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The Matlock Season 1 Finale Reveal Leaves Every Characters’ Fate Hanging in the Balance
There are cliffhangers, and then there is this traumatic mess that Matlock has left us with. All in all, though, that was one hell of an epic ending to the premiere season.
Truth be told, it did not go as I expected at all. I thought it would be like the end of Clue, with Kathy Bates breaking down all her discoveries. However, what we got was so much better.
One thing about Matlock that I pondered was. “How will they keep the story going once the Welbrexa culprit is caught?”
What no one anticipated was that the big reveal would happen in secret, with the culprit’s consequences resting in the hands of someone other than Matty.
Also, let me go ahead and get this out of the way right now: I was dead wrong about what went down with the Welbrexa documents. Well, technically speaking, I was half “dead wrong.”
Olympia’s Choice Will Redefine Her Life
Throughout Matlock Season 1, I have held firm that Senior is to blame. It was perfect, logistically speaking, because he wasn’t one of the characters we’ve grown to love.
As it turns out, Senior did, in fact, have a hand in the cover-up because he gave the order from Australia while trying to smooth things over with the case.
For a long time, I thought Stuart could have been the one to physically remove the Welbrexa documents, and then it was made abundantly clear that the incident had happened fourteen years ago.
Stuart may be a loyal assistant to Senior (Beau Bridges), but over a decade in that position would make Stuart jump off of “The Crying Balcony.”
In the end, much to Olympia’s dismay, the Welbrexa culprit was, in fact, Julian. They got me wigged at the gig with that one. It really seemed like a twist coming.
However, another twist could be coming when the series returns. We never saw Olympia make a decision regarding Julian after she discovered the documents.
We know she was shocked, hurt, and betrayed, but we don’t know what she’s going to do next.
Julian is the father of her children and the former love of her life. All of that goes away if he goes away to prison.
Where was this conundrum on Matlock Season 1 Episode 12 when Olympia and Julian were at each other’s throats? This would have been a much easier choice for her then.
Quite frankly, Miss Lawrence is completely screwed. She’s screwed if she does and screwed if she doesn’t.
If she doesn’t turn in Julian, not only will that officially make her an accomplice, but she will become everything she has accused Matty of being.
And we already know Olympia is not a woman who can easily get out of her own head. Did you see how crazy she got searching her house for recording devices?
Miss Thing is not the one to be making the call about Julian. This is precisely why Matty should have gone with her to the bank.
Except, one little thing might tip the scales for Olympia (Skye P. Marshall). She just made partner, and as Senior said, “You now have a stake in everything Jacobson Moore.”
There’s no way for the firm not to take a massive hit when the Welbrexa news reaches the media circuit.
Then again, they might get business from some lucrative and rather shady companies that don’t mind corrupt representation.
Really and truly, the biggest downside to Jacobson Moore possibly being taken down by this scandal is that it would mean Billy and Sarah getting knocked down at the start of their careers.
And just after Sarah kicked off her first case in the most self-destructive way possible.
Matlock’s Dynamic Comedy Duo Are Taking Home the Mother Lode of Dramatic Character Arcs
I don’t question Sarah’s ability to skirt the rules, namely because of her comment on Matlock Season 1 Episode 7 when she said, “I love to steal stuff. Don’t think about it.”
However, never in a million years would anyone have ever guessed that Sarah would do something so stupid that it could jeopardize her career.
My God, I’m surprised she didn’t piss herself every time Olympia glared at her through the finale. Seriously, what the hell did Sarah write in that letter? It sounds horrifying, but in that “I gotta see the car crash” way.
And on top of all that, poor Sarah had her tooth straight up knocked out of her head. I would say that was overkill, but it was perfect for the character.
Billy (David Del Rio) and Sarah are Matlock’s comedic dynamic duo. Their misguided antics keep the show’s pace moving and help break up the more intense moments.
For example, why the hell haven’t they ended things with Kira and Simone? Why have they let those failed relationships go on this long?
I could understand Sarah. Kira was lovely, and she would have been perfect if it had not been for her relationship preferences.
The same cannot be said for that petty little lawyer, Simone, and all her mean girl energy. What is with her? She has this vendetta against Sarah, who has done nothing to her.
It seemed like Simone was gone by the end of Matlock Season 1 Episode 17, but we’re stuck with her. Great. I’m sure she won’t at all act like the cliched jealous nemesis who secretly looks up to Sarah.
And you know Billy is going to be caught in the middle until he finally snaps and tells Sarah and Simone to figure it out themselves because he’s going to be a father.
I have to say, I did not see that coming. To be fair, pregnancy storylines are kind of a cop-out just because you can use that with any duo of adult characters in any story. Hell, they don’t even have to be adults.
It isn’t exactly groundbreaking. However, seeing Billy lean into “Daddy Duties” and prepare for his bundle of joy will be cute. I’m sure Sarah won’t at all get jealous of Billy’s baby. She’s far too level-headed for that.
