Morgan Gillory (Kaitlin Olson) might not be a cop, but she’s darn good at solving crimes in ABC’s new drama High Potential. The single mother of three is working as a night cleaner at a police station when she happens to glance at some crime scene photos. She notices some discrepancies in a case having to do with a man who was murdered in his home. The police claim the wife did it and is on the run, but Morgan realizes that the woman is actually another victim, not the suspect. Morgan casually makes an edit to the “murder board,” but the police haul her in, thinking she was just trying to create some mayhem. Right away, Morgan is able to point out several things that investigators missed (or just misunderstood) while looking into the murder. Lieutenant Selena Soto (Judy Reyes) is immediately impressed with Morgan’s powers of deduction (especially since she’s a mere civilian), even though Detective Adam Karadec (Daniel Sunjata) is less amused by someone interfering in his case.
Lieutenant Soto hires Morgan as a consultant on the case (which perfectly sets up the premise for the show). Karadec isn’t happy with this development, but Soto can see that there’s something incredibly special about the way Morgan’s mind works. When she pushes Morgan to explain how she was able to so easily locate various clues, Morgan explains that she has been diagnosed as someone who has “high intellectual potential.” But is this condition actually something that exists in real life? And how will this diagnosis impact Morgan’s ability to solve crimes? High Potential, based on a French series called HPI or Haut Potentiel Intellectuel that began airing in 2021, has now set up plenty of questions regarding Morgan’s brilliant mind.
The ‘High Potential’ Diagnosis Is a Real Condition
Morgan’s condition is not just a plot device for television but is actually a real-life diagnosis. The term is generally used to describe people with an above-average intellectual ability (or an IQ over 130). Morgan lists her IQ at 160 (which would land her firmly in the genius, or exceptionally gifted, category), while most people fall somewhere within average intelligence with an IQ score between 85 and 114. That means that people who have HIP are generally in the top 2.3 percent of the population when it comes to intelligence. They typically have impressive cognitive skills, such as photographic memory , increased logic, and better visual-spatial skills. Individuals with HIP are also extremely curious and tend to be able to problem-solve in a more creative way.
Some people with HIP also have a subset diagnosis of High Emotional Potential (HEP). This refers to superior emotional intelligence. People with HEP can exhibit a great deal of empathy for others. They also have emotional hypersensitivity and tend to be able to pick up on how other people are feeling very easily. Some people are also very hypersensitive to their environment (including being triggered by bright lights, loud noises, etc.). Not everyone with HIP has the traits of HEP, but it does seem like Morgan does. She’s eager to help the police solve the case in Episode 1 because she feels for the young girl who’s tied up in the investigation. Because of Morgan’s HEP, she is a protagonist with a very big heart (who just happens to also be super smart).
People with HIP or HEP don’t need to receive a specific diagnosis or treatment of any kind, but many are labeled with these conditions in childhood when it becomes obvious that their brain works a little differently than their peers. Young children with HIP are often bored in traditional school (and may even fail their classes or drop out) because they’re not being challenged enough. Those with an HIP diagnosis can flourish in a number of different careers (everything from IT professions and sales to art and science). This type of neurodivergence can very much lead to a high-functioning, healthy life.
Morgan’s ‘High Potential’ Condition Will Help Her Solve Lots of Crimes
There is a stereotype that people who live with HIP struggle with a lot of mental health issues or tend to isolate themselves. For the High Potential writers, they’re playing this up with Morgan’s character. She tells Soto that her mind has been more like a curse than a gift. She is obsessive (which tracks since many people with HIP have strong perfectionistic traits), and can’t ever turn her mind off. She struggles to have healthy relationships and can’t typically hold down a job for very long. Although there is no clear evidence that people with HIP actually do have more mental health problems than people with average intelligence, it makes sense for the show to have Morgan’s abilities seem like an obstacle to her. Her mind has made her feel different for so long that it’s hard for her to think about the many benefits it also provides her with.
Morgan’s diagnosis is the perfect angle for a crime drama. She can look at crime scenes from a very different perspective; first, because she’s not a cop, and also because she can see details that most people wouldn’t ever notice. She has wildly good observational skills, and she knows facts about a wide variety of topics (she helps move the case along in Episode 1 simply by knowing off the top of her head which direction the wind blows in Los Angeles). Because she’s a single mother and has to be pretty resourceful with her finances, she is strategic about making things work for her and her children. She is also someone who has a unique way of looking at the world and can think outside the box. Thus, her HIP diagnosis makes her an insightful, detail-oriented crime-solver.
There will definitely be fictional aspects to Morgan’s condition, but incorporating the real diagnosis of HIP as part of the show makes the plot even more intriguing. The series is also likely to bring more awareness to this type of neurodivergence, which is always a positive thing in the world of television. Morgan doesn’t feel confident yet that her brain is something to be cherished, but her work on future cases will likely help her discover how impressive she truly is. It will also be fascinating to see how High Potential incorporates all the many different facets of Morgan’s HIP mind into the series. Whether it’s her extraordinary deduction skills or her heart-warming empathy, Morgan is a crime fighter who is using her remarkable intelligence to bring down the bad guys.
New episodes of High Potential air on ABC on Tuesday nights and are available to stream the next day on Hulu.
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