TV Recap: The Art of the Steal — High Potential’s “The One That Got Away” Paints a Perfect Crime
Morgan Gillory’s personal mystery collides with an international art heist in the midseason cliffhanger of High Potential. When a $20 million Rembrandt vanishes from a Los Angeles museum, Morgan and Karadec are pulled into a case that blurs the line between obsession and crime. But while Morgan hunts a thief, her past begins to close in — Arthur Ellis warns her that the secrets inside Roman’s backpack may have already made her a target, and a charming art expert named Rhys Eastman could be her undoing.
Season 2, Episode 7: “The One That Got Away” - Written by Marc Halsey
A quiet night at The Harbach Museum shatters when sparks flash across the skylight. A thief cuts through the glass and disables the cameras with a laser. One guard (Casey Adams) is taken out while the other (ChiffonaRay) is unable to see what occurs due to a smoke bomb that the thief sets off. When the air clears, a priceless Rembrandt has vanished into the night.
Morgan Gillory (Kaitlin Olson) is on the freeway when she gets a call from Arthur Ellis (Mekhi Phifer), her ex’s old associate. He’s convinced he’s being followed by a black car. Morgan urges him to call the police, but Arthur reminds her, “Roman wasn’t too keen on the cops, remember?” When she admits she hasn’t made sense of the backpack yet, Arthur warns her to hide it — and to be careful. “Someone might be after it,” he says grimly.
At LAPD, Morgan and Adam Karadec (Daniel Sunjata) show the backpack to Selena Soto (Judy Reyes), insisting they keep it confidential. Their conversation halts when Captain Nick Wagner (Steve Howey) sticks his head in, asking what they’re working on. Soto coolly deflects — “Old case.” Wagner quickly reassigns them to a high-profile robbery.
At the museum, the manager (Reggie De Leon) explains that the stolen painting is Rembrandt’s Young Girl Leaning on a Window Sill (1645), on loan from private collectors, the Fosters. Valued at $20 million, it had only been displayed for a week. Karadec notes the rope line dangling from the skylight and white powder scattered on the floor — evidence sent to the lab. Morgan studies the walls and points out that more valuable works were left untouched. “If this was about money,” she says, “the thief would’ve taken the best score. This one’s personal. They wanted her.”
Back at the precinct, a British man wheels in a carry-on suitcase — Rhys Eastman (Aiden Turner), an art-recovery specialist flown in by the museum’s insurance company. Morgan bristles at his presence, finding it insulting that more attention is paid to a missing painting of a girl than a missing girl herself. As they discuss the case, Morgan reiterates her belief that the theft was personal. Rhys disagrees, saying these cases are always about money. Wagner orders them to work together.
At the Fosters’ lavish mansion, Morgan notes a yacht photo labeled Easy Monet. The couple (Joel de la Fuente and Tricia O’Kelley) explains that they never had children, so they think of the girl in the painting as their daughter. “Loaning her out increases visibility,” Greg says. “We wanted the world to see her.” Morgan accuses them of inflating the resale value, while Rhys keeps the peace, promising his contacts can help recover “your servant girl.” Morgan flinches at the phrasing, and Karadec has to intervene as she and Rhys discuss details of the painting. They leave with a copy of a book detailing the painting’s history.
Studying the book later, Morgan finds the work changed hands repeatedly — first sold by Rembrandt himself, then resurfaced in Europe during WWII. Oz (Dennis Akdeniz) reports that the white residue was aluminum oxide, a melting compound used to dissolve glass without shattering. Daphne (Javicia Leslie) connects it to a string of 19 museum heists worldwide where the same chemical was found. The online community calls the thief “Jean-Baptiste,” first identified after a painting was stolen in Paris twelve years ago. Five years ago, he was shot in Madrid in the back of the left shoulder and vanished. Rhys calls him a myth. Daphne also finds a lawsuit filed by a man named Ari Weisman, and Wagner sends Karadec, Morgan, and Rhys to talk to them.
Ari Weisman (Jon Abrahams) claims the Rembrandt rightfully belonged to his grandmother Miriam (Rita Zohar), who survived the Holocaust. The court dismissed the claim for lack of proof. At their modest home, Miriam tells them her father owned the painting in Krakow before it was seized by the Nazis. She spent decades searching auction catalogs until she finally found it listed for $20 million. Her first lawsuit attempt failed. Morgan spots the same family photo in the book’s provenance chapter. Rhys seems genuinely sympathetic, calling the portrait “one of his favorites.” Ari insists he was at home all night. When Morgan asks about his name appearing in the museum’s visitor log, he says, “I just went to take a picture of it for my grandmother.”
Meanwhile, Soto, Daphne, and Oz log every item from the backpack for forensics and fiber analysis. Soto instructs them, “If the captain asks, tell him to talk to me.” When Oz flags one photo the system can’t identify, Soto stares at it and says softly, “I’ll take it from here.”
