High Potentialhas already made major headway on Morgan and Karadec’s relationship, but a new character could shake things up for Kaitlin Olson’s misunderstood genius. The interplay between the titular High Potential Intellectual and Daniel Sunjata’s detective was immediately compelling, but it only deepened over time. Almost instantly, Morgan and Karadec’s partnership became a mainreason to watchHigh Potential.
In addition to her unofficial partner, Morgan quickly grew close to members of the LAPD’s Major Crimes Unit, including Lieutenant Selena Soto (Judy Reyes), Daphne Forrester (Javicia Leslie), and Lev “Oz” Ozdil (Deniz Akdeniz). Aside from being instrumental in cracking the high-octanecases inHigh Potential, Morgan embraced her role and forged strong bonds with nearly all of her coworkers.
Morgan Winning Over Karadec Limits The Kind Of Relationship That They Can Have In The Future
The Partners Fully Resolved Their Conflict Within High Potential Season 1
While Morgan certainly deserves healthy working relationships— especially after years of self-isolation—High Potentialdidn’t leave itself much room to growthanks to the fierce loyalty and camaraderie running rampant in Major Crimes. Found families are typical in workplace procedurals, but the hit ABC drama may have jumped the gun byendingHigh Potentialseason 1with such strong relationships.
Part of what made Karadec and Morgan so fun to watch in the early days ofHigh Potentialwas their fundamental sense of opposition. Morgan was unconventional in every way, from her distrust of authority to herunique costumes inHigh Potential. In stark contrast,Karadec was the definition of strait-laced, prioritizing protocol and openly expressing his skepticism of Morgan.
Morgan brought out the vigilante in Karadec, while he turned a rebel into a rule follower, most of the time, at least.
Ironically, their differences arewhat make Karadec perfect for Morgan inHigh Potential. At crime scenes, it sometimes felt like an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object, but working together eventually gave way to reciprocal growth and maturity. Morgan brought out the vigilante in Karadec, while he turned a rebel into a rule follower, most of the time, at least.
DespiteMorgan and Karadec’s chemistry inHigh Potentialfeeling palpable, resolving their personal conflicts so early and easily means the breakout hit can no longer use the characters’ natural friction. SinceKaradec has already grown to appreciate Morgan’s eccentricities,High Potentialcan’t have him suddenly regress and continue clashing with her. From here, Morgan and Karadec can only grow closer.
Wagner Will Force Morgan To Continuously Be Better in High Potential Season 2
The New Police Captain Could Make Or Break Her Career
Morgan and Karadec’s professional relationship may be at a stalemate, butHigh Potentialseason 2’s new captaincould complicate everything for the better.Steve Howey will portray Jesse Wagner, the LAPD’s replacement for Keith David’s Captain Pacheco. Early descriptions make Captain Wagner seem like a potential ally for Morgan, but he’ll surely challenge the Major Crimes team in season 2.
Regardless of whether his personality aligns with Morgan,Wagner’s position in the LAPD’s bureaucratic hierarchy automatically makes him a potential foe. First impressions will be everything; Wagner may be able to charm everybody in the office, but Morgan is far too discerning to fall for any old shtick. As such, Wagner may immediately resent Morgan’s ability to see through him.
Yet, even if Wagner has a heart of gold, season 1 has already set upthe LAPD asHigh Potential’s secret villain. Furthermore, Wagner’s role as a higher-up would lend itself nicely to a soft antagonist. Just like his predecessor,Captain Wagner may be looking for an excuse to fire Morganand end what Pacheco called the“cleaning lady experiment.”
Conversely, Wagner might see Morgan as a way to prop up the LAPD’s image. As a politically savvy captain, Wagner may tout Morgan as the hidden gem of Major Crimes and use her to sell a success story. Regardless, whether he’s waiting for her to fail or trying to turn her into a prop, Wagner will be Morgan’s biggest obstacle.
How More Adversity Can Make Morgan A Better Character
Despite Her Genius, Morgan Can’t Always Succeed
Captain Wagner could end up as an anti-hero or a full-blown villain, but his character will add much-needed depth toHigh Potentialseason 2 and ensure Morgan continues to grow professionally. Despite working alongside trained detectives, Morgan always had the final piece of the puzzle for every investigation. She may be the main character, butHigh Potentialneeds more variety.
Without Morgan testing her own mettle,High Potentialruns the risk of growing staleand squandering its impressive momentum. There are a few lingering storylines from season 1— like Roman’s disappearance and the evasive kidnapper known only as David (David Giuntoli)— butHigh Potentialcan only set itself up for success by, in turn, setting up long-term struggles for Morgan.
All episodes ofHigh Potentialand its French predecessor,HPI, are streaming on Hulu.
David’s evil plan inHigh Potentialwill offer Morgan short-term conflict, but nothing that can’t be resolved in an episode or two. Similarly, the brunt of the Roman mystery was teased inHigh Potential’s season 1 finale. Rather than simply introduce another season-long issue, however, Morgan needs something with nuance to give her character direction within the overall series.
By letting Morgan be wrong, be insecure, or be scrutinized by judgmental bureaucrats,High Potentialonly adds more depth to her character and creates opportunities for organic development. Eventually, Morgan will succeed and live happily ever after, but the trials and tribulations are what make the victory so satisfying in the end.
