Shaw brothers in potential danger. At the end of the Tracker season 3 premiere, both Colter and Russell receive the threatening text about them having "interrupted the process," and that there will be consequences coming their way.

While there isn't a lot known about what the Shaw brothers have interrupted, "The Process" has set its sights on them. And based on what happened beforehand, it's some twisted game that has already left two casualties in its wake.

Disclaimer: This article contains major spoilers for the Tracker season 3 premiere. Reader's discretion is advised.

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What has the Shaw brothers interrupted in the Tracker season 3 premiere?

Russell and Colter Shaw (Image via @trackercbs/Instagram)

The end of the Tracker season 3 premiere signals a larger, ongoing threat about something called "The Process," and both Colter and Russell have put themselves in the middle of it. What starts as a missing person case turns sinister, especially when, after supposedly closing the case, each of the brothers gets this text at the same time:

"You have interrupted the process and there will be consequences."

As the text says, they have interrupted "The Process," which appears to be a twisty game that involves family members being kidnapped and people being forced to do "steps" to get their loved ones back. It starts with the new case they're handling, which initially has them believing that Cal's ex-wife, Lisa, and daughter are potentially caught up in her new 'tech bro' boyfriend's pyramid scheme.

The boyfriend is found dead with a missing hand, and Lisa, who is supposedly the victim, becomes the culprit. When she ends up being hit by a truck, she reveals that her daughter is kidnapped, bringing Russell and Colter Shaw to a teacher, who supposedly knows where the daughter is. But the said teacher is also part of "The Process," and he's forced to do stuff because his sister is also kidnapped.

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What is "The Process" in the Tracker season 3 premiere?

"The Process" doesn't appear to be a throwaway narrative; instead, it teases something more complicated, and possibly even more dangerous, than it seems on the surface. After all, two people are already dead because of it: Lisa's new boyfriend and Raymond Ockman's sister.

Colter and Russell in a new mission (Image via @trackercbs/Instagram)

As mentioned, "The Process" presented in Tracker season 3 premiere is a twisted game that involves kidnapping and coercion. A text is sent in the 'player,' aka part of the process, but it automatically gets deleted a few seconds later. And Randy can't hack through who is sending those texts.

The text tells those involved in the process what they need to do next, aka the 'steps,' or if they are successful or not. In Ockman's case, he receives a text saying that he "failed," likely because he tells Colter and Russell about where they are hiding Lisa's daughter, which he shouldn't have done until he receives the next 'step.' Hence, it's most likely why his sister, the one kidnapped, ends up dead.

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Tracker season 3 premiere: Colter unpacks what he learned about his father's death

Twisty missions aside, the Tracker season 3 premiere also thrusts the audience into Colter Shaw's emotional fallout after the shocking discovery in the Tracker season 2 finale. The new season picks up with Colter and Otto Waldron's confrontation about the latter being the man who was with Colter's father at the cliff over two decades ago.

He learns that it was his mother, Mary, who sent Otto to his father to talk, but a fight broke out and Otto ended up killing Colter's father, Ashton. The revelation completely upended his trust in his family, especially his mother, pushing him to freeze everyone out of his life.

Russell tracking Colter down reveals that Russell doesn't know about Otto killing their father, nor about their mom's involvement in it. Tracker season 3 premiere gives a decidedly raw talk between the brothers, with Colter apologizing for years of ghosting his brother and for believing the worst about him.

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Catch the first episode of Tracker season 3 on CBS and Paramount+.

Edited by Kinette Sumadia