Critic’s Rating: 4.2 / 5.0
4.2
Willa Quinn continues to be a problem.
It feels like we’re finally closing in big time on figuring out what really happened to Roman, and it’s evident by the end of High Potential Season 2 Episode 16 that Willa Quinn and Wagner’s father are behind it all.
The question is, how will our gang figure it out and take them down?
Much of the hour was interesting, from the nature of this bizarre case to the personal elements with Karadec, Lucia, and Morgan.
And we have what many of us have suspected: confirmation that Wagner’s father is behind some of the Roman mystery in his quest to ascend in his political career.
Wagner feels like more of a tool in his father’s box, and it’s clear as day that while he knows his father is often up to some corrupt things, he may not know the full truth behind his father’s involvement in Roman’s disappearance.
But first, let’s get into the bizarrity of this case.
That building was undeniably hideous, and Lee is not a great architect. I guess it’s a good thing he’s headed to prison because his career path wasn’t for him, and that design should’ve been a crime.
The body lying on top of that horrendous building was outrageous, especially knowing that a doughnut machine dragged all of that blood across half of Los Angeles.
But it was such an unusual state of events where D-Funct, a tagger, got paid to tag a building and then ended up dead because of that gig and what he saw.
I loved that even though this case wasn’t directly tied to Roman, it still seemed to nod at him anyway, as he was an artist.
And Morgan was able to call in a favor from her friend, who was also a former graffiti artist and current professor, to help dissect what was happening with the art in the building.
By doing so, we had Morgan doling out some factoids not just because she’s the smartest person in the room but because of her years of experience being adjacent to the graffiti world.
That grounds her abilities a bit more and makes it feel less like a party trick when she started spouting off information and theories that happened in the case.
The hour also made fuller use of the team, so it felt well-balanced as it took on the case. And there were so many amusing elements.
Cyclone has to be one of my favorite people they hauled in during a case, from fleeing while wearing that ridiculous hammer suit to how passionately he was denying everything during the interrogation, the guy was absolutely hilarious.
I don’t even know how they’d make it happen, but I would love to see him again, just casually mixed up in a case without even realizing it all because he was trying to make a few bucks. Talk about a scene stealer!
The case also gave us all that Karadec goodness. My jaw dropped when I saw that Lee had set up that whole thing with the gasoline and cannisters so that side of the building would blow.
And typical Karadec was trying to play hero, both getting Morgan out of there and trying to defuse the setup to mitigate the damage done.
When the building blew up, I knew he’d be coming out shortly after, but Morgan’s face was priceless, and the drama of it all scratched all the right itches for me.
The job is dangerous for them, and I like it when High Potential reminds us of that.
It also served as a reminder of just how close Morgan and Karadec are.
She nearly lost her mind when she thought he wouldn’t make it out, and her concern over his head wound as she cradled him and shouted into the phone that an officer was done was super intense.
I love that we’ve reached a point in this series where the entire team is her family, and Morgan is just so damn protective of them.
It was hilarious that you heard her before you even saw her coming at the hospital, and she had all the right things for Karadec, including a chocolate chip cookie with the chips removed.
Yes, our girl risked messing up her manicure to hand-pick out chocolate chips for Karadec.
And she even understood that a chipless chocolate chip cookie is NOT the same as a sugar cookie. It really is true!
Morgan’s presence in those moments always serves as a reminder that she knows Karadec best because she spends so much time with her.
It doesn’t have to mean anything more than that, but I can also see where, at some point, it’s going to cause some issues with Morgan and Lucia.
It’s not even that Lucia has an issue with Morgan, but you can already see where she feels wary and inadequate at times — like she’s out of place for not knowing Karadec as well as she thought.
What’s interesting is that we can already tell that chemistry wasn’t the issue for Karadec and Lucia. They get along just fine, but they rushed to reunite, and the same issues that broke them up before will inevitably resurface.
Lucia can’t handle being in a relationship with a cop. And that’s totally fine. Not everyone is cut out to be with someone whose job puts them in so much danger.
She was a ball of nerves and anxiety at that hospital, and she knows how work-obsessed Karadec is, but you can also tell that if she had her way, he wouldn’t be out in the field.
