Olympia's Complete 180 On Matlock Season 2 Episode 2 Is a Turning Point I'll Never Recover From

Critic’s Rating: 4.8 / 5.0

4.8

Whoa! I didn’t have Olympia going fully evil on my Matlock bingo card.

She proved she was equally as devious and determined as Matty and that there was nothing she wouldn’t do to stop Matty and Edwin from going to the Times with what they knew.

By the end of Matlock Season 2 Episode 2, Matty and Olympia were locked into an all-out war, and whatever was left of their friendship is probably dead forever now.

I’m Heartbroken By This Development Even Though It Makes For Great Drama

Olympia and Matty are mirror images of each other — two women who are so determined to protect the people they love that traditional morals go out the window.

Olympia’s been hurt since she found out Matty’s true identity, so their friendship was going to implode at some point.

It’s just a shame that it had to go this far, especially since the same thing that makes these two women hate each other is the thing that could bond them as friends and allies forever.

My dream ending to this Wellbrexa plot is never going to happen now.

Throughout Matlock Season 1, I’d hoped that the big reveal would result in Olympia deciding not to work for Jacobson Moore anymore so that she and Matty could start their own firm and take only cases that they believed in, often standing up against the greed and selfishness of their former employers.

But now, the women are literally at each other’s throats, using blackmail and threats to keep the other one in line, and I don’t think there’s a way out for their friendship.

Olympia Was Giving Off Signs That She Was Going To Go To The Dark Side

That little trick she played with pretending to have laryngitis so that Matty had to take the case and couldn’t talk to the reporter should have made it obvious she wasn’t going to give in easily.

I’m annoyed with Mattyy for getting so cocky and not realizing Olympia could record her.

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Matty has done similar tricks herself, so she absolutely should have realized what Olympia was up to.

Now Olympia has real leverage and has chosen Julian’s side over Matty’s, and half the reason is that Matty got too sure of herself.

Did We Really Need This Judge Who Was a Matlock Fan?

Yes, Matlock’s premise has always been that Matty chose her name as a tribute to her favorite fictional lawyer, but this judge who whistled the theme song to the original version and kept referencing it was a little much.

I think this was supposed to be an in-joke, but it didn’t work. It was annoying.

It gave me flashbacks to Ally McBeal. I loved that show when it was on, but it was full of goofy judges and goofier lawyers.

We don’t need that here, especially since it hasn’t been a secret that Matlock is a quasi-reboot of an older show starring Andy Griffith.

Maybe I’m being grumpy for no reason, but I found that judge incredibly irritating and the meta-humor in this subplot unnecessary.

The case itself was interesting, but I can’t shake the feeling that Matty’s strategy is going to come back to bite her later.

She deliberately antagonized a violent gang leader to demonstrate to the jury how scary he is.

Even if he hadn’t threatened her, I’d be worried, but now that he has, it seems inevitable that she’ll regret this decision later on.

Edwin Was Far More Tolerable This Week

Edwin had gotten on my last nerve on Matlock Season 2 Episode 1, so I’m glad that he toned down his anti-Olympia rhetoric.

Of course, it helped that Matty was also anti-Olympia, which I wish she hadn’t been, for all the reasons we already discussed.

However, he was still stuck on the idea that Matty would quit her job as soon as they spoke to the Times reporter.

I’m glad that Matty told him that that wasn’t happening and was non-negotiable.

That looked like another fight brewing, but at least they talked honestly about it this time, and I loved Matty teasing Edwin about how he could always leave her after 49 years of marriage for some hot younger woman.

For all their arguing, there is absolute trust and devotion there, something we rarely experience with any couple on TV, never mind an older one.

I’m Not Sure How I Feel About The Alfie Subplot

Alfie’s situation is complicated because his mother died and his biological father is his only connection to the life she lived when he was a baby, so it was understandable that he was furious when Matty and Edwin didn’t want to help Joey get into rehab.

Still, I’ve had more than my fill of kids on TV getting their way by being bratty and obnoxious.

Alfie had the right to his feelings about their decision, but he also needed to be held accountable for how he reacted.

Giving Matty the silent treatment pushed all her buttons and he knew it.

Matty had these kinds of fights with Ellie while trying to get her clean, so Alfie acting that way had to have scared her, even though she didn’t show it.

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Matty was right that Alfie wouldn’t understand the heartbreak that comes with loving someone addicted to drugs until he experienced it for himself, but that doesn’t mean he needs to have that experience.

I think the best solution would have been a supervised visit so Alfie could discuss with Joey whether Joey wanted to go into rehab, but that solution should also have included the idea that Alfie’s desires would not be entertained until he stopped lashing out at Matty.

I Wasn’t All That Invested In The Simone Drama

I’m glad that Olympia did one good deed and neutralized her, but that doesn’t balance out everything else Olympia did during this episode.

Simone vs. Sarah was better than the Julian/Billy stuff. I found it hard to take Billy at all seriously now that I know the allegations about what David Del Rio did.

Your turn, Matlock Fanatics.
You all made some great points last week, so let’s keep it up with a new conversation. Hit the comments with your thoughts, and don’t forget to share this article with your friends so they can join in.

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If you like Matlock, check out our coverage of Elsbeth and Watson, CBS’ other two hottest mystery shows. You might also enjoy discussing Only Murders In The Building with us.

Matlock airs on CBS on Thursdays at 9/8c and streams on Paramount+ on Fridays.

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