High Potential Season 2, Episode 18, “Family Tree” Spoilers Ahead
High Potential delivers the kind of season finale that’s so compelling, I don’t remember the last time it happened in a procedural. The last time one made me feel this much in all that it conveyed was in Severance Season 2, which is also not a finale that’s been rivaled since, and while these two aren’t exactly comparable in context, the emotional beats definitely can be. Following the path laid in its jaw-dropping penultimate episode, “Second Sunday,” this finale effectively ensures that we’ll be on the edge of our seats until the show resumes for Season 3.
With exceptional performances from the whole cast and a narrative arc that continues to feel thoughtful and enticing, “Family Tree” ensures that we end on a high note that doesn’t leave room for a sophomore slump.
High Potential Season 2, Episode 18 Effectively Deep Dives Into Character Complexities
When I had my suspicions about Lucia, I didn’t want to be right, but the way that High Potential writers add layers to her betrayal works to remind us that people are complicated. Her decisions and how she got to the place where we leave her in make complete sense when we look back at her decision to tell Morgan that she’s impulsive in “Turn, Up the Heat.” It’s also telling that this is the same episode where we learn that Roman might not have been as innocent as we once believed he was. The fact that these revelations are exposed to us in the same episode where Wagner might be dead all tie together in this heart-wrenching bow that’s almost too much to think about from a human standpoint.
Yet, on a critical level, where we look at an hour of television, it’s near-perfect in its attempts to show us that these connections aren’t accidental, but intentional. Carefully and deliberately penned by writers, sure, but organic still within the story’s world.
More than anything, it’s captivating that the High Potential Season 2 finale doesn’t paint any of these characters in a one-dimensional light, but like an onion, it peels back on their layers, making a point about complexities and how they can continue to leave us in states of uncertainty. Unease. We aren’t supposed to feel great after this episode, and sitting with that is oftentimes what makes a good finale excellent. We have more questions than we have answers, but at the same time, these overarching stories are more enticing than the everyday cases we’ve been solving. As much as I want a resolution sooner rather than later, drawing out the puzzle pieces leading to Roman makes sense for the kind of show High Potential has established itself as.
But what’s especially thrilling through all of this is how the parallels between Morgan and Karadec continue to grow more apparent. Fully undeniable. But first, the Wagner of it all. I’ll have an ending explained releasing for JustWatch soon-ish, but it’s not hard to appreciate the layers Steve Howey brings to the table as Wagner, especially in the last few episodes. He’s done some crappy things in the past, yes, and there’s no denying that, but the fact that we’re seeing these complex characters on our screens is something that I’ll always appreciate.
Characters need room to grow and evolve. They should be allowed to screw up and right their wrongs, and that’s exactly what Wagner tries to do by the end. He was a messed-up man, grappling with his own crappy past and throwing his frustrations out on others without recognizing his immense privilege. He’s the perfect candidate for character development, and Season 2 does this well in the last few episodes. While we know that he and Morgan were never meant to be together long-term, it’ll be outright devastating for her if he actually dies in her arms. It’ll change something in her, and where the series goes from here can also be a stark reminder of the devastations that come with this job—from searching for those who don’t want to be found. From probing and poking around in places that are full of phantoms that are better left undisturbed.
Kaitlin Olson delivers an award-worthy performance in High Potential Season 2, Episode 18, “Family Tree,” wrecking me beyond repair, and for this reason, I’ll be thoroughly grateful for this kind of content we’re getting. She cares enough about Wagner for his death (or even severe injuries) to weigh on her, but beyond this, the fact that it’s all happening because of her and Roman? The storylines we can keep cracking make for really engaging television, especially in a procedural space.
“I’m Scared, Too.”
The way that High Potential has continued to build and fortify the bond between Morgan and Soto means everything to me. Here we have two women, both of whom know loss and uncertainties, fighting through everything for each other, and it’s so lovely to watch. The layers that we see in them both ensure they stand out as fully fleshed out characters, and the full range of emotions the show has allowed them to feel throughout the season is everything. From anger, to joy, to fear? This is how you write complex women and put them in each other’s corners.
It’s easy to appreciate that Soto is scared because who wouldn’t be? While Willa Quinn certainly gives us a different side to her in this episode, we still can’t trust anyone fully outside of our core five and their closest people. But they can trust each other. They can appreciate each other so deeply that Morgan can safely vocalize that she doesn’t want them to keep digging because she doesn’t want anything to happen to any of them. And Soto continuing to promise Morgan that she’s in her corner despite her own fears makes her even stronger as a character. It makes her more brave and fully fit to be captain, which I hope Season 3 finally grants her.
Morgan and Karadec’s Endgame Has Never Been More Clear
High Potential Season 2 is rich with content when it comes to Morgadec, and to top it all off, everything we have in “Family Tree” is unreal. The first time I watched their final scene, I replayed it about five times to make sure I wasn’t hallucinating. I might’ve even pinched myself. Because the angst in the episode was plenty to feed into their tension, but the moment of softness in the end was almost entirely unexpected.
