In the midseason finale of ABC's High Potential season two, episode seven, the team embarks on an investigation into a high-profile art heist, a timely storyline given the recent theft at the Louvre. Arthur (Mekhi Phifer) calls Morgan (Kaitlin Olson) with a sense of unease, fearing that someone has been tailing him. He suspects it's connected to Roman and the mysterious backpack, which Morgan claims she hasn't truly unlocked its secrets yet. Arthur urges her to hide it, warning her to be cautious.
Morgan has already given the backpack a cursory glance, but Detective Adam Karadec (Daniel Sunjata) and Lt. Selena Soto (Judy Reyes) conduct a thorough examination. Nothing in the backpack appears familiar to Morgan, until Captain Nick Wagner (Steve Howey) interrupts with news that Adam and Morgan need to head out on this high-profile case, leaving Selena to continue her examination in secret. (Nick looks curious but they keep him in the dark.)
The stolen painting is "Young Girl Leaning on a Windowsill" by Rembrandt. Adam wants to know more about the museum employees, and the museum director reveals that it's on loan from Greg and Linda Foster, who purchased it for $20 million. Morgan's eyes nearly pop out of her head in shock.
Oz (Deniz Akdeniz) confirms that one guard was knocked out, while the other couldn't see anything due to a smoke canister deployed by the thief. Daphne (Javicia Leslie) adds that the material on the floor has been sent for testing. The point of entry/exit was a skylight, and the rope used is still dangling from the roof.
Morgan wonders why the thief entered so far away from the stolen painting, passing by paintings worth much more. One was valued at $150 million, so why didn't the thief steal it? The thief wanted that specific Rembrandt and removed it with precision. It wasn't about the money; they wanted "Young Girl Leaning on a Windowsill."
Back at the station, they fill Nick in on Morgan's theory that this was personal. The Fosters' insurance company has hired art recovery specialist Rhys Eastman (Aiden Turner), who Morgan is not thrilled to see joining the investigation. Rhys disagrees with Morgan; he's certain it was stolen for money, like every other art theft. Of course, Morgan doesn't back down, insisting this time it was personal.
Neither Adam nor Morgan is happy that Rhys accompanies them to the Fosters' house. The Fosters say they fell in love with the painting at auction and think of the girl in the painting as their daughter (they don't have children). This leads Morgan to point out that they have loaned their "daughter" to a museum. Rhys believes he'll learn the thief's whereabouts when they talk to someone about selling the painting. However, the investigation gets sidetracked by Morgan and Rhys's argument over whether the girl in the painting is a servant or a prostitute, until Adam steers it back on track.
Mr. Foster turns over a folder with all the past owners of the painting, and Morgan looks through it back at the station. She summarizes the key points for Adam and confesses that she really doesn't care about keeping an insurance company from paying a check to people who definitely don't need more money.
The museum floor was coated with aluminum oxide, a substance that melts glass, which was the reason why there were no shards of the skylight's glass on the floor. Oz learned that the same modus operandi (MO) had been employed in a heist two years ago involving a Matisse in Rotterdam. Daphne delved deeper into her research and uncovered 19 heists that matched their current case, all of which involved paintings worth between $10-30 million. The first painting to be stolen was "A White Duck" by Jean-Baptiste Oudry, taken 12 years ago. Further research revealed that the thief, commonly referred to as "Jean-Baptiste," had been shot in the shoulder five years ago while attempting to steal a Picasso in Madrid. Morgan pondered why he had not been caught, and Rhys suggested it could be 10 different thieves using the same MO.
Daphne discovered that Ari Weissman had sued for the Rembrandt, but the court had ruled against him. Selena temporarily pulled Oz and Daphne off the case to assist with the Roman investigation, while Morgan, Adam, and Rhys headed to Ari's residence.
Ari's grandmother explained that her father had purchased the painting in 1932 and hung it on the wall in their home in Krakow. She was the only one in her family who had survived the war, as the Nazis had taken their possessions, including the painting. Ever since then, they had kept an eye on auction catalogs until they found it up for sale. The owners had offered to sell it to them for $20 million, but they were middle-class and did not have that kind of money. The courts had ruled against them because they could not prove ownership.
Adam noticed a framed photo showing that Ari was—or had been—a gymnast (the thief had used a long rope to scale the museum). Although he didn't mention it, Adam asked for Ari's alibi. Morgan revealed that she had seen Ari's name on the museum's visitor logs, and Ari claimed he had gone there to take a photo to show his grandmother.
Back at the station, Selena, Oz, and Daphne bagged up and photographed everything in Roman's backpack. She wanted everything to be tested by forensics, including data extraction from the BlackBerry. The photos in the backpack would be run through facial recognition. Selena advised them that if the captain asked about the case, they should refer him to her.
As Morgan summarily rejected all potential babysitter applicants, she made the decision to engage Ava (Amirah J) to tend to Elliot and Chloe. Ava inquired about any leads the police had found regarding the bag, and Morgan promised to inform her as soon as new information emerged.
