“Gave a lot more backstory”: High Potential star Aiden Turner teases Rhys’ true motives after midseason cliffhanger

Aiden Turner shook things up as Rhys Eastman in the High Potential midseason finale.

Fans can’t stop talking, especially after he hinted we will finally get to dig into Rhys’ past after that wild cliffhanger. Deadline points out that Turner’s not just playing another smooth art recovery expert. Rhys comes with some real baggage, and that is about to flip the script on his whole dynamic with Morgan (Kaitlin Olson).

The episode ‘The One That Got Away’ dropped on October 28, 2025, and it ended on a serious note: Morgan spots a gunshot scar on Rhys’ shoulder. Suddenly, he is connected to a huge art heist from five years ago. Now, things are about to get very interesting.

Showrunner Todd Harthan says the writers really wanted to dig deeper into Rhys’ story, especially now that his motives aren’t so clear. As Rhys gets harder to read, they decided to pull the curtain back and show what is really driving him.

Harthan also mentioned the cliffhanger was no accident; they wanted everyone wondering if Rhys is a hero, a villain, or maybe something messier. When High Potential picks up again in January 2026, we will get a closer look at his past and, hopefully, some answers about where he stands. For now, everything feels like a classic cat-and-mouse thriller, where you’re never quite sure whose side the main character is on.

High Potential: What do we know about Rhys’ backstory and motives?

Aiden Turner called this week’s High Potential episode “intense” when he spoke with Deadline, and honestly, he is not wrong. The Episode packs in a steamy make-out session and a wild high-speed chase.

The writers actually decided to stretch what was supposed to be a single episode into a two-parter just to let the story breathe a little. That move gave them space to dig deeper into Rhys’ backstory, and to show some of Morgan’s more vulnerable moments.

Turner told Deadline:

“They gave a lot more backstory about me, and then Kaitlin’s character divulged a lot more about her—not necessarily insecurities—but she became a little bit more vulnerable. So, that led to us sort of getting together.”

In High Potential Episode 7, Aiden Turner’s character, Rhys, finally lets his guard down. He talks about growing up working-class: his dad collected trash, and kids at school never let him forget it. Rhys opens up to Morgan about how tough that was, and how museums became his escape, a place where he felt like he belonged. But when Morgan spots the gunshot scar, the one tied to the Jean-Baptiste heist, everything about Rhys feels uncertain.

The midseason cliffhanger in High Potential kicks off in Rhys’ hotel room. Morgan has just been taken off the museum heist case, and she is furious. She lets off steam with Rhys, sharing a drink and her frustrations. Things heat up fast as they end up sharing an intimate moment. But just as things get intimate, Morgan spots Rhys’s scar.

It is exactly like the one the Jean-Baptiste thief had. Everything screeches to a halt. This aired on October 28, 2025, and Harthan called filming it “nerve-wracking.” This is the moment everything shifts for Morgan. Suddenly, she has to rethink Rhys and the entire case.

Meanwhile, Harthan points out that Rhys isn’t just chasing after stolen art. His past, all that pain and unfinished business, drives him. That explosive moment with Morgan is just the start. Next episodes promise to pull back even more layers: Rhys has secrets, and they are not going to stay hidden much longer.

Speaking with Deadline, Harthan explained:

“Just that this is not just a foot soldier. He knows some things, and saw some things and I think it’s gonna be surprising when we catch up to this guy, how we find him, where we find him, and what he has to say. I think it’s gonna send us to some really interesting places, and the one thing I will tease—I can’t say who it is yet—but it’s also gonna take us into the world and orbit of a new character and really amazing piece of casting that we’re working on now that I think is just gonna be really exciting. So, he’s sort of our bridge to the next phase of this whole Roman thing.”

High Potential is coming back on January 6, 2026, and this time, we will finally dig into Rhys’ past. We will see how he ties into the Jean-Baptiste heist and why he really joined the LAPD’s major crimes unit.

Turner hinted that Rhys isn’t as simple as he looks, as there is a lot more going on with him, especially with Morgan. Their relationship keeps shifting as new secrets come out. The creators say the next episodes will clear up what Rhys actually wants and push the bigger mystery of Roman’s disappearance even further.

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Also Read: High Potential Season 2 Episode 8: Release date news, time, streaming details, cast, and more

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