Melanie “Mel” Day is new to “Tracker” this season, but you might recognize the actress who plays her.
Cassady McClincy Zhang previously played Lydia on seasons 9-11 of “The Walking Dead.” She’s also made appearances on “Chicago Med” (Ariel Sparkman), “Castle Rock” (Young Molly Strand), “Ozark” (Anna Sloan), “Daytime Divas” (Tandy Ainsley) and the 2018 film “Love Simon” (Jackie).
Season 3 of “Tracker,” which kicked off in October, is McClincy Zhang’s first major role since “The Walking Dead” came to an end in 2022. Fans have suspicions about her character Mel, who is Reenie’s (Fiona Rene) new assistant.
When Mel interviewed for the job during a November episode, she seemed a little too interested in Reenie’s work with Colter Shaw (Justin Hartley), a professional “rewardist” who uses his tracking skills to assist law enforcement and private citizens in exchange for reward money.
Mel told Reenie that she appreciates Colter’s unorthodox approach to solving cases because traditional law enforcement has let her down in the past. She revealed that her mother was murdered, and she still doesn’t know who killed her.
“I guess it just felt like the systems that were supposed to be there to support her were more interested in protecting themselves,” Mel explained.
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Mel has played only a minor role in the action on “Tracker” thus far, but many viewers think her backstory suggests a big reveal later in the season.
“Colter failed to save someone close to her or she was sent by someone. Or, highest on the list right now, [Colter] or his brother have or are suspected to have something to do with her mothers death,” one fan theorized via Reddit.
“She blames Colter for her mother’s death for some reason,” another person agreed.
It seems unlikely that “Tracker” would introduce Mel unless she’s going to serve a purpose in the story. Two other characters, Velma (Abby McEnany) and Bobby Exley (Eric Graise), left after season 2, seemingly because the ensemble cast didn’t make sense for a show about a lone wolf.
During a May interview with Us Weekly, “Tracker” executive producer Elwood Reid said he he didn’t “want the show” to rely on the “‘phone a friend’ every week” format.
“Justin is always challenging me on that. He’s like, ‘Do we need to do this? Do I need to call Bobby all the time?’” Reid said.
“Tracker” airs on CBS on Sundays at 8:30 p.m. ET. Episodes are available to stream on Paramount+ the day after they air.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.nj.com ’
