[Warning: The following contains MAJOR spoilers for the Matlock Season 1 finale, “Tricks of the Trade.”]
The one that hid the Wellbrexa research was revealed within the bombshell ending of the two-part Matlock Season 1 finale, however that was solely the start of the mysteries this collection plans to unfold on this already renewed collection. One of the vital profitable new reveals of the 12 months ended its freshman season on a excessive observe, delivering dramatic pressure between Kathy Bates and Skye P. Marshall‘s Matty and Olympia, in addition to heartwarming moments between their crew of 4 at Jacobson Moore all through.
The objective for this finale, as showrunner Jennie Snyder Urman explains to TV Insider, was to resolve the season’s main thriller however break open the unavoidable turmoil that was at all times going to comply with as soon as Matty and Edwin (Sam Anderson) and Alfie (Aaron D. Harris) solved the case. Edwin was prepared to offer their findings to reporters, transfer again to Chicago, and go away this chapter behind them, however the present’s central love story — the friendship between Matty and Olympia — gained’t allow them to go so simply.
Now that Olympia is aware of it was, in reality, her ex-husband, Julian Jr. (Jason Ritter), who hid the Wellbrexa research, her life is modified without end. She will’t simply separate herself from this bombshell discovering, and neither can the regretful Julian, regardless of how arduous he tries. Hiding this doc in his security deposit field was completed on the urging of his father, Julian Sr. (Beau Bridges) — who actually did orchestrate the hearth drill for his son to take the doc — however that doesn’t absolve him of ethical or authorized guilt. Olympia has a large choice to make within the second season, and Matty’s dwelling life obtained a stunning twist within the closing moments as effectively.
Alfie’s supposed father (performed by Bates’ Richard Jewell costar, Niko Nicotera) got here knocking on their door on the finish of the episode. Jennie Snyder Urman reveals to TV Insider {that a} paternity take a look at will show whether or not or not this man actually is Alfie’s father by the top of the Season 2 premiere, and he or she particulars her response to Kathy Bates pitching Nicotera for the position herself. Right here, Snyder Urman breaks down the Matlock Season 1 finale and teases what’s forward when Matlock Season 2 premieres this fall.
You’ve known as the connection between Matty and Olympia “a love story” — is that this finale the “woman loses woman” half? Can they get again collectively and belief one another?
Jennie Snyder Urman: Precisely. It’s an epic love story. I need to preserve reminding individuals. Should you’re constructing your present round an epic love story, and that’s how we need to deal with this friendship, as a result of friendships are so epic in our lives and so sustaining and large, enormous, there’s going to be will they-won’t they. There’s going to be push and pulls. There’s going to be secrets and techniques and separations, and also you’re going to be eager for them to seek out their method again to one another due to how magical they had been. So this primary season was about constructing that and having them unexpectedly uncover one another and be taught from one another and notice this surprising friendship has given them each a lot, however there’s been this secret within the center, and now the key’s out. And but Olympia is now holding this different secret, and might they discover their method again, and might they get again to that place, goes to be quite a lot of what the second season goes to be constructing.
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Olympia made associate and now has a stake in every thing that occurs at Jacobson Moore. How will that change her conduct? Can she keep a associate after what she finds out about her ex-husband? Is she extra like Senior than she is like Julian?
There’s going to be so many questions. What’s her accountability to the agency? What’s her accountability to herself, and what’s her accountability to her household? She’s going to be weighing all of these issues. She’s not going to be making any fast selections as a result of a lot is at stake, however every thing is extra sophisticated by her being associate. And likewise, she actually, actually didn’t assume that her ex-husband might do one thing like this. And so she’s simply reeling emotionally and has to type by means of that earlier than she will get to the extra sensible subsequent steps.
I’ll say I didn’t count on it to be Julian Jr., however the rationalization actually does make quite a lot of sense. It’s plausible that at that time in his life, the pressures to please his father would break him somewhat bit.
After which, as a result of Jason simply gave such a phenomenal and susceptible efficiency, you’re feeling for him and also you’re identical to, oh my gosh, sure. Don’t outline him by the worst factor he’s ever completed. And he feels so horrible he saved it [all] this time. It’s his tell-tale coronary heart. It’s the worst secret. And your coronary heart is type of breaking, which I believe is essentially the most thrilling method you need to really feel in regards to the revelation, not that aha, now we have a villain, however aha, now we have a deeply flawed human, and what’s subsequent for all of our characters? How do they react to that? As a result of even in our author’s room, [we asked] for those who discovered your husband had this factor in a field, would you shred it? Would you come ahead? There’s quite a lot of totally different factors of view on what to do.
