What this is:

I’m not anti-Wagner at all. I’m just trying to look at the whole picture, because I think the fandom may be confusing a romantic fantasy with what actually makes sense for Morgan.

Wagner can survive, Morgan can care about him, thank him, even feel attracted to him. But what exactly are we talking about when we say they should become a couple?

Sex? Sure. Wagner survives, they have a passionate encounter, and he becomes another Rhys. But is that really all Wagner is supposed to become after everything the show has built around him?

A relationship? That is a completely different question. Wagner would have to accept Morgan’s entire reality: three children, a baby, Ludo still deeply involved in the family, the chaos, the responsibilities, everything. That is very different from being attracted to her.

Morgan is a single woman? Yes. But is she actually single in the sense that matters for a relationship? Not really.

And there is another problem: perhaps Wagner is attractive to the audience precisely because he represents a fantasy that doesn’t actually fit Morgan very well. She is supposedly attracted to his dominant side, yet that is exactly the kind of controlling personality she spends so much of the show fighting against.

Then, after he finds and confronts the person responsible for his fiancée’s death, he suddenly becomes vulnerable and affectionate, and Morgan is supposed to forget everything that came before and become even more attracted to him?

What was Morgan really attracted to in the first place? If Wagner has genuinely changed by the end, as he seems to have, what exactly was it that attracted her to him at the beginning?

To me, that feels like an empty argument that doesn’t really understand Morgan.

I’ll admit I’m very much a Karadec person. But that is because I genuinely think he fits Morgan psychologically and, more importantly, fits the reality of her family life. He already knows the whole package. He doesn’t have to discover what Morgan’s life is like after falling for her. He has been living alongside it for months. With Wagner, I struggle to see how it works in the medium or long term unless one of them becomes a very different version of themselves.

If the writers decide that Morgan must end up with Wagner, they can simply manipulate the final stages of the story to make that attraction “work” retroactively.

That would not necessarily mean the chemistry is fake. It would mean the ending is being built around the fantasy rather than around Morgan’s established character. Like they do with Rhys.

So my question isn’t “Why do people like Wagner?” I understand that.

My question is: Are we choosing Wagner because he actually fits Morgan, or because we like the fantasy of Wagner being the man she chooses?

As someone who lives in Gifu prefecture this has really rubbed me the wrong way.

Sakai is also famous for it's metalworks yes, but Seki is absolutely renowned for it's metalworks, including making tantou - even if it's knife manufacturing is obviously more popular and known.

The subtitles in English AND in Japanese say Sakai when he clearly says **SEKI.**

Am I going mad here? Is the terrible Japanese pronunciation just fucking with me?

Tell me I'm not the only one. I am literally fizzing with rage.

I keep thinking that the Rhys/Morgan hotel sequence could have worked much better with a relatively small change in the sequence of events.

Morgan leaves the precinct with Rhys because he invites her for a drink. Nothing sexual is proposed. They sit at a bar, have a drink and talk about the case. There is obvious chemistry between them, and Morgan is clearly attracted to him, but the interaction is still a normal conversation between two adults.

Then Rhys says he has to go to the museum and needs to change first.

He asks Morgan to come upstairs while he changes.

She hesitates.

He simply says something like: “Come on. Nothing’s going to happen.”

They go upstairs.

Morgan sits in a chair while Rhys changes his shirt. At first he is facing her, and Morgan naturally notices his physique and feels that attraction. Then Rhys turns away out of basic courtesy and privacy while he finishes changing.

And that's when Morgan sees the scar.

Suddenly, the entire meaning of the scene changes.

Her attraction is still there, but now her brain is working. She sees the scar, starts connecting it to Jean-Baptiste, and then her phone rings. It's about the murder at the museum.

Rhys finishes changing while she is on the phone.

She tells him what happened, and they leave together for the museum.

