Kaitlin Olson on ‘High Potential’ Season 2 Finale: Is Wagner Dead?

As the screen cuts to black, Morgan is left to grapple with the guilt that her search for Roman could very well have claimed the life of someone close to her. “It’s no longer just about her wondering what happened for herself and her daughter, but it’s also potentially going to be very dangerous for these people that she now cares very much about,” Olson says.

Below, Olson opens up about that devastating Wagner cliffhanger, the state of Morgan and Karadec’s partnership (including the unscripted moment from their intimate final scene together) — and reprising her Emmy-nominated role in two episodes of the final season of “Hacks.”

There is music playing over the end of the “High Potential” finale, because the creative team wanted to juxtapose Morgan holding Wagner’s lifeless body up with Karadec hugging a newly indicted Lucia at the precinct. Do you remember what you were yelling on the day? What was going through your mind as Morgan?

I was screaming, “Help!” and “Over here!” and “Oh my God, oh my God.” I think her entire world is completely crashing down, and she’s absolutely to blame, in her mind. After being selfless for the past 15 years and raising these children, [Morgan’s ex-husband] Ludo is wonderful, but there’s always this thing hanging over her head that her daughter doesn’t have her father. She’s tried to be both for her this entire time. And for once, she’s going to ask for something selfishly and wants these answers — and that backfires. That’s every mom’s nightmare, like, “How dare I want to do something for me, and then have that be a thing that causes harm to everybody else?” So what was definitely going through my head was, “If I had just kept my mouth shut and if I had just been like, ‘Whatever,’ then this wouldn’t be happening to this man that I care very much about.”

Morgan and Wagner’s steamy elevator kiss has lit up social media. Many fans have very strong opinions about a Morgan-Wagner romance, which will not even be on the table if he does not survive. How has Morgan’s opinion of Wagner evolved since they first met in Episode 4, and how does she feel about him now?

In Episode 9 of this season, he basically uses her when she’s in detective school; he almost gets her fired. I thought that was really important to not gloss over. They have an attraction from the beginning, and she also can tell from the beginning that this person is tricky and potentially hiding something. Then he uses her to get answers, even though she could be fired, so she really turns on him and isn’t having it and completely shuts him out.

And then it starts to change when they’re at the kitchen area of the precinct and he explains that he almost was married. Seeing his vulnerability in [Episode] 17 — and Steve Howey did such a wonderful job playing it too. Just watching his heartbreak with his fiancée when she died in his arms, and then the retelling of the story, Morgan’s really able to see, “OK, that’s why he’s so complicated.” Maybe they have more in common than she thought, and his willingness to open up and be vulnerable was very attractive to her.

Morgan’s biggest trigger will always be the threat of harm befalling her three children, and she goes into full mama bear mode to strong-arm Willa — who threatened to harm Morgan’s kids — into revealing what happened to Roman. Morgan then learns that Roman was allegedly involved in the death of an undercover FBI agent, but she can no longer stop this investigation. What lingering questions will Morgan have about her ex going into next season?

There are tons of questions. She’s second-guessing herself. One thing that we set out to do this season was to make sure that Morgan is not infallible — that just because she’s smart doesn’t mean that she is always right or doesn’t ever make mistakes. So she’s really questioning her own judgment about who this person was. We really liked that that also paralleled what Karadec is going through and him questioning Lucia. He thought he knew her, and it turns out she was someone that maybe he was wrong about. It was really important to me to make sure that that came up when [Morgan] was comforting him, that he’s not wrong about [Lucia]. Maybe he doesn’t have all of the answers, but he was scared to open up his heart to her. [Morgan wants to reassure him] that even though it ended up hurting him in the end, it was still the right move. So that’s a theme for both of them. 

When you think back to your first meeting with Drew Goddard — who developed this show — a few years ago, how did his original pitch about what happened to Roman compare to what is revealed about the character in this finale?

Drew said in that initial meeting, “Who knows what happened to Roman? We’re going to have to figure it out. And how heartbreaking would it be if he actually did leave her?” I thought that was really an interesting point. Truthfully, we still don’t know what happened and why Roman left. Things are definitely pointing in a certain direction, but that doesn’t mean that that’s true. These people, whoever they are, are trying to get her to stop looking for him, so what they have uncovered from Willa may or may not be the truth. She’s not trustworthy.

The difference between Morgan and Karadec’s relationship in the pilot and their dynamic by the end of Season 2 is like day and night. How has the way you have chosen to play your half of that dynamic changed as Morgan and Karadec’s partnership has evolved?