I’ll tell you one thing, though: Sarah won’t be taking any more solo cases anytime soon. That girl made it out by the skin of her teeth.
If it hadn’t been for Matty, that whole situation could have ended Sarah’s career before it had even really started.
Thankfully, Miss Franklin (Leah Lewis) has seen the error of her ways, and she’s not the only one, either.
Will Matlock Season 2 Choose a Predictable or Unexpected Path?
Did it really take Matty the entirety of Matlock Season 1 to see how her actions have affected the people around her? Come on. Even she isn’t that hyper-focused on her mission.
And of all the things she’s done, I’d say giving a case to Billy instead of Sarah was pretty low on the list of grievous offenses. She kidnapped Mrs. B’s dog, for Christ’s sake.
It’s been a long time coming and certainly a fun mystery to dissect, but the cat is out of the bag, even if Matty (Kathy Bates) doesn’t know it yet.
The way the episode ended, it seemed that the show wanted us to think that Olympia was going to lie to Matty and not tell her about finding the Welbrexa documents.
To be honest, both work and feel like a step back simultaneously. It’s dramatic, but haven’t we been talking about this Welbrexa case long enough?
I hate to say it, but it’s best not to beat a dead horse. Now that we know Julian was the one to cover up the Welbrexa case, there’s no more mystery. It’s do-or-die time.
I’m just going to say it now: I’m not going to watch an entire season of Olympia and Julian trying to hide the truth from Matty. I’m just not doing it.
If that is the plan for Matlock Season 2, you can count me out. When the show returns, I want to see Olympia deliver Julian straight to Matty.
That’s the best way to subvert viewer expectations and create a story that no one can predict.
The series has been good about dodging assumptions, so let’s hope the writers aren’t planning on phoning it in.
In all fairness, though, Matlock did set up multiple cliffhangers, leaving plenty of possibilities, especially with Alfie’s father now in the mix.
I don’t know why the writers chose the Season 1 Finale to drop that bomb. It could have worked as a mid-season finale twist.
Then there is that little conversation Matty and Edwin had about how she wants to keep working, and he just wants to return to being retired.
This feels ageist to ask, but do people in their seventies still get divorced? Wouldn’t you want to find a way to make it work for the last leg of your life?
Then again, I can see how some people would want their last years to be as meaningful as possible. Okay, let’s stop talking about death. It’s getting morose.
We know Matty won’t stop working because then there would be no show, but if the mission is over, it’s not fair to keep Sam Anderson’s (A Million Little Things) Edwin from his home and the life he rightfully deserves.
Again, though, Alfie’s dad is now involved. If Alfie’s father wants to raise his son there instead of in San Francisco, where Edwin wants to return, that might change Edwin’s mind.
So, as you see, there are endless possibilities. The one thing we know for sure is that when the show does come back, it’ll return with fresh and sharp ideas that will have us glued to our seats yet again.
Technically speaking, the mission isn’t over until someone is behind bars.
Things Are Far From Over
Look, I may have been wrong about Julian getting rid of the Welbrexa documents, but I was right on the money about Senior making the call.
What I think will eventually happen is that Olympia will beg Matty to see reason. That it was all Senior, and Julian was just young and stupid, desperately trying to get his father’s approval.
I can see Matty coming around to team up with them and build a case to ensure Senior is liable and not Julian (Jason Ritter).
Here’s the thing, though: I think Senior is on to them. This whole time, he has been looking into Matty, and because of her friendship with Olympia, he’s also suspicious of his ex-daughter-in-law.
It’s odd that he would not only choose Olympia for partner but that he fought for her to get it after the board wanted to fire her.
Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Senior probably always suspected that Julian told Olympia about the Welbrexa cover-up, but was never worried.
Enter Miss Madeline Matlock, who gets close to Olympia. Senior begins to worry that old sins might resurface.
So, rather than take a direct approach, he ensures that if anything happens to Jacobson Moore, it’ll happen to Olympia, too. It’s brilliant in an evil genius sort of way if that is the direction Matlock Season 2 takes.
We might also see a few new faces when Matlock returns in the fall.
Cheyenne Jackson (American Horror Story) snuck his way onto the finale as a detective, and he wasn’t giving “day player” vibes. We’ll be seeing him again.
The most nostalgic part of this episode is the scene where Matty takes down the crime board. It felt like the end of summer camp.
It was surreal because we, the audience, knew the mission was over and who the document deviant was, but Matty didn’t.
It was bittersweet, but it felt like an ending that wasn’t a conclusion. There’s far more story to tell, and things are only starting to heat up.
So, Olympia knows Julian hid the Welbrexa documents, Alfie’s father showed up at Matty’s doorstep, Simone is out to take Sarah down, and Billy is going to have a kid. Does that about cover it?
It’s been a hell of a Season for CBS‘s Matlock, and we have enjoyed every incredible episode. To re-experience Matty’s infiltration of Jacobson Moore, you can catch all the episodes on Paramount+.
What did you think of Matlock Season 1?
Do you think Matty and Olympia will team up to take down Senior?
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