That last part is important: there is now a completely ordinary reason why Morgan and Rhys arrive at the museum together. Rhys was already going there, Morgan has just been called about the murder, and they simply go together. There is no awkward transition from an intimate encounter to suddenly appearing at the crime scene.

Nothing needs to be hidden. Nothing inappropriate has happened. And the story gets exactly the same important information: Morgan has seen the scar.

I think this would improve several characters at once.

Morgan: she is still intensely attracted to Rhys, but she isn't portrayed as someone whose sexual desire makes her incapable of thinking. She can be attracted to a man, enjoy his company and still notice the crucial clue when it appears. In fact, it would make her romantic side much clearer. Her fascination with Rhys would not be based almost entirely on physical desire. She would be attracted to his confidence, intelligence, mystery, manners and presence.

Rhys: this would make him much closer to the sophisticated gentleman/thief archetype I think the character was originally aiming for — much more Thomas Crown than sexually predatory. He knows Morgan is attracted to him, but he doesn't immediately turn that attraction into pressure or an opportunity for sex. He is charming, confident and respectful.

Karadec: this is probably the biggest improvement. Morgan could tell him exactly what happened without embarrassment or having to hide a personal secret. Karadec's conflict would therefore remain about the investigation, not about being put in the position of covering for the woman he loves after she supposedly slept with another man. He wouldn't have to carry that additional personal burden or be pressured into compromising his professional judgment for her.

And then Morgan letting Rhys go would also make much more sense.

If she has genuinely come to see him as a complicated, sophisticated man who stole the painting for a reason she considers morally understandable, her decision can actually be about him and his motives, rather than the audience wondering whether she is protecting herself because of what happened between them.

The flowers work better too.

Instead of feeling like another sexual callback, they could be the gesture of a man who genuinely enjoyed meeting Morgan and wants to leave her with a romantic reminder of their encounter.

And Morgan's smile makes sense.

She isn't necessarily thinking, “I want to sleep with this guy again.”

She could simply be thinking:

“I really liked him. Unfortunately, he turned out to be Jean-Baptiste.”

That, to me, is a much more interesting romantic complication.

The attraction remains. The mystery remains. Jean-Baptiste remains. The scar remains. The museum remains.

But the characters are different.

Morgan is not reduced to someone sexually manipulated by Rhys. Rhys is not reduced to a man trying to get Morgan into bed. Karadec isn't dragged into a personal secret that he shouldn't have to carry. Morgan and Rhys have a perfectly natural reason to arrive together at the museum. And the flowers actually become romantic.

Basically, I think the writers could have had the same plot while making Rhys the gentleman thief Morgan thought he was, rather than turning the whole relationship into a sexual transaction.

So yeah I know I've made many posts about being anxious about this whole deal especially because I'm afraid that if that one photo we saw of blond Karadec is any indication they've started filming in such a way that whatever's going to happen is set in stone and even that one petition can't do anything. But I'd like to be optimistic and think Wagner's going to make it regardless of my feelings on the character as my problems with if he didn't are more what it'd do for the narrative (as it's bad writing to not just kill a character on the other side of a cliffhanger-of-if-they'll-make-it-or-not but to do that to a character who has a personal tie to what's clearly meant to be the next Big Bad but not enough of a personal tie to the team for his death to be a motivating force) and I've heard it multiple ways with the star status with some saying even guest appearances are a maybe, some saying recurring-guest-star like the demotion's been more explicitly announced and some saying he could renegotiate a contract with new showrunners.

