High Potential Season 2 Mystery: Who Is David Giuntoli Really Playing?
It’s the question on every High Potential fan’s mind after last week’s season finale: Who the heck is David Giuntoli playing?
The LAPD spent the episode solving a series of deadly puzzles, presumably organized by a wealthy recluse named David Peck, but it was eventually revealed that his identity was actually being used by a far more dangerous game master (played by Giuntoli). Even worse, this mystery man has selected Morgan as his next challenger — whether she likes it or not.
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“I love a good serialized villain,” showrunner Todd Harthan told TVLine. “I also love going into a Season 2 where there might be another surprise or two, so it’s a bit of an open box.” Giuntoli’s unnamed character “definitely has the potential” to become a Big Bad, coming in and out of Morgan’s life when she least expects it.
So, who is he? This might sound crazy (and I’ve certainly been called worse names), but when he and Morgan first locked eyes in the grocery store parking lot, I asked myself, could these two be… related? When Morgan told him they were making pot pie, he replied, “Oh, that was my favorite when I was a kid,” which only furthered my suspicion.
Then I remembered something from earlier in the episode: Morgan mentioned that her father had HPI and was always challenging her to play more difficult games as a kid. I thought this was an odd fact to suddenly mention in the finale, but if it was done to set up the introduction of a family member — perhaps a brother Morgan hasn’t seen since she was a kid, and therefore wouldn’t recognize as an adult — it would make more sense.
I know what you’re probably thinking: “He was clearly flirting with Morgan, so your theory is stupid and gross.” First of all, rude. Second, who said he was flirting? Ava? She could have easily misread that encounter. Besides, between Tom and Karadec, doesn’t Morgan have enough potential love interests already?
I’m not necessarily married to this theory, but after Morgan’s casual mention of her father earlier in the episode, I’m at least committed to thinking that Giuntoli’s character has some personal connection to Morgan, even if it isn’t by blood.
Now that I’ve embarrassed myself, it’s your turn: What’s your swing-for-the-fences theory about Giuntoli’s High Potential character? Drop it in a comment below. Noting is too crazy, I promise not to judge.
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High Potential Boss Breaks Down Finale’s Roman Reveal, Offers Early Intel on David Giuntoli’s Mystery Role
A series of life-and-death challenges, a glamorous (dare we say romantic) police gala, and the introduction of a possible Big Bad for next season? Oh yes, High Potential gives good finale.
The ABC procedural wrapped its first season on Tuesday by pitting the LAPD against a sadistic strategist, one whose deadly games tested Morgan’s team like never before. Poor Oz almost died at the bottom of a pool, ultimately saved by Morgan’s quick thinking and Karadec’s even-quicker swimming.
Just when the LAPD thought they figured out who was behind all of it, a twist! The game master isn’t some scorned rich kid, as they were led to believe, but rather an extremely handsome stranger played by none other than David Giuntoli. The episode ended with him “bumping into” Morgan at the grocery store, where he planted a frightening invitation in her shopping cart: “You’re the one, Morgan. We shall play again. Me and you.”
So, who is this guy? If you were a fan of ABC’s A Million Little Things, NBC’s Grimm or even that one season of MTV’s Road Rules set in the South Pacific, then you know darn well who Giuntoli is. What you don’t know, however, is who he’s playing on this show — and that’s exactly how showrunner Todd Harthan wants to keep it for now.
“I love a good serialized villain,” Harthan tells TVLine. “I also love going into a Season 2 where there might be another surprise or two, so it’s a bit of an open box.” Giuntoli’s unnamed character “definitely has the potential” to become a Big Bad, coming in and out of Morgan’s life when she least expects it.
“It’s just one of those tricky things that I thought Elementary did really well,” Harthan says. “A lot of shows have done it really well, where you find those pockets where [that storyline] flares up again, right? You let the audience almost forget about it, and then they start talking online. And then you make them wait just until they get mad at you, and then you give it to them.”
As for the story behind Giuntoli’s casting, Harthan calls it a “six degrees of Kevin Bacon” situation. “My best friend and co-collaborator for 25 years has been [finale director] James Roday Rodriguez, dating all the way back to high school, and he was on A Million Little Things [with Giuntoli]. James and I thought, ‘Who do we know that we can sprinkle in here that’ll really get people’s attention in a fun way?’ So Giuntoli came out of just prior relationships. He’s also a friend of the studio and the network too, so he was lovely.”
Speaking of men who flow in and out of Morgan’s life when she least expects them, let’s address the finale’s other major bombshell: not only do we know that Roman is alive, but Karadec (via some intel from his former partner) knows where he is! While a reunion between Morgan and her estranged ex isn’t necessarily imminent, Harthan confirms that the Roman storyline will get more screen time moving forward.
