The latest episode of High Potential delivered a major shock as the LAPD’s most brilliant consultant, Morgan Gillory, faced the ultimate consequence for her rule-breaking ways. In Season 2 Episode 10, titled “Grounded,” Morgan’s job was put on the line after an internal investigation, forcing her team to rally in a desperate attempt to save her career. The episode, which aired on Tuesday, January 20, 2026, on ABC, also featured a complex mid-air murder case that only Morgan could solve.
The Skydiving Murder That Started It All
The episode opened with a shocking crime: a skydiving instructor and Air Force therapist, Captain Alonso Padilla, was murdered mid-jump. Morgan and her partner, Detective Adam Karadec, were called to the scene. Morgan quickly deduced that a threatening note found in the victim’s jumpsuit was several days old, meaning the killer had planned the murder in advance.
As the team investigated, they learned Padilla had been treating test pilots for what appeared to be PTSD. He had grown suspicious that their symptoms were linked to a new prototype aircraft, Cadmus, being developed by Flagstone Defense Systems. Padilla’s secret investigation put a target on his back, leading to his death during a routine skydive.
Morgan Sent to Detective Training Academy
Meanwhile, Morgan faced professional trouble. Lieutenant Solomon from Internal Affairs discovered that Morgan had pressured a medical examiner to rush an autopsy on a previous case, resulting in a $12,000 bill for the department. As punishment, Solomon ordered Morgan to attend the Detective Training Academy and banned her from working on the active Padilla case.
โYour insubordination isn’t a quirk, Morgan, it’s a liability,โ Solomon told her, making the department’s frustration with her methods clear.
At the academy, instructor Sergeant Dottie Reynolds found Morgan to be disruptive but undeniably gifted. In her final evaluation, Reynolds called Morgan a “one-woman hurricane” but noted that her unique talents could be “wielded to great effect” with proper supervision. Despite this recommendation, Internal Affairs had already made its decision.
Captain Wagner’s Controversial Orders
Back on the murder case, the team hit a wall. They found Padilla’s hidden investigation board but could not decipher his complex system of symbols and notes. Captain Nick Wagner, the new and often overbearing station captain, made a critical choice. He ordered Karadec to send a photo of the board to Morgan, even though he knew she was forbidden from working on the case.
Wagner’s decision directly contradicted the orders of Lieutenant Selena Soto, who was leading the investigation. Soto confronted Wagner, furious that he was undermining her authority and risking Morgan’s job.
โMorgan was on thin ice and instead of protecting her, you handed her a stone,โ Soto told Wagner, highlighting the severity of his actions.
Wagner defended his choice, stating he was using a “valuable, willing asset” to solve the case, showing little regard for the personal cost to Morgan.
The Final Case and a Sudden Termination
Using her last hours before her official termination paperwork was processed, Morgan helped crack the case. She figured out that the lead engineer for the Cadmus project, Ramsay Pike, had murdered Padilla to silence him about the plane’s fatal flaw: a faulty oxygen system that was giving pilots hypoxia. Pike had tampered with Padilla’s skydiving mask, causing a fatal buildup of carbon dioxide during his jump.
Despite solving the murder and potentially saving the lives of other test pilots, Morgan’s fate was sealed. Solomon officially fired her, citing a pattern of insubordination. The team was devastated, and Karadec blamed himself for following Wagner’s orders to involve her.
Lieutenant Soto’s Dangerous Gamble
Refusing to accept the loss of her best consultant, Lieutenant Selena Soto took extreme action. She discovered that Lieutenant Solomon was having an affair with the police commissioner’s wife. With Captain Wagner’s unexpected blessing, Soto confronted Solomon and used the information to blackmail him into giving Morgan her job back.
Soto visited Morgan at home to deliver the good news but kept the dangerous details of the blackmail to herself.
โTake the win. Let it go,โ Soto told a grateful but suspicious Morgan, who knew her boss had done something risky on her behalf.
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Tensions with Captain Wagner Come to a Head
The episode also saw long-simmering tensions between Soto and Captain Wagner explode. Soto finally confronted him about constantly undermining her, taking over her cases, and disrespecting her team. She demanded he treat her with the respect her position deserved.
โAs long as I sit in this chair, you will treat me and my team with the respect that we deserveโฆ or you can fire my a*s, too,โ Soto told Wagner, establishing a firm new boundary.
In a final scene, Karadec confronted Wagner in an elevator. He theorized that Wagner, a man who clearly missed being a field detective, would only take a desk job if someone forced him. Karadec left Wagner with a pointed question: โWho is the one person Nick Wagner is too scared to cross?โ. The moment hinted that Wagner’s mysterious behavior and connection to the ongoing investigation into Roman’s disappearance might be linked to powerful family pressure.
The next episode of High Potential, titled “NPC,” will air on Tuesday, January 27, 2026, at 9/8c on ABC.
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