High Potential Season 2, Episode 12 “The Faust and The Furious” Spoilers Ahead
High Potential delivers what might just be one of the best episodes of the show with emotional payoff for every leading character in a way that’s thoughtful, gripping, and profoundly moving. “The Faust and the Furious” brings forth the kind of significant arc that marks a turning point in procedurals, and it’s the type of chapter that we’ll likely refer back to frequently. It’s not only significant for Morgan and Karadec, but Oz, too, which results in another perfect reminder that this found family is currently one of the best ones on TV.
Written by Katie McElhenney and directed by Kelli Williams, the episode is an unmistakable treasure trove when it comes to deliberate word choices, repetition, and distinct blocking, coupled with remarkable performances to supply an hour of excellence.
Three Questions and Transparency – Are You Happy?
How three questions and a convenient, casual conversation lead to three words that ground Morgan back to reality is something that I’ll be thinking about for a long, long time. Following her momentary beat of realization at the end of last week’s “NPC,” this week, Morgan is back to grilling Adam. Affectionately. Sort of. There’s no denying that she’s happy for him, but even more admirable is the fact that he’s okay answering her questions. He’s content with giving her the truth, which conveys just how far he’s come, and cements that he’s comfortable with her knowing every piece of his truth, including the fact that he is happy.
He tells us that things are comfortable with Lucia, but there’s something to be said about how soft this scene is, and why it’s so lovely in revealing just how comfortable they are around each other, too. Adam wouldn’t tell any of his other partners this much about his love life, and with this much ease outside of Morgan, and it’s because their friendship is forged in something neither of them can fully grasp right now. He knows her silences, after all. He knows all her tells. It’s high time she learns some of his truths. Yet, the joy that begins the episode here and the awkwardness we’re left with in the end is exactly what makes High Potential Season 2, Episode 12, “The Faust and the Furious,” such an accomplishment in storytelling.
Morgan’s Panic Attack and Proof of a Real Partnership
It’s gonna be okay. I’ve got you. I’m not going anywhere. I’m not letting you go. It’s okay. Three things she can hear. One voice and soft, gentle words that promise she isn’t alone. He’s here beside her, and every beat of this scene is a masterclass in intimacy that’s both achingly raw and unmistakably important. We’re thankfully seeing more transparent depictions of mental health on TV, including panic attacks, but what we don’t often get is the perspective from someone who knows grounding techniques. In general, it’s happening for the first time, so this inclusion especially works for a show like High Potential and for a character like Morgan.
It’s telling and so profound for a partnership like Adam and Morgan’s, too. From the blocking to the performances, every moment of Morgan’s panic attack in High Potential Season 2, Episode 12, “The Faust and the Furious,” feels so real that it’s almost gut-wrenching to watch. Yet, simultaneously, it’s this very realness that makes it so admirable, and will perpetually be one of the show’s best moments because of how brilliantly it illuminates the trust, respect, and underlying adoration between Adam and Morgan.
Adam Karadec isn’t a man who hands a physical touch easily. He’s got too many walls up, and what’s simple to the average human doesn’t exactly feel as effortless for him. But he’s trying, and not just with Morgan, but later, with Lucia, too. Except the thing about his interactions with Morgan is that it’s almost so seamless, it shows us everything we need to understand why they’re each other’s person. He squeezes her shoulder after telling her she’s valuable in “Under the Rug,” and he even gives her a quick, casual squeeze in “Grounded” after dropping off her sandwich. He might not have processed the importance of that simple touch in the past, but he’s fully cognizant of his choices at this moment because nothing matters more than making sure Morgan is okay. Not even his own breaths, if whatever toxin in the room is as deadly as they believe.
The only thing that matters to Adam Karadec right now is Morgan Gillory coming back to him. Her kids. Her happiness. Her literal life. The thought of holding her and refusing to let go until she’s anchored to him as something she can touch is all that matters. The sound of his voice. The realization of his presence. Mirror neurons, as she explains, though he doesn’t even know for certain if his actions will help in any way, but he has to try because he can’t stand back and watch struggle. He can’t stand back without bringing her back to him. (The flashes of him during her breaking point are so telling, too.)
The fear that Daniel Sunjata subtly evokes through Karadec’s expression and every small shift in his body is a tremendous showcase, too, even while Kailin Olson is doing all the heavy lifting in this scene to bring something wholly authentic to life. How Olson plays on the panic attack is no small feat because it’s a moment that could’ve easily been overdone, except she humanizes it so much, channeling all of Morgan’s love for her kids and every small fear into this moment that’s a stark contrast to every second in the past where she’s held back her emotions. The woman who has always kept everything and everyone together finally has someone looking out for her. It’s a raw showcase of what a breaking point looks like because the spiraling thoughts and the heavy breathing are so acutely brought to life that for a second, I felt my own chest tighten just by watching her.
Related Content: Scene Breakdown: Karadec Comforts Morgan Through a Panic Attack in High Potential
Olson delivers a masterful performance, and all eyes should rightfully be on her, and how Sunjata meets her halfway is exactly what reveals the strength in their partnership. And if you have anxiety, you know exactly how embarrassment usually follows a moment like this if it happens around someone you generally hold your own around. It feels even more awkward in the end because he’s also the kind of safe space that made it easier for her to come back. It’s not just mirror neurons. But she’d feel ten times worse if this happened around someone around she didn’t trust fully. It’d be harder to actually come out of the waves if she were held by someone she doesn’t trust with her whole heart.
