what happened to Roman in High Potential.
Roman, the father of Morgan’s eldest child, Ava (Amirah J), vanished 15 years prior to the series. The High Potential season 2. Thankfully, High Potential left enough clues to piece together possible explanations— gleaning what potentially really happened with ittedly generous logic.
High Potential's Corrupt FBI Theory, Explained
A Convoluted Answer To The Long-Running Mystery
While an early theory speculated that Roman had uncovered corruption within the LAPD, High Potential episodes 12 and 13 offered a higher-stakes alternative: the FBI. The more recent High Potential theory, bolstered by the reveal that Roman was working undercover for the FBI before he disappeared, posits that he disappeared after discovering shady dealings within the federal organization. What makes this theory more plausible is that Lila Flynn, Roman’s handler, was shot execution style shortly before Roman vanished, a personal murder which implies a possible inside job.
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Since Roman already expressed concern to Gio Conforth (Domenick Lombardozzi) before disappearing in High Potential, there’s no telling whether his fear stemmed from a criminal he was snitching on or the federal agents he was reporting to. Another popular theory surrounding Roman’s High Potential fate suggests that he has been in the Witness Protection Program, but I doubt the thorough digging of Selena, Karadec, and Morgan (combined with some off-the-record help at the FBI) would have missed an explanation as straightforward as that. Roman very well might be off the grid, but he's certainly not under federal supervision.
Why Ronnie Is The Best Candidate As The Corrupt FBI Agent In High Potential
The Timeline Is Tricky But Possible
While High Potential’s fictionalized FBI was introduced in episode 12 (“Partners”), only one character was prominent enough to be a potential suspect: Ronnie (Jocko Sims), Karadec’s former partner. During the tense High Potential season 1 case where Karadec and Ronnie battled for dominance, Karadec explains their complicated history to Morgan. Karadec alleges he and Ronnie were framed by corrupt cops who wanted to ruin their reputation, using misplaced evidence to sow doubt in the department. Rather than fight the scandal, Ronnie left the LAPD a few years prior to High Potential to the FBI.
Ronnie offers to pull strings and get Karadec an immediate position at the FBI at the end of episode 12, displaying the sway he has within the bureau.
The candid discussion helped develop Morgan and Karadec’s relationship in High Potential episode 12, but it also left unanswered questions about Ronnie. It’s impossible to tell how long he had been planning on ing the FBI, meaning whatever agent Roman discovered could have poached Ronnie early on and groomed him to be the newest accomplice in the FBI’s cold case. Alternatively, Ronnie could have learned about Roman after ing the FBI and felt compelled to continue burying the investigation, including derailing sleuths by feeding them misleading information.
Ronnie's Possible Betrayal Puts Karadec's Life In Danger
Old Partners May Square Off
If Ronnie becomes High Potential’s next twist villain, Karadec will likely find himself caught in the crosshairs. The LAPD’s investigation into Roman has been fairly under the table thus far, but Karadec reveals himself to be involved in High Potential episode 13 after he calls in a favor for Ronnie to look for information. Ronnie brings him a dossier of vital yet deeply confidential details, even advising Karadec to burn the file after reading it. However, Ronnie’s fierce loyalty to Karadec could easily be smoke and mirrors to cover his own tracks. As such, Ronnie could easily target Karadec.
Actor |
High Potential Character |
|---|---|
Kaitlin Olson |
Morgan Gillory |
Daniel Sunjata |
Adam Karadec |
Judy Reyes |
Selena Soto |
Javicia Leslie |
Daphne Forrester |
Deniz Akdeniz |
Lev "Oz" Ozdil |
Amirah J |
Ava |
Matthew Lamb |
Elliot |
Taran Killam |
Ludo |
Ronnie turning into a subtle antagonist would be a unique pivot for the procedural, but the ending of High Potential season 1 promises that the true story of Roman’s disappearance will come to light quickly. Plus, it’s entirely possible that the FBI is corrupt in High Potential, but Ronnie could still be a good guy. Consequently, Ronnie might once again forces with Karadec and become an unlikely ally to the covert investigation.
Perhaps, this is when we find out that he has just been coerced to keep the lid on the mystery about Roman.
Considering his time with the bureau, it's unlikely that he was directly involved in whatever shenanigans his fellow agents may have tried to pull off. This is arguably a more compelling way to tackle this situation instead of simply painting him as a bad guy. Regardless of Ronnie’s role (or lack thereof) in the Roman mystery, High Potential will have much-needed answers when the crime drama returns.
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High Potential
- Release Date
- September 17, 2024
- Network
- ABC
Cast
Morgan
Daphne
WHERE TO WATCH
- Creator(s)
- Drew Goddard
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