Warning: this article contains SPOILERS for High Potential episode 10, “Chutes and Murders.“High Potentialepisode 10 focuses on Matthew Lamb’s Elliot, and his plot reveals what Morgan (Kaitlin Olson) may have gone through as a child. Morgan beganHigh Potentialas a single mother of three: eldest daughter Ava (Amirah J), middle child Elliot, and baby Chloe. Though she found a new purpose as a genius consultant with the LAPD, Morgan is still a family woman first and foremost— so much so that after a decade and a half of searching for her ex-husband, Morgan is finally starting to learnwhat happened to Roman inHigh Potential.
However, just as Morgan deals with confounding mysteries at work, there’s turmoil at home with her children. While Ava has been a part of manyHigh Potentialplots, like the midseason finale hostage situation, Elliot has had very few scenes leading up to episode 10. With everything the show reveals about Elliot,High Potentialsuggests a mirror of Morgan’s mysterious pastthrough her reactions and comforting conversations. Now that Elliot is developing as a character,High Potentialseason 2can continue exploring the parallels between him and his mother.
Elliot Inherited Morgan’s Intelligence In High Potential
Morgan’s Son Is Just As Detail-Oriented As Her
From his first scene, it was obvious that Elliot is the child who took after Morgan the most— at least academically speaking. From bringing up the geopolitical ramifications of their family night board game to watching niche documentaries for fun,Elliot follows in Morgan’s footsteps inHigh Potential.Elliot even helps Morgan analyze a confidential case file after she illegally brings evidence home. The bond he shares with his mother allows Elliot to fit in at home, if not anywhere else.
BeforeHigh Potential, Matthew Lamb portrayed Little Charles in an episode ofOnly Murders In The Buildingand Jackson in 2022’sSmile.
In contrast to Ava, who is a typical teenage girl dealing with first love, birth control, and finding herself, Elliot is a precocious child. Despite his awkwardness, Elliot feels free to flaunt his fun facts thanks to Morgan often displaying similar behavior. The family dynamic Morgan has with her children is a leadingreason to watchHigh Potential, but her children run into just as much conflict as she does. Being such an intellectual comes with highs and lows, as Elliot finds out inHigh Potentialepisode 10.
Elliot Is Ostracized For Being Intelligent In High Potential Episode 10
His Classmates Purposely Exclude Him
High Potentialshowed less Morgan in episode 9, but episode 10 leaned into her motherhood heavily. The case of the episode follows a nanny who was murdered, and multiple suspects they interview not-so-subtly mention how difficult it is to be a working parent. The working mothers were foiled by Morgan taking an active role in Elliot’s life in the episode, as he struggles with being the only student in his class who wasn’t invited to a child’s birthday party. Morgan invites the student over to clear up the misunderstanding, but it makes everything worse.
Matthew Lamb
Elliot Radovic
After Elliot distracts his classmate with a fact about race cars, the little boy loses his racing game and erupts. He yells at Elliot for ruining the fun, implying the entire class agrees his intelligence is strange and confirmingElliot was left off the invite list on purpose. Morgan promptly tells the child to leave, but the damage is done as Elliot starts crying. She attempts to comfort her son, butHigh Potentialdoubles down by having Elliot admit his insecurity and storm off.
Elliot’s Social Struggles May Be What Morgan Also Experienced Growing Up
She’s Said Being An HPI Isn’t A Gift
When Morgan tries to dissuade Elliot from believing his classmate, she insists she understands what he’s going through. As Morgan tells him, she knows what it’s like to be“different”in life.High Potentialcould be implying that Morgan faced the same judgment in her own childhood, something the show has revealed little about. While devastating to watch,Elliot’s insecurity could be a reflection of Morgan’s past.In the future,High Potentialcan expand on Morgan’s background and help her break the cycle by supporting Elliot.
High Potential Episode 9’s Ending Song Secretly Hints At What Happened To Morgan’s Husband, Roman
The ending song for High Potential episode 9, “The RAMs,” drops the biggest hint as to what happened to Morgan’s missing first husband, Roman.
High Potentialhas already established that Morgan is misunderstood by many people in her life. One of the main causes ofMorgan and Tom’s breakup inHigh Potentialwas him taking a“hint”when she didn’t reply to his messages, despite Morgan insisting that her silence was unintentional. If Morgan’s personality is still misconstrued as an adult, her childhood was likely filled with more intense scrutiny. Though Morgan’s past still remains unexplored,High Potentialepisode 10 takes a step in the right direction with Elliot’s outcast storyline.
High Potentialcontinues Tuesday, 9 ET on ABC.
High Potential
Morgan, a single mother of three with a brilliant but unconventional mind, partners with a methodical detective after solving a crime during her job as a cleaner. Together, they form an unlikely but effective duo, blending her unique problem-solving skills with his by-the-book approach to tackle challenging cases.