It’s such a good question. It can be very challenging to act in a scene with someone where we don’t know which direction we plan to take them. You don’t want it to be that predictable, so it’s really fun to take lots of different twists and turns. I think it’s really fun to play some episodes where she’s irritated by him like he’s a little brother. Just [her] changing his ringtone to “Baby Got Back” and having him be frustrated by that was so funny to me. I also think that just because she’s busting his balls and poking at him, that’s also still very flirty. Morgan’s fun at the end of the day, and she’s entertaining herself, so she could be flirting with him and making fun of him, and that could be the same thing.

But, ultimately, a really important thing for Morgan is that she doesn’t like feeling vulnerable in front of people. It’s very hard for her to let her guard down because she’s very afraid of being hurt, so it was important to slowly build trust with him. The fact that she feels safe with Karadec is the most important thing. That definitely could lead to a romantic thing, but also can lead to really good friends. She doesn’t have very many of those, because she doesn’t let a lot of people in.

The moment that really solidified the partnership, for me, was Karadec taking it upon himself to hug Morgan as she had a panic attack in Episode 12. That was a side of Morgan that Karadec — and, by extension, the audience — had never seen before.

That’s one of my favorite scenes of the entire series so far. To be a person who doesn’t feel like she can depend on anyone in the world except for herself, to be forced into a situation where she is completely out of control, and to see her trying to fix it for herself and intellectualizing her way out of it — it’s not working because it’s an emotional breakdown. And to have him take control in that situation and force her to let him help her was so beautiful.

I think their relationship forever changed from there, because she hated [the hug]. She would never choose to do it. She was forced into it. She was embarrassed by it. And then at the end of that episode, he helps her through that part as well. [He tells her] that it’s OK to be human and it’s OK to count on someone else, count on him as her partner. He knows that she would do the same for him if and when the day comes, and just because it hasn’t happened yet doesn’t mean it’s not going to. I thought that was just such a perfect thing to say to someone. Ultimately, feeling safe with him was what I wanted for their relationship to be. Whether you know how it’s going to end up — romantically or not — he should be her safest place. 

Morgan is right there to support Karadec after he is injured in a building explosion in Episode 16, and then after he learns the truth about Lucia in the finale. In the latter scene, I noticed that it takes a couple of attempts for Morgan to get Karadec to open up about how he’s been dealing with Lucia’s arrest. Morgan is finally able to get through to him when she calls him “Adam,” which rarely happens.

I love that you picked up on the fact that that’s the first time she’s called him “Adam” — or one of the first times. That was purposeful. There was a lot of improvising in there too, and I really wanted him to stay all business and have me force him to let Morgan in. And you’re exactly right. It’s the same as that panic attack scene. She wanted it to be OK that he was upset, and then she also wanted to make sure in the same breath that he didn’t retreat back into that cemented, closed-down space [like he normally does]. This relationship might not have worked out, but I like that it was important to her that he doesn’t let himself close back up and that he did the right thing by letting [Lucia] in. 

In that scene, was Karadec wiping Morgan’s tears away scripted?

It was not scripted. Both of us are very aware that everyone’s wondering if these two characters are going to fall in love or not. I’m never going to give you that answer, but I love confusing people. It’s so funny to do a TV show in the time of social media too, because people just have very strong opinions about whether they should end up together or not. Especially after the Wagner kiss, people are all up in arms. Either way, how beautiful to have a friendship where you can fully be yourself with someone and you feel safe. Not everybody has that.

Morgan and Karadec tend to tilt their heads whenever there is an awkward, extended silence between them. Are their head tilts just subconscious at this point? Have you discussed that at all with Daniel?

We’ve never talked about it, so I guess it’s just maybe us trying to figure each other out. 

Daniel has admitted in a previous interview that he thinks Karadec has developed feelings for Morgan, but he chose to put those feelings on the back burner once other love interests threw a wrench in their dynamic for the time being. Do you think Morgan has developed any feelings for Karadec? If so, is she aware of those feelings?

I think that as soon as Lucia comes back into the picture, she is surprised by how she feels about that, because she really has love for him, she wants him to be happy and she wants what’s best for him. And then seeing it for herself makes her feel strange like, “Oh…” Maybe there’s a twinge of jealousy there. But that could also be that his attention is being taken away from her, and she just enjoys being his partner. I think she’s so closed down — I don’t think that she allows that to come to the surface, but it’s definitely in there, for sure. He is her safe place, and to spend the last decade or so feeling like she can’t count on anybody is a very lonely feeling. So I think that it will take a long time for her to admit that she has feelings for him, to herself.

We have spoken a lot about the men in Morgan’s life, but the show has also deepened her relationships with Soto (Judy Reyes) and Daphne (Javicia Leslie).