Lucia has so much anxiety and insecurity when it comes to Karadec and the job.
Even when she sat at that restaurant waiting for him to come, the moment he was a little bit late, she assumed he was standing her up for work before she realized he had gotten injured.
None of that will ever go away for her, and that will be a driving force in the two not working out. Sometimes love just isn’t enough.
It’s like they’re moving really fast. However, they still aren’t properly addressing their issues, which Morgan also noted when she learned the two might be moving in together in a nice, family-oriented neighborhood.
Her joke about having her kids move in so they could go to the better school district made me laugh because it felt like a reminder that Morgan and her family will always be a part of Adam, no matter who he is with — and I can see that being an issue at times.
I like Lucia, and she seems like a genuinely great woman. You can feel the love between her and Karadec, too.
And as much as she has feelings about how Morgan has influenced Karadec, she doesn’t direct them at Morgan in a resentful or cruel manner, and vice versa. It’s refreshing.
But Lucia doesn’t feel long for this world as a romantic interest for Karadec.
And I must reiterate that Wagner doesn’t feel long for this world in general.
It still feels like something horrible is on the cusp of happening to him, and it’ll be because of whatever is going on with his father and Willa Quinn.
Willa showing up at the station was something, but this woman seems to live for power moves. And there’s something irresistible about the particular cat-and-mouse/game she plays with Soto. It’s like a Batman/Catwoman vibe or something.
In another world, they’d be perfect ship material. Don’t judge me.
It wasn’t the least bit surprising when we saw her meeting with Wagner’s father. We always knew Wagner’s family was shady, and he has, in small ways, expressed that he feels both beholden to them and unlike them.
That he went to meet his father, and that things were so tense, spoke volumes. He couldn’t even bring himself to sit down, and he hated that he felt compelled to do his father’s bidding by mentioning the job to Morgan in the corruption unit.
The senior Wagner was smart enough to know how to pitch it: better hours for a single mom, better pay, no grisly murders, and the chance to put her skills to use for what should be a noble cause.
Of course, Wagner saw through it. His father is corrupt, so why does he lead an anti-corruption unit in the first place? And what would he have such interest in taking an asset away from his son?
Fortunately, Wagner proved that he is genuinely interested in helping Morgan and being a friend to her when he confessed to her outright that he didn’t want her to take that job and that he basically doesn’t trust his father.
We also learned that he was using more of his resources to help with Hayworth and other aspects of the investigation into Roman.
It’s doubtful that he knows about his father’s connection with Willa, though, or that they were in some deep stuff together to the point of Willa hinting at mutually assured destruction.
Clearly, it’s Wagner’s father behind the death of that agent Lila Flynn, and Willa likely helped him out of a jam.
They can’t have Morgan in that unit, inspiring Soto and the others to keep looking into Roman’s disappearance. And Will has been trying to shut it down however she can.
Despite Soto’s best efforts, Willa still got hold of Hayworth and “disappeared” him. It feels like a setback, but given how rattled Willa was and trying to hide it with Soto, I feel like we’re actually closing in and making progress.
Over to you, High Potential Fanatics.
Enjoyed this review? Help us out.
Drop a comment or share it — it’s free, painless, and helps keep independent TV coverage alive.
Will Trent Season 4 Episode 12 offered a look into Franklin and Amanda’s personal lives and a twisty murder. Our review!
9-1-1 Season 9 Episode 13 was a character showcase, and what has always set 9-1-1 apart from other procedurals. We’re discussing why it’s the series at its best right here!
Glasser walked out of prison a free man in Episode 11, and the network that got him there ran a lot deeper than one lawyer with a grudge.
We’re coming in hot with some powerhouses. Dive into our Characters of the Week from FBI, Grey’s Anatomy, When Calls the Heart, and many more!
Grey’s Anatomy Season 22 Episode 14 delivers an unexpected but devastating loss and romantic payoffs for Juleston.
TV Fanatic is searching for passionate contributors to share their voices across various article types. Think you have what it takes to be a TV Fanatic? Click here for more information and next steps.