Matlock Recap: Family Matters

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After 25 episodes of Matlock, we’ve learned quite a bit about Madeline Kingston – her background in law, her family life, and personal struggles. However, Olympia’s story is different. We know her father was a loving but disciplined military man who recently passed away, and that she worked hard to earn respect in her profession. We also know her ambition and her husband’s family caused problems in her marriage. But unlike the detailed backstory given to Matlock himself, Olympia’s past hasn’t been central to the show’s main storylines.

This week’s episode of “Prior Bad Acts” introduces Olympia’s mother, Celeste (Vernée Watson), who has a strained relationship with her daughter. We see a flashback to when Celeste visited Olympia, Julian, and the grandkids in New York four years ago, bringing along her boyfriend, Lionel Carlisle (Scott Lawrence). During that visit, Olympia learned that Celeste and Lionel were overspending and racking up credit card debt, reinforcing Olympia’s preference for her stable and reliable father. It highlighted a pattern of impulsive decisions, particularly regarding love and finances, that Olympia had observed in her mother.

Olympia is suddenly confronted with memories of Lionel and Celeste because they’ve unexpectedly reappeared in her life. Julian discovered they’re being sued for fraud while reviewing court records. Apparently, Lionel tried to start a business selling copper braces, promising investors a low price for the copper. When the price of copper unexpectedly increased, the business failed, and the investor now believes Lionel acted irresponsibly with their money. This lawsuit could cause Celeste to lose her home, as Olympia just learned they are married.

You know, I’m really enjoying this week’s case. It’s great because, for once, we’re getting some real backstory on Olympia. We’ve seen so much that explains Matty – her guarded nature, why she doesn’t trust easily, and honestly, how good she is at being manipulative. But this episode finally lets us peek behind the curtain with Olympia and understand why she feels the need to control everything. Turns out, it stems from years of having to constantly rescue her mother from trouble. It adds a whole new layer to her character, and I’m here for it!

Four years ago, Olympia didn’t think much of Lionel, and she still feels the same way. Watching him defend himself in court is painful – he’s making a mess of things with poorly presented evidence and silly arguments. He even struggles to explain his objections, often just nodding when the judge asks why he’s making them. Olympia can’t understand why Celeste doesn’t see how absurd her husband is acting, and she’s partly taking the case to embarrass her mother.

Look, at her core, she really wants to win this case, and that drives a lot of the drama. But what I especially loved about the courtroom scenes in this episode was how unpredictable they were. There were some clever legal maneuvers thrown around – at least, they seemed clever to me! I’m no lawyer, mind you, but I’ve spent a lot of time watching shows like Perry Mason and The Good Wife, so I’ve picked up a thing or two, I guess.

The plaintiff attempts to bring up one of Lionel’s former girlfriends to discuss a failed business venture, but Olympia objects, citing the Molineux rule which prevents the introduction of past misconduct. When that fails, the defense team argues that Lionel’s business partners should have been aware of his questionable character, particularly after they discovered he’d used actors in a promotional video falsely claiming copper had medical benefits.

This episode of Matlock doesn’t have quite as many twists and turns as usual, but it still takes the story in some unexpected directions. The show often links the main case to a secondary storyline, and in “Prior Bad Acts”—a title that hints at what’s to come—that connection is made repeatedly.

Olympia starts to understand she shouldn’t blame her mother for past errors. Her father, Lionel, might be a bit silly and made a mistake with his copper business – he was warned about rising prices, but his nephew was using his phone to play Pokémon GO and he didn’t get the message. However, he’s ambitious, has good intentions, and makes her mother happy, so they both deserve some understanding.

I thought Lionel’s situation would connect to the main storyline about Senior and the Wellbrexa scandal, but the plot took a slightly different turn this week. Sarah’s eavesdropping revealed that Senior knew his son was meeting with Eva, and therefore, knew about the plan to overthrow him. Instead of fighting it, Senior proposed a merger, offering the partners a large bonus to prevent the uprising. He then tried to force Eva to name the people she’s working with in New York, but she responded with a defiant refusal, playfully naming Huey, Louie, and Dewy before adding a pointed insult.

The episode’s central theme also appears in a story about Alfie’s father, Joey, who is recovering from addiction. After completing treatment, Joey moves into a sober living home and wants to reconnect with Alfie, following rules set by Matty and Edwin. However, those rules are incredibly strict – even dictating what Joey can talk about, like his love of motorcycles – causing him to cancel a family dinner with the Kingstons at the last minute.

Later, when Matty angrily confronts Joey, his sponsor helps them get to the heart of the problem. Matty, just as Ellie had predicted, tends to steamroll over people. Matty realizes she’s also been dwelling on past mistakes, seeing Joey as an issue to be fixed rather than a person. They have a heartfelt conversation, and Joey shares something Ellie once told him: she deeply loved and admired her mother, believing her to be incredibly intelligent. He adds, with a touch of humor, that Ellie was “super-high” when she said it, which makes Matty laugh genuinely. The moment is surprisingly moving.

This episode, while focused on Olympia, also revisits Matty’s personal struggles. However, both characters do seem to be making progress and resolving past conflicts.

Except with Senior, that is. Because Eva’s right: Screw that guy.

The Fine Print

I found the storyline with Joey really touching, even though it concludes with a somewhat cheesy scene: him meeting Alfie, grabbing a guitar, and playing Ellie’s beloved Coldplay song, “Fix You.” It feels like the writers didn’t quite get the memo about avoiding overly sentimental moments.

The episode features some clever deception, reminiscent of the show Matlock, orchestrated by Julian. He’s proving to be a valuable asset to Olympia and Matty’s operation, despite Matty’s reluctance to accept his help. Earlier in the episode, Julian attempts to distract Olympia from her worries about her mother by sharing a touching childhood story about missing a Christmas flight and spending the holidays with his father’s doorman, Sam. Later, it’s Sam who unexpectedly helps Julian gain access to Senior’s apartment, where he discovers the non-disclosure agreements related to Australia and a memory card containing thousands of photos from the Sydney retreat. With these developments, next week’s Christmas episode promises to be quite eventful.

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2025-12-05 18:55