Summary
High Potential excels in Episode 12 by using Morgan’s deductive talents as a foundation for meaningful character development.
High Potential has a tendency to rest on its laurels a bit, letting Morgan’s ability to figure out everything with a 100% success rate do all the heavy lifting. But Episode 12, “Partners”, proves that the show is much more interesting when it’s using that as a starting point for meaningful character development. By the end of this installment, which I think is one of the better ones, we’re more invested in Morgan and Karadec’s working relationship than we’ve been thus far, while also getting a bit more insight into their respective personal lives.
It all works, and that’s in spite of a case that, in its broad strokes anyway, isn’t especially interesting. It involves the poisoning of a tech bro whose controversial social media platform allows users to create life-ruining deepfakes with a minimum of effort. If you’re imagining cyber-bullying, suicide, and revenge, you’re on the right lines.
An interesting wrinkle, though, is that the location of the crime technically falls under FBI jurisdiction, so the LAPD is competing with the Feds for control of the case. And the Feds are primarily represented by Special Agent Ronnie Oliver (Jocko Sims from New Amsterdam), who just so happens to be Karadec’s former partner.
Oliver isn’t presented as a bad guy, per se, but he annoys his former colleagues by bossing them around and it’s clear that there’s history between him and Karadec which comes out later. It’s simple enough. They used to be a superstar crime-solving tag team until some misfiled evidence made it look like they were on the take. It was an honest mistake, but Oliver took the first opportunity to take a position at the FBI and leave Karadec to clean up the mess for both of them. He was able to, but his reputation suffered for a while.
Thanks to this, Karadec has some simmering resentment for Oliver, but it’s tinged with an earnest nostalgia for their time as partners. This also makes him reconsider his working relationship with Morgan. Even though they’re not officially partners, they have become so in spirit, and the payoff to this is Karadec being offered a job in the FBI and turning it down because he already has a partner. Aww!
Speaking of Morgan, she’s up to her usual tricks in High Potential Episode 12. The fact that Oliver and the Feds are a bit skeptical of her abilities because she’s merely a consultant feels a bit reiterative – we did that angle as recently as the previous episode – but there’s some good stuff between her and Ludo here. Her ex has had very little to do in the season thus far, but here the demands on Morgan’s time start having an impact on him. He’s so unfeasibly accommodating that he ends up burning the candle at both ends and passing out. It’s not serious – I don’t think, anyway – but it’s a useful reminder for Morgan that her choices have consequences.
It is, perhaps, a bit too convenient that Ludo is extremely reasonable about this, and there’s no discussion of her perhaps working a bit less. But it leads to a nice moment between Morgan and Elliot, who saw Ludo collapse and had to call Morgan for help. Since he has the same high-functioning brain as Morgan, he immediately assumes that some kind of serious underlying health condition is the cause, so Morgan helps him to work through the way he thinks. It’s a nice mother-and-son moment that also gives us some insight into how Morgan has learned to deal with things.
There’s a moment at the very end of the episode, when the family all settle down to watch 2001: A Space Odyssey – Ludo’s favorite movie – that I realized I do rather enjoy spending time with these characters. So, if nothing else, High Potential is doing its job.
