Reviewer Rating: 5/5.0
5
High Potential may only be two episodes in, but Kaitlin Olson and ABC have already delivered a certified hit series!
I’m not usually a step-by-step person. However, this show made me re-evaluate my interests! Miss Morgan had a great personality, and despite her eccentric personality, I felt like I knew people like her—including people with a wealth of random knowledge.
High Potential has proven that this is a series with enough potential to last for many years to come. Funny thing is, I’m in two minds about this show. Some people are instantly fascinated and love it. Others felt the character was irrelevant and questioned aspects of the show.
I’m here to tell you that I hear you and I can agree with both camps on some things.
High Potential’s Secret Weapon Is Caitlin Olson’s Morgan
First, let’s state the obvious. High Potential is as formulaic as it comes. All the standard bells and whistles of a female police chief who leads with her heart. Experienced detectives are not kind to newbies. This week’s case is full of twists and turns that may leave viewers in tears.
The secret sauce for this recipe is Caitlin Olson’s Morgan. She sets the tone. On the one hand, the family dynamic is refreshing. Often, fictional eccentric geniuses live solitary lives, unable to form meaningful relationships, let alone entire families.
The first gripe I and others have with the series is that High Potential runs the risk of making the police look incompetent. When I think about it, I no longer feel that way.
Funny, I’ve never heard people comment like this about other shows where geniuses help police or other forms of authority. Have we all forgotten Scorpion, Sage and Elsbeth? Police needing help is nothing new.
Additionally, real-world crimes are always unsolved. After watching the second episode of Season 1 of High Potential, I finally noticed something. It’s not that the police are incompetent. Just Morgan is faster. She speeds up the process of discovery.
Whenever technology and science advance, it’s not just the pundits who are helped. All the same advancements are available to criminals. This means more people are needed to solve crimes that are becoming more sophisticated every year.
High potential programs are ahead of the rest in this regard. Who else could have taped the pilot?
I’m sure the police will figure it out, but it wouldn’t have happened so quickly without everyone’s favorite cleaning lady. However, I would never deny Detective Karadek more screen time. That’s a man.
High Potential boasts a disturbingly engaging and talented supporting cast
Another thing about police procedurals: you have to have some good-looking people to fill the vacancies in the police department. I don’t make the rules, but I’m not mad about it. I don’t spend much time in the police department, so you’ll have to let me know if this cliche is based in reality.
That being said, Detective Karadek is disturbingly handsome. Like, committing a crime just to get arrested by his handsome guy. Don’t get me started on Deniz Akdeniz’s character! If you’ve watched the comedy series Ghost, you might recognize him from Ghost Season 3 Episode 7, “Prankster.”
If you haven’t seen it yet, he plays a stripper and talks about dinosaurs while doing a sexy dance for a ghost. Anyone who has seen it knows that it is a 100% accurate depiction of what is happening in the scene. Suffice it to say he was true to his character.
However, looking great is great, but if you combine that with solid talent, you get Judy Reyes as Captain Selina. Her character is so warm and understanding. I found it refreshing to see the approach of this normal police chief who just wanted to have a cup of coffee in between grunting and talking to his people.
Miss Judy, she is a good person. We also get more of Daphne and Ludo, which is great because their characters feel like supporting characters in the pilot.
Speaking of Ludo, High Potential shows how common it is for divorced or separated couples to maintain healthy co-parenting. While this may not always be the case, everyone I know who has children with someone they are no longer with has a healthy co-parenting relationship.
If you can be as beautiful as Miss Morgan, even better!
High potential depends on the relatability of its protagonists
One thing I heard from some viewers was that they took issue with how Morgan always looked put together. Here’s the thing: I kind of agree with this.
However, I know moms with multiple kids who won’t step out of the house unless they’re slapped in the face by God. This is their prerogative. Of course, her hair and makeup always look put together. Of course, she’s dressed like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman. But she helps!
She has her sweet older neighbor, who is absent from the episode, and her ex, who seems more than willing to take care of his kids. Now, there’s some fiction there, because I don’t know many baby daddies who can drop whatever they’re doing to take care of their baby.
Notice I didn’t say “nanny.” I’m following some of you non-custodial dads out there. It’s not a nanny when it’s your child. So, I’m really happy with the character of Ludo (Taran Killam). It’s time we have more representation of “good dads”. However, if you think of other “good dad” characters, please let me know in the comments!
Back to Morgan, Caitlin Olsen’s performance in any heartwarming scene is so touching. Morgan is genuinely kind and caring to those around her, including complete strangers. How can you not fall in love with such a big-hearted character immediately?
It’s not easy to keep smiling when the dead are part of your daily life.
“Who died this week?”
Now, here’s the thing about police procedure. This is a weekly case format. Of course, there’s always an overarching storyline, but for the most part, it’s “Who died this week?”
That’s totally fine, as every radio show has it in one form or another. It’s just a tool to further develop the plot and characters. However, the high potential is providing some interesting cases!
Friends, do you know those things about the moon? Of course I didn’t! Side note: I love tap dancing car mechanics. It’s important to have interests and hobbies outside of work.
What’s more, this case is easier to follow than the one in the first episode of High Potential’s first season. Another new addition to the list.
Are all male detectives required to look like John Slattery straight out of a Lincoln commercial? I know the specifics, and it’s true. In this episode we also get a double case board with lots of cute banter from the newly introduced Detective Melon.
Are case boards really a thing? Did the police department actually employ the people responsible for making them? If you know one, please let us know in the comments! This applies to all questions asked. None of this is rhetoric.
Let’s all applaud Morgan for finally getting her car back! I don’t think she got away with pushing the grocery cart onto the bus multiple times.
The best part of Dancer in the Dark, however, is its final few minutes. The scene where Captain Selina confirms that Morgan’s missing partner Roman didn’t abandon them is heartbreaking.
There were a lot of tears in this episode, from the wrong guy being pushed off the roof to Morgan finally getting answers about Roman. Full disclosure: I was in tears. Oh, how I burst into tears. High potentials get one point, TV fanatics get zero points.
Daughter overheard and cried? I was a mess. On the one hand, he didn’t abandon his family, but that means he was effectively missing and possibly dead. We have no way of knowing what will happen, but it’s safe to say we’ve got the overall story.
No matter what, or rather, no matter what, I will be glued to my seat and soak up every funny moment of this amazing show!
Do you think Morgan and Karadek will develop feelings for each other?
Do you think we’ll see Olsen make a cameo as a cast member of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia ?
Leave a comment below and let me know what you love about this show or any other show, and join me again when I review the next episode of High Potential!
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