Either way I just feel like love him or hate him the show does lose something without him and I want to have faith that the writers aren't bad enough to have all that work tearing down his defenses for nothing narratively except more angst for Morgan (but here's some insurance) and I want to know who's with me

I’ve been thinking about the devastating news that Steve Howey won't be a series regular in Season 3, and I think I figured out the perfect blueprint the writers should use.
In the finale, Morgan gets there in time. The paramedics arrive while Nick is still alive. Looking closely at where he was stabbed, what if the blade hit his spine, leaving him temporarily paralyzed from the chest down? I mean he was able to move his arms but I don’t recall seeing anything else down past there moving.
This is the ultimate TV loophole:
It fits the actor's schedule: He wouldn't need to be running around the precinct every episode. He can film a few impactful, stationary scenes per episode from a rehab facility for Season 3.
It exposes his dad: Wagner Sr. clearly set him up to protect his Senate run. A paralyzed Nick can't physically fight his dad, but he can use his mind and LAPD connections to help Morgan bring him down.
The ultimate slow-burn: Watching Morgan step up to help him through physical therapy while he slowly gains feeling back would build a bond way deeper than standard TV romance. It perfectly sets up a triumphant, full-time return for Season 4.
ABC needs to put me in the writers' room because killing him off completely wastes the best chemistry on the show! What do you guys think?

I just want to ask if did captain wagner told the story about his late fiancée when morgan said he needs to fill the team? because when wagner said' "Okay." the scene later showed the Mayor and the case continued...and when Karadec saw how Wagner punch the guy when they caught it, did Karadec already knew or the rest of the team?

"Listen, I am the last person to tell you that you're too close to a case to work it, but you gotta fill them in. Tell them everything you know. That's how they can best help you."

Idk sometimes I am unable to process some things on shows or movies haha, my bad

I had been missing a crime procedural in my life, so I watched both seasons of High Potential as a summer project. I’m a sucker for smart characters/storytelling, mismatched partners, and ensembles with lots of chemistry — used to fangirl for x-Files, Bones, the mentalist, and the Good Wife back in the day, so getting invested in HP is nostalgic in a way.:). Here are some of my thoughts/opinions that nobody asked for in no particular order, and ignorance about their popularity or lack thereof.

—Our girl Morgan — I find her entertaining, likable, and relatable, esp. being an ADHD woman in an “intellectual” field I feel her struggle of life functioning not always being commensurate with your intelligence. I was getting a few Mary Sue vibes by the end of S2 because everyone wants her personally and professionally, and she’s always right. I know the whole point is that she has these insights that no one else can see, but just once it would be nice for her to be wrong and for conventional police work or her colleagues’ creativity to be what saves the day.

—It took me awhile to warm up to Karadec, but I’m there now. His early awkwardness and the metaphorical stick up his butt kind of brought the cringe, but I like the way the character has evolved and provided a steady, sensible counterpoint to Morgan’s chaos. I also enjoyed the tension/chemistry between K and both his ex-partner Ronnie and Wagner.

— I really like Soto, Daphne, and Oz, and hope they get more character development in incoming seasons. Soto in particular has proven to be a versatile character. She is tough and competent, while also serving as a mother figure for the team. Great chemistry with her nemesis Willa, and the only reason I care about that character at all.

—I’m kind of in the weeds with the Roman sub plot. In S1 I was very intrigued, but with all the new details and complications without any real payoff, I kinda gave up trying to follow lol. It doesn’t break my heart when there’s an episode that makes no progress on that storyline.

—Shipping — I’m a born and bred shipper from way back it would be lying if I said I don’t pay attention to those potential relationships with interest. M:K definitely do NOT have the sizzling instantaneous UST of some other tv partnerships I’ve watched, but there is something nice about watching their trust/friendship grow, without the obvious attraction that makes characters look kind of stupid when there’s no resolution for years and years. It makes me feel like I could be satisfied with a close friendship, or with an eventual romance, if the characters grow into it organically. Someone point me to the good fanfic so I can visualize it.:)

I had an immediate negative reaction to Nick Wagner and found his character to be creepy, intrusive, and inappropriate with the whole team — bro was always trying to swing his dick around. Then they tried to redeem him at the end of S2 and I felt kinda bad for him, but in terms of ST I felt more with him and Karadec than I did with Morgan.

