High Potential

I have come to the realisation recently that I love cop shows. Not the dark, grungy, smoke a cigarette and arrest some bloke I'm talking iconic, building mystery, girly slay detective shows. And they always slap when there is the one character that is the best at their job for a highly specific reason. Firstly we have the classic BBC Sherlock who has high intelligence and deduction skills but there are also shows like Izombie and Grimm which bring elements of the supernatural and that's why they're so good at solving crime. Like yes I want a show where the medical examiner becomes a consultant because she's actually a zombie and eating the victims brain gives her memory visions that help her solve the case. And in Grimm he Nick is able to see the supernatural creature side of victims and suspects that give him further information to solve the crimes that others can't. It is such a slay!

Recently however I have been obsessed with this show called High Potential which is basically a modernised Sherlock if Sherlock was a bad bitch woman okayyy. Our main character is Morgan Gillory and the first episode we are introduced to her through a dance sequence where she is busting it down all around the station as she cleans (she's the paid cleaner). And while dancing she bumps into a box that is filled with images and files of a recent murder and after looking at it for two seconds she goes over to the crime board and crosses out the annotation of the wife character being a suspect and changes it to say victim.

The next morning the detectives working on that case are like 'what the hell, who changed the board' which is where she gets pulled in and questioned. We get to see more of her intelligence in action with these side clips that emphasise what she is saying and I just enjoy it so much. I love a high intellect individual it is such a slay but what's more I love it that the vibe of this show is girly pop. I don't know how else to say it but it isn't as if they are taking themselves to seriously which is so fun to watch. The best way I can describe it is in comparison to Sherlock, in Sherlock he takes himself too seriously and has such a big ego that all scenes where he is investigating is based on his intelligence and highlights his abilities because that is the character he is. He enjoys showing off and isn't afraid to use the hold he has on others because that is what he loves. He loves the thrill of a crime and the power he holds to be the only one to solve it.

Where as with Morgan she is who she is and is moving on with life. Despite having such a high intelligence and abilities to notice what others can't she hasn't once used that to her advantage to get further in life. If anything she sees it as a disadvantage not to necessarily be ashamed of because we see she isn't going to hide what she knows (she actually feels the need to tell everyone) but more that how she thinks and her brain operates is just another factor of life to get her through the day. And so instead the cut away scenes that explain her evaluations are highlighted in the same way her brain and personality is- a little eccentric and all over the place. Her deductions aren't perfected because that isn't her whole personality. She is a mother and a gossip and strong willed which is what makes the cut away so much more fun to watch.

We learn that specifically the reason Morgan can do what she does is because she has a high IQ of 160 and is a ‘high potential intellectual’ hence the shows name. It basically means that she has high cognitive abilities including photographic memories and an obsessive nature to correct things that make her able to solve things the way she does. But what's more they emphasise in the show that it isn't just this ornate ability to know everything it's the ability to watch and remember everything she sees which is why it's important to know she watches a lot of documentaries. With obsessing over everything comes difficulty to sleep and that is where the documentaries come in to help her fall asleep but also where she absorbs a lot of her knowledge. This is expanded more in the season than episode one but is a detail I fucking love. Like yes she's a bad ass smart bitch but she isn't stephen hawkins level she just watches documentaries. And that also accounts for why some of her knowledge seems random in the cases she solves. It always seems to come in handy (naturally) but again is a detail I just enjoy. I want smart individuals but that doesn't mean they need to know the answers to the universe itself.

I think the main reason I love this show so much is also because of how human the characters are. The one fault I had with Sherlock is that he was so detached socially that he didn't seem like a human. I know that is the whole point with the show and what separates him from the rest and they use his loneliness and separation as a key factor when solving crimes especially in the last season and to highlight his relationship with John but for me personally I love it when characters feel realistic. It is a very fine line writers have to walk to make them seem realistic and relatable enough without the show becoming insincere and for that reason makes me value a show more when done correctly. It just makes me connect more with the characters I am seeing and paints the show as more cohesive and enjoyable. Which is why the fact that Morgan is so down to earth and like a social butterfly I appreciate the show more. Watching her truly try and connect with the people she is working with and learn about them is fun, it builds a friendship dynamic that is fun to watch. And it isn't just her close circle, she makes an effort to know everyone in the station and if she doesn't know them they certainly know her because of how much of a big personality she has.