Adam delved into the museum's staff, and one employee recalled a mysterious figure loitering near the Rembrandt a few times. The employee recognized Ari's photo when Adam showed it to her.
Morgan placed Ari and his grandmother's photos on the "Suspects" side of the crime board and, with a sense of urgency, moved them to the "Victims" side. She added a new column labeled "1939," when the painting was stolen by the Nazis. Morgan expressed her determination to have the painting returned to Miriam Weissman, not the Fosters, regardless of the protocol.
Adam tried to explain the procedural nuances, but Morgan was undeterred. Rhys received a phone call and attempted to leave, but Morgan halted him. Reluctantly, Rhys admitted that someone had called and claimed to know the whereabouts of the painting. Morgan insisted on accompanying him.
They waited outside the museum for the individual, who was tardy. This delay gave Rhys an opportunity to elucidate that he was one-of-a-kind in his craft. With time on their hands, they ventured to the museum's roof to assess how the thief had entered. As Morgan was pointing out the reflective coating on the glass, the museum director delivered an envelope addressed to Rhys. Inside was a Polaroid of the painting with a current newspaper for dating purposes. Instructions on the back instructed Rhys to bring $500,000 to Woodley Park at 1pm.
Selena was already in a foul mood even before Daphne reported that forensics was backed up. However, Oz brought better news; one of the photos had led to a man with a criminal record. Nick was irked that Morgan and Rhys had gone to the crime scene at the museum without a police escort, believing she was trying to sabotage the investigation. Morgan, however, claimed her intentions were purely professional. Rhys handed over the photo and instructions, and Nick sprang into action, setting up a surveillance operation with alacrity.
Morgan offered an apology, but Nick's frustration boiled over, labelling her actions as reckless and disobedient. He demanded that she adhere to his directives and removed her along with Rhys from the case. "Detective Karadec and I can take over from here. Our consultants have done their part," Nick stated firmly.
As the Fosters arrived, Karadec briefly met with them while Morgan grabbed Rhys and suggested they head out for a drink. Morgan couldn't fathom Nick's outburst and dismissal of her, and Rhys attempted to change the subject to their children. She knew what he was trying to do and refused to be sidetracked, continuing to vent about Nick's dismissive behavior.
Meanwhile, Ava discovered Arthur's business card in her mother's jacket and called him to discuss her father. Arthur suggested they have a conversation about Roman, but not at that moment. He offered to meet her and Morgan at the diner another time. The only thing he was willing to say now was that Roman had always done the right thing and was a stand-up guy.
Nick and Adam engaged in a candid conversation as they drove to the meeting spot. Nick admitted that while he trusted Morgan, he needed to be aware of everything going on in order to protect her. He felt this way about all the detectives in the unit. Adam stood up for Morgan and warned Nick to find a different approach when he was upset with her. If Nick didn't, there would be issues between them.
As Nick and Adam waited for the person who sent the Polaroid to show up, Nick confessed he was waiting for Adam to tell him about Roman. He was observant and knew something was amiss. Suddenly, they spotted a man breaking into a car, and although Nick wanted to ignore it, Adam couldn't let it go. He yelled at the man to get away from the car, and the man pulled out a gun. Adam and Nick both drew their weapons, and finally the man put his down, defusing the tense situation.
The individual they've come to meet speeds off into the distance, pursued relentlessly by Nick, leaving Adam in the dust. Adam seizes the car thief's weapon, shoves him aside, and takes off in pursuit of Nick, their argument over the phone echoing as they chase after their intended target. The high-speed chase intensifies as Nick and Adam continue to bicker, ultimately resulting in the loss of their quarry but a collision between their respective vehicles.
Morgan downs a beer while still lacing her words with disdain for Nick. She's convinced it was either nepotism or Nick's height that secured him the promotion. Rhys, aware of Morgan's attempts to decipher him, reveals that his father was a trash collector and his schoolmates used to mock him. But when he ventured into a museum, social class ceased to matter. It's a poignant story that Morgan misses most of due to her inexorable anger towards Nick. However, it's evident that there's a spark between them, leading to a visit to Rhys' hotel room.
A steamy makeout session ensues, only to be interrupted when Morgan catches sight of a gunshot scar on Rhys' now bare left shoulder—the same spot where the guard shot Jean-Baptiste five years ago. Her mind races through the clues, which now point inexorably towards Rhys. Morgan pulls away momentarily as her phone buzzes, but doesn't let on to what she's thinking.
The call is from Adam, urging her to get to the museum. A dead man lies on the garage floor in a pool of blood. Adam says, "Our case has just taken a decisive turn."
The seventh episode ends on a cliffhanger. Selena sifts through the contents removed from Roman's backpack, picking up the photo Oz showed her of the unidentified man just as Arthur gets in his car to leave a job site. He sits behind the wheel, and the unidentified man suddenly appears in his backseat, inquiring about the backpack.