Like Matty stated, two issues may be true without delay. You possibly can fully perceive how Julian was led to behave that method, however on the similar time, what he did was terrible and impacted the lives of so many individuals. So he’s responsible.
Precisely, and but he’s saying, my father instructed me to do it. And so then if he’s turned in, Senior attorneys up instantly and by no means touches him, and is that justice? That’s going to be coming into their minds too. So it’s actually sophisticated originally of subsequent season for everyone.
With the Wellbrexa doc perpetrator revealed, what’s subsequent for the investigation? Edwin is able to pack it up, nevertheless it doesn’t really feel over for Matty.
Edwin needs to pack it up and go dwelling. It’s arduous for me to reply this with out giving an excessive amount of away about what the premiere goes to appear like, however Olympia’s selection is admittedly going to arrange sure dynamics. There’s a huge thriller that’s launched originally of the second season that we’ll be following that does lengthen from the primary season. It’s not all of the sudden a model new thriller.
It looks as if Olympia is within the driver’s seat for this investigation now. Is {that a} that proper gauge?
That’s a proper guess.
The second Olympia finds the telltale doc within the security deposit field was a shock. What’s Olympia pondering in that second?
The minute she hears there’s a security deposit field, her coronary heart is in her abdomen. And when she sees it, it’s actually the worst factor. It’s the issues she couldn’t have imagined. Full disbelief, shock, terror about what it means for her household. It’s actually her life in a field is what it feels prefer to her.
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The scene between Jason Ritter and Beau Bridges was heart-wrenching, the place Senior explains why he didn’t give Julian the associate position. What would get Julian to come back again to the agency after this? The place would he go?
He doesn’t need to be again within the agency. He positively needs to be away from his father, however there are particular issues that happen, and he has to do some groveling in an effort to get again for a particular period of time. And it’s actually, actually troublesome, and it places him in a extremely troublesome place.
The scene the place Matty says it’s her flip to prioritize her profession seems like simply as a lot of the present’s thesis assertion as righting the wrongs of the opioid disaster and the Matty-Olympia love story. How vital is that this marital battle transferring ahead?
It’s extremely vital, nevertheless it’s additionally, I’ve stated I’m as dedicated to their marriage as I’m to my very own. And it’s like I’m joking, however I’m not. They should confront arduous issues, they usually should get by means of it. This can be a arduous factor. They each need reverse issues, however they’re in a 50-year marriage. So, what’s at stake will not be who’s leaving. I don’t really feel that. It’s what are we going to do, and the way can we work by means of actually arduous issues, and what’s the compromise? After which from that compromise, from that onerous determination, new dramatic avenues open up. It’s not that their marriage goes to be easy crusing, however I don’t assume it’s like, I’m going to work, and so we’re going to interrupt up. It’s extra, I need this and I don’t want this. Properly, then what do you should make your life really feel pretty much as good as you wished it to? After which that leads them into quite a lot of totally different areas, which I believe is fascinating for our second season and explores the wedding additional.
Matty has been challenged by the youthful generations at work simply as a lot as she has challenged their perceptions of outdated ladies. What was the genesis of this concept of getting these generational variations assist Matty notice she needs to redefine her life in her outdated age?
It’s a bunch of issues I wished. One was, once you age, there could be a feeling of like, oh, the brand new technology, they’ve this simpler, or they’ve this, and a separating of generations. I believe actually what’s the greatest is that if we glance up and we glance down and we be taught from each locations. We’re trying as much as our fashions who’re older than us, however we’re additionally seeking to our fashions which might be youthful than us, and our blind spots. I wished that to run by means of the collection in order that, as you stated, Matty’s studying as a lot from them as they’re from her. And what it has proven Matty will not be particularly generational, nevertheless it’s simply feeling seen and feeling a part of the material and feeling like what she does issues, and he or she’s a part of a crew, and that she loves her job.
All of that will get reawakened for Matty over the course of the primary season, and it’s the very last thing she ever anticipated to occur. She had given up her profession, and he or she’s within the technique of elevating Alfie. She simply thought that half was completed. And in re-finding and having these relationships with Olympia and with Billy and with Sarah and feeling beneficial and successful circumstances and being a part of a crew, all of the sudden an enormous shot of life has simply reawakened each sense, I might say, and made Matty need that and never need to go quietly into the night time, however actually need to preserve contributing as a result of her standpoint is vital. She’s sensible and he or she feels wanted and helpful in methods which might be actually life-sustaining for her, for all of us.