But as Adam tells Morgan, “I’m not other people.” And then he affirms that she shouldn’t apologize for being human, to which Morgan counters that she should’ve been there for him because she shouldn’t fall apart on the job. Isn’t it funny how sad and relatable this moment actually is? Because I can guarantee that almost every single woman watching (and likely men, too) has felt the need to apologize for a moment where all they’ve felt is pain, uncertainty, and unimaginable fears. I know I have. With panic attacks, too. What’s even more heartbreaking is that we know how much Morgan hates letting her walls down, especially around men, because people like her father have belittled her for it.
Yet, Adam Karadec is not like anyone she’s known in the past. She knows that deep down. Still, her emotions are so real and so honest that it hurts just thinking about how she must’ve replayed the scene over and over again in her head. And it’s what Adam says afterwards that floors me: “Out of all the people in my life, you will know exactly what to do.” Right at this very moment, Adam has a woman he loves and cherishes waiting at home for him. A woman whom he once wanted to spend his entire life with. A woman he couldn’t always meet halfway, but one he’s now trying with. Yet, the choice to distinguish Morgan as the person who sees all of him and understands him in ways no one else does is almost incomprehensible.
Because shouldn’t Lucia know, too? She absolutely should. We can chalk it up to how smart Morgan is, sure, but in a moment of sheer vulnerability, it doesn’t matter how smart someone is. It matters how closely you trust them. It matters that you feel safe enough to let your walls down. And all the minute ways that Morgan and Karadec are magnetized to each other are unlike anything else either of them can grapple with. It’s something Morgan wouldn’t even be able to explain, even with her vast knowledge and explanations, because their partnership is something else entirely. It’s undefinable. It’s about give and take in equal measure. It’s life-altering. It’s ever-growing. Their partnership is something that they’ll continue fortifying, and Adam’s certainty in each of his quick replies during the episode affirms this belief gorgeously.
What Does Lucia and Adam’s Future Look Like?
The maturity that we’re seeing in theAdam who now knows what he deserves and is willing to open his heart, is largely because of Morgan. And Lucia, as I mentioned in last week’s “NPC,” deserves the world. You cast someone as perfect as Susan Kelechi Watson, and I’m going to adore her to pieces. But we also know that the slow burn High Potential is setting up is deliberate. Morgan and Adam are endgame. They’re each other’s person. They might not have been each other’s first loves, but they’re most certainly going to be the last. So, where does this leave Lucia, because she and Adam not only love each other, but there’s a truth in the promise that this time, they’re going to try not to hurt each other again. Adam, specifically, is going to try. And he’s capable of keeping this promise.
I’d said last week that I really, really hope that the show doesn’t kill her off to end this, but how else do they decide it’s the end amicably? Another alternative is that some sort of job pulls her away, and Adam can’t go with her, resulting in the understanding that their jobs will perpetually be an issue that they can’t bypass, no matter how strong their feelings are. Thus far, the writers have done an excellent job with every choice, and it’s particularly easy to trust them after the perfection of High Potential Season 2, Episode 12, “The Faust and the Furious.” So, here’s to hoping there’s no more hurt, but the right ending instead.
“It takes loss to really know what you have”
Funerals aren’t just hard, they’re dreadful. And it doesn’t help when external forces make the grief even more agonizing than it already is. But that’s unfortunately what Oz deals with alone, up until the moment when he opens up to Selena, and it’s no longer his cross to bear alone. It’s all of theirs. The entire episode is a stunning reminder of why it’s so important to lean on other people, and how Oz is given the chance to do so with everyone showing up to his dad’s funeral, though they’d never met him, is…indescribable, really.
Words always escape me when grief is involved. I know Oz’s loss too closely. But he isn’t wrong in the belief that it takes loss to know what you really have. Losing my dad was one of the hardest things I’ve ever dealt with, but it’s also in those moments that I realized I have people who’ll always stand beside me. And in this moment, Oz and his mom do, too. The choice to allow these characters real human moments to feel their pain and share some of the aches that’ll perpetually haunt them is exactly what makes it so significant from a narrative standpoint. It’s especially fitting when the episode deals with a case that centers around the idea of immortality. But it’s as Soto says, “healing only happens when you stop inflicting yourself with new wounds.” Sometimes, you have to take the bandages people are giving you. You have to lean on their shoulder without ripping yourself up further. You have to let someone hold you through a panic attack, even if you know how to get through it alone.
Stray Thoughts
- “Says the woman with fun dip in her purse.” Someday, he’s going to start carrying little things with him just for Morgan.
- Oz’s mom calling Daphne because he won’t 😭
- Something about Oz calling Daphne “Daph” tickles my brain in the best way.
- Deniz Akdeniz’s performance is also so raw and heartbreaking in this episode.
- KAITLIN OLSON OH MY GOD. I’m never getting over this scene!!!!!!!!!
- I don’t always jive with Morgan’s outfits because Daphne and I are the outfit twins in this regard, but okay, yes, those pink shorts? Perfection.
- The fact that there are so many horrible people out there who’d probably make robots of themselves like this. Please, God, no.
Now streaming on Hulu: What are your thoughts on the High Potential Season 2, Episode 12, “The Faust and The Furious?” Let us know in the comments below.
First Featured Image Credit: (Disney/Mitch Haaseth)