Critic’s Rating: 3.4 / 5.0
3.4
Whoever they have in the High Potential writers’ room is certainly having a good time letting their imaginations run wild with these cases of the week.
“The Sauna at the End of the Stairs” was far more fun than it had any right to be.
Also, I’m not a true crime nut, but that’s the name of a murder documentary that I would absolutely watch.
As I’ve said before, many of the episodes, including this one, feel like they could be fleshed out into multiple parts.
Do you know what else has become a common occurrence on High Potential? Sleazy victims who kind of had it coming.
Seriously, what is with the majority of the victims being terrible people when they were alive?
It’s Hard Not to Justify a Son Defending His Mother from Abuse
One factor to keep in mind when considering how terrible a lot of the victims are is how memorable the cases are. Think about it. How many police procedural cases can you give the details for?
For the most part, they’re pretty forgettable because they usually don’t matter by the next episode. That is where High Potential is dipping into an untapped market.
Having the victim be a truly awful person is how you keep a case stuck in a viewer’s head long after they have watched.
For example, I still haven’t gotten over how much of a scumbag the victim in High Potential Season 1 Episode 3 was.
The victim was a conman who defrauded women out of their money, one of which was a lonely doctor who had recently lost her husband. The other was an older woman with memory problems who he had seduced into giving him her life’s savings.
Suffice it to say that character sucked, and unfortunately, he was also sexy as hell. You hate to see the hot ones go bad.
However, there was nothing remotely attractive about the victim in High Potential Season 1 Episode 11, inside or out. I hope there is a special place in hell for men who beat their wives.
Like in a few episodes of High Potential, the viewers would be justified in rooting for the killer. In this case, it was a young son who couldn’t take the abuse his mother was receiving anymore.
High Potential Has a Rolodex of TV Royalty And Is Certainly Making the Calls
You have to give it up to the hands behind the show to craft a series that can handle such intense topics while using lines like “Ring around the nosey” to refer to nostril nom noms.
All joking aside, High Potential manages to weave so many different tales in every episode without losing the thread. No one installment feels out of place in High Potential Season 1.
For one thing, the series manages to play things close to the chest, even with its guest stars. “The Sauna at the End of the Stairs” and “Chutes and Murders” have closer ties than some viewers might realize.
This episode introduced audiences to Captain Selena’s boss, Captain Pacheko, (I think I’m spelling that right), played by none other than Keith David, an actor you’re familiar with whether you realize it or not.
Seriously, I don’t think there’s a person left alive who hasn’t seen David in one project or another.
The man has been acting for fifty years, going all the way back to Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood as Keith David the Handyman. That’s TV royalty right there.
Most recently, David has starred in such shows as The Flash, True Lies, Stargirl, and the insanely wild ride Future Man.
Anyone open-minded enough to have seen the Hulu series knows it was one bonkers episode after another. They also know that a co-star from that show was just on High Potential.
On High Potential Season 1 Episode 10, fellow Future Man star Eliza Coupe made her way onto the show as the hilariously dry Carina Wilson, who bonded with Morgan over Cadbury Creme Eggs.
Don’t you love it when the multiverse of TV shows collide in the most random of ways? I said it in my review of “Chutes and Murders,” and I’ll say it again: Carina needs to make another appearance.
High Potential Thankfully Doesn’t Rely on Viewers to Solve the Insane Web That Every Case Seems to Weave. That’s What Morgan and Her Big Brain Are For
As for the case itself, while every episode is a mystery in its own right, “The Sauna at the End of the Stairs” was heavy with the “whodunit” elements throughout.
For starters, raise your hand if you can’t help but giggle at Morgan’s Clue-like reenactment of the murder. Where’s Tim Curry when you need him?
Little things, like seeing the murder through Morgan’s eyes, keep the cases interesting because High Potential is not afraid of an overly complicated murder.
To be fair, if all the murders were cut and dry, Morgan would hardly be needed because, between Selena (Judy Reyes), Karadec (Daniel Sunjata), Oz (Deniz Akdeniz), and Daphne (Javicia Leslie), the team can handle good old-fashioned homicide.
Still, it’s often hard to follow what is happening as one clue drops after another. Luckily, High Potential doesn’t require its viewers to solve the case.
Hell, even Morgan struggled with this one, and why wouldn’t she? It was a ten-year-old case. It’s a miracle anyone remembered anything, especially with how prone that family was to killing brain cells.
In the end, though, despite Morgan beautiful-minding her way right through to the truth, it was the son, Cody’s confession, that was the final nail in the coffin.
It’s kind of scary to think that even with the truth laid out in the clear-cut way that Morgan presented it, the only thing that worked was the killer’s confession.
Don’t think about it too long or you’ll get depressed, as I’ve just now experienced.
High Potential Continues to Crack the Code on What Police Procedurals Could be
High Potential is still playing fast and loose with the overarching plot of Morgan’s missing ex, Roman. I swear, the show acknowledges the case just enough so viewers won’t forget about it, but also won’t think about it too long.
The series had the nerve to rip open every viewer’s heart with High Potential Season 1 Episode 9, “The Rams,” and then acted like none of it happened by the next episode.
Whatever the case is, I’m still keeping my eyes open for any clues about what the show has in store for Morgan and Karadec’s relationship.
Don’t think I didn’t notice the way they were playing around with each other. In fact, the episode started and ended with it.
Do you think it’s just a coincidence that “The Sauna at the End of the Stairs” ended with Morgan discovering the toy badge Karadec left pinned to her jacket?
As a side note, Morgan (Kaitlin Olson) might need to cool down her wardrobe. Those animal prints are getting out of control. At some point, it’s time to step away from the tiger prints.
While some viewers think Morgan needs to cool down on the boots and mini-skirts, I actually like that this has become her signature look. Plus, she can’t chase down criminals anyway, not being an actual police officer.
High Potential has quickly become one of ABC‘s biggest hits, and for good reason. I wouldn’t mind if it stayed around for many years to come as long as Morgan’s heart stays as big as her brain.
Who did you think the killer was before the big reveal at the end?
Do you think High Potential has cracked the code on what police procedurals could be?
Drop a comment below to let me know what you liked about this episode, and join me again when I review another episode of High Potential!
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