Warning: this article contains SPOILERS for High Potential season 1, episode 13.Morgan’s real superpower in High Potential is her empathy. To Morgan, being a police consultant comes second to being a mother to her three children; Ava (Amirah J), Elliot (Matthew Lamb), and baby Chloe.

ing Morgan to lead the High Potential season 2 cast is Daniel Sunjata as Adam Karadec, the detective who, despite initially doubting Morgan, became her closest colleague (and perhaps something more). Morgan and Karadec grew to be a dynamic duo in High Potential, bona fide partners that solved cases together week after week nearly without fail. Beyond the professional synergy within the LAPD Major Crimes Division, Morgan connected with coworkers Lev “Oz” Ozdil (Deniz Akdeniz), Daphne Forrester (Javicia Leslie), and Lieutenant Selena Soto (Judy Reye), all of whom were tested during their toughest case yet in High Potential episode 13.

What Happened To Roman In High Potential?

Morgan's First Husband Was High Potential Season 1's Underlying Mystery

Ever since it was first teased in the pilot episode, theories surrounding High Potential’s Roman mystery have run rampant. While the procedural let Roman’s disappearance lie as an undercurrent to the entire season, the High Potential season 1 finale updated the case significantly. After Gio Conforth (Domenick Lombardozzi) reappears as a shady informant to tell Morgan about a possible threat named Lila Flynn, they swap numbers to interact directly, and leave out LAPD. Jocko Sims then returns as Special Agent Ronnie Oliver to tell Karadec that Lila Flynn was an undercover FBI agent who was murdered 15 years ago.

Stream High Potential and its French predecessor HPI on Hulu.

As soon as High Potential introduces that as a possible explanation for Roman’s disappearance, it’s immediately complicated further. The mystery fades back while the main story plays out, but Morgan receives a call from Karadec in the closing moments of the episode. Between him and Ronnie’s sleuthing, High Potential episode 13 reveals that Roman is alive and was an undercover FBI informant. This key detail opens up a new world of possibilities for what happened to Roman in the past and, more importantly, what will happen to Roman in the future of High Potential.

Who Is The Kidnapper In High Potential Episode 13?

The Mystery Man Is High Potential's First Recurring Antagonist

Nearly every episode of High Potential season 1 followed the same structure, with a crime being introduced in the first scene and the Major Crimes team solving it by the end. High Potential episode 13 breaks the mold by establishing a few key character beats: Ava is learning how to drive, there’s an police gala, etc. The action doesn’t kick in until the team suddenly receives an email with an image attached of a man apparently being held hostage. The sign hanging from the man set the tone for the episode: “[he] wouldn’t play with me, will you?”

Though he didn't succeed in killing anyone during High Potential episode 13, the kidnapper left each victim in a state where they would die if the LAPD took too long: the first would go into diabetic ketoacidosis without medicine, the second was running out of air in a locked safe, and the third was chained at the bottom of a pool.

Morgan, Karadec, Oz, and Daphne play the twisted games the kidnapper set up for them, with riddles and puzzles galore to solve, with life-saving information as their prize. Whether it was Loco Ocho to pick a hiking trail or hopscotch to find periscope coordinates, the team jumped through hoops to save the man before realizing the High Potential episode 13 culprit was a serial kidnapper with sinister games in his arsenal. The games continued to grow more and more cryptic, with Morgan struggling to deal with the unfamiliar feeling of a foe being just as smart as she is.

How The Kidnapper Got Away In High Potential’s Season Finale

This Marks Morgan's First Unsolved Case

Although the Major Crimes Unit cracked every code the kidnapper tasked them with, the mystery continued unraveling even as the LAPD assumed they were closing in on a suspect. For most of the episode, the team assumed the kidnapper was someone named David, a disturbed man who was targeting of the grief group he attended. Early on, the LAPD had a sketch artist create a working portrait of their suspect while they investigated David’s life. Towards the end of High Potential episode 13, the LAPD realize they’ve been investigating the wrong man.

The kidnapper assumed David’s identity in High Potential's season finale, while the real David is in a rehab facility. Just as the Major Crimes team (minus Morgan) realizes this, however, the real kidnapper shaves his beard, cuts his long hair, and shifts his demeanor to be a typical, young man (in what seems like an expository flashback). The kidnapper even approaches Morgan and the kids while she’s loading groceries into her car, raising no suspicion until Morgan arrives home and realizes there’s a pack of cards she didn’t buy with a message: “We shall play again. Me and you.”

