Image via ABC
Published Feb 3, 2026, 10:00 PM EST
Jennie Richardson is a TV Features and Lists Writer for Collider, and a graduate student pursuing an MFA in Fiction Writing. In other words, she really loves stories.
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Editor's Note: The following contains spoilers for High Potential Season 2, Episode 12.Last week's episode of High Potential ended with Karadec (Daniel Sunjata) rekindling things with his ex-fiancée, Lucia (Susan Kelechi Watson). Despite supporting Karadec and encouraging him to try again with Lucia, Morgan (Kaitlin Olson) had a sad look on her face as she watched them leave together. This seemed to be a clear set-up for the beginning of a possible feelings realization arc for Morgan, and sure enough, this week's episode takes this to the next level in the very best way.
This week's episode sees Major Crimes investigating the murder of the wealthy founder of a wellness company. Meanwhile, Oz (Deniz Akdeniz) tries to get his father's headstone ready in time for a planned memorial service. This is a strong and fast-paced episode throughout, and it benefits from giving focus to each of the characters, and in particular, giving Oz his first subplot that's completely separate from a case. Best of all, the case puts Morgan and Karadec in what appears to be a near-death situation, and it brings them closer than ever.
In 'High Potential' Season 2, Episode 12, Major Crimes Investigates the Murder of a Man Trying to Live Forever
In Season 2, Episode 12, "The Faust and the Furious," the Major Crimes team investigates the murder of Gabe Rafferty (Brad Raider), the founder of a wellness-focused technology company called Genegevity. Gabe was stabbed inside his house, but there's no clear sign that somebody got through his very elaborate security system. Morgan and Karadec speak to Gabe's assistant, Renata (Lyla Porter-Follows), who reveals that he shared his biodata with her through the Genegevity app. After Renata's mom died, Gabe became a mentor to her and gave her a job. The goal of the company was to stop the aging process so that people could live forever, which started with the treatments that he was using on himself.
The investigation process takes Major Crimes to a number of people who would have had the motivation to kill Gabe. A woman named Siobhan McBriar (Hallie Samuels) was suing Gabe because Genegevity changed the ingredients in her vitamins without telling her, which disrupted her birth control and got her pregnant. Later, they learn that Gabe was embezzling money from Genegevity, and that he had cleverly found ways to make all of his employees blame each other for the company's financial discrepancies. A message from Gabe beyond the grave assures his company that someone will be taking over for him soon if he's ever killed. It turns out all of this money was going into creating a new robot version of Gabe that had all of his previous memories and knowledge uploaded.
Robot Gabe speaks to Morgan and Karadec and tells them that the Do Not Disturb system in Gabe's house was adjusted by someone other than Gabe on the night of his death, making it turn on earlier than usual. Robot Gabe also gives them a list of people who had been threatening Gabe, then the robot is shut down and can no longer talk to them. Morgan and Karadec go to see Mika Aster (Brandon Engman), the founder of the tech start-up that created the robots. Gabe bought the company promising to keep Mika on, but then he pushed Mika out. Morgan and Karadec visit Gabe's house and briefly get stuck in the room where he was killed. They realize that Gabe was locked in when the Do Not Disturb feature was turned on, and that the candles he lit in the room were laced with arsenic, so Gabe stabbed himself to die faster instead of slowly being poisoned.
The killer turns out to be Renata, who teamed up with Micah to kill Gabe, both for their own reasons. While Micah wanted revenge and his company back, Renata felt betrayed and hurt because Genegivity had originally been researching the genes responsible for her mother and sister's cancer, which she also carries. When Micah went to confront Gabe about taking over his company, Renata learned that all the money for the research had gone into the robots instead. Renata ultimately confesses after Morgan and Karadec confront her, but she stands by what she did.
In 'High Potential' Season 2, Episode 12, Oz Tries To Get a Headstone for His Father's Grave
Image via ABCIt was revealed last season that Oz's father had died the year before. In this episode, Oz's family tries to have a belated memorial for him, because they've been waiting for his headstone to be ready for a long time. A few days before they're supposed to have the memorial (after it's already been moved twice), Oz learns that the headstone was never confirmed with the cemetery. Oz goes to see his mom (Jacqueline Antaramian), and she says she used his father's life insurance money to pay for the headstone. The costs then piled up, and before she knew it, the money was gone, and there was still no headstone.
Oz is angry with his mom, and she has to call Daphne (Javicia Leslie) to check on him because he won't take her calls after that. Selena (Judy Reyes) then calls Oz in for a meeting, and he tells her that his mom spent $20,000 on a headstone that is now stuck in a shipping facility. Selena says that the funeral home took advantage of Oz's mom, but Oz blames himself for not being there for her during his grief. Selena relates to Oz by telling him about her mother's death, then she encourages him to stop being so hard on himself. Selena steps in to call out the funeral home for its predatory practices, and Oz's mother gets a full refund. Oz's father's grave finally gets a headstone, and they have a memorial service for him. Oz gives a touching eulogy where he comes to terms with his grief, and then he calls the Major Crimes team his family.
In 'High Potential' Season 2, Episode 12, a Perceived Near-Death Experience Brings Morgan and Karadec Together
Image via ABCKaradec and Lucia are still seeing each other after reconnecting last week, and they're already getting serious again. The episode shows how Karadec's job is no longer the obstacle in their relationship, and it seems to hint that Morgan will become a new obstacle. Morgan shows up to Karadec's apartment to ask for a ride to work, where she sees Lucia. In the car, Morgan asks Karadec about his relationship, and he tells her that he's happy.
Later, Morgan and Karadec are investigating Gabe's house, when they get locked in the room where Gabe was killed, and they believe that the room is filled with the poison that killed Gabe. Morgan has a panic attack, terrified that she doesn't know what to do, and that there is no way out. She tries to do a grounding exercise, but her mind is full of images of the people she loves the most and will lose if they both die there: her three kids and Karadec. Karadec hugs Morgan to calm her down, and then the door opens, and it's revealed that there was no poison in the room. It's one of Morgan and Karadec's best moments yet, because, on this rare occasion where Morgan feels a loss of control, Karadec is the one who's able to keep her grounded.
When he gets home from work, Karadec has a conversation with Lucia where they talk about their past breakup and start to move forward together. It's clear that Karadec has learned his lesson from their breakup, but he also already clearly has feelings for Morgan, even if he doesn't realize it. After Oz's father's memorial, Morgan and Karadec talk about what happened. She feels mortified and ashamed about falling apart instead of being able to help out in that situation, but Karadec tells her that they count on each other, and that she would've done the same for him. The show then sets up an upcoming breakdown for Karadec. He tells her that at some point he will have a moment like she did, and that he knows that out of everyone in his life, she'll be the person who will know how to get him through it. The episode makes it clearer than ever that Morgan will be the obstacle in Karadec's relationship with Lucia this time around, and based on his facial expression after that last conversation, he may know it, too.
High Potential airs Tuesdays at 9:00 P.M. EST on ABC.
Release Date September 17, 2024
Showrunner Todd Harthan
Pros & Cons
- This episode puts Morgan and Karadec in a suspenseful near-death situation, in what is a phenomenal scene, with excellent acting from both Olson and Sunjata.
- This episode gives Oz his first big storyline outside of work, making the ensemble cast feel more balanced.
English (US) ·