“I think it has to kick up a notch,” he says. “If I keep it at the same level, just dipping our toe in the water instead of jumping into the pool, that’s the kind of thing that might frustrate the audience. So I think we have to find meaningful upgrades and give them bigger bites of story, if you will, in Season 2. It’ll be a little bit of a deeper dive.”
The finale also had its lighter moments, like when Tom accepted Morgan’s invitation to the police gala, interrupting her slow dance with Karadec to steal one of his own. “Having not really mapped it out,” Harthan is pretty confident we’ll see Tom again in Season 2. “I love the guy, and I love the character,” he says. “There’s a lot of affection, and nobody did anything bad to each other. There’s a lovely thing there, so who knows?”
And if you’re wondering why Tom suddenly disappeared in the first place, there’s a method to his relocation: “In Season 1, we didn’t want to lose too much focus on the core dynamic of Morgan’s work family, her real family with the kids, and the cases that were solved,” Harthan explains. “We didn’t really buy that Morgan, with all these plates already spinning, would also start dating somebody full-force. But she does really like the guy, and that’s why we only sent him to San Diego. It’s a hop, skip and a jump, right?”
Lastly, we must discuss Karadec and Morgan’s aforementioned slow dance at the gala. Before you start ‘shipping these two (as if you aren’t already), Harthan suggests that the situation may not be so cut and dry.
“Of course there’s an attraction, but there’s also this mutual respect that they have for each other, and it all just kind of came together in that moment,” he says. “If you really look at it, it could be considered a manipulation. Karadec could be thinking, ‘Let me get her on this dance floor. Let me say all these wonderful things, and then let me turn the tables and go, I’m taking over [the Roman case].’ I like to confuse the audience, hopefully in a good way.”
OK, let’s talk: What are your theories about Giuntoli’s mysterious character? How long do you think we’ll have to wait until Roman finally shows up, and who should play him? And what are your hopes for the Tom/Morgan/Karadec triangle that appears to be forming before our very eyes? Grade the finale and season in our polls below, then drop a comment with your thoughts on all things High Potential.
Comments are monitored, so don’t forkin’ curse and don’t bore us with how much your coworker’s sister-in-law makes per hour. Talk smart about TV!
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A Moriarty for Mogan. Bring it on.
this guy the unnamed gamer is Definity the Moriarty to Morgan’s Sherlock Holmes. I guess Roman is the Irene Alder!
Since they did a 6 degrees of separation with David Giuntoli maybe they should continue doing it and cast Dule Hill as Roman.
I feel like the new mysterious character is actually Roman, and Morgan doesn’t recognize him as of right now because of his haircut. The kids don’t recognize him since he hasn’t been in their lives all that much, and Roman has been gone for 15 years, so that haircut and shots of the mysterious character’s hair pre-haircut does make since.
That’s a good theory.
Her daughter is biracial. How do you explain that? Hmmm??
For a split second, I thought the same thing, but then I realized that didn’t make sense considering Morgan’s powers of observation and the fact that his daughter is bi-racial.
But she has a high IQ and can solve criminal cases better than the cops/detectives.
That was my thought as well
That could be but I have a hard time believing it. Why would “Roman” try to kill off people Motgan cares about? Unless he turned evil? The mystery man looked too young to be Roman.
Really enjoyed all the shows ,but the finale left me feeling like watching the end of Sopranos.
US HPI mixed and matched S1-4 storylines from FR. It is not copied and pastered any longer. Every storyline is not in sequence by season.
That was my immediate thought too! But reading more, I don’t think it’s Roman. Just another character in Morgan’s orbit of men, yum!
That’s what I thought too! 15 yrs gone by n we never saw what he looked like before!
Now I’m left hanging!!!! Oooooo😱
I realise that TV seasons are no longer standardised on 22 episodes but I can’t help feeling short-changed that we only got 13 episodes in season 1.
Yes, we need to be getting longer seasons. 22 episodes.
This why Network TV has lost the awards and critical battle to streaming and cable. Nothing needs 22 episodes a season.
22 episodes is just filled with filler.
Is it the school student who was the same as her
A lot of the networks are giving freshman shows a short run before they renew for a longer season.
I think the era of 22 eps is mostly done as well. Most seasons will probably be nearer 18 eps. They’ll go to 22 to make up or round out the numbers. But it will probably be 18ish eps for new shows that are drama/action, with closer to 22 for sitcoms.