It says so much that right before his closure with Lucia, Karadec goes to see Morgan first. There’s so much that happens in this succinct moment, it’s proof of the fact that you can deliver strong character-building beats in a short matter of time. You can strengthen a partnership that’s already standing on a solid foundation by making an undeniable point about the fact that what these two feel for each other is bigger than anything they’ve felt before, even if they aren’t in the place to acknowledge it right now. That slow, slow burn is heading to delicious places, and this scene is the reason why.
To start, the fact that Morgan apologizes is lovely because she doesn’t have to. She didn’t want Lucia to be guilty, even if that’s what Karadec initially questioned her about when the first domino started falling. And the fact that Karadec volleys her apology with one of his own by acknowledging that he should’ve listened to her is everything, until Morgan recognizes it’s not what’s necessary at this moment. He’s spiraling. He’s falling apart, a dark web of betrayal pulling him under, so she uses his full name. Adam.
But Adam continues to question everything—himself, included, for not seeing all the signs, and that’s where Morgan acts in the only way she knows how. She pulls him out of the web, giving him the kind of look he can recognize as one that signals to him that he’s safe with her. It’s okay. He’s okay. In what world does Adam Karadec fall apart on the job? In this world. At this moment. And just as he knew then, we can see it crystallized now: out of all the people in his life, she’s the one who knew exactly what to do.
Related Content: Scene Breakdown: Karadec Comforts Morgan Through a Panic Attack in High Potential
She pulls him close, in the way he once held onto her, and she tells him the words he needs to hear. She gives him a piece of her to remind him of the fact that he’ll be okay. There’s so much to be said about how she doesn’t look him in the eyes when she acknowledges what it means to love someone so much that you only see what you want to see. Because she gets it better than anyone right now, given the new information that’s come to light about Roman. She knows exactly how he’s feeling, and she knows that right now all she can do is acknowledge his pain and his heartache with the physical reminder that she’s beside him.
And then she invites him to Ava’s art show, which is another intimate detail in their partnership where we have substantial proof of the fact that he’s one of the few people she trusts around her kids. And while Karadec can’t be there, the invitation is still significant. Throughout this season, I’ve pointed out the number of times the two of them freely touch each other, and how it’s a clear sign of the fact that the comfort between them is bigger than anything else they know.
If we look at this single hug and separate it from the times he’s hugged Lucia, there’s a stark difference. If we look at the way Karadec looks at Morgan, carefully trying to read her expressions every time, it’s different than any time he’s looked at Lucia. It bears repeating that while I don’t think he and Morgan are even remotely ready to accept or wrestle with their feelings for one another, the effortless presence of said feelings is what’s so substantial.
Because the tenderness with which he casually reaches forward and brushes her tears away is precisely what reveals just how precious she is to him. The way that they were holding on to each other’s hands, even as we couldn’t see it. The ease these two have with each other is magnetic, at this point, evidenced by the parallels of their separate lives coming together like waves crashing to the shore. It’s more real than any elevator kiss or plans to move into a new house. Morgan is the reason Karadec was able to open his heart up in the first place, and the fact that she acknowledges how important that is will undoubtedly play a huge role in how their love story pans out later down the line.
Needle drops in procedurals don’t always stay with me, but the use of Phoebe Bridgers’ “Sidelines” at the end of “Under the Rug” gorgeously sums up so much of the trajectory they’re on. “‘Til you came into my life, gave me something to lose.” From their first meeting in the pilot episode to this final moment we spend with them in High Potential Season 2, Episode 18, “Family Tree,” it’s all been painting a portrait of the light they’ve brought into each other’s lives. The comfort. The protection. The unceasing, unwavering loyalty. The joy. The bickering. It’s all beautifully connected.
Stray Thoughts
- I really appreciate that Ava is a mini Morgan with the way she dresses 🥹
- I also love Roman stories about how he was around his art
- Lavender oat milk lattes are great, Karadec. But you’re allowed to be wrong occasionally.
- LOOK AT HOW CONCERNED KARADEC IS.
- The way Morgan is suspicious and Lucia doesn’t catch it?! Like if she looked at me like this!??
- I do also believe Wagner.
- Oh, the ANGST. The A N G S T.
- Daphne and Oz being in the room while this Morgadec fight happens is actually so delicious? I need footage of their faces during the entire thing.
- WHAT ABOUT CHLOE AND ELLIOT!?!?!?!?!
- Do we believe Willa???!!!!
- God, I love Morgan and Soto so damn much.
- Kaitlin Olson, I’ll carve an Emmy for you myself.
Now streaming on Hulu: What are your thoughts on the High Potential Season 2, Episode 18, “Family Tree?” Let us know in the comments below.
First Featured Image Credit: (Disney/Raymond Liu)