High Potential (2024) – Episode 1 Recap & Review

Episode 1

Episode 1 of High Potential begins with Morgan, a cleaning lady, bumping into a case file at the police station while on night cleaning duty. From the pictures of a recent murder, she changes the suspect on the LAPD’s case board to the victim using a marker.

The next day, we find that Morgan has recently separated from her partner and has three children, one of whom shares her high IQ. The police discover their board has been tampered with and review the CCTV footage to track Morgon. They ask why she altered it, and she explains that from the pictures, the wife of the victim, Lynette Acosta—who had been the police’s prime suspect—is actually another victim. She shows them hair stuck to furniture where Lynette had been taped, and she is also missing. Morgan emphasizes the involvement of a third suspect. She is locked up in the meantime.

Meanwhile, the police discover footage of another woman who supposedly visited the Acostas. When interviewed, the woman claims she was home the entire time and denies being at the Acosta residence around the time of the murder. She had sued Brian Diamond, an employee of her firm who had assaulted her, and Lynette Acosta was his defense attorney. They bring her footage in to discuss the case. Morgan is then released because she correctly predicted the involvement of a third person in the crime.

Just as she’s leaving, Morgan tells the team that the video was doctored—the direction of the wind is wrong, as seen by the church behind the woman. She claims that churches face east and explains their history. One of the officers fact-checks her claim, and it turns out to be true. The police realize the video has indeed been altered.

Selena, the police captain, questions Morgan about her abilities. Morgan explains that her high IQ hinders her from getting a job or maintaining a stable relationship, as her mind is constantly buzzing with issues to fix—she doesn’t see it as a gift. As she leaves, she encounters her former partner. They are kept behind bars after Morgan gets involved with some policemen. 

In the meantime, Karadec, an officer on the case who disapproves of Morgan’s involvement, meets with Acosta’s daughter. She mentions that her mother was mentally distressed after receiving a letter from someone named Sarah. Acosta then sent a letter to her sister. Now, the team decides to visit Acosta’s sister to gain more information about Sarah. Selena asks for Morgan’s help on the case, as Morgan had expressed sympathy for Acosta’s daughter.

The team visits Acosta’s sister, and Morgan immediately bombards her with questions. Her sister’s answers don’t satisfy her, making her suspicious. Karadec is furious with Morgan’s lack of empathy toward a grieving family member and removes her from the investigation.

Karadec visits Acosta’s law firm, believing the letter to be in Acosta’s office, but they refuse to cooperate without a search warrant. While in the bathroom, Karadec is surprised when Morgan enters and hands him the letter.

Sarah is revealed to be a paralegal in Diamond’s assault case, and she was also abused by him. She wanted Acosta to help her sue their client for assault. Morgan deduces that Diamond could have murdered Lynette to prevent the case from moving forward. However, since Morgan stole the letter from Lynette’s office, it cannot be used as evidence. Karadec asks her to return it.

They call Diamond in for questioning, but the law firm’s executive arrives to take him. They also find out that Morgan had broken into their company disguised as a cleaner. Diamond is discharged, but during his interrogation, Morgan discovers he had been in Fontana. She tries to convince Karadec, but he is too frustrated with her meddling and asks her to go home.

At home, Morgan’s eldest daughter, Ava, feels isolated because she did not inherit her mother’s IQ, unlike her younger brother. Karadec soon arrives at Morgan’s house, and after dropping off the kids, they deduce that Diamond sought leverage by approaching Lynette’s sister. Unlike the others, her sister was consenting, and they had an affair, as Morgan noted a souvenir from Fontana. Morgan suggests that if both had alibis during the murder, the police must have been mistaken about the time it was committed. They head to the Acosta house.

It turns out that Lynette’s sister and Diamond had gone to persuade her to drop the case when her husband pulled out a gun kept in the home. Ultimately, Diamond shot him, and since Lynette was a witness, they tied her up. Morgan consults with a neighbor, a florist, who confirms that the flowers in the room should have remained fresh. This leads Morgan to deduce that Diamond froze the body a day earlier by turning on the cooling system, doctored the video to frame the woman who sued him, and then raised the temperature to tamper with the coroner’s death estimate. They suspect that Lynette was kidnapped and, knowing Diamond had been in Fontana, they zero in on her childhood home. The police find Lynette tied up in the house.

Selena offers Morgan a full-time job with the LAPD, but Morgan refuses, saying she isn’t cut out for the role. Later, while walking with her daughter Ava, Morgan reveals that she believes Ava’s father wouldn’t have left them, and that something happened to him, but the police didn’t believe her. Ava, however, thinks Morgan is lying to herself.

Morgan returns to the police station, asks Selena for a 20% raise, childcare, and negotiates a deal: she’ll help the LAPD if Selena agrees to help find Ava’s father. Selena agrees.

The Episode Review

High Potential is a classic whodunnit, but with a sassy Morgan as the detective. The episode is thoroughly entertaining, with fast-paced scenes, sharp observations, and great build-up. The charm of the show is undoubtedly Kaitlin Olson’s stylish portrayal of single mother Morgan. Watching Morgan piece together a crime scene never gets boring.

We still don’t know much about her backstory though. Why didn’t she have a job, aside from her obsession with solving puzzles? What happened to Ava’s dad? Perhaps she lacked the means to pursue a conventional job that suited her skills and her fixation on solving puzzles. A bit more background on Morgan would definitely enhance her character in future episodes.

But since the show is a crime drama, this episode ends on a high note, and we can’t wait to see what’s next in Morgan’s LAPD adventures!