High Potential is a series where we’d definitely want a Halloween-themed episode.
Fortunately for us, High Potential Season 2 Episode 6 delivers on that with a case involving haunted house lore, ghost stories, and even opportunistic spiritual advisors.
Essentially, the hour was a fun installment, and I did some work on progressing story arcs forward, even if I’m still a bit wary of the Morgan/Wagner situation.
Dabbling with the Occult
Danny, the victim, was a divorce attorney who was trying to do what those actively in the process of a divorce with someone do — figure out how much they can get over on their former partner without sharing.
The opener with the kids looking through the window and seeing what they thought was a ghost killing Danny was hilarious and definitely set the tone for everything.
But the real fun was getting the team into that house because, unsurprisingly, Morgan and Daphne were more open to the idea of a haunting, and they were most into the lore involving Maddie, the woman who died in the house decades ago.
I love any second where we get some Daphne and Morgan fun. Those two have such a fantastic dynamic, and I genuinely wish the series took advantage of it more. They’re so great together and have such an endearing energy built on mutual understanding, respect, and a little bit of badassery.
More Daphne and Morgan Team-Ups, PLEASE
They also have this really funny, subtle way of enabling and indulging each other, which makes their dynamic so great.
We’ve had a lot of Oz and Karadec this season, which is another great dynamic on its own, but I definitely need to see more of the girls!
The case also led us to High Potential, delivering on some of the best guest stars in the game again. Robin Lively playing Danny’s ex-wife was such an awesome choice, and that woman looks divine!
It made sense that Lorraine would be the primary suspect, given their marital status and the fact that Danny’s daughter had issues with her and suspected that she was being opportunistic toward her father.
To be fair, Lorraine wanted the house herself and was willing to get creative to get it. It was interesting that the tactic was to drive Danny insane, thinking that the house was haunted, though.
Death By Greed!
It sounds like a fun prank at best and a creative tactic and its most diabolical — but the type of mental and emotional damage one inflicts through something like that is not something to take lightly.
It was also concerning that he was an older man, and he had heart issues, so there was always a possibility that one too many spooky situations could stress him out and take him out.
But in the end, it was all about the multi-million dollar necklace Danny found, which he shared with Calliope. He was already her cash cow, but that type of money brought out the greed in her, and apparently, the murderer, since she poisoned him and all.
But honestly, the most entertaining aspects of Calliope were when Morgan was cutting her down to size for being a fraud. I loved how direct Morgan was about it and that she didn’t play nice or pull back. She was 100% right about Calliope, too.
However, even Karadec thought Morgan was going overboard and trying to reel her in some. But it made me wonder about Morgan’s experiences with psychics or things like that.
Can We Dig Into Morgan’s Beef with Frauds? I Need to Know More!
It felt like her animosity stemmed from a more personal space, and I wonder if it was something she considered when initially searching for Roman.
The case was solid, but was anyone else surprised by how much Wagner ingratiated himself into it all? I also wondered why he wanted to change his appearance so quickly.
Given the Morgan/Ava drama at home, it’s likely that this episode and High Potential Season 2 Episode 5 occurred within a week of each other. During that time, Wagner seemed to ingratiate himself further and lose the mustache, likely because of Morgan’s jokes.
He was completely showing off when he pulled that interrogation stunt. Oz was impressed by the whole thing, but it irked Soto, and rightfully so.
It seems like Soto and Karadec will be the only ones still resistant to Wagner, but that’s because, as charming as he comes across, there’s still something “off” about him.
Sparks Are Flying Between Morgan & Wagner Whether We Want It or Not
His whole interrogation approach felt like an attempt to assert himself and prove something, and then he wormed his way into the tail end of the case as the others brainstormed, all under the guise of the mayor being on his case about solving it.
Although it was hard to really buy into why the mayor would have the level of investment in it that he claimed, especially given the fact that the initial working theory was that Danny died of natural causes.
Wagner’s moments in the kitchen area of the station felt so intimate that I felt like I was imposing on something. The flirting was unmistakable.
There’s no getting around or downplaying what was happening there during that time because it was so “in your face.”
We have so many working theories around Wagner and his mysterious nature. Sometimes, it seems like he’s trying to dismantle the unit in some way. In other ways, it seems like he has a vested interest in Morgan and her problem-solving approach, and he may want to tap into that for personal gain..
Wagner Remains High Potential’s Most Unassuming Threat
But I also don’t rule out what many of you have said about him being one of the dirty cops that Roman is afraid of or on the run from, and him getting close to Morgan because of the Roman connection.
Whether we want to admit it out loud or not, watching the two of them share a root beer and chat — and how well he read her — makes me think Morgan is letting her guard down. And that’s worrying.
Everything about that kitchen scene felt like they were two people on their first date, digging into some of the personal bits about their background with relationships and why they are so horrible at them.
That change-up was so abrupt that I felt like I missed something. When did we get to this point with Wagner? Oof! I still don’t trust him!
The Roman Mystery Finally Put Me in My Feels
Morgan is still trying to solve this case while juggling motherhood at home, which made me love her even more because she and Ava had a lot to resolve between them.
What was nice about their talk after Ava got over the whole silent treatment thing is that neither of them apologized for their stance, nor did they back down, but they acknowledged the hurt they caused the other and got to explain their position.
Ava and Morgan have one of the most realistic and compelling mother/daughter dynamics onscreen. It feels very natural for the two of them during their ups and downs.
Morgan was absolutely right to put her foot down. It’s probably easy for Ava to maybe overstep or forget that her mother is still her mother first before she’s her friend, just because of Morgan’s overall personality and how she gets on with her kids.
But Morgan’s ultimate goal — her entire being — is to protect her children fiercely and shield them from all that could ail them. It’s one of her most defining traits.
She’ll never back down from that.
Nevertheless, I loved that Ava acknowledged how much she is like her mother. I can appreciate that part of her quest to find her father is to have this other connection and face this whole other piece of herself.
Ava & Morgan Are Primetime’s Best Mother/Daughter Duo
But during moments like that — conversations like that with Morgan — she still acknowledges how much she’s like her mom, too.
It’s not about diminishing Morgan in any way. Ava is very much her mother’s daughter, and they both know it — that they can acknowledge it so freely now feels like an essential piece amid this mission to find Roman.
My eyes watered as Morgan showed Ava the picture Roman had sketched. Everything around them in that sketch was gray, but he chose to illuminate both Ava and Morgan in color. They’re his world, even when he’s been gone all of this time.
The fact that he still had that in his backpack from Ava’s first-grade days speaks to the reverence he still has, and it makes me more invested in ever actually meeting Roman and seeing that reunion.
He’s spent years watching over them, but he’s been afraid to put them at risk, and I desperately need to know all the details!
Over to you, High Potential Fanatics! How do you feel about the Morgan/Wagner sparks? Let’s get into it below!
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We have a scene-by-scene recap of High Potential Season 2 Episode 6 titled “Chasing Ghosts.” Get all the details here!
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We have a scene-by-scene recap of High Potential Season 2 Episode 5 Content Warning. Get all the details here!
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Why is Wagner so obsessed with Morgan? We have a lot of questions after High Potential Season 2 Episode 5!
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High Potential Season 2 is stalling without Roman Sinquerra. The mystery drags while key plots and emotions beg to boil over.
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If you’re a Morgan & Karadec fan, High Potential Season 2 Episode 4 delivered! We get into how and the arrival the new captain here!
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