Warning: SPOILERS forHigh Potentialseason 1, episode 13, “Let’s Play.”
Rather than wrapping everything up in a bow,High Potentialseason 1 kicks off a new story arc while raising more questions about the show’s overarching narrative than ever before. For much of its freshman run, Morgan’s main concern as both a parent and an LAPD consultant was solving the disappearance of Roman Sinquerra, her ex-boyfriend and father to her oldest daughter Ava. WithHigh Potentialseason 2already confirmed, it looks like the series is finally ready to turn the heat up on that investigation.
High Potentialepisode 13, “Let’s Play,” offers a new overarching storyline that threatens to test Morgan’s abilities in a completely new way. Not only does Morgan now have a nemesis who seems to be capable of tracking her movements, butHigh Potential’s new villain’s true identity remains completely unknown. WithHigh Potential’s season finaledelivering two massive status quo changes in its very final moments, the door is wide open for season 2 to take the story in any number of directions.
10How Does The New Villain Know Morgan?
She Seems To Have Been His Real Target All Along
While the villain is initially identified as David Peck, a member of Oz’s grief support group, the end of “Let’s Play” reveals that the real one has been staying in an out-of-state rehab facility for the past several months. This raises the question of why he would target Oz’s group, and a run-in at the store suggests thatthe kidnapper was secretly toying with Morgan from the very beginning. This not only explains him targeting Oz, but also how he seemed to know Morgan’s whereabouts to plant a threatening message in Morgan’s grocery bag.
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The question is why. Morgan’s consulting work hasn’t been established as something that receives much press, soit’s plausible the villain knows about Morgan through some other connection. There’s also the question of how he knew enough about David Peck to impersonate him. Showrunner Todd Harthan toldTVLinethat the plan is to pepper in the new villain on and off throughout the season, so his identity won’t likely be revealed too early on. But at the very least, it does seem probable that the show plans on building toward a reveal.
9What Exactly Did Gio Tell Karadec?
Gio’s Been Sitting On Information For Weeks
Quite a bit about Morgan’s missing ex’s past (and possibly present) as an FBI informant is revealed throughout theHigh Potentialseason 1 finale, including the reveal thatRoman is alive and Gio has told Karadec exactly where to find him. This is a landmark confirmation for the series’ central mystery, although it resultes in numerous theories about the cause of Roman’s disappearance that could account for his survival. Until he’s actually been physically located, each of these theories remains in play.
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Harthan has suggested that Roman’s storyline will get much more attention inHigh Potentialseason 2, so there hopefully won’t be a long wait for answers. Viewers only waited so long this time becauseGio disappeared for several weeks after promising new information, but Harthan has luckily toldScreenRantthatGio’s role inHigh Potentialwill continue to prove helpful next season. Gio said he was painting a target on his back by helping Morgan, so hopefully his increasing involvement won’t put the character’s future in too much jeopardy.
8Who Will The New Antagonist Target Next?
Morgan’s Family Could Be In Danger
The moment that Oz revealed he was in the support group that the kidnapper was targeting, it became fairly predictable that he would become a target himself. However, the fact that the kidnapper is actually playing games with Morgan suggests there could be more targets from Morgan’s personal life next season. After all,the mystery villain has already shown that he has zero qualms about approaching Morgan when she’s with her kids, and he has a thing for playing children’s games.
It’s possible this mystery foe possesses chilling insights into Morgan’s personal life that could help him choose the best targets to unnerve her.
Assuming that Elliot and Ava are safe, there are still numerous potential victims.Karadec, Tom, and Ludo would all be perfect targets for getting into Morgan’s head, but endangering Daphne or Soto would ruffle her feathers at least as well as targeting Oz did. It’s worth noting that two of the kidnapper’s clues were only figured out using details from Morgan’s history with both her father and Roman. This mystery foe may possess chilling insights into Morgan’s personal life that could help him choose the best targets to unnerve her.
7Does Karadec Have Feelings For Morgan?
This Is The Most Flustered He’s Ever Been Around Her
Fans have been asking this question for nearly the entire season, but theHigh Potentialfinale seems to finally hint at an answer. Not only doMorgan and Karadec share a slow dance while discussing their recent history together, but Karadec very adorably clams up when he offers to buy Morgan a drink and gets corrected that the police gala has an open bar. In his interview withTVLine, Harthan actually addresses this very scene, but the answer isn’t as clear-cut for those who are rooting for them to be a couple.
“Of course there’s an attraction, but there’s also this mutual respect that they have for each other, and it all just kind of came together in that moment. If you really look at it, it could be considered a manipulation. Karadec could be thinking, ‘Let me get her on this dance floor. Let me say all these wonderful things, and then let me turn the tables and go, I’m taking over [the Roman case].’”
In other words, Karadec seems to have some sort of feelings, but there’s no promise that they’re actually going to turn into anything. As Harthan points out, the conversation does ultimately result in Karadec protectively refusing to let Morgan meet with Gio. Almost as soon as this is accomplished, he turns her over to dance with Tom. It’s obvious thatKaradec cares about his partner’s safety and maybe even finds her attractive, but whether he’ll ever pursue something more is completely up in the air.
6Will Tom Continue Appearing In High Potential Despite His Move To San Diego?
Tom’s Return In High Potential Season 1 Finale Cut Morgan & Karadec’s Dance Short
Those who don’t want Morgan and Karadec to get together generally don’t think the show needs a romance subplot at all. Still, Morgan’s closest thing to a relationship right now is still with Tom. There hasn’t been much development on that front sinceTom suddenly left for San Diegoin the middle of the season, but “Let’s Play” marks his first time coming back specifically to see Morgan. In hisTVLineinterview, Harthan actually addresses why Tom left in the first place.
