High Potential’s Cliches Are Actually The ABC Hit’s Superpower

Warning: SPOILERS for High Potential season 2, episode 1.High Potential season 2 kicked off by introducing yet another cliché to the ABC hit, but it only stands to make the show better. Quirky protagonist Morgan Gillory is quickly becoming one of Kaitlin Olson’s best roles to date, but the lingering events of the High Potential season 1 finale have left her and her friends at the LAPD vulnerable.

Morgan’s HPI in High Potential may allow her to pick up on minuscule details and niche clues, but she’s still human— a fact ABC is making abundantly clear by preying on her greatest weaknesses. Yet, while she’ll have a clever adversary in High Potential season 2, Morgan has a capable partner she can rely on: Detective Adam Karadec (Daniel Sunjata).

Morgan & Karadec Apply The Good Cop/Bad Cop Routine In High Potential Season 2, Episode 1

The Juxtaposition Comes Naturally To The Dynamic Duo

©ABC/Disney/ Courtesy Everett Collection

In fact, Morgan and Karadec’s partnership in High Potential seems stronger than ever in the season 2 premiere. While following up on an abduction case that Morgan believes is tied to the fearsome Game Maker (David Giuntoli), a pawn shop visit exposes how Morgan and Karadec have two clashing approaches to investigative work (which, when combined, earn them great results).

Morgan and her “grumpy guy” have always been juxtaposing foils, but High Potential season 2, episode 1 (“Pawns”) perfectly captures how the pair’s differences are their true superpower. Karadec opens with thinly veiled threats to the pawn shop owner and demands he turn over the products sold to him by their missing victim, visibly raising Fritzy’s (Edward Fordham Jr.) hackles.

Having already distinguished herself from the police, Morgan swoops in to defend Fritzy, calling Karadec out on his brash demeanor. By positioning herself on the owner’s side, Morgan easily strikes a deal to temporarily seize the goods. Morgan may have been the hero at face value, but she and Karadec need each other to succeed, balanced like yin and yang.

Why High Potential Employing Clichés Isn’t A Bad Thing

ABC Isn’t Trying To Reinvent The Wheel (Nor Should They)

The Good Cop/Bad Cop dynamic has been around for decades, but that doesn’t detract from Morgan and Karadec’s partnership. For far too long, cliché has been misunderstood as an insult, when familiar tropes are the foundation of iconic detective shows like High Potential. Plus, the ABC procedural already stands out with its unique personality and creative vision.

There are plenty of reasons to watch High Potential, and the trusty clichés it employs are one of them. Not every show needs to constantly push the envelope, and oftentimes a well-used cliché is more entertaining than a needless twist. Of course, High Potential is clever enough to have the best of both worlds: innovation and routine, all in one.

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