We’re back! After a long hiatus, High Potential Season 2 Episode 1 ‘Pawns’ picks up where the season finale left off and effectively cements the conflicts for the season. But we’d be lying if we said we didn’t expect more. Ready?
Here we go!
Blind Trust
In High Potential Season 2 Episode 1 ‘Pawns,’ Morgan doesn’t feel supported by her team. And the worst part is, she’s not entirely wrong. Everyone loves her and is worried about her, but they’re seeing that having David so close to her children and her family being in danger is getting to her, and she’s becoming obsessed. They’re going along with it, but deep down, they think Morgan is seeing ghosts.
And while it’s true that knowing her family is in danger unsettled Morgan, she knows what she’s seeing, and she knows she’s right. That no one believes her, that no one trusts her, frustrates her, angers her, disappoints her, and hurts her. She’ll never be able to forget the man who’s threatening her family, not even when everyone else does. She needs to be believed, needs to be trusted, not treated like a crazy person. Morgan truly thought she could count on them, that her team would have her back, and feeling like no one does crushes her.
However, there is someone who does believe her and trusts her. It may seem like there’s nothing there, but if Morgan says there’s something, Karadec knows there is. He trusts her, completely. And he knows they need her. He needs her. That’s why when Selena is considering taking her off the case, he flatly refuses. Morgan is his partner, and he can’t imagine working without her. And we love him for that!
Speaking of Selena, our hearts truly broke for her. Selena feels guilty for bringing Morgan onto the team. But it’s not her fault. Morgan made her decision. And this is just part of the job. The only one to blame is David. As Karadec told her, Selena gave Morgan a chance, and it was the best thing she did. Morgan belongs on the team. Nowhere else.
MORE: How Did Season 1 of High Potential End?
Was the Season Premiere Up to Standard?
That said, was High Potential Season 2 Episode 1 ‘Pawns’ up to standard for a season premiere? Well, while it was an entertaining episode that laid the groundwork for the season, we expected more. We expected Morgan to react to the discovery that Roman is still alive. I mean, she’s been thinking he was murdered for years, now she discovers he’s alive, and we don’t see her react to that? We don’t see her try to find an explanation for Roman’s silence? Yeah, that doesn’t sound much like the Morgan we know.
We also expected Morgan to talk to Ava about this. But that didn’t happen either. And we get it. We understand that Morgan had a lot on her plate and that her priority now is catching David, but it didn’t seem like Morgan to just casually ask about Roman and nothing more. After all, knowing he’s alive shattered the foundations of the life she’d built since he disappeared.
High Potential Season 2 Episode 1 ‘Pawns’ doesn’t forget Roman’s existence. The episode tries to introduce that plot throughout the forty minutes, just so we know it’ll get to that soon. It just doesn’t feel natural for Morgan to wait for an answer about Roman. Or wait to talk to her daughter. We feel like this whole serial killer thing has weighed down a premiere that should have been more emotionally impactful than it was. It’s as if the episode were left half-finished. It had potential for more… but it fell into no man’s land. Entertaining, but forgettable.
And it doesn’t help that the case dragged on for at least another episode. Yes, seeing David walk so nonchalantly and smiling into the police station had a great impact to close out the episode, but was it necessary? We feel like two episodes were enough for this plot; stretching it out to three doesn’t make much sense because it’s losing interest along the way for us. Ultimately, nothing really happened in this episode that was of any interest to the plot either. A little is fine, but too much is tiresome. We think it would have been much better if they had made three episodes focused on the mystery of Roman and the consequences of his return. We said what we said.
MORE: Here’s Why Morgan and Karadec of ‘High Potential’ Need to Happen — But Not Yet
Other Stuff in High Potential Season 2 Episode 1 ‘Pawns’
- We love that Morgan calls Karadec at 3 a.m. and they talk like they’re a married couple sleeping apart for the first time.
- He’s always there for her, and Morgan knows it.
- Karadec told Selena he trusts Morgan and that they need her. We’re dead now!
- The Roman thing gets more interesting. Who left that message, and who is the man who read it? Why did Roman choose to disappear years ago, and why does he now seem to be trying to escape again?
- We need the serial killer case to end in the next episode. Please and thank you.
- At first, I thought the victim was Morgan. How come no one on the team noticed their resemblance?
High Potential Season 2 airs Tuesdays at 10 pm on ABC.