“In Season 1, we didn’t want to lose too much focus on the core dynamic of Morgan’s work family, her real family with the kids, and the cases that were solved. We didn’t really buy that Morgan, with all these plates already spinning, would also start dating somebody full-force. But she does really like the guy, and that’s why we only sent him to San Diego. It’s a hop, skip and a jump, right?”
If Morgan’s hectic life was a problem before, that’s only going to get worse inHigh Potentialseason 2. Between a potential serial killer playing games with the LAPD and a long-lost boyfriend resurfacing alive,Morgan has less time for a long-distance relationship than ever. This raises whether it’s even worthwhile to continue trying to fit Tom into the series. Then again, having Morgan visit Tom in San Diego would open the door for a murder mystery at the zoo, so perhaps it actually is worth keeping them together just a little bit longer.
5Will High Potential Season 2 Explore More Of Morgan’s Past?
High Potentialepisode 13 reveals a bit more of Morgan’s backstory, specifically why she relates to Elliot’s struggles with making friends. She reveals that her dad once chastised her for playing jacks, regarding it as a simple game for simple people. This also helps explainwhy Morgan’s never quite lived up to her potential, as her resentments toward her father’s own HPI likely contribute to her seeing her abilities as more of a curse than a gift.
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The question is whether the series will ever pay this off by having Morgan and her dad interact on screen. In the original French series,HPI,protagonist Morgane Alvaro’s father plays a key role in finding her missing lover Romain. However, Morgane’s father also didn’t have HPI, soHigh Potentialis already characterizing Morgan Gillory’s father much differently. Based on what way Morgan talked about his father, it sounded like he had already died. That said, High Potential can still feature him through flashbacks.
4Why Is Lyla Flynn So Important?
Her Death Is Deeply Tied To Roman’s Case
Both Gio’s conversation with Morgan at the diner and Karadec’s meeting with Ronnie reference an unseen FBI agent named Lyla Flynn. It’s also revealed throughout the episode thatLyla was murdered execution-style the same year Roman went missing. Apparently. Roman was her informant, so he presumably knows whatever information got Lyla killed. The question is whether Roman simply got lucky, or if the fact that he survived while she didn’t might have implications regarding his case.
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The scariest possibility is that Roman killed Lyla himself for some reason, although there’s thankfully little evidence pointing to that possibility as of now. Given Gio’s fear of being seen with law enforcement, however, it’s clear that somebody dangerous is pulling the strings.Ronnie gives Karadec a“burn after reading”file on Lyla’s case, suggesting the FBI considers whatever Roman and Lyla knew to be highly sensitive. It’s difficult to imagine documents in a normal criminal case being treated with this level of secrecy, so it may be possible that Roman is in danger from someone within the FBI itself.
3Will Morgan Tell Ava What She Knows About Roman?
Ava Will Want To Know That Roman’s Alive
Giving her daughter closure was a deciding factor in Morgan’s acceptance of the LAPD consulting job, so it stands to reason that she should probably tell Ava that Roman is alive. However, with so many questions still unanswered and with Gio suggesting dangerous circumstances surrounding Roman’s disappearance,Morgan might be hesitant to share too much with Ava until she knows more.
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The problem is that withholding information could damage their relationship if Ava somehow finds out about it. After she finally forgave Roman earlier in the season and has now been working on a scrapbook to share with him when he returns,learning that Roman voluntarily left without saying goodbye could rekindle Ava’s resentmenttoward him for abandoning them. If Morgan waits too long to tell Ava that Roman is alive, it’s all too likely she might catch some of her daughter’s resentment as well.
2Will Morgan Have More Work Struggles In High Potential Season 2?
Morgan’s Struggling With Her Abilities For The First Time In The Series
Morgan tells Ludo near the end of “Let’s Play” that she’s struggling with the case because she can’t put herself in the kidnapper’s head, which is an issue that’s never come up before.Criminal profiling isn’t Morgan’s primary strength, primarily because she isn’t trained for it. So it seems notable that she’s finding that aspect of the case so overwhelming.
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The closest Morgan’s come to being overwhelmed was in episode 11, when she had to lay out the facts of a case multiple times before she could finally piece them together. But even then, she didn’t actually doubt her abilities.Seeing Morgan overwhelmed is ultimately good because it makes her more relatable.However, it also raises questions about whether other gaps in her abilities have yet to be explored. IfHigh Potentialseason 2 ups the ante in her cases, more cracks like this may rise to the surface.
1Will Daphne Have A Bigger Role In Season 2?
Daphne Has Clue-Solving Abilities That Morgan Doesn’t
It took until the finale, butHigh Potentialepisode 13 finally gave Oz a meatier role in the storyline. Since the two of them are partners,giving Oz more storylines would open the door for Daphne to play a bigger role as well. It’s good for any procedural to give the main character something of a backseat from time to time, but that’s been harder for this series since Morgan’s HPI is pretty much the main hook.
Daphne’s backstory is also completely unexplored, so there’s a lot of room to expand her character.
As the closest thing the show has to the obligatory TV tech wizard, Daphne’s a prime candidate to potentially unearth clues that Morgan couldn’t discover on her own. Daphne’s backstory is also completely unexplored, so there’s a lot of room to expand her character. Either way, hopefully whenHigh Potentialreturns for season 2, the series will give Daphne and the rest of the supporting cast a chance to play slightly larger roles.
High Potential
Cast
Morgan, a single mother of three with a brilliant but unconventional mind, partners with a methodical detective after solving a crime during her job as a cleaner. Together, they form an unlikely but effective duo, blending her unique problem-solving skills with his by-the-book approach to tackle challenging cases.
