Fact-checking High Potential’s Crime-Solving Trivia

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The Emmys confirmed it: classic police and emergency dramas are popular again! Shows like *9-1-1* and the *Chicago* franchise are leading the way with plenty of action and suspense. Last year, a new detective series joined the trend of pairing a cop with an unusual partner. This time, the partner is Morgan Gillory (played by Kaitlin Olson), a brilliant woman with a near-perfect memory and a knack for obscure facts. However, her constant need to correct others has cost her many jobs. That is, until she’s recruited by Selena Soto (Judy Reyes) to join the LAPD and team up with the serious detective Adam Karadec (Daniel Sunjata). It’s an unlikely pairing, but they surprisingly become a great crime-solving team! Each episode is full of funny moments, solved mysteries, and fascinating trivia that might just come in handy at your next trivia night.

Beneath the main storyline, a few ongoing plots develop, including Morgan’s deal with the LAPD: she’ll join the force if they help find her first husband, Roman, who vanished fifteen years ago. The first season also introduced a villain called the Game Master who seems to be specifically targeting Morgan and her family. However, the show primarily focuses on solving a new crime each week, with Morgan often using quirky and obscure knowledge to crack the case – and sometimes just to playfully irritate those around her. We’re collecting all these little-known facts and verifying their accuracy. It’s important to ensure even fictional police work holds up to scrutiny.

Spoilers follow for the most recent episode of High Potential season two.

Episode 1: “Pawns”

A woman who looks like Morgan is kidnapped, and the Major Crimes unit begins investigating. Morgan is the only one who suspects the Game Master is responsible. She turns out to be correct, but the Game Master tries to make it look like a well-connected music executive committed the crime.

It’s true that palm weevils are a problem in Los Angeles! In the show, Morgan tells her daughter a fib about why her ex-husband is staying with them. She claims there’s a palm weevil infestation in his neighborhood, when really he’s there to look after the family. Palm weevils originally come from South America and spread wherever palm trees grow, adding another threat to Los Angeles’s vulnerable palm population.

Getting mail delivered to the wrong address is extremely uncommon. Morgan realized that a misdelivered letter wasn’t just a postal service error, but was intentionally part of the game. A 2021 USPS audit showed that only 0.15% of first-class letters are misdelivered, suggesting similar accuracy for other types of mail.

Ayurveda, a traditional Indian medicine system, suggests beginning meals with a sweet taste. A clever child is using this idea to try and get cookies before dinner! While the practice is meant to help with digestion, he isn’t actually allowed a sweet treat before his meal.

The connection between Japanese shogunates and the types of *tantō* knives created during those times is complicated. The suspect claims he arranged his *tantō* collection according to the shogunate period, meaning any mistakes in that arrangement are his own, not Morgan’s. Morgan simply identified seven Japanese clans known to have used *tantō*, the short daggers carried alongside a samurai’s katana.

Here’s a look at some important Japanese clans and shogunate rulers:

Minamoto: Minamoto no Yoritomo established the Kamakura shogunate, which governed Japan from 1185 to 1333.

Taira: Founded in 825, the Taira clan played a major role in the Genpei War (1180-85). They were defeated, leading to the end of their power and the start of the Kamakura shogunate.

Tōdō: This clan was established in 1585.

Ashikaga: The Ashikaga shogunate ruled from 1336 to 1573.

Oda: Most likely refers to the Oda clan, particularly Oda Nobunaga (1534-82), a key figure in unifying Japan. He overthrew the Ashikaga shogunate in 1573.

Tokugawa: Famous from the series *Shōgun*, the Tokugawa shogunate was founded by Tokugawa Ieyasu. They ruled from 1603 to 1868 and moved the capital to Edo, now Tokyo.

Takeda: Likely refers to Takeda Shingen, who led the Takeda clan from 1541 to 1573 during a turbulent period in Japanese history.

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2025-09-17 07:55