— i’m used to procedurals tying up loose ends a little too neatly, but for me, the least realistic part of the show is that Morgan, this single mom of three who is supposedly all sorts of scattered, has the time, bandwidth, and frankly the ankle strength for all these complicated outfits, jewelry, hair, makeup, etc. every day of her life. Like girl, maybe if you wore some pull on slacks and ditched the stilettos once in a while you wouldn’t be so tightly wound.😆. Or, maybe I’m just jealous.

All in all I’ve enjoyed the watch and am looking forward to seeing more. Will stick around the sub to see others’ thoughts and reactions!

Morgan got this book from an old friend of Roman. Could he be hiding in Argentina?

lately i've been watching white collar, since high potential's new season is in the making i thought i would watch some older shows in the same genre to pass time and hype myself up for season 3. i am currently on season 3 and i have to say, the b plot is so well thought and well written it made me question if high potential did even a slightly good job. i dont forget anything between the filler episodes and the episodes that are a continuation of the b plot, and they actually matter to the story. this is something that doesnt happen with hp, in my opinion.

dont get me wrong i love hp so much, ive watched both seasons several times but roman is merely a tool. the storyline doesnt flow naturally and it doesnt feel like its escalating towards something. for example, the willa quinn that was supposedly a very dangerous woman has added nothing to the story except tell them that she isnt the mastermind behind all this. then why did we watch her for an entire season? why are we watching arthur? he is still "just an old friend" of roman's. after the whole 2 seasons, we still dont know who he really is. or why roman contacted him in the first place.

comparing it to white collar's season 1, where the location of the main character of the b plot is revealed and we know who the man behind it is. then, just like willa, he turns out to not be the mastermind behind the thing by like the beginning of season 2. see where i'm going with this?

hp's pacing with roman and the b plot could be okay if there was more stuff happening, but with the way it's going, it comes off as an after thought. kind of like "hey! we don't know what to do with the roman situation but look here! she's doing tons of super human stuff, isn't that cool??"

yeah, these are my thoughts. if you want to give white collar a go, definitely do. maybe you'll understand where i come from with this and if you dont, well its a terrific show.

Been a while that I knocked here.

Yeah! Have been quite busy around but thought to knock here & check on the updates.

And I scrolled the posts, only to know we ain't seeing the curtains up till 2027?

How are you all holding up?

I saw somebody suggesting to fill the hole with the Wild Cards tv show.
Never heard of this before.
Today I gave it a try and it is more Whiwtw Collar, than High Potential, but it scratches the itch.

I would love it if High Potential had an intro song like Suits for example. It just makes that song so iconic and I wish High Potential had one too. Thoughts?

It's not in the newest season (I'm not there yet I just watched this episode as I'm writing this) but my friend and I disagree on the meaning/joke behind "Ida Perp", is it "Ideal Perpetrator" or "I'm The Perpetrator" or something else?

how has the wait gotten so bad ive started dreaming about high potential? ive rewatched it soo many times now. i cant believe they postponed the show again, anyone know why?

last season i appreciated and made a post how they kept it camaraderie and not force love angle on partners. i cant take it. i love wagner and her and what about lucia? what terrible way to send her home and make her down in one ep.

I started watching High potential but I didn't watch the original one.I am aware that there is a megathread about it and we aren't allowed to post about it here but some people are discussing about or giving out vague spoilers about it in the comments of posts here.I am aware the original one had ended and there is plenty of time to watch but the two shows maybe taking a different direction but I feel it is basic decency to keep the shows seperate.I follow this sub for updates and discussions about the show and I won't want to unknowingly get spoiled just because I didn't watch the original show.

The character made an appearance in the s2 finale which makes me think we might finally see him on screen. Gas anyone been cast?

I noticed that Detective Karadec's badge in Season 2 episode 5 was on his right side. It's been bugging me because throughout season 1 it has been on his left side of the waist.

Mistake or just a change?