I never want to lose sight of the fact that it was Soto that Morgan went to in the first place to get help finding Roman, and that it was very, very difficult for Morgan to ask a member of the police department for help. So developing that relationship and making sure that Soto is the one who’s leading the charge on finding him and not breaking her word to Morgan that she’s going to, even after Morgan asks her to stop — that was really important. I’d never want [the show] to be all about the romance, like, “How does Morgan feel about the men?” That’s fun, but having solid female relationships where that lieutenant has her back no matter what is really important.

Morgan definitely wants to take Daphne under her wing, even though Daphne has more detective experience. She loves her and sees from the pilot that Daphne lights up watching Morgan do her thing. I will say that there was an iteration [of the show] very early on where it seemed like Daphne was jealous of Morgan. I was like, “We can’t do that. Daphne can admire Karadec’s skills but not be jealous that Morgan gets to be his partner, because that gets weird.” It was just Javicia’s instinct to have her face light up when I was doing some Morgan stuff in the pilot, and I loved it, and I was like, “That’s what we have to lean into. She has to look up to her and find her fascinating.” Daphne has an episode where she really takes the lead this season, and she said she’s channeling her inner Morgan. I like that these women are leaning on each other and rooting for each other.

At this point, what do you know about the third season? Will the premiere pick up immediately after the events of this finale, or will there be a time jump?

That’s all in discussion as we speak, so I can’t say anything, but there is a lot on the table. There are so many places that we can go — not only with the Morgan-Karadec of it all, but is Wagner dead? He sure got stabbed a lot in the back! And what’s going on with Roman? I think that’ll be addressed sooner rather than later, just because, as an audience member, who wants to drag that on for another season? So we’re going to have to have some answers there pretty quickly. 

Does this mean that you guys will finally be casting the role of Roman next season?

Listen, I can’t give you any guarantees, but I think it’d be a pretty smart idea.

“High Potential” will be returning next season without showrunner Todd Harthan, who is departing to oversee a new “Eragon” adaptation for Disney+. Have you and the other producers found his successor yet?

It’s definitely being discussed. Listen, this is a really big job. This is a show with multiple tones, and that’s not easy to do. I’m so particular about every single aspect of these scripts and these storylines.

What kinds of conversations are you looking to have with that new showrunner to ensure the core tenets of the show that Drew and Todd have established remain the same?

I think it’s really important to protect all of the tones. One of the biggest compliments I get is what you said to me in the beginning, which is that you can watch it with your little brother. This show appeals to all audiences, and that’s really important to me. I like that my kids’ friends are watching it. I like that my parents and their friends are watching it. The murders need to feel real and grounded. I want people to be emotionally invested in these characters and know who they are inside and out. I also don’t ever want to lose the fact that Morgan is a free-spirited, fun, well-rounded person, not just a smart person. So there is comedy in that, but the world is not funny — the world is serious, and the crimes are serious. So protecting all of those things is the most important to me.

Despite your day job on “High Potential,” you made time to return for the final season of “Hacks” as DJ, the daughter of Jean Smart’s Deborah Vance. In Episode 5, DJ convinces her mother to join her on a beloved reality show.

I’m so honored to be a part of this show. I love it so much. Even just as an audience member, it’s so special. Jen [Statsky], Paul [W. Downs] and Lucia [Aniello] did such an incredible job creating these characters and making them so layered.

I read the script, and was dying laughing. I was so excited about it, but it was really also important for Jean and I to wrap up this relationship because these people have been on a real journey. But I also love that DJ will perpetually always be a grown, angsty teenager. They get to do something really special and really wild together, and it’s very bonding and so much fun and right up my alley.

How do you think DJ’s relationship with Deborah has evolved over the course of the show, and what have you enjoyed most about playing out that mother-daughter relationship with Jean?

Jean’s just a dream. Every scene with her is just a gift. She’s so fantastic and so talented. But DJ started out as a person who, even as a grown woman, is desperate for her mom’s approval and attention. I think throughout this series, in the roast episode [of Season 3], she discovers that it’s not her fault. Her mom has an addiction as well. She’s addicted to laughter, and that’s something that DJ can identify with because she’s an addict. It just takes the load off of DJ a little bit. She lets herself off the hook for feeling like this is all her fault, like she’s a failure of a daughter, because she could never get her mom’s attention. It wasn’t really about that. But I also like that it doesn’t completely go away. She still wants her mom’s attention all the time.

And then having a child, becoming a mother herself, and deciding which parenting styles she wants to pick and choose from, and what things she absolutely does not want to do to her kid — becoming a mom does that too. Suddenly, you realize that nobody has it figured out. We’re all winging it, and now it’s her job to wing it.

This interview has been edited and condensed.