High Potential season 1, episode 3 recap and review: "Dirty Rotten Scoundrel"

Morgan continues to prove that just become someone has a high IQ, it doesn’t mean that they have a lot of common sense in High Potential season 1, episode 3. Let’s take a look at everything that happened during “Dirty, Rotten Scoundrel.”

Caution: This post contains SPOILERS for High Potential season 1, episode 3.

The episode started with us getting a look at the murder. A man was killed by drowning in the bathtub, but it was staged to look like his died of natural causes. It didn’t take long to figure out it was murder, though, and Morgan could tell that because of the way the towels were laid out and the type of cloth used to mop up the water on the floor.

Now they had to figure out who killed him and why. On top of that, they had to figure out who this man even was!

Getting the name of the vic in High Potential season 1, episode 3

The first task was to find out who this vic was. There was no name left for the hotel room. It was only when Morgan took the evidence home that she was able to look through everything properly. Of course, that’s a big no-no, though.

This is where I love how we see someone who is exceptionally smart may not have a lot of common sense. Morgan should know that taking evidence home isn’t allowed. It could make it inadmissible. Sure, it helped her figure out that this vic took his clothing to a Madagascan tailor all due to the way the stitches were done, but it still isn’t right to do.

What I will say is that I love that she is learning, and she does admit her faults. Don’t call her stupid, because she’s not. She just doesn’t always think, and she even owns up to that a few times during this episode.

With the knowledge of the tailor, the team is able to find out that this man is called Mr. Eduardo. That’s his first name, though, and he always pays in cash. Eventually, they do get to a surname and they also find out that he has an alternate name for when he’s cheating on his wife.

Eduardo is doing more than having an affair

When they find out that Eduardo is cheating on his wife, Karadec initially wants to arrest the affair partner. Morgan stops him as she realizes that the timing isn’t possible. Someone else had to do it.

This is when they dig deeper into Eduardo’s life. He wasn’t just having an affair. He was scamming women out of their money, and one of his targets was a woman with dementia in a care facility. It’s so sad to hear that she was played like this, but this is when it should have all clicked into place for everyone. Did we not all guess that the son was the murderer?

It took Morgan having to figure out the crazy way that someone got into the hotel room for everyone to work this out. The murderer climbed up four storeys outside to do it, and the clue was chalk on the outside. This chalk is used by mountain climbers, and sure enough, the scammed woman’s son is a climber.

Morgan and Karadec work together to solve the case

Morgan does have a moment where she quits, but it’s not for long. Soto knew that this job was one Morgan needed, and not just for the money. Morgan will finally find out what happened to Roman thanks to Soto’s digging.

So, when Morgan walks back in, it’s not surprising. While there is the initial arrest, though, we see how Morgan is rubbing off on Karadec with how the mind can jump from one thing to another. As Morgan says that Karadec couldn’t have done it alone, Karadec points out that’s the case with the murder as well.

Who was helping the son? Only the woman we initially thought Eduardo was having the sole affair with in the first place. She was also scammed by him, but by the time she found out, it was too late. All her money was gone. So, the two teamed up to take him out as some justice.

There is a heartfelt moment for the son as he gets to say goodbye to his mom. This wasn’t for him but for the mom, showing that Karadec has a heart. I also think that we’re seeing a hint that he is somehow personally connected to dementia or a serious illness like this. There’s still so much we don’t know about this man’s private life, and I can’t wait to delve into him more.

Soto delves deeper into Roman’s life in High Potential

Of course, there were a couple of personal storylines going on. The first was Soto, who had found out Roman had gained some citations before he went missing. Now the mystery is starting to come together. That beautiful mural of the phoenix was done in an area known for a lot of crime back in the day. Is it possible Roman saw something? It seems so!

Then there’s Ava’s storyline, who has a boy in her room. She says they’re just studying, and I would hope a girl like Ava would know the importance of safe sex. She has seen what her mom has gone through, and she won’t want the same for herself.

Ludo is trying his best. He didn’t quite think things through with Ava and the rules of the door, but he is learning parenting just like everyone else. Plus, he has taken Ava in and treated her as his own. He’s a great guy, and I love how sweet he is to Morgan. There are clear signs why these two did not make it work. Sometimes, people are just good co-parents. But part of me wishes to see these two back together. They loved each other at one point.

Overall, the episode did have moments with lazy writing. Why did Morgan not realize the dictionary was something more from the start? That little girl was not into dictionaries at all; otherwise it would have been at the table with the teddy bears! But with how much is going in on Morgan’s mind at once, I think I can give it a pass right now. If it continues, it does become a problem.

High Potential airs Tuesdays at 10/9c on ABC. Catch up the following day on Hulu.

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