High Potential Season 1 recap: Morgan deals with a serial kidnapper

High Potential is an American crime-comedy drama series based on a French show. It follows Morgan Alvaro, a woman with an unconventional IQ of 160, a single mother and cleaner at the police department. Morgan is dealing with her ex, raising 3 kids, and struggling financially. But her life changed when she discovered her ability to solve complex cases and started working with the police department.

Season 1 of High Potential premiered on September 17, 2024, on ABC. As for Season 2, ABC has officially renewed the show, but a specific release date has not been announced yet but can be expected this year, 2025. Here is the full recap of Season 1 of High Potential.

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High Potential Season 1 Recap: Lila Flynn turns out to be an undercover FBI agent

Morgan Alvaro, played by Kaitlin Olson, is appointed as a civilian consultant for the police after her genius-level intellect is discovered. Morgan assists Detective Karadec, who first doubts Morgan but then becomes her closest colleague. Morgan helps his team in solving complex cases, using her keen observational skills and deductive reasoning while also dealing with her turbulent personal life.

Every episode of High Potential follows the same pattern of introducing the crime first, and by the end of the episode, the team solves it. In High Potential Season 1's finale, Gio Conforth (Domenick Lombardozzi) reappears as an informant, warning Morgan about a possible threat named Lila Flynn. They exchange numbers and decide to keep LAPD officials out. However, things take a dramatic turn when Special Agent Ronnie Oliver tells Karadec that Lila Flynn was actually an undercover FBI agent who was murdered 15 years ago.

This suggests a deep-rooted mystery that could be explored in the upcoming season 2.

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High Potential Season 1: Morgan plays some deadly games with a serial kidnapper

In episode 13, the team received an image of a man held hostage. The kidnapper leaves the victim in a situation where he will die if the LAPD takes too long to take any action or discover him. Therefore, the team is shown playing puzzle games with the sinister serial kidnapper.

The deadly games of the serial kidnapper test Morgan and her team immensely, as their one simple mistake can cost someone's life. In the season finale, Morgan uncovers crucial details about Ludo’s disappearance, revealing that his vanishing wasn’t accidental but tied to a larger conspiracy. As she pieces together clues, she faces a moral dilemma, spiraling if she should continue assisting the police or go rogue to find the truth on her own terms.

Further in Episode 13, Oz's involvement in a grief support group becomes a crucial plot point. Like other victims, Oz was targeted and kidnapped. The culprit disabled the airbags in his car, causing them to malfunction and incapacitate him. The detectives are forced to rely on board games and puzzles to track down the suspects behind these crimes.

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Watch the show on Hulu in America and on Disney+ in the UK and Australia.