Daphne leads her first major investigation for the LAPD in the latest episode of High Potential, but the case hits extremely close to home. Season 2 Episode 14, titled “If You Come For the Queen,” puts Detective Daphne in charge after her beloved mentor and surrogate mother figure, Sergeant Dottie, is strangled at a high-end spa. The hour, which aired on ABC on March 10, 2026, forces Daphne to balance the pressure of her new role with the emotional weight of seeing a woman she admires fighting for her life in the hospital .
A Brutal Attack at the Spa
The episode opens at an upscale spa where Dottie, played by returning guest star Michaela Hyatt, arrives for a routine massage. After being shown to her room by an attendant named Kai, an intruder wearing gloves slips in and strangles her. She is found unconscious but alive, though the extent of any brain damage remains unclear .
Morgan is called away from her home, where her daughter Ava shares exciting news about being accepted into the Oberlin Design Center class. At the hospital, Morgan finds Daphne already at Dottie’s bedside, visibly shaken. It is revealed that Dottie was Daphne’s field training mentor, and their bond grew into something resembling a mother-daughter relationship. However, they had not spoken recently after an argument. Dottie had been pushing Daphne to take the Sergeant’s exam, but Daphne resisted, having seen how officers like Dottie and Soto were often treated unfairly in their careers .
Daphne Takes the Lead
Lieutenant Soto assigns Daphne as the lead detective on the case—her first time heading an investigation. Adam Karadec is working a separate suspicious overdose elsewhere, so Soto asks Morgan to support Daphne .
The two head to the spa to investigate. Morgan notices sensors on guests’ wrists that track vitals, explaining an adhesive mark found on Dottie. Kai reveals he stepped away for about ten minutes due to an unexpected oil delivery, which Morgan deduces was a deliberate distraction. The massage rooms are soundproof, so no one heard the attack .
Daphne and Morgan then visit the police academy, where Dottie taught classes. The Academy Director describes Dottie as extraordinarily by-the-book—she filed everything on time and never missed a deadline. But in her office, Morgan notices the filing system is deliberately disordered. Someone had searched the space. Inside a drawer, Morgan finds a stack of unfiled confidential reports that Dottie would never have left unsubmitted .
Connecting Two Cases
Outside the academy, Morgan spots a red-haired man carrying a red folder. When he runs, Daphne chases him down and arrests him. The suspect is Officer Hoff, a probationary cop whom Dottie had written up for losing his firearm. During interrogation, Hoff is condescending, telling Daphne she is out of her league. But his alibi for the time of the attack seems solid, and Daphne tells Karadec she does not believe he is their guy. Karadec praises how she played the rookie to keep Hoff comfortable and talking .
Meanwhile, good news arrives: Dottie is awake. Daphne and Morgan visit her, and Dottie expresses pride that Daphne is running the case. She cannot think of anyone who would want to harm her .
Back at the precinct, Morgan notices that both Dottie and the overdose victim, a personal trainer named Luke Knight, had the same adhesive residue on their wrists. The two cases are connected. Luke was found dead in his apartment from an ibuprofen overdose, with no pills in his stomach—suggesting someone tampered with an IV .
The Murder Pact Uncovered
The investigation leads to a gym where Luke worked. Manager Phyllis describes him as well-connected with a strong social media following. Another trainer, Vaz Amadi, had lost a major client to Luke and seemed like a potential suspect, but he had an alibi .
Morgan eventually realizes the truth: Dottie and Luke were attacked by two different people who had never met. It was a murder pact. Each killer targeted a stranger for the other, making the crimes nearly impossible to link. Vaz Amadi was at the spa the morning Dottie was attacked, and evidence in his apartment connects him to the IV tampering that killed Luke .
The trail leads to Phyllis, the gym manager. When shown Phyllis’ photo, Dottie immediately recognizes her as a sorority sister from college. Decades ago, Dottie reported Phyllis for severely hazing pledges, leading to a felony conviction that destroyed Phyllis’ chances at law school and a stable career. Fueled by decades of resentment, Phyllis made the pact with Vaz .
At the end, Daphne confronts Phyllis on a bus and talks her down, seeing her humanity and giving her a chance to surrender peacefully.
Also Read:
Ava Turns to Daphne for Guidance
Alongside the case, Ava seeks Daphne’s advice. After her Oberlin acceptance, classmates suggested she only got in because of her race, not her talent. Daphne shares her own experiences facing discrimination in her career. She tells Ava, “I show them how wrong they are,” and encourages her to take up space and not let others dim her confidence .
What This Episode Means for Daphne
Javicia Leslie, who plays Daphne, spoke about the episode’s importance. She revealed that she worked closely with writer Nicole French and Michaela Hyatt to build the backstory between Daphne and Dottie. Leslie noted that Daphne’s hesitation to take the Sergeant’s exam stems from watching Soto get passed over. But by the episode’s end, after leading the case and mentoring Ava, Daphne feels more confident in herself .
Leslie also highlighted the scene on the bus with Phyllis, saying that Daphne saw herself and other Black women in the suspect. She believes if any other officer had been there, Phyllis might not have survived the encounter .
What’s Next
The episode was written by Rebecca Kirsch and Nicole French. It sets up continuing threads, including Soto’s search for answers about Roman’s disappearance, which will be explored further in upcoming episodes .
Also Read: Kagurabachi Chapter 114 Puts Kunishige Rokuhira Front and Center in Major Seitei War Flashback