Does Oz Die In High Potential’s Season Finale?

The Side Character Was Targeted By The Kidnapper

A smaller-scale reveal during High Potential episode 13 was that Oz was a member of the grief group that had been targeted, as he chose not to tell anyone but Daphne that his father ed away. Just like the other victims, Oz was eventually singled out and kidnapped after the culprit rigged the airbags in his car to malfunction and incapacitate him. Daphne grows worried after he’s an hour late for the police gala, but all she finds when she looks for him is a note reading “MARCO!” taped to an hourglass. They eventually locate him in a pool, unconscious.

Karadec drags him out of the water and, after a tense montage of Daphne istering R, Oz expels water from his lungs. Though it was a close call, Oz survives the High Potential season finale. His rescue was before the revelation that the kidnapper wasn't David, calling into question if Oz was the real target all along as a member of Major Crimes or if the kidnapper did, for an unknown reason, target the grief group as a whole. Regardless, Oz is a core member of High Potential’s underrated ensemble, and his death would’ve been irreparable.

What High Potential’s Season Finale Revealed About Morgan’s Past

She Opened Up About Her Childhood

Although High Potential hinted at Morgan’s past earlier in the season, the season finale sees her be vulnerable with an emotional story from her childhood with Karadec. While reminiscing, Morgan its she rarely interacted with her peers. After accepting an unexpected offer to play jacks with the other kids during recess, Morgan told her father about the game. He ardently disapproved of her playing with her classmates, insisting they didn’t deserve Morgan’s “intellectual acumen.” For years, Morgan became an outcast due to the false impression that she looked down on others due to her own intelligence.

Morgan’s parents have never appeared in High Potential, and this story offers an explanation but also an opportunity to revisit old wounds if her father ever shows up again. During her story in High Potential episode 13, Morgan reveals her father had HPI as well. While this should have been something to bond over, Morgan’s experience after playing jacks illuminates how pretentious and judgmental her father is. Although there is still much to explore from Morgan’s past, this small glimpse into her relationship with her father explains why Morgan is who she is, both as a person and a parent.

How High Potential’s Season Finale Set Up Morgan & Karadec’s Slow Burn

Their Chemistry Is Turning Into Tension

Before the finale, Morgan and Karadec have had chemistry in High Potential since the beginning, but the High Potential season 1 finale leans into their romantic potential and alludes to Karadec being the one to develop feelings.

Karadec bows out (but not without a wistful— almost pining— look on his face).

When Morgan enters the gala in her pink gown, High Potential focuses on Karadec’s stunned reaction. Karadec greets her with a compliment, awkwardly offering to buy her a drink from the open bar. Later on, the pair dance together while Karadec delivers some of his most emotional lines from the entire season, explaining how he wants to be involved in Roman’s case simply because he knows how important it is to Morgan. When Tom (JD Pardo) arrives in pursuit of Morgan, Karadec bows out (but not without a wistful— almost pining— look on his face).

How High Potential Episode 13 Sets Up Season 2

Lots Of Untapped (High) Potential

Aside from the kidnapper still being at large (with his eyes now set on Morgan), the High Potential season 1 finale left breadcrumbs to set up season 2. The Roman investigation didn’t end, but it’s now taken on an entirely new angle and could have many consequences for Morgan’s life. Roman could return and bond with Ava, but that might impact the rest of the family’s dynamic as well. With the slow-burn with Karadec and Morgan’s short-lived romance with Tom in High Potential, romantic subplots will be anything but simple, especially with her first husband potentially returning after 15 years.

More broadly, there are opportunities for every character to develop more. High Potential season 2 could increase the role of Morgan’s children, or at least have more storylines that involve them. The second season could continue expanding Oz and Daphne’s partnership or focus on Selena’s issues battling the LAPD’s bureaucracy. Of course, the team will solve more cases while continuing the ongoing search for the kidnapper. Although there are infinite new possibilities for future storylines, one thing is certain: the High Potential season finale just condemned the wait for season 2 to feel like absolute torture.

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