Back home, Morgan hires Ava (Amirah J) as a temporary babysitter. Ava presses her for updates on the bag. Morgan’s evasive — “These things take time” — and the tension simmers.
The next day, Karadec questions museum staff. One employee (Stephanie Styles) recalls seeing a man loitering near the Rembrandt, sweaty as if he’d just been for a run. She identifies Ari Weisman from a photo. Morgan, frustrated, moves Ari and Miriam from suspects to victims on the case board. “The painting was stolen from them first,” she says. She believes it should rightfully go back to the Weismans.
Rhys steps away to take a call, and Morgan discreetly follows. He admits someone contacted him claiming to know where the painting is, and wants to meet. “He said he’d only talk to me,” Rhys insists. Morgan refuses to let him go alone, adding that she’s not a cop.
At the Harbach Museum, Rhys flirts with Morgan as they wait for his contact, complimenting her detective instincts and teasing her into following him up to the roof. He insists she’s just like him — unable to walk away from a puzzle. She breaks police tape sealing the door to the roof and they step out. Morgan notices the mirrored skylights, realizing the thief couldn’t have seen inside. A guard delivers a small package addressed to Rhys that was found outside. Inside: a Polaroid of the stolen Rembrandt, held beside that morning’s newspaper. On the back, a message — 1 p.m., Woodley Park. Bring $500,000.
Ava, meanwhile, discovers Arthur Ellis’ business card in one of Morgan’s jackets while trying on her mom’s clothes. Elliot (Matthew Lamb) tries to bargain for part of her babysitting money, but Ava’s distracted. She pockets the card.
At LAPD, Wagner explodes at Morgan for reopening the sealed crime scene with Rhys. “Are you trying to sabotage this case?” he shouts. She argues that they got a lead there, showing him the Polaroid, but Wagner refuses to let Morgan, or Rhys, continue to be involved with this case. “You may not like rules, but in my precinct, you follow command,” he warns her. Wagner leaves with Karadec to respond to the rendezvous.
Rhys tells Morgan this is why he works alone. “Do you drink alone?” she asks. He smirks: “Not if I can help it.” They get in his car and drive away.
The Fosters return to the precinct, demanding an update. Karadec shows them the Polaroid and tells them they’re working on the case, asking for their patience.
Arthur answers a call from Ava Sinquerra. She says she wants to know more about her dad. Arthur suggests dinner with her and Morgan, insisting that Ava’s mom be present. “Roman didn’t always do things the easy way,” he says, “but he always did the right thing.”
As Karadec drives Wagner to the meeting point, they talk about Morgan. Wagner says he trusts her, but needs to know where she is while on duty in case things go south. He wants that same level of transparency from all of his employees. “Next time you lose your cool with her, I’d suggest a different approach,” Karadec warns, adding that things will got south between the two of them if what happened today happens again.
At Woodley Park, a bearded man sits on a bench and murmurs “All clear” into a hidden mic. But while Karadec and Wagner wait, a car alarm blares, and Karadec sees a carjacking in progress. Against Wagner’s instructions to ignore it, Karadec rushes over, claiming to be the car’s owner. The thief (Marcus Allen Bailey) pulls a gun on Karadec, who is forced to do the same, announcing he’s a cop. Another car screeches out of the lot, the person there to trade for the painting. Wagner takes off after him, while Karadec gets in the stolen car and joins the chase. The getaway car gets away.
Morgan and Rhys end up at his hotel’s bar. She complains that Wagner’s a nepotistic hire. Rhys opens up about his own past, saying his dad was a binman and he was bullied for it. Museums were the only place where he felt on an equal level with all other patrons. “You need something exciting enough to pull you out of your head,” he flirts. “Like what?” she asks. “I have a few ideas.”
Upstairs, they make out against a wall in Rhys’ room. Things get so heavy that his shirt comes off. But Morgan isn’t out of her head enough to notice a bullet scar on his left shoulder. The same place Jean-Baptiste was shot. Memories flood in: his comment that he’s “the only one who does what I do,” calling the stolen painting his favorite. Then she sees it — a crate in the corner of the room, propped at an angle, the right size for the stolen art. Her phone buzzes. She pulls away, shaken.
At the museum garage, Karadec finds a man lying face down in a pool of blood. “Our case just got blown wide open,” he tells Morgan over the phone.
At her desk, Soto studies the mysterious photo. “Who are you?” she whispers to it.
Across town, Arthur Ellis climbs into his truck. The same bearded man (John Pyper-Ferguson) from the backpack photo rises from the backseat. “Where is it?” he growls. “I want that backpack.”
To be continued on Tuesday, January 6th, at 10/9c on ABC.
Songs Featured in This Episode:
- “Not My Problem” by Noga Erez
- “Walk of Fame” by Miley Cyrus feat. Brittany Howard