Spoilers below for anyone who hasn’t yet watched High Potential’s latest ep on ABC or via Hulu subscription / Disney+ subscription, so be warned!
With the episode “NPC,” High Potential delivered one of its most baffling and psychologically disturbing crimes yet, thanks to a father whose dream of having twins completely ruined the life of his only child. (Seriously, the inspiration for this unsavory story must be even more fucked up.) But at the end of the day, viewers aren’t watching solely for the mysteries of the week, with all eyes on Kaitlin Olson’s Morgan and Daniel Sunjata’s Karadec…only this time, with Susan Kelechi Watson’s Lucia also in the mix.
Since its earliest episodes, High Potential fans have been shipping Morgan and Karadec, and that’s true even here on CinemaBlend, though I’ve maintained my staunch position that their workplace romance can’t happen (yet, anyway). I’ve enjoyed the way showrunner Todd Harthan and his creative team have weathered the pair’s evolving relationship thus far, and you can imagine I was overjoyed to see Karadec’s former flame back in his orbit. But we need to talk about the curious ways Morgan reacted to it all.
Morgan Seemed To Champion Karadec Reconnecting With Lucia, Almost Annoyingly So
Anytime Morgan catches a new thread of something in life, she pulls and pulls at it until it either snaps or she's left with a gigantic pile of thread. (I assume the pile of thread might be better about watching her kids than she is.) And all it took was Karadec arriving leisurely at the crime scene to set off her alarm bells. What could possibly make this man late for work, to the point where he's smiling about it?
Of course, it's a woman. Not just any woman, but the one that got away...namely because he unwittingly forced the break-up by being more dedicated to his unyielding work responsibilities rather than his personal relationships. Morgan, seeing everything as a puzzle to solve, confidently advises Karadec to do what he needs to make it work this time. (All while spreading his business to Soto, no less.)
Understanding that this is a plotty TV show, I was still irked by just how much Morgan nosily digs into Karadec's life, even as she continues her low-level flirting. On the one hand, she does seem to genuinely want the best for a work colleague that she cares about. But on the other hand, it's at times apparent that she wouldn't mind being the thing that makes him happy. Which leads to those somewhat confusing final seconds of the episode.
So Many Emotions Were Evident In Morgan's Final Moments
For all of Morgan’s positive vibes about Karadec’s potentially resurfaced love life, I fully expected some weirdness to crop up whenever she and Lucia met up for the first time. But no, even that exchange was smooth as silk, with Morgan even talking him up a notch in telling Lucia he chose her over being on time at work. Like, that kind of comment right up top would be enough to dictate just how well that date night went.
Then, seemingly unable to let things ride, Morgan specifically stopped Karadec for a locked-eyes, full-gaze “Have fun.” Which would be all fine and dandy if the camera stayed on Morgan’s face as she said it. Instead, viewers get a more distant look at Morgan from head to toe, and her body language is on the verge of saying, “And I won’t be offended if you think of me while you’re with her.” OK, maybe that sounded too fan-fiction-y, but I honestly don’t think it’s so far off.
Kaitlin Olson deserves some kind of awards consideration solely for her subtly changing expressions in the episode’s final seconds. There’s happiness mixed with wistfulness mashed up with regret swirling around hope caked with pragmatism. It's like she knows througha nd through that she cannot let herself fall for this dude, because it would only lead to personal and professional chaos, and yet...
What The Showrunner Told CinemaBlend About Morgan And Karadec's Future
CinemaBlend talked with High Potential's behind-the-scenes boss Todd Harthan ahead of the winter premiere, and he definitely implied that Olson and Sunjata's characters would be heading into more choppy waters as Season 2 goes on, and I have to think that Lucia's return is one of those hiccups. He first explained the strengths of Morgan and Karadec's connection, saying:
There's a selflessness and this unconditional element that exists between the two of them that really deepens in the back half. And when that happens on the partnership level, I think just naturally, an audience is going to go, 'Well, if it's this perfect as a partnership, and they have this much affection and respect for each other, when's it going to happen?' That's a lovely thing for us to have, because that's what's going to keep the audience coming back for more.
So for those paying attention, he did say "When's it going to happen?" Which does fully imply that the two will get together one day, barring any sudden cancellations. But I'll choose to believe that day is still far off.
In any case, he addressed that both characters have personal issues that rise up before Season 2 comes to a close, and it sounds like we'll be seeing another famous face or two following Susan Kelechi Watson's arrival. As Harthan put it:
There are some things that happen in both of their personal lives in the back half that are messy and complicated and are going to challenge their partnership, but also strengthen it. That's the beauty of a long-running series: we have time to let that breathe. . . . Things are going to come into each of their lives, personally and professionally, that are going to challenge them at their core, and that's going to involve some really cool, juicy guest stars, which hopefully will get announced in the coming weeks or months.
Now feel free to spend the next few days thinking about who else would be great to see joining High Potential's ranks. I kind of need Soto’s ex to be played by Judy Reyes’ Scrubs co-star Donald Faison. Putting a whole dollar’s worth of quarters in the wish jar for that one. [Hums Sanford & Son theme song.]
High Potential airs Tuesday nights on ABC at 10:00 p.m. ET.
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