High Potentialleft season 1 on a cliffhanger regarding its big Roman mystery, but one theory could have major repercussions for the LAPD. The hit ABC procedural follows Kaitlin Olson as Morgan Gillory, an eccentric genius who helps the LAPD’s Major Crimes Division. Among her coworkers are Lieutenant Selena Soto (Judy Reyes), Daphne Forrester (Javicia Leslie), Lev“Oz”Ozdil (Deniz Akdeniz), and Detective Adam Karadec (Daniel Sunjata). Though Morgan solves crimes by day, her one condition for accepting the consultant position is Selena (and later on, Karadec) helping her investigatewhat happened to Roman inHigh Potential.
Roman, the father of Morgan’s eldest child, Ava (Amirah J), vanished 15 years prior to the series. TheHigh Potentialseason 1 finaleincluded multiple bombshell revelations regarding the cold case, ranging fromRoman being a former FBI informantto Karadec flat-out telling Morgan he knows where her ex-husband is. Unfortunately, the last thing Karadec says before the episode ends is that Roman is alive, meaning no further answers will come untilHigh Potentialseason 2. Thankfully,High Potentialleft enough clues to piece together possible explanations— gleaning what potentially really happened with admittedly generous logic.
High Potential’s Corrupt FBI Theory, Explained
A Convoluted Answer To The Long-Running Mystery
While an earlytheory speculated that Roman had uncovered corruption within the LAPD,High Potentialepisodes 12 and 13 offered a higher-stakes alternative: the FBI. The more recentHigh Potentialtheory, bolstered by the reveal that Roman was working undercover for the FBI before he disappeared, posits that he disappeared after discovering shady dealings within the federal organization. What makes this theory more plausible is that Lila Flynn, Roman’s handler, was shot execution style shortly before Roman vanished, a personal murder which implies a possible inside job.
High Potential Solidifies Its Place As Psych’s Spiritual Successor 11 Years Later
High Potential and Psych have been compared since before the new ABC drama premiered, but the season 1 finale proves just how similar they are.
Since Roman already expressed concern to Gio Conforth (Domenick Lombardozzi) before disappearing inHigh Potential, there’s no telling whether his fear stemmed from a criminal he was snitching on or the federal agents he was reporting to. Another popular theory surroundingRoman’sHigh Potentialfate suggests that he has been in the Witness Protection Program, but I doubt the thorough digging of Selena, Karadec, and Morgan (combined with some off-the-record help at the FBI) would have missed an explanation as straightforward as that. Roman very well might be off the grid, but he’s certainly not under federal supervision.
Why Ronnie Is The Best Candidate As The Corrupt FBI Agent In High Potential
The Timeline Is Tricky But Possible
WhileHigh Potential’s fictionalized FBI was introduced in episode 12 (“Partners”), only one character was prominent enough to be a potential suspect: Ronnie (Jocko Sims), Karadec’s former partner. During the tenseHigh Potentialseason 1 casewhere Karadec and Ronnie battled for dominance, Karadec explains their complicated history to Morgan.Karadec alleges he and Ronnie were framed by corrupt copswho wanted to ruin their reputation, using misplaced evidence to sow doubt in the department. Rather than fight the scandal, Ronnie left the LAPD a few years prior toHigh Potentialto join the FBI.
Ronnie offers to pull strings and get Karadec an immediate position at the FBI at the end of episode 12, displaying the sway he has within the bureau.
The candid discussion helpeddevelop Morgan and Karadec’s relationship inHigh Potentialepisode 12, but it also left unanswered questions about Ronnie. It’s impossible to tell how long he had been planning on joining the FBI, meaning whatever agent Roman discovered could have poached Ronnie early on and groomed him to be the newest accomplice in the FBI’s cold case. Alternatively,Ronnie could have learned about Roman after joining the FBIand felt compelled to continue burying the investigation, including derailing sleuths by feeding them misleading information.
Ronnie’s Possible Betrayal Puts Karadec’s Life In Danger
Old Partners May Square Off
If Ronnie becomesHigh Potential’s next twist villain, Karadec will likely find himself caught in the crosshairs. The LAPD’s investigation into Roman has been fairly under the table thus far, but Karadec reveals himself to be involved inHigh Potentialepisode 13after he calls in a favor for Ronnie to look for information. Ronnie brings him a dossier of vital yet deeply confidential details, even advising Karadec to burn the file after reading it. However,Ronnie’s fierce loyalty to Karadec could easily be smoke and mirrorsto cover his own tracks. As such, Ronnie could easily target Karadec.
Taran Killam
Ludo
Ronnie turning into a subtle antagonist would be a unique pivot for the procedural, but theending ofHigh Potentialseason 1promises that the true story of Roman’s disappearance will come to light quickly. Plus, it’s entirely possible that the FBI is corrupt inHigh Potential, but Ronnie could still be a good guy. Consequently, Ronnie might once again join forces with Karadec and become an unlikely ally to the covert investigation.
Perhaps, this is when we find out that he has just been coerced to keep the lid on the mystery about Roman.
Considering his time with the bureau, it’s unlikely that he was directly involved in whatever shenanigans his fellow agents may have tried to pull off. This is arguably a more compelling way to tackle this situation instead of simply painting him as a bad guy. Regardless of Ronnie’s role (or lack thereof) in the Roman mystery,High Potentialwill have much-needed answers when the crime drama returns.
