Summary
High Potential Season 2 has already done away with the Game Maker arc, but Episode 2 makes it clear we’ll be waiting a while for a resolution to the Roman subplot.
And just like that, the Game Maker mini-arc that has been the focal point of High Potential in both the Season 1 finale and the Season 2 premiere has come to an end. With it went the glimmer of hope that Morgan might be reunited with Roman. That subplot remains ongoing, but Episode 2, “Checkmate”, clarifies that it’ll likely be another season-long affair as the show settles back into the typical case-of-the-week format following the Game Maker’s apprehension.
It occurs to me that this episode, while not stellar in any way, contains all of the key elements that High Potential fans have come to expect, with Morgan outsmarting the villain and still finding time for some nice family bonding. The turn in the Roman case might feel a little frustrating, given this has been the overarching plot since the first season debuted, but it’s clear the showrunners aren’t willing to pull the trigger on that quite yet.
With the Game Maker having smugly presented himself to the LAPD at the end of the premiere, the question shifts from being about whether or not Morgan was right – she was, obviously – to how it can be legally proven that she was right, since the Game Maker is a slick, hands-off operator who has had everyone on strings until this point. This involves a few leading interrogations, a lot of esoteric clues, and even some obscure literary references for good measure.
The risk you sometimes run in introducing a Moriarty-style figure whose gimmick is potentially being smarter than the protagonist, who is known for being smarter than everyone else, is plausibility. The Game Maker’s game has to be subtle enough that only Morgan can pick up on the clues, but it also has to be solvable, which is a tricky balance to achieve. “Checkmate” sometimes can’t help but feel as though Morgan has been allowed a peek at the script. It’s a minor, nitpicky sort of complaint, but you do notice these things, especially since the actual arc of the scheme is fairly simple. The Game Maker wants the police to release Jason so that he can be killed by Derek, who still thinks he’s responsible for Maya’s abduction and potential murder. Everything else is in service of getting those key pieces into play.
Even after that murder is prevented and Maya is found safe and sound, though, Morgan still has to prove the Game Maker was responsible, which, of course, she does. Their dramatic confrontation scene is also where we get filled in on the Game Maker’s background and motives, which, truth be told, are a little disappointing. When he was a kid, his mother was accused of stealing and died in prison for the crime, which she never committed, so now the Game Maker wants to take revenge against rich people. He’d rather kill himself than die in prison like his mother did, and attempts to do so, but Morgan is so far ahead that there’s already a crash mat on the ground when he lands. I don’t imagine he’ll enjoy prison very much.
As mentioned at the top, High Potential Season 2, Episode 2 also confirms that Roman is alive, but it makes the point that he’s not Mekhi Phifer. That guy’s name is Arthur, and he has been helping Roman hide out from the authorities since those are the people he’s supposedly on the run from. This means that the fact that Morgan has a new job working with them is a matter of some concern for Roman. Who’s hunting him? Why? These are the big questions that one suspects will form the bulk of the second season’s overarching narrative.
Morgan doesn’t get much time to speak to Arthur since he meets with her briefly during a school talent show that Elliot is performing in as “MC Squared”, a rap identity he has cooked up with Ludo. It’s nice to see Morgan’s whole family gathered in support of Elliot, even if his fears of being made fun of for the performance hold quite a bit of water, since he is indeed made fun of for the performance. Luckily, Ava is there to stick up for him. But what will happen when she isn’t? Not to put a downer on the whole thing, obviously.
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