Morgan Gillory and Adam Karadec standing together at the FBI in High Potential Season 2 Episode 9Image via ABC
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The second half of High Potential Season 2 kicked off with an intense conclusion to the two-parter, which saw the Major Crimes team expose the real thieves of the Rembrandt, and then Rhys (Aiden Turner) steal it and get it back to its rightful owner. Arthur (Mekkhi Phifer), on the other hand, ran into some more danger related to Roman's backpack, and the episode ended with him disappearing from his truck after previously calling Selena (Judy Reyes) to tell her that he was being followed.
This week's episode returns to the procedural's weekly case format. Arthur is still missing, but there's nothing Major Crimes can do in the first 24 hours, because nothing suspicious was found at the scene of his truck. The main focus of this episode is a murder that turns out to have ties all the way to the FBI, revealing a little bit about Captain Wagner's (Steve Howey) past and potentially hinting at the Roman storyline.
In 'High Potential' Season 2, Episode 9, The Major Crimes Team Investigates the Murder of an FBI Agent
The episode opens with a man playing golf while being watched from afar by a hitman. In the perfect fake-out, the hitman's car starts having issues and goes over a cliff, killing him. The Major Crimes team initially takes this at face value. They realize that the hitman's brakes were cut, so they look into his target to get more information about his murder. The target turns out to be Douglas Newmeyer (Keith Carradine), a famous inventor who was recently under fire for making and continuing to sell a faulty vacuum known to cause fires. The Major Crimes team tracks Newmeyer down, only to run into the FBI when they find him.
As it turns out, the hitman was actually an FBI agent named Curtis Bellinger who was undercover as a fake hitman. The FBI was going to fake Newmeyer's death through pictures so that Bellinger could arrest the person who put out the hit, but Bellinger was killed before they could. Wagner joins the team as well, even though they didn't call him, because he used to work undercover with the FBI a long time ago. The investigation into this case is being led by Wagner's old friend and former colleague, Mira Taylor (Rebeka Montoya), as well as her boss, Wayne Vincent (Peter Jacobson). Wagner acts particularly suspicious this episode, dropping more information about his past working with the FBI, and making it even more likely that he had some involvement in Roman's disappearance. He also takes Karadec (Daniel Sunjata) aside to interrogate him about Morgan's (Kaitlin Olson) possible role in stealing the Rembrandt, but Karadec has her back like always.
The Major Crimes team figures out that Newmeyer was having an affair, and that the husband of the woman he was seeing ordered the hit on him. This answer just brings more questions, though, because the man who ordered the hit had no idea that Bellinger was an undercover agent – and he definitely didn't kill him. The Major Crimes team realizes that so much of this case was staged by someone with insider information, and they make the connection that the real killer is someone who works for the FBI. They do some discreet investigating into the FBI agents on the case, and Karadec even reaches out to Ronnie (Jocko Sims) off-screen for help. This leads to the big reveal: it turns out that Vincent took bribes from Newmeyer to bury the investigation into the vacuums, and when Bellinger found out, Vincent killed him.
In 'High Potential' Season 2, Episode 9, Ludo Has a Difficult Talk With Elliot
Ludo and Elliot Radavic talking in Elliot's room in High Potential Season 2Image via ABC
At the start of the episode, Rhys sends Morgan flowers, hinting at a potential continuation of their romance in the future. Elliot (Matthew Lamb) initially believes that the flowers are from Ludo (Taran Killam). Elliot is delighted at the thought of his parents getting back together, and he gets upset when Ludo has no problem with Morgan dating other people. Ludo calls Morgan to fill her in, and the two of them handle this very well together. Ludo gives Elliot a talk explaining that he and Morgan weren't a good fit romantically, and Elliot takes this very well.
Later, Morgan checks in with Elliot as well, and he has moved past it. This is a sweet storyline that shows how well Morgan and Ludo work as co-parents, and that gives Elliot a realistic concern for a kid his age. Still, though, it felt pretty standard and surface-level, and the show could have done more with this subplot. Ludo's explanation to Elliot made sense, but I would have liked to hear more specific examples of Ludo and Morgan's differences, what their relationship was like, and what Ludo's love life is like now. It felt like a missed opportunity to go deeper here, but it was still nice to see overall.
'High Potential' Season 2, Episode 9 Brings Up Tough Feelings for Morgan
Morgan and Karadec walking with Douglas Newmeyer in High Potential Season 2Image via ABC
Without spoiling too much, Morgan's father plays an important role in the French version of High Potential, and High Potential seems to be building up to his introduction later this season. He was previously mentioned during the investigation into the Game Maker (David Giuntoli), when Morgan told Karadec that her father has her same condition. He put a lot of pressure on her to live up to her genius when she was younger, which both isolated her from other kids and made her feel like she couldn't do anything right. In this episode, Newmeyer hits too close to home, reminding Morgan of her father.
When Morgan criticizes Newmeyer for how he handled his faulty vacuums, he hits her with some harsh words that clearly resonate with her, telling her: "I've seen your type before. All that intellect, wasted. And this chaos act you put on, you pretend it's a choice; it's all a cover to hide that you can't apply yourself even if you wanted to, because you lack self-discipline. It's the real reason you've accomplished nothing, and you never will." Newmeyer is harsh and wrong, but his words get to Morgan's deepest insecurity, which is that she's all too aware of the downsides of her condition, and she's ashamed of the way it has affected her life and her relationships.
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Unlock fuller episode breakdowns by subscribing to our newsletter—dive into character motives, plot twists, and how major reveals shape the season. Subscribe to get episode analysis, behind-the-scenes clues, and thoughtful TV commentary. Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.Later, Morgan throws Newmeyer's words back in his face when he gets arrested, and then Karadec talks to her about it. In a lovely scene, he figures out why Newmeyer was able to get under her skin, and he tells Morgan just how much she's accomplished and how many people she's been able to help as a consultant. Karadec tells Morgan that the world's a better place because she's in it, but even after he leaves for the night, she sits there struggling with her thoughts. It's a great ending to a strong episode that sticks the landing with its killer reveal while setting up weightier storylines for the rest of the season.
High Potential airs Tuesday nights at 9:00 P.M. EST on ABC.
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High Potential
This episode delivers a strong murder mystery and a deeper look into Morgan's insecurities, while setting up some exciting stoylines for the rest of the season.
Like Follow Followed Drama Release Date September 17, 2024 Network ABC Showrunner Todd Harthan
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Kaitlin Olson
Morgan
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Javicia Leslie
Daphne
A single mom with a brilliant but unconventional mind becomes an unlikely crime-solving partner to a by-the-book detective. Her unique ability to piece together clues that others overlook makes her indispensable to the LAPD Major Crimes unit, leading to an unorthodox but highly effective investigative duo.
Creator(s) Drew Goddard Expand Collapse Pros & Cons- This episode's murder mystery has an exciting and shocking twist that could be a clue about the Roman mystery.
- This episode gives a compelling look into Morgan's insecurities related to her condition.
- Morgan and Karadec's partnership is a major highlight this episode, and he supports her at every turn.
- This episode drops the Arthur storyline (for now) when it's at its most suspenseful.
- Ludo and Elliot's subplot felt out of place this episode, and it ultimately didn't have much payoff.
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High Potential
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Kaitlin Olson
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