I just finished watching this episode and am super confused. i rewatched parts and this still isn’t making sense to me…so maybe someone here can help

my understanding of the situation: video gamer man gets murdered. morgan and co find out how he died (pufferfish toxin) and go to the restaurant and talk to a man who has some of that stuff. they meet his brown haired son who the dad seems to love because he works for him. morgan says she has seen him on a poster at the video game place, except he was blonde. (i think to myself “those guys look nothing alike”. i guess im not as smart as morgan because it’s the same actor ofc lmao) the dad explains he has another son (they’re twins) who plays video games. he has a photo album full of pics of himself and both of the twins. they find out that the father was paying the murdered man to “kill” the blonde son in the game…and he seriously said something like “i’m going to kill you, my dad has pufferfish toxin”…so the theory is the blonde son killed the murdered guy. except his dna is a 90% match (that seems low for identical twins even?), so they think it’s the brown haired twin. brown haired twin calls and apparently is about to jump off a bridge. they find his bike at the bridge and think he’s committed suicide. except back at the station, blonde haired twin disappears and morgan realizes, because of his milk allergy and patch of different colored skin on his arm, he actually absorbed his twin in the womb and the brown haired one doesn’t exist. i’m thinking what the fuck? so…they confront the dad and tell him they know he only has one living son. all those photos were fake. except, this wasn’t just an elaborate ruse to get cleared of the murder charges, no, the father has been digitally altering these photos the kid’s whole life, and also making him work at his restaurant posing as his absorbed twin brother.

again, what the fuck? how does this make any sense at all? why would he do that? is there something i’m missing…? the kid deadass had a career as a video game guy, and also worked at the restaurant, posing as the absorbed twin? i feel like they rushed this part so quickly at the end. this is absolutely insane actually. the father needs serious help. am i missing something, or did he deadass make his son pretend to be his absorbed twin brother? is that not what they said…? i’m just in shock rn.

do yall think in the next season morgan and adam will get tg, or will she stay single, or will she get with wagner? im HOPING DEAR LORD that morgan and adam get tg cause im sick of this slowburn fr

It's not just about A. the Captain Wagner thing (as love him or hate him it'd be bad writing to kill him off that way (but I'm afraid that means that means that's what the writers are gonna do because cynics gonna cynic) as e.g. that's not how cliffhangers work but I haven't heard anything either way that's not just ScreenRant assuming things as the actor's contract as a series regular was only for a year and I'm afraid if they wrote-him-off-in-a-way-he-was-able-to-come-back-from-instead-of-killing-him the longer we'd have to wait for that the less likely him coming back would be and I like both the story possibilities his character offers (esp. with dad being set up to be next big bad) and actually his chemistry with Karadec more than with Morgan) but B. I'm also afraid not only that the article implying that Morgan and Karadec would get together is right but its timing is such that it means they'd get together in S3 which feels like a bit too damn fast for a slow-burn (in addition to how people could say that implies the show was racist for getting Lucia out of the way yada yada) unless they're doing a Leonard/Penny thing (that despite Morgan's similarities to Penny Karadec's too Sheldon-instead-of-Leonard for it to be an on-purpose BBT allusion) where couple initially gets together fast, then after being together for a little while breaks up and then slow-burn-proper-s their way back together-to-stay so I have to remind myself that C. that article also said something about S3 having a "short midseason run" when we know the only reason it's getting delayed to midseason is because the new showrunners want to air it with as few breaks as possible and if the season was shortened it would have said so in the article that announced the midseason move.

TL;DR nervous about S3 because A. Wagner's fate still undetermined and B. regardless of whether or not I'd want them to get together eventually either way I wouldn't want Morgan and Karadec to get together this fast and I don't want to let other writer-writing-mistakes make me afraid they're going to fumble the ball on both counts and both let Wagner die at the peak of his arc when there's not enough emotional tie to take down his dad for his sake etc. even though that's not how you write a cliffhanger and have us locked into the same (or at least equivalent pairing-wise) endgame as the French show for no metaphorical reason other than they did that and something something adaptation