This 'Tracker' Season 3 Theory Could Prove Mel Is Colter's Sister Actorsvaultpro

As Tracker powers through its third season, there have been a lot of changes. Most notable is a shake-up in the cast, with many characters departing the series and new ones joining. One such character is Melanie “Mel” Day, portrayed by The Walking Dead‘s Cassady McClincy Zhang.

Fans instantly picked up on the fact that there is something off about her, despite her being an eager and pleasant new assistant to Reenie (Fiona Rene). She impressed the lawyer immediately, but she also shows an unusual fascination with Colter (Justin Hartley) and his work, and I have a theory as to why.

Mel’s Backstory Holds Some Clues

CBS

Mel was one of many interviewees Reenie was talking to for the job as her assistant. She desperately needed help with her busy schedule. Mel also seems to fill the role of Velma (Abby McEnany), one of the two main characters replaced after Season 2. She seemed sharp, smart, eager to learn, and already looked up to Reenie, knowing about some of her past work. Reenie was so impressed, she hired her on the spot. But Mel kept trying to work Colter into the conversation, expressing a curiosity and fascination with what he does and Reenie’s role in it.

An obvious reason is presented when Mel reveals a detail from her past to show Reenie why she is so supportive of alternative forms of justice. Her mother was murdered in her car, shot in the parking lot at a rest stop. The murder was never solved. “I guess it just felt like the systems that were supposed to be there to support her were more interested in protecting themselves,” she tells Reenie.

It’s easy to guess that Mel wants to meet Colter, tell him her story, and hope he might help, even though she doesn’t have the money to pay him. Maybe she wants a job with Reenie to save up enough in hopes that he’ll accept a reduced fee for his work since she’s part of the family now. If anyone can solve the cold case of her mother’s murder, after all, it’s Colter. But I think it’s something more. I think there could be a familial connection.

Mel Could Be Colter’s Half-Sister

Considering the circumstances of her mother’s death, being shot in a car doesn’t seem random. It sounds targeted, suggesting that Mel’s mother may have been involved with someone or something dangerous that Mel either knows about or doesn’t. Her mother was an army logistics officer, so it’s likely Mel moved around a lot as a kid. If she lived on army bases, she might have overheard or come across information relating to Ashton’s research. Since Colter’s father similarly felt someone was after him, these two stories may be connected in some way.

It’s revealed at the end of Season 1 that Colter’s father, Ashton (Lee Tergeson in flashbacks), was having an affair with Lizzy’s (Jennifer Morrison) mother. So, we already know he wasn’t faithful to Mary (Wendy Crewson). It’s possible their relationship was on the rocks for some time. Mel appears to be in her 20s and has just graduated. Ashton died in 2003 when Colter was just 15 or 16 years old. This means if Mel is 22 or older, it’s possible Ashton could be her biological father from another woman with whom he was having an affair.

Some theories suggest that Mel could be Colter’s daughter, born to a woman he did not know he had impregnated. But this would be a stretch, as it would mean this happened when he was a teenager. Considering Colter was living in the wilderness with his family and had little interaction with others, it’s unlikely. The half-sister storyline makes more sense. Mel might have found out her connection to Colter after her mother died when she was 16, and wanted to learn more about him in hopes that it might help her solve her mother’s murder.

Another theory is that she’s just a crazed fan whose true colors will eventually be revealed. She enjoys listening to true-crime podcasts and proved invaluable to Randy (Chris Lee) in the latest case. Season 3, Episode 6, “Angel” is about a trio of true-crime enthusiasts who inadvertently track down a killer. Mel guides Randy to popular true crime sites where he can track down the missing woman’s profile in the early stages of the investigation. She later presents him with a list of similar deaths that are likely linked to the same serial killer the woman was hunting. Her fascination with true crime could have been born from the murder of her mother, or just a hobby that had drawn her to Colter and what he does.

Missing Links Could Boil to the Surface

Mel’s true motivations will undoubtedly eventually be revealed. Since Randy, who has seemingly taken over Bobby’s (Eric Graise) character, told Reenie that he carefully vetted all the applicants before she interviewed them, he would have looked into Mel and found nothing suspicious. However, at the end of Season 3, Episode 6, he does call Colter advising that he has some news relating to the leads that Russell (Jensen Ackles), who appeared in the first two episodes of Season 3, provided him with about the mysterious scientist David Pearson, who was somehow connected to their father.

Could this investigation lead to more details about Mel? Is it possible she’s connected to Pearson, maybe his daughter or granddaughter? So many theories have been posited online by fans, guessing she could be a killer herself, or at the very least, a stalker. But this could be the direction the show’s producers and writers want us to go when, in reality, Mel is connected in a much less sinister but equally important way.

It’s obvious that Mel is hiding something, but it might be another link in the overarching puzzle of Ashton’s death. We know who killed him following the big revelation in Season 2. We know who asked that man to subdue Ashton. We know he was involved in something that he felt put him in danger, and he was right. We know another scientist who was familiar with him died under suspicious circumstances around the same time he did. We know that government employees have told Russell that his father “asked too many questions.” We know that right before his death, Ashton gave Lizzy’s mother a box of his belongings for safekeeping. What we don’t yet know is how this all comes together.

Mel could hold a clue, or she could be part of another case that has nothing to do with it. All we can tell is that her intentions aren’t entirely pure. She might be the best thing to happen to Reenie in a long time. However, her curiosity in Colter’s cases, her constant questions about him, and her fascination with crime are rooted in something. Whether or not she’s a Shaw, she certainly has the Shaw characteristic of the desire to partake in a relentless pursuit of what she wants. Stream Tracker on Paramount+.