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High Potential has lived up to its title in its impressive debut season, elevating beyond background viewing. That is, you might initially tune in to have something on while folding laundry, but the show’s charm will reel you in and demand your attention. A lot of that charm comes courtesy of its star, Kaitlin Olson. However, 13 episodes in, HP works overall because of the ensemble, banter, and its familiar escapism factor. The show still needs to cook up more innovative cases its fictional Major Crimes division works on—but luckily that’s not a problem in the finale.
“Let’s Play” takes a page from the classic detective playbook to churn out a thrilling closer that makes me wish season two was right around the corner. For starters, Morgan Guillory (Olson) gets a worthy adversary. You’re not a real sleuth until you get a smart nemesis like Moriarty and the Joker. Other comfort procedurals like Castle and The Mentalist have taken this trope and run with it. They gave their heroes an enemy (3XK and Red John, respectively) to chase for several episodes. High Potential, which feels pretty reminiscent of those shows, kicks off a similar arc for Morgan here.
In a propulsive episode with a tad too much going on, the most intriguing subplot is the arrival of a criminal obsessed with two things: games and Morgan. But Morgan doesn’t know she’s got her very own Moriarty when the case lands in the unit’s lap. At first, Morgan and her partner, Detective Karadec (Daniel Sunjata), assume they’re dealing with a grieving, puzzle-loving maniac. The culprit, whom they think is a man named David Peck, abducts people from his grief group. He leaves clues and a deadline for the cops, with Morgan beating him at every turn to save the victim just in the nick of time.
It’s as if this mystery man enjoys luring her to see how she deduces his cryptic riddles (which include puzzle pieces, creepy dolls, various fonts, and artwork). It raises the question of how he knows so much about Morgan’s cognitive abilities and I.Q. How long has he been keeping track of her journey from a cleaner for the LAPD to an irreplaceable, crime-solving consultant? While discussing the show’s midseason finale, I wrote that Morgan is the smartest detective here even though she doesn’t have that title yet. Perhaps this antagonist has found his match—or perhaps she has.
She tells her ex, Ludo (Taran Killam), that she’s disturbed by the clues because while she’s got the chops to solve them, she cannot fathom using her powers for evil. I love how the writing is committed to softening her personality without compromising on her trademark snark (or loud outfits). It’ll be interesting to see how she views and deals with getting a major foe for season two. And I was glad the series offered a glimpse of this dude in the finale. He bumps into Morgan and her kids while they’re grocery shopping, dropping another clue in her bag. Only when she gets home does she realize that the kidnapper has been toying with her. She is the target, not the members of his grief group who rejected his game-night invite. Grimm’s David Giuntoli makes a brief appearance in this role, and I’m certain it will have a bigger impact in the future.
High Potential also uses this arc as a way to focus on its supporting players for a change, although the effort doesn’t fully land. So far, Morgan, Karadec, and their boss Selena (Judy Reyes) have gotten the most development. This is partly because this trio is secretly working on solving the disappearance of Morgan’s ex-husband 15 years ago. And this means characters like Oz (Deniz Akdeniz) and Daphne (Javicia Leslie) have been on the back burner. The finale tries to change that by shoehorning in a story about Oz, who reveals he’s in the same grief group as the culprit (which makes it pretty predictable that he’ll get kidnapped next).
Listen, I’m all for Oz and Daphne getting more screen time. They seem like a fun duo, but “Let’s Play” doesn’t tackle a serious story like Oz mourning his dad with enough gravity. So when he asks Morgan for advice on how to move on from this loss after he’s saved from drowning by the team, the conversation feels tacked on. It’s as if the writers suddenly remembered to give him slight depth beyond mild comic relief. And Daphne feels even more one-note. This isn’t a huge deterrent because that’s what season two is for. HP’s writers have proven that they know how to flesh out multi-dimensional characters, so here’s hoping that extends to Daphne and Oz next.
There are more subplots going on in “Let’s Play,” though, from the group attending a fancy police gala to Morgan’s teen daughter getting ready for her driver’s license. The suspense of Morgan’s ex, Roman, and what might’ve happened to him 15 years ago also starts to get resolved. Karadec takes over the investigation to put Morgan out of harm’s way. He learns from multiple sources that Roman was an FBI informant who vanished without a trace when an undercover agent was killed. And, oh yeah, he’s still alive. Anyone who has kept up with this show shouldn’t be particularly shocked by this reveal. But as predictable as it may be, it nicely sets the stage for Morgan’s life to change in big ways when the show returns this fall.
Stray observations
- • For those keeping score of Morgan’s love interests: Roman is sure to be back soon, Karadec has been sneaking in longing looks at her, and nurse Tom (JD Pardo) returns in the finale to share a dance with her at the gala.
- • Who’s your dream casting for Roman? (Yes, Rob McElhenney is fair game.)
- • Morgan reveals her dad is also a high-potential individual. My other wish for season two is to learn about her upbringing.
- • Was anyone else bothered by the inconsistency of Oz leaving for the gala in the dark, only for the episode to cut to the party happening when the sun is still out?
- • “I don’t like it when you’re impressed by me when I haven’t done anything impressive.” This line delivery from Daniel Sunjata is hilarious.
- • Selena: “Smart people have blind spots too”
Morgan: “And my heart breaks for them.”
