High Potential episode 10 ending explained: Who killed Tara Foley?

ABC's crime drama High Potential episode 10, titled Chutes and Murders, follows Morgan Gillory and Adam Karadec as they investigate the death of Tara Foley, a nanny whose body is found in a park chute. The case takes them through several suspects and motives, uncovering secrets about Tara's life.

As Morgan balances her life as a mother and LAPD consultant, she uses her skills to piece together the clues that lead to Tara's killer. Eventually, it is revealed that she was killed by the nanny named Oksana Petrov. The episode ends with Morgan solving the murder and restoring a sense of balance in her personal life. High Potential episode 10 aired on ABC on January 21, 2025. It is available to watch on Hulu.

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Tara's murder in High Potential episode 10 and the initial suspects

High Potential episode 10 starts with two young children finding Tara Foley lying dead in a public park chute. Tara is a live-in nanny who is particularly diligent and hardworking. Morgan and Karadec discover several leads, including one from Tara's cellphone, which is an angry message from one of her clients. They also discover that she had been stalked by a private investigator named Chuck Lavoie.

Chuck reveals that one of Tara's clients had hired him to monitor her for safety reasons. A photograph taken by Chuck shows Carina Wilson's husband with Tara, raising suspicions about his involvement. However, further investigation proves his alibi and the supposed murder weapon, a baseball bat, to be inconsequential.

The detectives also discover Tara was a strong Catholic and had kept a marked calendar with the day of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. This clue and a poetry slam are all that Morgan and Karadec really have to learn anything about the life of the victim. They discover interactions with Bryan Scholtzky, who was in love with her, then implicate the husband of Carina as a killer, so it ends up in another dead lead.

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Morgan balances her personal and professional life in High Potential episode 10

Morgan is not having an easy time at home while investigating the case. Elliot, her son, is sad because he was left out of his classmate's birthday party. Morgan tries to lift his spirits by arranging a playdate, but it all backfires when the classmate humiliates him. This makes Elliot even more despondent, and Morgan has a hard time trying to comfort him.

Elliot's older sister, Ava, spends much of her time on the phone and has not been particularly helpful. There is tension in the home as Morgan tries to figure out the leads to the investigation that do not come through to a breakthrough. Yet, she stays focused on closing the case to bring justice for Tara.

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Connecting the dots to solving the case

Morgan and Karadec shift their concentration to other nannies in the community after reviewing Chuck's photos. The nannies reveal Tara kept her distance and might have isolated herself, causing some of these events that killed her. This also includes talking about Carina Wilson's previous fights with Tara, one of which involved an incident where Carina's husband spent a day with her.

Carina denies involvement and claims that her social media posts targeting Tara were fabricated. She asserts her only concern was related to Tara's predecessor, who was fired after a safety incident involving a child. This information leads Morgan to a breakthrough when she notices that the timing of the Facebook posts coincides with storytelling sessions at a local library.

Morgan recalls that one of the nannies, Oksana Petrov, has shown cultural nuances similar to the posts. Oksana made the Orthodox sign of the cross, and the spelling style in the posts matched Russian conventions. Moreover, Tara's communications with a law firm about reporting someone to immigration hinted at Oksana's undocumented status.

Morgan infers that Oksana murdered Tara due to the fear that she would have her reported and deported. Oksana confronted her on the day of the murder and hit her with a rock in a hysterical state of panic. Tara ran to seek shelter in the chute but finally died from the injuries.

Towards the end of High Potential episode 10, Oksana's colleagues provide her with an alibi. However, they confess when Karadec bluffs regarding the nanny cam in their client's homes.

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High Potential episode 10 is available to watch on Hulu.