If you’ve been following along with reviews, you know how much we love High Potential here at TV Fanatic.
We’re not alone; the series scored a well-earned second season, and it’s been one of the greatest and most successful new series.
While Morgan and Karadec’s “will they/won’t they” potential enamor many, this girl is more intrigued by what the future could look like for Daphne and Oz.
Behind Every Great Ship is an Equally as Compelling Secondary Ship
The ship potential of High Potential’s other strong partnership is too good to pass up, and if the series has to take a slow burn approach with Morgan and Karadec, they don’t have to do the same with Daphne and Oz.
Many people are intrigued by the notion of High Potential’s leads falling in love and blossoming into something romantic, like many other leading partners ahead of them.
It’s a popular staple and one of the series’ primary hooks, even if I’d prefer they subvert it this time around.
During the back half of High Potential Season 1, we saw how they planted some seeds and are starting to build on the foundation of how these two could evolve into something more romantic.
For the hunky Karadec, there are the glimmers of pining that could carry things for this slow burn for a while until the series decides when they want to pull the trigger on them.
And that’s all fun and well, but it’s also more of a reason for the show to acknowledge Daphne and Oz.
They’re not under the same restraints to draw things out between Daphne and Oz, and it’s as if this alternate pairing would pull too much away from the main couple.
Exploring Daphne and Oz Allows These Secondary Characters to Trive More Narratively
But if we want romance in the series with characters we all know and love, it wouldn’t hurt for High Potential to go all-in on Daphne and Oz.
At this point, it would help both tremendously with their character development.
High Potential has a fantastic but underdeveloped cast.
As it stands now, we don’t know much about its beloved secondary characters, as Daphne, Oz, and Selena fall into the background and consistently play supportive roles as the series leads.
Thankfully, the sophomore season will allow High Potential to explore all its characters profoundly and meaningfully.
I’m dying to know more about Daphne, Oz, and Selena, and the camaraderie among the characters in the bullpen can only grow stronger as we understand what makes everyone tick.
Daphne and Oz’s Established Partnership is Intriguing, and Viewers Need to Be Let Into it More
The second half of the season does well at dropping tidbits of information about Daphne and Oz as individuals and exploring how deeply their bond as partners goes.
We learned more about Oz and how he attends a weekly grief group after the loss of his father, and he casually shared that as it related to a case. But he also made it known that it’s something no one else knew outside of Daphne.
It spoke to how close the two are and that Daphne is Oz’s confidant.
It was a brief but beautiful way to give us insight into more sides of Oz, so he wasn’t simply a positive but a one-dimensional character.
The tidbit also shaped how we perceived his and Daphne’s relationship and how all-encompassing that partnership is for them. There’s nothing surface-level about their bond at all.
The audience isn’t privy to much of their lifestyle and world, and we don’t get to see much of it in action onscreen. But that’s more of a reason why they need to push it to the forefront.
The Mutual Protectiveness Sets Up a Perfectly Romantic Evolution
The pair’s standout moments were through their reactions regarding one another when an outsider challenged or tested them.
They are both fiercely protective of one another and if there weren’t sparks igniting the passion of shippers before, watching how they go toe to toe with anyone over one another did the trick.
One of Oz’s most iconic moments of the first season was how fiercely protective he got over Daphne when Ronnie came out of his mouth sideways on High Potential Season 1 Episode 12.
It didn’t take a high level of perception to recognize that he would’ve decked Ronnie in that bullpen if he dared to disrespect Daphne again.
Hell, it was Oz’s sexiest moment in the season, too.
More importantly, it highlights their partnership when it otherwise falls under the radar.
It’s not the first time they’ve had these moments. Daphne is notoriously just as passionate and protective about Oz. And we learned that she’s a safe space for him.
We Learn More About These Secondary Characters Through Their Compelling Partnership
She has Oz’s implicit trust — with his life, emotions, and needs, and it goes both ways.
They know each other so well, and it comes out in all these little ways, like how they subtly look after each other or refer to one another.
Oz’s attention to Daphne’s anxiousness and sweet tooth/oral fixation is astute as she is, with Oz’s genuine “goodness” being a cloak for him.
The second season could benefit by bringing the viewers into the fold with these two, and in doing so, they could pull off one of the series’ best love stories.
They even have a starting point to explore things deeper. My heart was in my throat when the others found Oz chained at the bottom of a pool during High Potential Season 1 Episode 13.
Oz’s Traumatic Experiences Set Up Perfect Exploration of Ozphne
As much as High Potential is a dramedy, one can’t put it past this series to have some darkness, and losing a character near and dear to everyone is not outside the realm of possibility with a cop procedural.
The possibility that someone as endearing and sweet as Oz could lose his life to heighten the stakes and push forward the serial killer storyline didn’t feel farfetched.
Thankfully, Oz is okay. The fear of almost losing him rattled everyone, as it became a group effort to rescue him before time ran out.
But it’s Daphne who frantically breathed life back into him. We’ve never seen her as terrified and unsettled as she was in those moments when she thought her partner and best friend’s life was slipping through her fingertips.
If High Potential Season 2 doesn’t dig into that further, it would be a missed opportunity.
One can only imagine Daphne’s guilt over not having her partner’s back when he needed it the most, despite it not being her fault.
And it’ll be interesting to see Oz grappling with this traumatic experience that happened to him and almost dying.
It’ll also allow them to explore their partnership deeper as they help one another through the challenging effects of this traumatic event.
I’m Locked IN on Daphne/Oz, So Hopefully, High Potential Season 2 Will Deliver
The Daphne and Oz potential is rife with angst, feelings, loyalty, and support. They have a gold mine of content they can explore with these two.
There are many directions the series can go in as they dig into them further.
I need this to happen in my life; how about you guys?
Over to you, High Potential Fanatics.
How do you feel about Daphne and Oz’s partnership? Do you ship the pair romantically?
Are you hoping the second season will explore them more individually and together? Let’s discuss it all below!
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