Alfie (Aaron Harris) and Edwin (Sam Anderson) are back for Matlock's winter finale, and as always, Matty (Kathy Bates) is caught in the middle of personal drama and professional duty. This week, Alfie participates in a mock trial competition where he plays an eyewitness, and Matty is determined to be there to cheer him on. But before she can attend, she’s pulled into a more urgent mission: sneaking into Senior’s (Beau Bridges) office to retrieve a crucial attachment from a Wellbrexa email.
These documents could be the key to proving that Senior helped bury evidence that could’ve taken opioids off the streets ten years ago. Of course, getting past Senior’s office isn’t as simple as it sounds, and Matty faces far more obstacles than she anticipates—especially as Olympia (Skye P. Marshall) drops a bombshell of her own.
Olympia drags Matty into a case defending a nanny wrongfully fired after her photo was posted on a nanny surveillance website. As Matty and Olympia tackle the case, the legal battle feels secondary to the personal stakes at play. Olympia’s best mom friend, a fellow lawyer, turns out to be the one who took the photo in a failed attempt to cover up an affair with the nanny’s employer. It’s a big win for Olympia when the nanny receives a settlement, but what really stands out is how Matty and Olympia’s relationship evolves.
Matty, who once had a more distant and transactional dynamic with Olympia, has now become her emotional anchor. After learning about Julian’s (Jason Ritter) affair, Matty takes it upon herself to protect Olympia from the judgmental moms at school, even stopping her from confronting them. The way Matty has come to care for Olympia is incredibly moving. I wasn’t sure where their relationship was going earlier this season, but it’s clear now that Matty is deeply invested in supporting Olympia—not just as a colleague, but as a friend. The sense of loyalty that Matty feels for her is palpable, and it’s been a nice transformation to watch. It almost feels like Olympia and Matty are becoming co-dependent, with Matty stepping into a maternal or older sister-like role, even as she navigates the tension of still trying to solve the Wellbrexa case.
That tension only deepens when Matty finds herself torn between loyalty to both Olympia and Julian. It’s such a tricky situation. After Julian confesses his affair, Matty’s internal conflict becomes more obvious. She has always tried to maintain a professional distance, but this is now a deeply personal matter, and it’s clear that her emotional investment is growing.
The Wellbrexa investigation, meanwhile, is moving at a slower pace, and Matty finds herself further entangled. After a mix-up with printing documents, Matty misses Alfie’s mock trial, which causes some drama with Edwin. His frustration with her is understandable; it feels like Matty is repeating her old pattern of putting work over personal commitments. I did appreciate that she went out of her way to solve the document issue, but the fact that the attachment she prints is not the Wellbrexa evidence, but rather a compromising photo of Senior, throws her even further off course.
What really struck me here was the emotional toll Matty’s involvement in the case is taking on her. She’s starting to realize just how deep the web of relationships goes, and how hard it will be to untangle. The revelation that either Julian or Olympia may have been responsible for hiding the documents makes Matty’s position all the more difficult. Her loyalty to both of them is growing into a real dilemma. Can she go after them if they’re the ones who kept this information hidden? Can she hold the people she’s come to care for responsible for their actions?
At the episode’s end, Matty plants a recorder in Julian’s office, capturing a tense moment between him and Olympia about the affair. It’s a small but telling moment: Matty, ever the professional, mutes the recorder as Olympia demands details from Julian. It’s a testament to Matty’s loyalty to Olympia that she’s willing to protect her from further heartbreak, but it also raises the question of how far she’s willing to go for the truth.
I’m honestly torn. On one hand, I want Matty to uncover the truth about the Wellbrexa case, but on the other, I can’t help but sympathize with her. She’s caught between loyalty and duty, and it’s clear she’s being tested in ways she hasn’t been before. I’m starting to think that Olympia may be the one behind hiding the documents, which would be such a heartbreaking twist for Matty—especially given how much she’s grown to respect her boss. Could Matty really hold Olympia accountable for something this big? And if it turns out Julian is involved, will Matty be able to reconcile her professional duties with the kindness he’s shown her?
The stakes are getting higher, and with the Wellbrexa case now firmly tied to her personal life, Matty’s journey is about to get even more complicated. There’s a lot at play here, and I’m eagerly waiting to see how this all unfolds.
Matlock is now on a holiday hiatus, but will return Thursday, January 30 at 9 PM on CBS.
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