Matlock’s finale was a two-part special that satisfactorily answered the driving mystery of season 1: who stole the WellBrexa files? While that important question is answered, many more unanswered questions remain for Matlock to address. Everyone in the cast of Matlock had a moment to shine in the finale, from Julian’s heartfelt confession, to Olympia’s complex relationship with Matty, to Billy’s sweet moment of friendship with Sarah.
Even with some secrets revealed, the fallout is uncertain, setting up Matlock season 2 to be even more intense. This is not surprising considering how many plot twists season 1 featured, from the pilot to the last scene of the Matlock season 1 finale. The stakes are higher than ever for Matlock season 2, with Olympia having incriminating information on Matty and Julian, just as her future becomes more entangled with Jacobson Moore’s.
Olympia Shares Shae Was The Woman Julian Cheated On Her With
Season 1, Episode 9 – “Friends”
With Shae Banfield’s gift for reading people, she’s a dangerous enemy to have, as Matty learned in Matlock season 1, episode 3. Shae becomes a threat on both a personal and professional level when Matty learns that she was the woman Julian cheated on Olympia with. At first, Matty becomes privy to the information through the recording device she planted on Olympia, but then in the same episode, Olympia confesses the delicate secret to Matty.
Olympia confiding in Matty reveals a growing trust, which begins to weigh on Matty, who did not realize how meaningful Olympia would become to her.
While it is not shocking that Julian would have an affair – even just for one night – with someone he works with, since both he and Olympia seem to see the Jacobson Moore offices more than their condo. It’s smart storytelling to intertwine their professional and personal conflicts. Olympia confiding in Matty reveals a growing trust, which begins to weigh on Matty, who did not realize how meaningful Olympia would become to her.
Emmalyn Belvin (Mrs. B.) Is Revealed To Be The Redditor
Season 1, Episode 15 – “Game Face”
Without the anonymous post on Reddit, Matty would have never been tipped off to Jacobson Moore’s culpability in hiding WellBrexa material that would have kept addictive opioids off the market, saving many lives, including her daughter, Ellie. In Matlock season 1, episode 15, Matty and her husband Edwin lure the anonymous Redditor’s identity out with a phishing scam, and it’s a shock to discover it was the grumpy head of Jacobson Moore’s archives, Mrs. B.
Mrs. B is dedicated to rule-following, even in minor things like Julian circumventing office procedure to procure a better office for his assistant. This makes the reveal that she wanted someone to uncover Jacobson Moore’s wrongdoings feel aligned with her character. Matty uses Mrs. B’s specific love of Barry Manilow to persuade her to an in-person meeting.
6Billy’s Ex-Girlfriend Claudia Shares That She’s Pregnant With His Child
Season 1, Episode 19 – “Tricks of the Trade – Part Two”
I thought Billy’s arc – like Sarah’s – was going to end on a moment of personal growth, where he learns to prioritize his own needs. Billy tells Simone, Sarah’s longtime nemesis, that he wants to be single and unattached for a while, having just recently been dumped when he thought he was about to get engaged in Matlock season 1, episode 7. In somewhat clunky groundwork, Billy reveals to Sarah that he’s been recently and casually seeing his ex, Claudia.
This might not be true, but Billy is too good of a guy to demand a paternity test. This is an uncomfortable prison for both of them, as Claudia turned down his proposal at the Christmas party. With Matty reflecting on how difficult it is to be a good mother and a working lawyer, it would be interesting to see Billy navigate similar hurdles, though hopefully in a joyful, not entrapped, way.
5Matty Convinces Olympia That Julian Planted The Recording Device
Season 1, Episode 10 – “Crash Helmets On”
When Billy catches Matty desperately searching for the recording device, she distracts him by reassigning a case from Sarah to Billy, who is so excited he doesn’t realize this was an evasive maneuver. Sarah takes on a client outside of Jacobson Moore’s policy because she was so desperate to get trial experience, after Matty took the opportunity away from her. What starts as a minor cease-and-desist case becomes a murder trial in the finale. Luckily, Sarah wins, but I don’t blame her for overreaching after Matty’s rug pull.
Julian Is Busted As The Person Who Hid The WellBrexa Documents
Season 1, Episode 19 – “Tricks of the Trade – Part Two”
In some ways, Julian being the one to physically take the WellBrexa document felt like the most obvious but darkest path. It would have been too easy for Senior to be the sole villain, as it became increasingly clear over the course of Matlock season 1 that Olympia was unlikely to be involved. That left Julian: was he complicit, and was he acting on his own?
There was one moment of relief when Olympia discovered that Julian had paid for the condo with his trust, not with a payout from his father, but in what is perhaps the biggest plot twist, Julian kept the incriminating file in his safe deposit box all these years. I’m glad Matlock allows the incredibly likable Julian to have made such an immoral and illegal mistake, even if it was for a deeply understandable reason, like seeking his father’s approval.
3Alfie’s Father Unexpectedly Arrives At The Kingstons’ Home
Season 1, Episode 19 – “Tricks of the Trade – Part Two”
Matty and Edwin debated who should get guardianship of their grandchild Alfie if anything were to happen to them in Matlock season 1 episode 10, but this seemed to be resolved after Matty asked her sister Mitzy in episode 15. Contacting Alfie’s father was a point of contention between Matty and Edwin earlier in the season – Edwin feared the father might be an addict who would disappoint Alfie, while Matty believed it was selfish to deny him the possibility of a meaningful relationship.
2Olympia Confronts Madeline About Her True Identity
Season 1, Episode 16 – “The Johnson Case”
Matlock season 1 episode 16 delivered the biggest plot twist since the pilot: Olympia corners Matty and confronts her with the evidence of her true identity as Madeline Kingston. While more groundwork could have been laid, since Olympia’s detective work is instead shown through a somewhat clunky flashback montage sequence, this was a delightful surprise that caught me off guard as written.
In fact, it was something of a relief to have confirmation that Olympia wasn’t having the wool covering her eyes as much as Matty and the audience thought. Olympia needs to be smart and observant to be the power player she is portrayed as, so her apparent naïveté felt like a plot hole as well as a contradiction to her character.
1Madeline Matlock Is Really Madeline Kingston
Season 1, Episode 1 – “Pilot”
The 2024 Matlock is a reboot of the original 1980s show, but the Andy Griffith series was more of a straightforward procedural. The reboot’s pilot leads viewers to think that Madeline Matlock’s tragic story of being cheated on by her spouse and needing money to raise her deceased daughter’s son by herself was the truth, until the end revealed Matlock get off the bus after one stop and into Madeline Kingston’s chauffeured limo. In fact, Matty borrowed the backstory – and accent – from her sister, Mitzy.
The concept that Matty is undercover investigating an injustice – drawing her name from the old show – adds a brilliant layer of mystery and intrigue to what was once a standard legal procedural. While Matlock does have a case-of-the-week for some episodes, it is far more serialized, as Matty, Edwin, and Alfie work together to unravel the WellBrexa trail. This is Matlock’s most clever and original twist, elevating the show.
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