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Any out of the box hit, like Tracker, will pump out as many (approaching 22-24) eps as possible. While High Potential was obviously successful, and got a S2 renewal, it doesn’t rise to “out of the box” hit standards. Few new shows do today. We can go 2+ tv seasons without such a hit. Tracker barely qualifies, and that is offset by its high production costs.
“High Potential” got 13 episodes because Kaitlyn Olson also stars on another show, “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.” The producers got as much from her schedule as they could. We are promised more next season.
Yes please. Atleast 18 episodes.
She also appears in Hacks
16 episodes should be the standard this days…
Best and most exciting episode of the series thus far – plus a possibly evil David Giuntoli and (not enough) JD Pardo. Narrator: there can NEVER BE ENOUGH JD Pardo 😘
Sweet interactions with Ludo and the kids and new revelations about Roman… just an outstanding season finale.
What kind of a name is Ludo? I been wondering the whole time
Probably short for Ludovic -which is the french version of Ludwig
Grateful that FINALLY someone else besides Morgan figured out something. Go Daphne! (the fonts). Hoping that happens a little more in S2 bcuz the team should learn things from her.
It’s like Watson learning from Holmes.
It seems so weird to take a long break, then come back for a fre weeks, and leave in February–the winter for so much of the country, when they need fun shows to help them get through….so the Timing of the finale just didn’t work for me….and then, how long do we have to wait for the return? 7 months? 8? With cliffhangers hanging that long? TWO? Gimme a break. Just not gonna stay enthusiastic that long. Plus, the episode was too rushed, tried to cram too much into one episode, could easily have been two.
So no, not a satisfying end for what was a fun show to watch.
This is what a finale needs to be:
Quick Main Plot A:
This style of game – cat & mouse – works well for the show.
Loved getting mini cases and then getting too close fo home!
The team trusts each other! That’s part of the serial arc, but it definitely shows up here!
Main Plot B:
We get humanity scene with Adam!
We find out more about Roman.
Minor spoiler….
It’s all a connection! 🤯
Wish we did not have to wait until the fall, but I get it and respect the writer’s strike & creativity through this limited series. I’m actually okay with the 13 episodes instead of 22. This gave wonderful serial arc for mystery, comedy, romance, and drama
Pretty gutsy decision to end the season on a cliffhanger that was filmed before the show was renewed.
I thought we would see Roman at the end of this episode. I’m glad they’re going to stretch it out into the new season.
Why would you end a good series where cases are always solved with a finale that has it open ended
It was to set up S2. You may not be old enough to remember, but Dallas went from a popular show to a monster with “who shot JR.” The speculation on that lasted all summer, and lead to a monster premier.
High Potential is a good show but I doubt it had the audience that Dallas had when it aired, where so many were already watching that the who shot JR ep would be such a cliff hanger.
I don’t remember what season that ep was in, but it wasn’t a cliff hanger for season 1. It worked because they built up the hate for the JR character over time.
But no one had really tried the “cliff hanger” before then. Even the multitude of primetime soaps at the time ended the story lines at the end of the season (except, minor, long term plots), and started new ones the next year.
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Dallas was the first show to ever really end on a true cliffhanger. The speculation on that built over the hiatus, leading to much larger numbers the next year. Other shows had similar success with cliffhangers in that they built discussion and excitement for the show.
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This is a copycat world. When something works for someone, everyone else copies it, even if the circumstances are very different.
Please don’t wait to long to let us know what’s going on. The storyline is awesome, but now I need more!!!!
It would be wild if HP wasn’t a huge priority on their fall schedule.
Morgan’s father is also a HIP, but she mentioned they don’t have a relationship. Maybe the “player” is a brother she knows nothing about. Glad this show got renewed and we’ll find out.
And she mentioned he has it, not had it. Meaning her father is still alive.
Oooooh, i like this idea!!
I loved all of High Potential, I’ve missed shows that end in a cliffhanger-y way (which I know things get canceled more these days), but the cast just works really well together and it’s been great writing. My only hope is maybe next season there’s like 15-16 episodes versus the 13. I think having a couple of more episodes could have really delved more into Morgan’s “home” balance, etc.
Love the show. I’m just mad that we have to wait 9-12 months for season 2. Unless there’s another industry shutdown then it’ll be 18 months. As you can tell I hate these longer breaks in-between seasons.
That was a wild season finale. I had a feeling that reveal about Roman would be the case, so yeah, VERY intrigued to see what they do with that next season, along with the creepy message Morgan got related to their case.
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Also liked learning a bit more about Oz in the process, and seeing him in danger as he was was so intense. I know everyone’s talking about the Morgan/Karadec of it all, and rightly so, but Daphne/Oz? I’m here fori t if the show ever were to or plans to go there someday. I like their whole dynamic with each other.
