Recap: High Potential "Grounded"

 

In this week's High Potential, Morgan Gillory faces a mid-air murder case and losing her badge as Internal Affairs targets her. Here's a recap of "Grounded."

The team is called to investigate the death of Captain Alonso Padilla, an Air Force veteran and therapist who moonlights as a skydiving instructor. In a truly bizarre crime, Padilla is found dead in his jumpsuit after a landing, having suffocated mid-air while surrounded by oxygen.

Morgan’s excitement for the case is quickly dampened by the return of Solomon, the "Target version of Will Trent" from Internal Affairs. Furious that Morgan racked up a $12,000 rush fee with the Medical Examiner, Solomon benches her and sends her to the Detective Training Academy (DTA).

The Investigation: While Morgan is stuck in a classroom with the strict Sergeant Dottie Reynolds, Karadec and the team struggle to connect the dots. They discover that Padilla was investigating a systemic flaw in the oxygen valves of Cadmus aircraft, which had already led to the death of a test pilot.

The Sidelined Savant: Despite being "grounded," Morgan can’t stay away. She sneaks calls to Karadec from under her desk at the academy and eventually cracks the case: the killer is Randy Pike, the lead engineer for the defense contractor. Pike replaced Padilla’s skydiving mask with a faulty valve that froze at high altitudes, causing a fatal CO₂ buildup.

Solomon officially fires Morgan after catching her meddling in the case one too many times. However, Soto and Wagner have a rare moment of alignment. Soto discovers that Solomon is having an affair with the Chief’s wife and uses the photos as leverage to get Morgan her job back.

In the B-plot, Soto receives a cryptic call from Arthur Ellis. He’s still off the grid and fleeing a mysterious pursuer, but warns her that whoever is following him likely knows where Roman is.

"Grounded" really highlighted Morgan's importance to the team, even with some challenges. She’s back on the force for now, and her time at detective school hints that the "old Morgan" might need to start following the rules—until that next "impossible" case comes along. That "mid-air suffocation" was one of the most creative "impossible" crimes we've seen, a perfect showcase of Morgan’s scientific skills. Solomon makes a convincing "bureaucratic villain,' adding a touch of realism—showing us that Morgan’s "messy charm" could be a real headache in a real police station. 

Watching Selena Soto go "dark" to protect her team was definitely one of the episode's highlights. Using blackmail to save Morgan was a daring move that really demonstrated how much this "found family" has grown. Captain Wagner’s risk-averse attitude is starting to cause some frustration, especially with his arguments with Karadec and Soto, which are creating a leadership gap. The Roman disappearance remains a compelling mystery, but those "five-minute phone calls" with Arthur are starting to feel a bit stagnant. We’re hoping for a big breakthrough soon. Overall, I give the episode an 8/10.

What did you think of this week's episode? Now that Soto has blackmailed Solomon to keep Morgan on the team, do you think she’s made a permanent enemy in Internal Affairs, or has she finally earned the department's respect? Leave a comment. 

You can catch High Potential Tuesdays at 9/8c on ABC and streaming the next day on Hulu.