When Matlock premiered last fall on CBS, at the end of the first episode, we learned that there was a huge twist: Madeline “Matty” Matlock (Kathy Bates) was not really who she said she was. So, all season, she’s been fighting to keep her true identity a secret, even as it pained her to do so. She had become friends with her coworkers, especially her boss Olympia (Skye P. Marshall), who she had grown especially fond of.
But the love for her late daughter, who died from an Oxy overdose, was stronger than her need to come clean. And she continued her search to discover who removed the Wellbrexa documents from discovery that would have revealed how dangerous the drug was and possibly could have saved lives.
But at the end of the episode two weeks ago, Olympia learned the truth that Matty wasn’t who she pretended to be, confronting her. Evern since, the two women have been working through their issues and Olympia’s justifiable anger.
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Initially, Olympia’s reaction was to go to the police, but Matty explained why that would not be good for Olympia’s children. Plus Matty asked what the charges would be since she legally changed her name, and she passed the New York bar. So, technically, she is who she claimed to be.
Photo: Sonja Flemming/CBS
Additionally, she wanted to give Olympia the opportunity to prove that Julian (Jason Ritter) was not guilty of stealing the Wellbrexa documents out of discovery, a chance that Olympia wanted in order to keep the father of her children from being disbarred if she could disprove it.
So, the two women came up with a plan for Olympia to get her hands on Julian’s trust documents to see if he paid for their townhouse from those funds rather than from a bribe from his father, Senior (Beau Bridges). Olympia was so relieved when she saw the trust papers, but things quickly turned into a nightmare when she found the missing document in Julian’s safe deposit box.
Will Olympia let Julian shred the document, so there’s no proof? Or will she give them to Matty so the truth comes out?
Parade spoke to Matlock showrunner Jennie Snyder Urban to get her take on the twists and turns of Season 1 and what we can expect going into Season 2.
Related: Matlock Boss Shares When and How Matty’s Real Identity Was Revealed (Exclusive)
One of the important keys to the reveal of Matty’s identity to Olympia was the phone call where Edwin (Sam Anderson) talks about how much Olympia means to Matty. How much will that come into play in Olympia’s attitude going forward?
Well, it’s true. And that’s what Matty keeps trying to tell her. “Two things can be true: I really care for you and our friendship was real, and also I was lying to you.” And so those things are huge in Matty’s head and in her heart. And she wants Olympia to believe that.
At the beginning of Episode 17, Olympia does not believe that. She does not see any possible way that Matty could be honestly her friend and have deceived her so completely and so brutally. But over the course of a little bit – 18 and into 19, Olympia gets her back against the wall. She has to be manipulative with Julian in order to get information, and she learns from Matty and sees how difficult it is. What Matty’s hoping is that now that she’s on the inside, she sees how much it hurts, how these two things can be true and how their relationship is something that’s worth fighting for.
Matty loves Olympia. Olympia has changed her life in ways she could never have expected and never have dreamed of. And so, if there’s any way that she can get out of this now that Olympia knows and preserve the friendship, that’s her biggest thing. She doesn’t think it’s possible, but that would be her biggest dream.
Photo: Robert Voets/CBS
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The fact that Matty had legally changed her name and taken the New York bar came as a surprise to viewers. You’ve been saving that little nugget.
Yes, we decided that early on. Because Jacobson Moore is going to be doing background checks, they’re going to look up her bar exam. She did full preparation to do this plan. She didn’t just drop into it lightly. So, her name is legally changed, and the bar has been changed, and she and her grandson Alfie (Aaron Harris) created a web history for Madeline Matlock. But those two things are true.
There is a line in the finale where Matty says she knows that Olympia can never forgive her. But when Matty says that, she doesn’t know that Olympia found the missing Wellbrexa document in Julian’s safe deposit box. Will that discovery change things, the fact that Matty was right?
That’s what we’re talking about in the writer’s room for Season 2. How much does that change things, and does she reveal it? And that is, I think, the juice of the second season.
Related: Matlock Star Kathy Bates on Ageism, Her Acting Addiction and Being Invisible
You left us with a lot of smaller cliffhangers as well. Let’s start with Claudia (Bella Ortiz) being pregnant. What will that mean for Billy (David Del Rio) going forward?
I think the first question is: Is she going to have the baby, or is she not going to have the baby? That is the first thing that they tackle. And, based on that decision, a lot of his choices unfold from there. But it’s certainly not something he saw coming and is a definite earthquake in his world.
Photo: Michael Yarish/CBS
Then Sarah’s (Leah Lewis) nemesis, Simone (Andrea Londo) is getting dirt from Sarah’s client on how she got that case. We know it was actually not approved by Olympia. Is that going to go into next season to cause problems for Sarah and maybe for Olympia?
Yeah, it’s a fire-able offense because conflict checks haven’t been run. There’s a million reasons why you can’t just take a case at a giant law firm like Jacobson Moore. So, Simone now has some leverage.
Related: Leah Lewis Talks Whether Sarah Can Bring Matty Down on Tonight’s Matlock Episode (Exclusive)
Even though Sarah won her case and was lauded for it?
Yeah, you still can’t bring in a case that could have conflicts. They could be representing a client. They could be representing the owner of the tape that goes into the boxing gloves in the gym. There’s a million reasons why you have to run these conflict checks, and she didn’t. So that’s the offense, not whether she won or lost.
And then we have Joey, the man who might be Alfie’s father. He shows up at Matty’s door. Is this also going to be a big part of Season 2, where we’re going to have to do the DNA testing and possibly go to court to keep Alfie?
Right, all of those things are going to be really important. Is he the father? The DNA testing, what does that mean? How does that throw their home life into conflict? Their whole life has evolved around Alfie. Letting somebody else in means giving up control in a different way and who is this person, if it is the father…it’s just really complicated. And it throws the one area of Matty’s life that she could count on. She was not having any problems between her and Alfie. They’ve been on the same page; they have been aiming towards the same goal. And what happens when that relationship gets trickier and is threatened in different ways is going to be something that we really want to explore and dive into in Season 2.
Sonja Flemming/CBS
But the really big cliffhanger is that Olympia now has the Wellbrexa documents, and she has to make the decision: Will she let Julian shred them to save her family? Also, she’s a partner now and her law license is also on the line. What will she go through in Season 2?
It’s the juiciest dilemma for her which makes good drama. She is a person with a very, very strict moral center. She fights for the right thing. But with all morality, it’s what happens when it’s you and your family? How strong are your morals now when they’re at the expense of someone you love?
So Olympia is going to be really trying to figure out what to do, where her allegiance lies. Is there a way out of this? Does she bring Matty in? Does she hide it? Does she protect Julian? Does she protect herself? Those are all the big questions of the season premiere.
Matlock airs Thursday nights at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CBS. Streams next day on Paramount+.
Next, Everything We Know So Far About ‘Matlock’ Season 2