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Also liked the moments between Ava and Morgan. The family elements of this show are so heartwarming and sweet and I love seeing how that side of htings has developed over the season.
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So glad we’ve got a season two to look forward to now with this show – looking forward to its return in the fall!
I loved that Oz got a backstory, because Oz and Daphne are awesome characters on the show. Glad they both had moments to shine in this episode.
This was a fantastic season finale and I am genuinely excited what season 2 has in store for us.
[COMMENT REMOVED DUE TO SYSTEM-DETECTED USE OF MULTIPLE USER NAMES]
Damn it, I need another episode now! So frustrated but that is because of good writing!! This show has been such a pleasant surprise and I’m so happy it received an early renewal. I was also pleased to see Tom back and find out that Roman is alive.
Until next season……..
I loved him on Grimm and am really excited he’s on the show but what does that mean for the Grimm reboot???? I know he had met with that writer already but now I want him on high potential I’m torn!!!!
His character won’t be a regular occurrence. At all. This seems like a series long Big Bad. Or, at least, a multi-season big bad. Probably 4-5 appearances per season, at most. And some of those will be solo shots of him (doesn’t have to be on set), or video calls in, or phone calls in, without him having to be on set. Figure, 1-2 eps per year of him barely in a given ep, 2-3 where he’s in some, and only 1ish per year where he’s heavily featured. Lotsa ways to feature the character without needing the actual actor.
That was one hell of a way to end the first season. I am so curious where they’re taking the Roman mystery and now this guy playing these games with them. I’m just not sure ho its all connected….yet
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I personally don’t think that David Giuntoli is Roman because of Morgan’s HIP (now I get why they shortened the US version’s title), she would recognize Roman whether it was one day or 20yrs, clean shaven or not. The games were definitely to test how intelligent Morgan was in solving all those puzzles and they were solved before anyone died….so what does that tell us? Was this all for Morgan and/or is he truly connected to Roman’s disappearance???
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As I stated in an earlier post I hope we don’t just bookend each season with the Roman mystery. I hope they make much more progress with the storyline throughout the next season and resolve it sooner than later.
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I just hope we don’t get into a weird love triangle or something to that effect, if Tom is still around as we saw from this episode.
I love the show. Actually all three new shoes. Not all yours. Matlock and Irrantional are good too. Morgan character is very good. Glad it is coming back. More episodes next time??? End the show on a hanger! It is one of those shows I wont want to miss any of.
#teamTom not shipping Morgan and Karadec I thought he was dancing with her to soften the blow of taking over the Roman case so I’m glad to see the show runner mention it too.
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I think “David” is someone who knows the real David from the mental institution he’s at maybe a nurse and not a patient though…
High Potential is one of the most intriguing & well written shows on TV. I make sure that I do not miss an episode. The characters are well crafted & the actors chosen for these parts are so perfect, it makes me forget that I’m are watching a 60 minute show… I just don’t want it to end. Keep up the fantastic work!
I’m against a romantic vibe between Morgan and Karadec. I don’t think he’s in the same league as her in the looks department.
Disagree, not because of looks but because they work so well together, and romance would make it uncomfortable and change the dynamic.
besides, karadec is watson to morgan’s holmes!
Episode had very strong ‘Yang’ vibes from Psych, which of course makes sense because of all the Psych connections.
Trying to sneak David in that grocery scene like he was just a random guy was so funny when he was so recognizable as an AMLT fan. I was like “of course James hired David” hahah!
This season was great. I’m glad it’s already been renewed!
This show does have (ahem) high potential (I am SO sorry!) but seeing Guintoli just makes me miss Grimm all over again. What a show that was.
Would be so refreshing for there to just be a platonic friendship instread of the same old will they/won’t they too.
Side question, hopefully someone can solve this as it’s been bugging me all season – has Kaitlyn Olson had work done or hit the gym hard or smokes a lot? I can’t put my finger on it exactly, but she looks really thin around the face and looks a lot different than she has previously. Not a diss on her, just a query that’s been nagging at me!
I looked her up and she is turning 50 this year.
Happy to see Guintali back on ABC! He “pops” off the screen in his character portrayals.
I miss Grimm too. I hope he’ll be in the reboot.
“ not a diss” sure Jan.
This is a refreshing new show, seriious & fun at the same time. The variety of the cast is great. The only thing wrong is not enough episodes… go back to 22-25! Reminds me of “Breaking Bad”, 4th seaon – 10 episodes , then waiting a yr & a half for return! Love this show! Also, finale was too too abrupt!
Best episode of the season
HIGH POTENTIAL – Excellent show. How long must we wait for Season 2?
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