TV Recap: Morgan Faces Her Most Dangerous Game Yet in the “High Potential” Season 1 Finale

This week’s High Potential recap is bittersweet as it is the season finale (don’t worry, the show is returning for a second season). But if all good things must come to an end, this one goes out in style, with a riddler-esque character playing a game of witts with the LAPD’s brilliant consultant, Morgan Gillory. Let’s recap!

Episode 13: “Let’s Play" - Written by Todd Harthan & Marc Halsey

Morgan Gillory (Kaitlin Olson) has enough on her plate between work, family, and her latest concern—keeping an eye on her daughter, Ava (Amirah J), who is in driver’s ed with Ludo Radovic (Taran Killam). She provides Daphne (Javicia Leslie) and Lev ‘Oz’ Osman (Dennis Akdeniz) with Ava’s license plate number, asking them to alert her if anything happens. Meanwhile, LAPD’s annual gala is approaching, but there’s a more immediate problem—no one has RSVP’d, and Lieutenant Selena Soto (Judy Reyes) makes it clear that attendance is mandatory.

Before anyone can worry about the gala, a chilling email arrives at the LAPD tip line with an ominous message: "Spencer Wallace wouldn’t play with me, will you?" Attached is a disturbing photo of Spencer (Adam Kantor), a 37-year-old design firm owner, bound to a chair with a sign reading “2 hours to make your move." There’s no visible light source except for the camera flash. Oz quickly looks Spencer up, but Morgan fixates on the lack of natural light, realizing he must be held somewhere completely enclosed.

Oz and Daphne rush to Spencer’s apartment, but there’s no response at the door. Instead, they find a black box left on his doormat. Inside is a puzzle along with a note - “Let’s Play."

Back at the LAPD, Morgan examines the puzzle, but there’s no image on it to offer an immediate clue. However, as she quickly assembles the pieces, she realizes it forms an elevation map—except for one missing piece. Detective Adam Karadec (Daniel Sunjata) theorizes that the missing section marks where Spencer is being held. Soto orders Oz and Daphne to dig into Spencer’s background while she sends Morgan and Karadec to investigate the area.

As they hike through the location, Karadec and Morgan come across a tree with pinned playing cards—Loco Ocho. Another card is tacked to a stump with instructions to play a game and follow that number’s path. The game ends in 2, and Morgan says that’s the most likely outcome of every game they could play. Karadec is skeptical but follows her lead.

Soto calls with a critical update—Spencer is diabetic, and without his insulin, he could go into ketoacidosis at any moment. Time is running out.

At a lookout point, they find hopscotch squares marked with a math equation that leads to coordinates. Morgan quickly solves it, using binoculars to spot their next destination: Valley Day Storage, a windowless facility.

Morgan, Karadec, Daphne, Soto, and a task force swarm the storage facility, shouting for Spencer. Oz discovers that Spencer owns Unit L-4, and they pry open the door to find him shaking uncontrollably. Daphne rushes to administer insulin, stabilizing him.

At the hospital, Spencer recounts his terrifying experience. He had been walking home when someone grabbed him from behind, pulled a bag over his head, and brought him to a dark room. The kidnapper forced him to play games but grew frustrated when Spencer struggled, eventually knocking him out before dumping him in the storage unit. Spencer describes his captor as wearing a white anime mask and never speaking a word. When asked about his empty storage unit, Spencer reveals that he and his partner James got it together before James’ death. Spencer has no idea who would want to hurt him.

Back at the LAPD, Karadec suspects that the game-obsessed psychopath is targeting the police department for a reason. Meanwhile, Morgan stops at a diner to pick up an order, but before she can pay, waitress Katie (Taissa Zveiter) informs her that someone already covered the bill. At a nearby booth sits Gio Conforth (Domenick Lombardozzi), eating soup. He motions for her to sit. Gio makes it clear—he only wants to deal with Morgan, not the cops. He tells her that Roman came to him before disappearing, asking questions about a woman named Lyla Flynn. Morgan doesn’t trust him, but Gio reminds her she has no one else who can help. He hands her his phone so she can save her number in it, and though reluctant, she does.

