Keaton’s longstanding career in law enforcement and keen sense of character make him the perfect ally for Colter Shaw in the long term. With a spot on “Team Shaw” now open, it may just be time for him to come out of retirement. Not only is Sexton an impressive actor who would easily fit into the Tracker cast, but Keaton is a character who deserves to be explored further. There is certainly a lot more that Tracker could do with a former cop on Colter’s payroll, and even as a semiregular addition, there is a lot of potential as far as including him in the weekly cases is concerned. With how vital his contributions to “The Disciple” were, it’s easy to see how Tracker might utilize Keaton in a weekly format without him overstepping on Colter’s toes.
But why is Keaton a necessary addition? Well, simply put, because as a former police officer, he has access to specific government databases, law enforcement connections, and a well-developed set of detective skills that Colter could learn a thing or two about. At the end of “The Disciple,” Colter and Keaton note that, had our hero just had access to these same resources that Keaton did, Gina’s disappearance would have been solved long ago — likewise, the Teacher (Nicholas Lea) would have been behind bars before he had the chance to hurt anyone else. That is a sobering thought for Colter, who recognizes his limitations in a whole new light. Of course, these limitations may not be a bad thing narratively, as they force Colter to find other creative means for uncovering the truth (and offer plenty of exciting material for us as the audience). Nevertheless, Keaton remains an ally worthy of Colter’s time and one who would no doubt be a help and not a hindrance in the future.
It could also be interesting to dive more into Keaton’s backstory as well. We know from the case that Colter took on in Washington’s Snoqualmie National Forest (as seen in “Trust Fall”) that Keaton was on the force for quite some time. We don’t know all the circumstances of his police work, nor if there may be other cold cases that never got solved. While Colter generally prefers to work outside the law, he has also been known to work with law officers whenever their directives align. As such, Keaton could offer a unique perspective for Colter concerning the world of law enforcement and may provide the right sort of connections to keep him from getting in trouble with local cops in the future.
