Saagar Kote
ABC’s ‘High Potential’ follows the life of Morgan Gillory, a woman with a very high IQ, who is hired by the LAPD as a civilian consultant to crack complex cases through her skills of deduction and investigation. The show also delves into the family life of the protagonist as she faces the challenge of handling three kids as a single mother, while also dealing with the dangers of the profession she is involved in. The crime drama series explores the ideas of brilliance and how it can be both a curse and a blessing.
The previous season ended with the havoc wreaked by the man known only as the “Game Maker.” As the serial kidnapper threatens the protagonist, clues are also revealed about Roman’s whereabouts, her ex, who disappeared fifteen years ago. Morgan finds herself stalked and threatened by the Game Maker, while also dealing with the case of her missing ex-husband. As the Game Maker continues to haunt the city, the protagonist’s fate hangs in the balance. This leads us to ‘Pawns,’ the first episode of the second season. SPOILERS AHEAD.
The Vanishing of Maya Price
The episode begins with yet another kidnapping by the Game Maker, who targets a young woman returning home from a club. Morgan Gillory thinks about the kidnapper’s threats while enjoying family time. Selena visits the protagonist at her house, tells her not to worry about the psychopath stalking her, and assures her that he will be caught soon. She says that there’s not much about Roman’s whereabouts, except the possibility that he’s in Henderson, Nevada. Adam Karadec gets a call from Morgan as he obsesses over the Game Maker. She tells him that she hates not being able to catch the kidnapper. In the morning, she hands cookies to Chester, a police officer stationed outside her house, thanking him for looking after her family.
In the mailbox, she sees a weird post belonging to a different address, and follows it. She reaches a house, hears the song “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” playing, and remembers the package she received earlier, which was also jungle-themed. She heads to the LAPD division and tells them that the Game Maker is probably targeting her again. Selena expresses doubt whether it could be the man they are looking for. A person named Maya Price is revealed to be the one the house is registered to, but a woman named Sarah, who is there seeking help, reveals that Maya is her sister and is missing. It is revealed through a flashback that the woman kidnapped earlier is Maya. Sarah tells the cops that her sister went to Sound Nightclub the previous night, shows them pictures, and says she is worried about Maya’s little son, Max, who has also accompanied her to the station.
A Case of Expensive Gifts
Morgan shows Sarah a sketch of the Game Maker, but she doesn’t recognize him. Karadec and Morgan go to the Sound Nightclub to investigate further, and Morgan uses remnants of Maya’s shoe and her lip balm to deduce that the victim was put in the trunk of the kidnapper’s car. Selena and her team start having suspicions about Derek Price, Maya’s husband. The team heads over to Maya’s place to investigate, where Karadec finds the vinyl containing the song from earlier. Daphne finds a sales receipt for a gun purchase, but can’t find the weapon anywhere. Morgan looks in Maya’s closet and sees bags of expensive brands like Prada and Gucci, but no matching products, and then finds out that they were sold, after which she and Karadec head to a pawn shop called Boneyard.
Oz and Daphne start investigating Artful Guile Music, where Maya used to work. The Boneyard owner, Fritzy, hands Maya’s products over to Morgan and reveals that she was arguing with a random man the day she sold her expensive items. Derek is questioned by Karadec, wherein the husband admits that he was the one arguing with the victim near the pawn shop, but also says the gifts were from someone else. He then pleads with Karadec to find his missing wife. Morgan and Adam interrogate Harper, the woman who was at the club with Maya. She says that Maya’s gifts probably came from Jason Howard, her boss, who had taken an interest in her and also had harassment cases filed against him in the past.
The Apprehension of Jason Howard
Morgan investigates the case in detail and looks for clues, specifically related to Jason and the Game Maker. The protagonist reveals a series of her deductions and theories, which include the fact that Jason is diabetic, just like Spencer, an earlier kidnapping victim. He’s also a painter, which could connect him to the paintings found earlier at an art gallery, where a kidnapping victim was found. Morgan also says that Jason knows scuba diving, which could connect him to Oz’s earlier predicament. The main character’s final deduction is that the Game Maker is probably using Jason as a scapegoat to make him the fall guy. Selena speculates that Jason could actually be the Game Maker, but Morgan disagrees.
The civilian consultant tries to shield her kids from the Game Maker’s threats by not allowing them to step out, and later goes to an album release party hosted by Jason Howard. At the party, the guests are seen wearing anime masks, like the one used by the Game Maker, as part of the theme. Maya’s boss denies being involved in her kidnapping, and also says that Maya had access to his credit card, which she used to buy the expensive gifts. Later, Morgan seemingly spots the unknown man she thinks is the Game Maker at the party and chases him, but ends up pursuing a masked Jason, who is arrested by Karadec for being the possible kidnapper. At the station, Derek attacks Jason, believing him to be responsible for Maya’s predicament. Ludo takes care of the kids at home and tells Morgan not to worry.
A Stranger Walks into the Police Station
Jason doesn’t reveal anything about Maya during the interrogation. The team starts doubting Morgan’s memory of the Game Maker’s face the next morning, and a salvage yard in Sun Valley reports Maya’s car. Selena receives a call from Nevada’s Officer Sigmund, who seemingly gives her clues about Roman Sinquerra’s whereabouts. At the salvage yard, the car’s boot contains Maya’s clothes, with blood on them. Selena reaches the yard and informs Morgan about Roman’s whereabouts, following which Oz and Daphne head to Nevada to look for him. The protagonist deduces that Derek had reached the police station just in time when Jason was brought in, which means that someone else, possibly the Game Maker, informed him about the arrest and also told him that his wife had died.
The team heads back to the station, where Morgan makes a series of guesses. She theorizes that the Game Maker was the one who probably stole Jason’s credit card, purchased all the expensive gifts in Maya’s name, and planted fake clues to distract the cops. She also notices a pattern about the Gucci and Versace bags, and says that it represents two men, Maurizio Gucci and Gianni Versace, who were both shot and killed. This leads Morgan to believe that the Game Maker wants to see Jason murdered by Derek, having tricked the husband into believing that his wife purchased a gun for her safety.
When Karadec goes to Maya’s house, he sees that the gun box has already been emptied, and then hears a car revving away. The cop tries to stop Derek from going ahead with his intention to kill Jason, but the grieving husband drives away, possibly hoping to kill Jason. Meanwhile, Oz and Daphne knock on the door of a man, who could be Roman. In a shocking twist, the man Morgan thinks is the Game Maker walks into the police station, stating that they have been looking for him. Morgan is caught by surprise, but it’s clear that he hasn’t walked in simply to surrender.
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