Morgan arrives home, where Ludo is feeding baby Chloe. He asks about her day, and she tells him about the killer’s twisted games. Before she can relax, Ava pulls her into her room to show her something special—a scrapbook she made. It contains memories from her baby years through her recent driver’s ed lessons. Ava explains she made it in case Morgan ever finds her father, so it will be easy for him to catch up on everything he missed. Touched, Morgan doesn’t have the heart to dampen her daughter’s excitement. Instead, she tells her about the police gala, and Ava eagerly offers to help pick her dress.

The next morning, Oz works on the case board when Daphne gets a new lead—a stroller left at the Westside Marina Hotel, where the gala will take place. Morgan arrives at the hotel, only to get a call from Tom (JD Pardo), who says he misses her and has an invite to the gala. Meanwhile, Karadec, Daphne, and Oz inspect the stroller, filled with baby dolls and Scrabble tiles. The message spells: “The fun has just begun." No one saw who left it, but Morgan is sure of one thing—they’re being watched.

Back at the LAPD, they add the photo of the message to the case board. There are no fingerprints or DNA on the dolls or game pieces. Morgan examines the dolls, convinced they must hold a clue. Meanwhile, Karadec suggests speaking with Spencer again, since someone had to have known about his storage unit in order to target him. Oz suddenly realizes that he knows Spencer from somewhere—they were both part of a private grief group in Echo Park. Oz lost his father last year, and Spencer had been dealing with the loss of his partner. If Spencer ever mentioned his storage unit in group meetings, then anyone from that group could be the kidnapper.

Daphne and Oz go to the grief meeting that afternoon, where Oz reconnects with the counselor, Charles (Maurice Hall). Daphne addresses the group, explaining that they are looking into a possible suspect. Someone mentions David, a man who was frustrated about losing his weekly family game nights. However, another regular, Sierra Shuman (Michelle Macedo), is not present—which is highly unusual. A sketch artist uses the descriptions the grief group members give to create a sketch of David.

Back at the LAPD, the sketch of David, a white male in his 30s with long hair and a beard, is added to the case board. Daphne learns that Sierra’s landlord has been trying to reach her, so she and Oz rush to her apartment. With the landlord’s help, they enter the unit and find clear signs of a struggle. As Morgan looks around, she notices a bookshelf seems out of place. The lights are dimmed, revealing a message hidden on the wall: "You can’t tell in the dark." Sierra was an ASL interpreter.

Back at LAPD, Morgan examines the baby dolls again and suddenly realizes that their hands are positioned in sign language. She spells out the letters: C - O - X - 1 - P - I. Morgan deciphers it as Pico x 1, leading them to an old art gallery at Pico Blvd. and 1st.

At the abandoned gallery, the team finds Sierra locked inside a safe. The clock on the door indicates she has been inside for 36 minutes, meaning she is running out of air. Morgan realizes all of the paintings depict different ways to play Jacks around the world. With her knowledge of the games’ international changing rules, she predicts the lock code on the safe and Sierra is saved.

Back at the LAPD, Morgan shares with Karadec how she knew so much about the game of Jacks. When she was in second grade, her classmates invited her to play Jacks, and she had been so excited to tell her father. But when she did, he dismissed it, saying it was a waste of her intellect. The next day, she told the other kids that she wasn’t allowed to play with them. They assumed she was too smart for them, and that was the end of it.

That evening, Morgan arrives home to find Ava and Ludo excitedly waiting. They’ve gone shopping and picked out outfits for her to wear to the gala. She’s touched that they all chipped in to help. As Morgan gets ready, Ludo senses something is off and asks if she needs to talk about what’s bothering her. She brushes it off, saying this case is harder than usual for her. Alone in her room, she receives a text from Gio: “Tomorrow. Harbor Hotel. Suite 2214. 9 a.m."

