🔗 Share this article

Do we ever tire of the genius detective? Probably not – the satisfaction of seeing a remarkably talented person crack incredibly intricate cases is one of fiction’s most reliable draws. As ever, our screens are swarming with such characters: in the past year alone we’ve met Ludwig, David Mitchell’s riddle-creator turned brilliantly perceptive detective; seen the return of Natasha Lyonne’s human lie-detector Charlie Cale in Poker Face; and encountered once again with brainiac attorney Elsbeth.

A Unique Breed of Genius Detective

Also back for more mental gymnastics is Morgan Gillory, the lead character of lighthearted crime series High Potential, which returns for a second season. With an IQ of 160 – giving her “exceptional mental ability” – Morgan’s ability to unravel mind-bendingly complicated sequences of events is downright astonishing. Yet there’s something a little different about this particular clever-clogs crimestopper.

Since an reclusive drug addict by the name of Sherlock Holmes established the genius detective mold, such characters have usually had some flaws. Ludwig is reclusive, his talents tempered by intense awkwardness. Cale is a unpredictable, commitment-phobic outsider fond of a drink or two, while Elsbeth is a no-filter weirdo who unnerves others.

Morgan – portrayed by Kaitlin Olson – has no comparable weaknesses. Initially, she’s working as a cleaner in the offices of the police department. After accidentally knocking over a pile of investigation notes and noticing some serious errors, she leaves a clue to point the officers in the right direction. Before long, she’s recruited to work with the police, where she duly solves a series of highly complex crimes almost single-handedly.

A Well-Rounded Heroine

Morgan is not just exceptionally intelligent, she’s also a fearless, charismatic, glamorous, stunning achiever with perfect intuition and off-the-charts emotional intelligence. She may be a little pushy at times, but now she’s in the business of saving lives and apprehending criminals, a bit of urgency isn’t entirely inappropriate.

If Morgan is almost ideal in every way, the same can’t be said for her life – initially. A single mother of three, she finds it hard to cover expenses, and mostly uses her mind palace to get the most out of her coupon-assisted supermarket shop. Motherhood can, naturally, hinder women’s professional lives, but Morgan’s willingness to put up with the demands and pay of a low-paying job doesn’t quite ring true.

Juggling Believability and Entertainment

Similarly hard to buy is the show’s primary subplot: underpinning all her disparate cases is Morgan’s determination to track down the father of her eldest child, who vanished without a trace 15 years ago. In spite of her incredible powers of deduction, she hasn’t the foggiest idea where he is.

But High Potential doesn't focus heavily with realism. Made by ABC in the US, this is slick, easy-watching network TV. It’s popular and easy on the eye, the sort of thing typically found more with ITV than BBC Two. Morgan’s new colleagues are uniformly nice, underdeveloped guys: suave detective Karadec, investigators Daphne and Oz, plus Lt Selena Soto, possibly the most fair and most approachable police chief in detective show history. No antiheroes, little grit: the atmosphere is cosy and heartwarming and somewhat simple.

Tension and Excitement

Naturally, the crimes are far from comforting or sentimental or straightforward. The first season's conclusion saw Morgan taunted by a kidnapper who compelled her to solve ludicrously difficult puzzles to save the lives. He returns in the opening double bill here, kidnapping a young mother on her way home from a night out – but his real target is clearly Morgan, whom he sees as a formidable rival in his actual match of chess.

Watching her get agonizingly near to outwitting this man is nerve-wracking and exciting, but something this out-there requires a watertight ending. The question is: does the show prove as clever as its protagonist?

Conclusion

Simply put, no. The show is quite effective at keeping the tension going, but it fails to deliver the landing, and the storyline concludes with a far-fetched twist. Still, there’s always next time. Actually, Morgan’s following investigation – although equally bizarre – is better thought through, ending with a satisfying and surprisingly moving finale. The quality of the plotting may be somewhat inconsistent, but similar to other predecessors and peers, this masterful citizen detective can always be relied upon to save the day.