CBS’s Tracker continues its streak of thrilling, action-packed episodes with “Nightingale”, a tense and emotionally layered instalment that places Colter Shaw (Justin Hartley) in the midst of a lethal conspiracy. This episode delivers all the pieces followers love in regards to the present—sharp storytelling, intense combat sequences, and a case that isn’t as easy because it first seems.
A Case That Retains Twisting
From the opening scene, “Nightingale” units an ominous tone. A younger singer, Angie, performs at a bar beneath the watchful (and creepy) gaze of a mysterious man. Moments later, she’s kidnapped, and three males—one in every of them an off-duty cop—are lifeless. Enter Colter, who’s simply completed the Gina Pickett case and is seeking to decompress when his longtime affiliate Velma calls with an irresistible provide: a $50,000 reward to trace down the suspect, Benjamin Kenderson. However there’s a catch—the one that put up the reward is Kenderson’s grandmother, Ava, who doesn’t consider he’s responsible.
Colter’s investigation shortly reveals there’s extra at play than a easy abduction. Between a city managed by a biker gang, a corrupt police power, and a suspect educated for survival, Colter finds himself in a harmful sport the place nobody might be trusted. The story unfolds like a traditional Western-meets-thriller, with Colter navigating hostile territory, outsmarting each outlaws and regulation enforcement, and piecing collectively the actual story behind the night time’s violence.
Colter vs. The Biker Gang: A Satisfying Showdown
One of many standout moments of the episode is when Colter walks into the bar in Wolf Creek, the place the biker gang instantly sizes him up. As anticipated, issues get bodily, resulting in one of many present’s greatest combat sequences to this point. Colter holds his personal, however the gang chief surprisingly calls a truce—as a result of, for now, they’ve a typical objective: discovering Kenderson. However the uneasy alliance is short-lived as Colter begins seeing via their lies, realizing the actual crime scene was behind the bar, not out entrance.
| “Nightingale” – TRACKER, Pictured: Justin Hartley as Colter Shaw. Photograph: Darko Sikman/CBS ©2025 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved. |
From right here, Tracker performs with shifting allegiances and misdirection. The sheriff warns Colter to go away city, impounds his truck, and refuses to share the safety footage. In the meantime, Colter will get assist from Randy, Bobby’s cousin who’s filling in for him whereas Bobby offers with household points, who digs into Kenderson’s historical past and finds nothing that factors to him being a violent offender. So why is he all of a sudden being framed for a number of murders?
Ben Kenderson: Pal or Foe?
When Colter lastly tracks down Kenderson, the stress is excessive. As a substitute of a ruthless killer, he finds a person who lives by his personal guidelines, educated for survival, and is deeply mistrustful of authority. He’s constructed a shelter within the woods, carves loss of life whistles to intimidate intruders, and isn’t keen to elucidate himself. However then Angie seems—alive and unhurt—and drops a bombshell: Ben didn’t kidnap her. He saved her.
This revelation flips all the pieces on its head. The true villains? The bikers, who had been trafficking weapons with the city’s corrupt cops, turned on Angie and the off-duty officer once they suspected them of being informants. Kenderson fought them off, however now the gang needs him lifeless to cowl their tracks.
The Intelligent, Excessive-Stakes Finale
As all the time, Tracker delivers an exciting last act, and “Nightingale” is not any exception. Colter and Kenderson set an excellent entice utilizing Kenderson’s wilderness abilities—luring the gang into the woods with eerie loss of life whistles, choosing them off one after the other utilizing rigorously positioned survivalist traps. In the meantime, contained in the bar, Colter fights off Angie’s captors, and he or she will get her personal second of revenge—stabbing one of many bikers with a damaged glass bottle.
The true gut-punch comes when the gang’s chief, Cropper, is confronted with the reality: the safety footage reveals that he killed his personal males, not Kenderson. However relatively than deny it, Cropper smirks and justifies his actions, calling them weak. One in all his personal males, disgusted, shoots him lifeless—ending the gang’s reign in Wolf Creek.
 |
| “Nightingale” – TRACKER, Pictured: Justin Hartley as Colter Shaw. Photograph: Sergei Bachlakov/CBS ©2025 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved. |
What makes Tracker nice isn’t simply the motion—it’s the emotional depth. The episode ends with a reflective second between Colter and Kenderson, each raised in harsh environments, each molded by survivalist fathers. In one other life, they may have been associates. Kenderson, regardless of being on the run for a lot of the episode, isn’t a villain—he’s simply one other man formed by the world round him.
The sheriff apologizes to Colter. The cops weren’t in with the biker gang, they had been merely attempting to get out from beneath their grip and now due to Colter, they’re lastly free. In the meantime, Angie, now free to pursue her music, heads off on tour—with Kenderson as her new roadie. It’s a satisfying conclusion that ties up unfastened ends whereas nonetheless leaving us wanting extra.
Remaining Verdict: A Sturdy, Suspenseful Episode with Nice Motion and Twists
Nightingale is Tracker at its greatest—tense, action-packed, and filled with sharp twists that preserve you guessing. The dynamic between Colter and Kenderson provides emotional weight, the combat sequences are a few of the present’s greatest, and the ultimate reveal is each satisfying and surprising.
With every episode, Tracker proves why it’s one of the participating new reveals on CBS. Should you’re not watching but, now’s the time to start out.