And it isn't solely her loud and sometimes obnoxious personality that highlights the show but her sentimentality. She is able to also tap into her empathy and comfort the victims who need it or connect deeply with her children in the show which once again makes her more human. They do a great job at giving us both grabbing mysteries and a well rounded enjoyable character. And that isn't to say she is perfect in all rights she definitely has her flaws as shown by her rash decisions to break into places to get the evidence they need in complete disregard of the laws they should take. But that emphasises the human nature of her character.

Going back to episode one we see her impressive ability to solve a crime in just over 24 hours which as a side note I don’t understand why they didn’t make the case older. In the episode they say the murder only took place yesterday by the time Morgan got to it which means it was so very fresh. And I understand the point they make that without her they would have sentenced the wrong person but also the reason they take on Morgan and continue to get her help is because they seem to be struggling but it's only been a day, most likely 12 hours, since they were assigned the case. So it doesn't hit as hard for me that they got Morgan to help because it doesn't seem they were as needy as they could have been had it been a week long case with the missing murderer but again I understand why they did what they did. Anyway not only are we shown that Morgan has incredible abilities but we see that her son also has strong abilities. Now we don't see him enough to consider him a main character but enough that we know clearly who he is and his smarts and enough to put him as a secondary character.

This is also something I am intrigued to see more about because although he is young and perhaps not at the same level as his mom it is evident they share the same abilities and are very similar in the way they approach life though with different key interests which they focus on which is natural. I just hope we get to see more of it. So far we have not seen much of the extent of which his abilities lie besides having the same quick recall of information and ability to fixate quickly on a range of different topics but I would love so see him become a core aspect for one episode. Up until this point (which season two is still being released) the only time we see him help a case is when he is fixated on something which he later explains to his mom which in turn helps her solve the murder. So is it really that impossible to think that if he can help be a secondary help in these cases that he could be in at least one episode as a larger help. Maybe because of the age of the character and everything they can't push for an episode where he helps but his character is also majorly interested in what his mom does, he enjoys being able to brag about her being a detective and enjoys asking about her day and what she solved so I think it is only right we get an episode where he hyper fixates on being an officer or detective and to help see if he really enjoys it Morgan does a bring your child to work day and they both work together using shared knowledge from their respective interests to solve the mystery together. And I don't want to hear about a health and safety concern for him when Morgans character is shown as someone to not care about the tampering so long as her child is looked after.

Which is where the conflict and suspense happens because maybe after helping solve the mystery everyone goes to confront the murderer and Elliot is supposed to stay at home/ in the station but goes against orders and is put in danger. He is ultimately okay and everything is solved and the episode ends with the lieutenant telling Elliot he does have a good chance at making it big as a detective should he choose and that they can help him attend a junior program in the future if he was interested and he's then like no thanks it was fun for a day but now I'm interested in something else. That way they don't have to continue the line of him being involved in the cases if they do not wish but at least give me one mother son episode.

And finally the most intriguing part- Roman Sinquerr. In episode one Morgan originally declined the opportunity to join as a paid consultant but after talking with her daughter decides to take the offer on the acception they look into the missing persons case of Roman Sinquerra. Now Roman is Morgans ex partner and father of her oldest daughter Ava. After Ava was born Roman went to the store to get diapers and never returned and has been the one mystery that has followed Morgan for fifteen years as the mystery she could not solve. However she refused to admit he would just leave them and felt something else has happened. Eventually she got together with Ludo and has Elliot and Holly before breaking up by the point of episode one but the two remain very friendly and co parent with little to no issues which is also great to see in a show where the two can parent seamlessly with mutual respect and love despite not being compatible for a full length relationship. So now we have this hidden element in between episodes where we slowly start to learn more and more information on what could have happened to Roman and the awkward dynamic that puts Ava in as well as Morgan. It is a mystery I have been extremely interested in and they do a great job in season one revealing just enough information to keep you drawn in but when it comes to season two I feel they jump too far at once.

Perhaps it is just my perception of things in relation to the season one finale and season two continuation but everything feels like they were dropped in the deep end head first. What I mean by that is a large case spacing multiple episodes takes place at the same time as a big reveal for the case on Roman. Although it is not answered where or why Roman left we are introduced to a key character who has important information which along side this mastermind case seems to emphasis everything. I almost want to say it would have been better if the original criminal case was dealt with first before introducing this new character for Romans case half way through season two. Having them at the same time just felt overwhelming but I suppose if you want us to feel the same way Morgan would feel with the case and information she receives than it is done in a great reflective way.

Overall this show has been great and I've watched it on repeat more times than I remember. I can not recommend this show enough despite my apprehensions for the latest season and will continue to hold high hopes for each new episode. However if this whole blog post hasn't convinced you then perhaps the amazing outfits of Morgan Gillory will: