High Potential Season 2, Episode 4, “Behind the Music” Spoilers Ahead
Four episodes in, and is it too soon to continue saying that Season 2 of High Potential is my favorite show in this quarter? Because “Behind the Music” isn’t just a great episode, it’s an excellent one—thrilling, heartbreaking, and full of so many deliciously trope-filled moments, the butterflies congregating inside of me are still going. And while last week’s “Eleven Minutes” was fantastic, there’s something deeply gripping about the road “Behind the Music” leads us on.
It’s an especially powerful showcase of great writing when we can tie themes within the case to what our favorite characters are going through, and this happens with a notion that’s all too relatable. In a world where there are talented Black women whose qualifications are endless, there’s a man somewhere profiting off the success that should be theirs. This is a tale too many women and women of color are particularly familiar with, so it makes everything in the episode feel all the more raw.
“You’re allowed to be pissed with me” – Morgan and Selena’s Heart to Heart
Selfishly, I want Morgan and Karadec to continue working together as partners, but there’s no denying Selena Soto’s qualifications. There’s also no denying how much she’s done both as a lieutenant and as a human being on the show. High Potential Season 2, Episode 4, “Behind the Music” fully recognizes Selena’s strengths, and it does so by exploring industries that often fail to recognize women for how gifted they really are.
That said, it’s so easy to appreciate the fact that Morgan isn’t someone who lets things go easily because Soto needed the space to vocalize that she’s pissed she was passed over for the captain’s promotion. And while Steve Howie and his mustache are a delight by default, we all know she’s the one who deserves it most.
That’s why Morgan waltzing into Soto’s office and voicing that she wants Selena to be pissed with her is a great way to end the episode. It continues to not only fortify the friendship the women are slowly building, but it signals that they always have a safe space to be their truest selves around one another. Soto doesn’t have to be strong around Morgan, and as two women who are always taking care of themselves, it’s so lovely to know that they have someone beside them in this capacity. It makes the show that much more special because friendships among women are still underutilized, and especially in fields like this, it makes the series more compelling. It’s a great beat of vulnerability, brimming with raw and sincere performances from both Kaitlin Olson and Judy Reyes. They start the season with one of my favorite scenes, and the fact that we’re only four episodes in and we get another is an absolute treat.
“I know your silences, Morgan” – Karadec Knows Everything
High Potential Season 2, Episode 4, “Behind the Music” is bursting with some of the most subtly incredible declarations (and the butterflies are still going). One of my absolute favorite things in any relationship—but especially the romantic ones—is when one person, generally the grump, recognizes every little detail about their partner. By default, Karadec should be mindful and cautious. He should be paying attention to people and their tells. But to know someone’s silences? That’s the kind of achingly romantic thing that stirs from the person who cherishes you in a different way. And no, this isn’t me saying that Karadec is outright in love with her (not yet), but his relationship with Morgan is unlike any other partnership he’s ever been in. It’s different. It’s special. It’s so close to being everything that it’s terrifying.
Related Content: Scene Breakdown: Karadec Tells Morgan He Knows Her Silences in High Potential
In addition, it’s not always what he says but how he says it, and Daniel Sunjata continues to floor me with small moments that feel monumental because of how he uses his voice. “I cannot risk you getting hurt in a raid” isn’t just about potentially having more blood on his hands, but it’s entirely about Morgan. It’s about how deeply he cares for her and how he feels like it’s his job to protect her. It’s a true partnership through and through that’s built on a mutual respect in more ways than one. It’s how he pays attention to every little detail that makes rooting for them so effortless.
Partners should know each other in ways no one else does, so it makes their jobs more effective, but with the two of them, it’s about what they both don’t have off-field, either—someone to look out for them at the end of the day. Someone who’ll be their strength when their bones are weary and their minds won’t let up.
So the fact that High Potential Season 2, Episode 4, “Behind the Music” recognizes this fact by having Karadec open up about this being his first kill as an officer shows that he wouldn’t have vocalized it elsewhere if Morgan didn’t insist. And she insists because she not only knows him better than he knows himself, but she cares just as much about him. She wants to help carry the burdens, which makes all of this an absolute feast for slow burn romance lovers.
Now streaming on Hulu: What are your thoughts on the High Potential Season 2, Episode 4, “Behind the Music?” Let us know in the comments below.
First Featured Image Credit: (Disney/Mitch Haaseth)