Meanwhile, at Karadec’s apartment, Ronnie Oliver (Jocko Sims) arrives. He’s been looking into something for Karadec, and he swears his old partner to secrecy. He reveals the shocking truth: Lyla Flynn was an undercover FBI agent, mostly working on classified cases. She was murdered 15 years ago in her backyard, and her last known case involved Roman Cinquera—Morgan’s missing ex. Ronnie hands Karadec a folder and warns him: “Read it, then burn it."

Oz gets in his car to head to the gala, but when he puts the key in the ignition, the airbag deploys, knocking him unconscious. Outside the car, we see a person wearing an anime mask, just like Spencer described.

At the LAPD Gala, Morgan arrives in a stunning pink dress, catching Karadec off guard. He offers to get her a drink, clearly smitten. Meanwhile, Daphne starts calling Oz, but his phone goes straight to voicemail. She heads to his apartment to check on him.

On the dance floor, Morgan and Karadec slow dance. They reflect on how far they’ve come as partners. Karadec assures her that they will solve the case of Roman together, but he insists that he should be the one to handle Gio from now on. Morgan resists, saying she knows what she’s doing. Karadec pleads with her: “Partner, trust me." Finally, she tells him about her 9 a.m. meeting with Gio. Just then, Tom arrives, and Morgan steps away from Karadec to greet him.

Daphne finds Oz’s car abandoned—the airbag deployed, blood smeared on it, and a tiny hourglass with a note reading “Marco."

Everyone rushes back to the office. Daphne pieces together another clue—the fonts used in each game message were different. Morgan realizes they forming an acrostic spelling - RHOKA. She believes that was an architect. Daphne looks it up and finds that only one house he designed has a pool, and it’s in Encino.

The team races to the house and finds Oz chained to the bottom of a pool, his oxygen supply running low. Karadec dives in, cutting him loose, but Oz isn’t breathing. Daphne frantically performs CPR, and after a tense moment, Oz gasps for air.

The house belongs to the Peck family. The parents have been away for weeks. They had two children: a son named David, now in his 30s, and a daughter who died - the sister he was grieving. There are no current photos of David, and he is estranged from his family.

Instead of letting Morgan meet Gio Conforth alone, Karadec goes to the Harbor Hotel himself. Gio is reluctant to let Karadec in, who has to barge into the door. Karadec steps inside, getting straight to the point—why did Gio insist on meeting Morgan alone? Before Gio can answer, a young boy enters the room—his son. Gio’s entire demeanor changes, shifting into protective mode. The boy asks what’s wrong, and Gio assures him that he’s just talking to his friend. With his son out of earshot, Gio grows irritated. He says he only wanted to give Morgan something—but now, after this, he’s done. Karadec doesn’t buy it. He presses Gio further, wanting to know why he offered to help Morgan in the first place. “I got my reasons," Gio responds cryptically. Karadec levels with him. He doesn’t want anything bad to happen to Gio or his family, but Morgan is in too deep. If Gio knows more about Roman, now is the time to speak up. Gio hesitates. Then, Karadec asks the question that’s been hanging over him since his conversation with Ronnie: “What else do you have on Roman?"

Morgan loads groceries into her car in a supermarket parking lot, chatting with the kids about taking their first family vacation. As she does, a dark-haired man in his 30s (David Giuntoli) catches a rolling turkey and hands it back to her, flirting slightly. Ava teases her mom for not picking up on it.

Back at the LAPD, Oz finds a recent photo of David Peck. It doesn’t look that much like the sketch.

Unloading groceries at home, Elliot (Matthew Lamb) finds a card game they didn’t buy. Morgan examines it. On the back is a sticker with a smiley face, its eyes are X’s and the smile is a message: “You’re the one, Morgan. We shall play again. Me and you."

Morgan freezes—the killer has been watching her all along.

Then, her phone rings. It’s Karadec.

"Morgan, I know where he is," Karadec says.

"What are you talking about?" Morgan asks.

"Roman. He’s alive."

Season 2 Confirmed

The first season of High Potential leaves some unfinished business. Thankfully, ABC has already renewed the series for a second season. Stay tuned for more Season 2 news as it becomes available.

Songs Featured in This Episode: