TV Recap: High Potential — “Under the Rug” Shows How Power Hides in Plain Sight
High Potential strips away its polish in Season 2, Episode 9, “Under the Rug,” revealing a case where nothing — and no one — is as clean as it first appears. What begins as a shocking canyon crash quickly spirals into a layered conspiracy involving a hitman, a powerful tech mogul, and a law-enforcement cover-up hiding in plain sight. As Morgan Gillory follows the evidence where it leads, the investigation forces her to confront not only corruption at the highest levels, but the familiar sting of being underestimated — and reminded why she refuses to let injustice stay buried, no matter who wants it swept out of sight.
Season 2, Episode 9: “Under the Rug” - Written by Bob Goodman
Douglas Newmeyer (Keith Carradine), a wealthy industrialist, tests out a new golf club at a remote cliff on a valley trail. He angrily hurls his golf club after a bad shot, barking orders at his assistants to pick it up. From a distance, a man with a limp watches him through the lens of a rifle scope, carefully documenting Newmeyer’s movements in a notebook. The observer retreats to his truck — and moments later, the stalker’s SUV speeds down a winding canyon road. When he presses the brakes, nothing happens. The vehicle careens off the edge and plunges into the ravine below.
At home, Ludo Radovic (Taran Killam) arrives with flowers, only for Elliot (Matthew Lamb) to call Morgan Gillory (Kaitlin Olson) over in confusion — the delivery isn’t from Ludo. Ava (Amirah J) checks the card and immediately clocks the name: Rhys. Morgan brushes it off as “a guy I worked a case with,” but the tension lingers. When Ludo turns on the kitchen sink, water blasts everywhere, soaking Ava’s homework. The house is literally falling apart — and Morgan barely has time to react before she’s called into work. As she leaves for the Santa Monica Mountains, Elliot can’t help but ask if Rhys has a last name.
At the crash site, Lev “Oz” Osman (Dennis Akdeniz) confirms the victim is Curtis Behr, a man with a criminal record. Daphne (Javicia Leslie) reveals the brakes were deliberately cut at the top of the hill. Nearby, investigators recover Behr’s rifle, a notebook detailing surveillance of Newmeyer, and an envelope stuffed with $3,750. One note reads: “Balance upon completion — and I’m watching you, so I’ll know.” Morgan quickly realizes this wasn’t a simple accident. Scattered across the hillside are pristine orange golf balls. Studying their spread, Morgan determines Behr had been watching Newmeyer from uphill — and that the golfer swings left-handed. When they find a custom, 3D-printed left-handed golf club hidden in the brush, Karadec (Daniel Sunjata) realizes the unthinkable: the golfer didn’t get hit — he hit the hitman.
Back at LAPD, Oz recovers a digital camera from Behr’s truck. After developing the photos, Selena Soto (Judy Reyes) recognizes the subject immediately: Douglas Newmeyer, spokesman for the Newmeyer Sweep vacuum. Morgan remembers using one of those vacuums during a department cleanup — and recalls the faulty wiring scandal that killed four people last year. Newmeyer had been accused of knowing about the defect, though the FBI investigation is ongoing. Soto assigns Morgan and Karadec to track Newmeyer, then pulls Morgan aside with an update: Arthur Ellis’ truck was found abandoned, with no blood, no signs of struggle, and no prints other than his own. They’ll wait 24 hours before declaring him missing.
Back at the case board, Morgan notices something else — every footprint at the golfing site came from the same German-issue Vulkner boots. She suspects a former German military connection. Daphne runs with it and quickly identifies a private security firm with offices in Berlin and Los Angeles. Morgan, Karadec, and Oz follow the lead to a sleek modern home — and walk straight into a surprise.
Inside lies a man bleeding from the chest… who promptly wakes up and asks who the hell they are. Armed agents flood the room. It’s the FBI, which was in the middle of staging Newmeyer’s death as bait. Behr turned out to be an undercover FBI agent named Belanger.
Brought to the FBI, Karadec and Morgan are briefed by Special Agent Mayra Taylor (Rebeka Montoya), with Captain Nick Wagner (Steve Howey) warmly greeting her — they worked together undercover years ago. In a tense conference room, Wayne Vincent (Peter Jacobson) from LA CID presides over the joint task force with barely concealed condescension. The FBI explains they don’t yet know who hired Belanger. The client used fake credentials, and the next check-in wasn’t scheduled until tomorrow.
Morgan sees an opportunity to collapse two cases into one. She wants to dig into Newmeyer’s home life with Daphne while Wagner and Karadec search Belanger’s motel room. Wagner raises an eyebrow, knowing that she wants justice for the victims of his faulty vacuums. She doesn’t flinch. “I’m an incredible multitasker.”
At Newmeyer’s house, he cooperates fully, handing over his unlocked laptop. Morgan casually suggests that prison might actually be the safest place for him. Newmeyer recognizes Morgan’s advanced mental abilities, demeaning her for not putting it to better use. “All that intellect wasted,” he criticizes. As Newmeyer steps away, Morgan notices a framed photo of a school in Uppsala, Sweden, where he once taught engineering. Meanwhile, Daphne digs through his records but finds nothing overtly incriminating.
Elsewhere, Wagner and Karadec search Belanger’s motel room. Wagner opens up about his past working undercover in Oakland — a time when he distanced himself from family. He directly challenges Karadec about Morgan’s recent disappearance during the art heist case, implying he thinks Karadec is covering for her. Karadec fires back: if he is, Wagner can either approve it, or be a hypocrite. Wagner silently finds a hidden stash of Belanger’s casework beneath a loose floorboard.
Later, Morgan confronts Newmeyer more directly. She notices scar-concealing products in his bathroom and questions a woman in his photos wearing a UV scarf and a wedding ring. It’s an affair — one he failed to disclose to the FBI. Daphne notes that a jealous husband could have hired a hitman. Morgan demands the man’s identity.
The case board fills quickly: Joel Dorskind (Travis Greer), CPA, no criminal record. Soto confirms surveillance footage shows him buying envelopes matching the cash drop. A warrant is issued. During the FBI raid, Dorskind bolts — only to be tackled by Daphne. He insists the hit hasn’t happened yet and begs them to stop it. Evidence suggests he paid for the hit — but didn’t kill anyone.
Wagner believes Dorskind is their guy. Morgan disagrees. She spots orange fibers on the envelope — matching Belanger’s motel carpet. Someone moved evidence after the fact. The note about “being watched” wasn’t from Dorskind — it was planted by the real killer. Soto orders Oz and Daphne to dig deeper while Karadec contacts an old partner.
At home, Ludo struggles with the plumbing while Elliot awkwardly tries to push him toward asking Morgan out, pointing out the flowers again. After a phone call to Morgan, Ludo gently tells Elliot that he and Morgan won’t be getting back together, but they’ll always be a team. Elliot just needed to hear it.
The next morning, Morgan has her breakthrough. Reviewing personnel files, she spots deleted metadata tied to Uppsala, the same place Newmeyer and Wayne Vincent overlapped years ago while Vincent tracked international hackers. Surveillance photos reveal Vincent meeting with Newmeyer. Oz uncovers bank transfers between them, escalating in size.
At the FBI office, Morgan lays it all out. Vincent was in Newmeyer’s pocket, using the hitman plot to eliminate threats and protect him. Vincent murdered Belanger himself. Both men are arrested. Morgan delivers the final blow with quiet precision: “What a shame. All that intellect wasted.”
That night, Morgan lingers alone at the case board. Karadec finds her and notices she’s shaken. Newmeyer’s words cut too close — reminding her of her father. Karadec doesn’t hesitate. He tells her she’s invaluable. That the world is better with her in it. And for proof? She should go home.
Next Episode: “Grounded” - Airing Tuesday, January 20th, at 9/8c on ABC.
The team investigates the midair murder of an Air Force veteran, and Morgan works to crack the case despite being sidelined to mandatory detective training. Elsewhere, Wagner and Soto’s leadership conflict comes to a head.
Songs Featured in This Episode:
- “The Jerk” by Don Julian & The Larks
- “Feels Like Sunshine” by Norman
- “Paddling Out” by Miike Snow”
- “Sidelines” by Phoebe Bridgers