In the latest episode of ABC’s High Potential, titled “Under the Rug,” what starts as a suspicious car crash pulls the LAPD into a twisted FBI conspiracy. The Major Crimes team finds a murder case where the victim was an undercover agent and the killer was a high-ranking official within the FBI itself. As Morgan and Karadec untangle the web of lies, Morgan also faces personal demons when a suspect’s cruel words echo painful criticism from her past.
The episode, which aired on Tuesday, January 13, 2026, returns to a standalone case format after a major two-part story but keeps the ongoing mystery of Arthur’s disappearance simmering in the background.
The Case of the Fake Hitman and a Deadly Vacuum
The investigation kicks off when a man surveilling a golfer from a cliffside road dies in a horrific crash after his brakes are cut. The victim, initially identified as an ex-con named Curtis Behr, is found with a rifle, cash, and notes detailing his target: wealthy inventor Douglas Newmeyer. Newmeyer is the public face of a popular vacuum cleaner knowingly sold with faulty wiring linked to several fatal fires.
The team’s pursuit of Newmeyer leads them straight into an FBI sting operation. They discover the “hitman” was actually FBI Agent Curtis Bellinger, who was working deep undercover. The FBI was using him to catch someone trying to hire an assassin, planning to fake Newmeyer’s death with photos. Bellinger’s murder blew their operation wide open and forced an uneasy partnership between the LAPD and the FBI, led by agents Mira Taylor and her boss, Wayne Vincent.
Morgan’s Personal Struggles and a Difficult Co-Parenting Talk
While working the case, Morgan faces turmoil at home. The episode opens with her receiving an expensive bouquet of flowers delivered by her ex-husband, Ludo. The card reveals they are from Rhys, the art dealer from the previous two episodes, sparking curiosity and questions from her family.
This gesture leads to a heartfelt moment between Ludo and their son, Elliot. The boy, hopeful his parents might reconcile, pushes Ludo to make a move. Ludo gently sits Elliot down for a honest conversation.
โYour mother and I realized we didn’t make a great coupleโฆ We realized we work better as friends,โ Ludo tells his son, offering a simplified but truthful explanation for their breakup.
Showrunner Todd Harthan later confirmed there is more complexity to Morgan and Ludo’s past, but Ludo’s version was what Elliot needed to hear in the moment.
Uncovering Corruption Within the FBI
The case takes its first turn when Morgan discovers Newmeyer is having an affair. They track down the woman’s husband, Joel Dorskind, who confesses to hiring the hitman but is shocked to learn the man is dead. Evidence proves Dorskind paid for the hit but did not commit the murder.
Morgan spots a critical clue: orange carpet fibers on the cash envelope found in Bellinger’s truck. These fibers match the carpet in Bellinger’s hotel room. The team realizes someone with inside knowledge moved evidence to frame Dorskind. Their suspicion shifts to someone within the FBI who had access to both the hotel room and the investigation details.
Morgan’s breakthrough comes from a photograph in Newmeyer’s study and a detail in an FBI personnel file. She sees a picture of a school in Uppsala, Sweden, where Newmeyer once taught. Cross-referencing this with the files, she finds that Wayne Vincent, the FBI supervisor on the case, was also stationed in Uppsala years earlier while tracking hackers.
The final piece falls into place when the team recovers deleted photos from Bellinger’s camera. The images show Vincent secretly meeting with Newmeyer. Bank records confirm Vincent was on Newmeyer’s payroll, accepting bribes to bury the federal investigation into the deadly vacuums. When the undercover agent Bellinger uncovered this corruption, Vincent killed him to protect the scheme.
A Painful Echo from Morgan’s Past
Throughout the case, Morgan’s interactions with Douglas Newmeyer grow increasingly tense. She is visibly angered by his willingness to ignore the fatal flaws in his product for profit. During one confrontation, Newmeyer turns his venom on Morgan directly, attacking her character in a way that cuts deep.
โAll that intellect, wasted. And this chaos act you put on, you pretend it’s a choice; it’s all a cover to hide that you can’t apply yourself even if you wanted to, because you lack self-discipline. It’s the real reason you’ve accomplished nothing, and you never will,โ Newmeyer tells her.
These words haunt Morgan because they mirror criticisms she heard from her own father, who shares her genius-level intellect but used it as a weapon. Showrunner Todd Harthan explained that the scene was a deliberate glimpse into Morgan’s complicated past. โIt goes back to childhoodโฆ the judgment or disappointment of a father is something that always lives very close to the surface for her,โ Harthan said.
After the arrests are made, Morgan gets the final word, throwing Newmeyer’s own insult back at him: โWhat a shame. All that intellect wastedโ. However, the victory feels hollow for her. She stays late at the station, staring at the case board, still troubled.
Karadec finds her and immediately understands the source of her distress. In a quiet and supportive moment, he reassures her of her value.
โIf you need proof that the world’s a better place for you being in it, go home,โ Karadec tells her, pointing to the life and family she has built.
The Lingering Mystery of Arthur’s Disappearance
While the FBI case is solved, the episode does not resolve the larger season mystery. Arthur Ellis, Morgan’s friend and the unit’s civilian assistant, remains missing after vanishing at the end of the two-part episode.
Captain Selena Soto updates Morgan, noting that forensics found no signs of a struggle, no blood, and no foreign prints in Arthur’s abandoned truck. Protocol forces them to wait 24 hours before officially declaring him a missing person, leaving the team in a tense holding pattern.
The episode strongly implies Arthur disappeared because he learned something dangerous related to Roman’s backpack, a clue from an earlier case. His absence casts a shadow over the resolved murder, reminding viewers that a larger, more threatening conspiracy is still unfolding.
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