Kaitlin Olson is acting her ass off in High Potential

“Who’s the best detective in LAPD’s Major Crimes division?” This question is raised in High Potential’s midseason finale. And the answer is, simply put, that it’s not a detective at all: It’s the cleaning-lady-turned-consultant. Morgan Guillory’s (Kaitlin Olson) 160 IQ, photographic memory, quick thinking, and empathy make her an ideal investigator. She catches things others don’t, patiently listens to potential suspects, and, best of all, isn’t fully bound by rules, to the annoyance of her partner, Detective Karadec (Daniel Sunjata). 

So, yes, Morgan is the unofficial best detective right now. She proves it yet again in “One Of Us” when their bullpen is taken hostage by two former U.S. Army sergeants. She’s the one who cracks the case and saves everyone while being trapped in the LAPD building with no resources and fearing for her teen daughter who she brought to work. It’s both impressive and freaky—to the point that I was raising my eyebrows often. To buy into how her mind works, we have to accept that cops like Karadec, Selena (Judy Reyes), Daphne (Javicia Leslie), Oz (Deniz Azkendiz), and Melon (Garret Dillahunt) aren’t as great. They’re undoubtedly good, but they don’t have the same chops as Morgan. 

I know that this is the show’s premise, but I’d like to remind everyone that at least Kate Beckett was a seasoned, capable detective before an amateur mystery writer joined her motley crew in Castle. But it’s okay. I’m along for the ride because the cast is great, the procedural element has fun hijinks, and High Potential has proven it’s a worthy weekly escape as well as a huge part of why network TV is so back. 

Returning to the nitty gritty of “One Of Us”: Morgan’s kid beats her at a board game and her reward is a “yes day”—that is, Morgan must do whatever Ava (Amirah Johnson) asks. At the top of her list is a field trip to her mother’s office. They pick a bad day to go in because after a quick tour, while Ava’s in the restroom, two well-trained officers of the National Guard take control of the floor at gunpoint. Morgan is trapped in the Major Crimes bullpen with Daphne, Melon, and a dozen other staffers. Thankfully, Karadec, Selena, and Oz are outside and can assist from the cop van in the parking lot. Morgan also shoots a quick text to Ava to vacate the premises, but she should know better than to think a teenage girl is going to blindly listen. Of course, Ava doesn’t leave, hiding in a small office until she’s caught instead. 

Why is this even happening? The assailants, Brooke (Addison Timlin) and Jeremy (Michael Trotter), want to free their friend from jail. They believe Logan (Maurice Marvel Meredith) was wrongfully arrested for the murder of their mentor. Brooke and Jeremy want the officers to find the real killer before they blow up the place with bombs. Morgan is the only one who believes them. She quickly deduces how Logan was framed for a crime he didn’t commit and promises to figure out who did it. Morgan and Karadec—bicker as they might—establish they’re a strong team even if they’re not physically together. The duo works in tandem, talking sporadically over the phone as everyone listens, to hunt down the true criminal. 

While all of this is unfolding, Morgan also connects with Brooke on a personal level. She realizes Brooke and Logan are in love and are planning to start a family. This tips Jeremy over the edge—guess he’s not a fan of being the third wheel—and he gets antsier as the episode progresses, eventually engaging in a physical fight that injures the janitor, Tom (JD Pardo). Now, in case you’re just tuning into High Potential, Morgan and Tom have been flirting for quite a bit before he finally asks her out at the top of “One Of Us.” Tragic timing! 

Thankfully, Morgan convinces Brooke to let Ava and Tom out of the building. This leads to what I believe is Olson’s finest acting on the show to date. She tearfully bids Ava goodbye, not knowing if they’ll see each other again. I mean, viewers know nothing bad is going to happen, but Olson sells the heck out of it anyway. High Potential is a basic procedural on paper, but the reason it works as well as it does is Olson’s lead performance.

By the end of the episode, with the real killer arrested, Brooke and Jeremy are also on their way to prison. (It looks like Logan is the only one who got out of this situation scot-free, huh?) It’s a predictable outcome that’s made better only by the fact that Ava and all of Morgan’s coworkers now grasp how essential she is to the division. Even the gruff Melon concedes and gifts Morgan with her very own desk at the precinct. (It’s about damn time!) How long will it be until High Potential’s writers find a way to send Morgan to proper LAPD training? 

Once again, I have to circle back and ponder what Karadec and Selena were doing before Morgan arrived. They were solving cases but not at the same speed as with her help. For example, the only reason Morgan quickly realizes Brooke’s bombs are fake is because she’s familiar with some 1991 Montreal Convention that ruled plastic explosives require a substance that acts as an irritant. Who carries that kind of information in their brain?

Stray observations 

• • We now have four love interests for Morgan: her partner, Karadec; her ex, Ludo (Taran Killam); LAPD’s hot janitor, Tom; and her yet-to-be-seen other ex, Roman, if he’s even alive. I’m on team Karadec, but I’ll support my girl Morgan having some fun with Tom. 
• • Speaking of Roman, Selena and Melon are glacially looking into his disappearance 15 years ago. To catch you up on the previous episodes, they found proof that he was returning home (he had diapers in the car for baby Ava) when something potentially bad happened to him. 
• • Morgan’s outfits are getting more and more professional, but they still have a spark of her eccentric personality. I hope they don’t lose that charm. 
• • One of the funnier scenes of the midseason finale was Melon volunteering himself as the best detective around, which led to Morgan and Daphne sharing a “WTF?” look. 
• • Seven episodes in and not much has been given to Daphne, Oz, and Selena to do. Let’s hope that changes. 
• • In case you missed it, High Potential’s viewership numbers are thriving. As of last week, it’s ABC’s most-watched new series in six years. This bodes well for a possible season two. And that’s as good a reason as any to start tuning in if you’re still on the fence.
• • Until next year!