Matty took down her crime board and changed it with an image of her household within the finale. What was that like for Matty, and what does it say about her subsequent transfer?
The image was like she’s taking down all these items, and he or she’s simply reminding herself what she did all of it for. If she will carry this to a detailed, she seems like she has paid this debt that she has dreamed up that she owes for her daughter. It’s one thing that she’s holding herself to, after which she will transfer ahead. She’s going to maneuver ahead along with her household, however her dream can also be to maintain working and make {that a} actually huge a part of her subsequent 10 years.
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Kathy Bates introduced within the actor, Niko Nicotera, who performs the character claiming to be Alfie’s dad. What was that course of like?
It was superior. She instructed me immediately, she knew who might play him and the way fantastic he was. And I actually do belief Kathy Bates along with her style in performing and actors. So, all I needed to do was say sure, and he’s fantastic. I had seen Richard Jewell, the place they labored collectively, and I’m actually excited for the place we’re going to go.
Are you able to say something about how a lot of a job he’ll have in Season 2? With him exhibiting up within the cliffhanger ending, I think about that’s you squaring up the subsequent thriller that’ll associate with the continuation of Wellbrexa?
Yeah, so the primary query is, is that this man his father? And that may have to be discovered in a DNA take a look at. You’ll know that [answer] a method or one other on the finish of the primary episode of the second season. However greater than that, the avenue to Alfie’s father, so whether or not it’s him, whether or not it’s not, Alfie’s father is now going to be within the combine and of their lives. And what it’s going to do is destabilize Matty’s complete dwelling life. This can be a character who was so in management. Our present is completely constructed round her management. She’s the mastermind. We see her items on the finish. She’s at all times somewhat forward of the viewers, and he or she’s at all times the one which has all of the playing cards and is dealing them out. And all of the sudden Olympia has one thing that Matty doesn’t find out about, and her dwelling life can also be put below stress and probably way more chaotic than it’s ever been earlier than. And this character, who has management over every thing, all of the sudden finds herself uncontrolled. That’s going to be actually fascinating to observe and see how she behaves and what comes of it, and the brand new areas for drama and comedy that come from that.
Alfie is a great child, however he’s been by means of quite a bit — even monitoring down his personal dad. Is that going to start out weighing on him?
Sure, it positively is. And the connection with the daddy, it’s one factor to dream of, after which it’s one other factor to really have. It’s a sophisticated one that’s coming into his life, so it’s going to be actually troublesome in completely alternative ways.
CBS
Are you able to give a glimpse of the way it might impression Matty and Edwin? Will this carry them nearer collectively, or is that this going to be one other space the place they’ve conflicting views?
They’re on the identical web page, I believe, to start with, vis-a-vis Alfie’s potential father. However any stress within the family goes to carry each of these issues. It’s going to carry battle, and it’s going to carry moments the place they’re nearer collectively. The stakes are so excessive. Alfie is Matty’s complete world, they usually’ve additionally at all times been in lockstep. She’s had fights with Edwin, however she and Alfie have been on the identical web page. They’re doing this factor collectively. This was their scheme, all of that. And so I’m fascinated with figuring out what occurs to Matty when Alfie’s mad at her, and the way that feels comparable or dissimilar to what it was like with Ellie as a result of they’d a contentious relationship by means of her teen years, and what that brings up when the connection will not be as easy, emotionally, because it was.
Is there potential for extra flashbacks with Ellie [Marnee Carpenter] now that the potential father of her little one has entered the combo?
Undoubtedly. I do know one I positively need to do, and we’re taking part in round with one other as we plot out the second season, so I positively need to see her once more.
Earlier than we wrap up, I’ve to say that Kathy and Skye’s performing within the penultimate episode was simply so good. The scene the place Olympia’s grilling Matty in that assembly room, and the shot particularly the place it’s Olympia dealing with the digital camera, and also you’re trying over Matty’s shoulder. Olympia says one thing alongside the strains of “you had been my good friend,” and you may see a microscopic flash of heartbreak in Skye’s eyes proper then. Appearing.
I do know. They’re simply unimaginable. They’re unimaginable, they usually’re unimaginable collectively. We had been all simply so excited to get to that episode the place it’s simply the 2 of them with out the masks, and so I’m so glad that individuals responded to it.
After which the Distress joke you threw in there was nice.
[Laughs] How might we not?
Matlock, Season 2 Premiere, Fall 2025, CBS