Matlock Recap: Disunion Forever

by

Greetings once more to all the Matlock enthusiasts! Following a prolonged vacation hiatus, our cherished undercover lawyer stepped back into the fray this week with a challenging case that, as it frequently does for Madeline “Matlock” Kingston, provides her with a fresh viewpoint on her clandestine professional matters.

Previously, it was noted that Matty had eliminated her primary suspect, “Senior” at Jacobson Moore, from the case involving the concealment of evidence regarding Wellbrexa’s opioid products. This now leaves only two individuals under investigation: Julian and Olympia. However, Matty is hoping against hope that it isn’t Olympia who is involved.

A significant portion of this week’s episode of Matlock revolves around the question of whether Matty’s friendship with Olympia, as hinted in the title “Friends”, might be affecting her objectivity and potentially jeopardizing the case she’s preparing against Wellbrexa and Jacobson Moore. This concern is expressed by her husband, Edwin, who grows increasingly worried each time he overhears Matty sharing stories about collaborating with Olympia. In his opinion, Matty’s becoming careless. He fears that the more comfortable Matty feels around Olympia, the higher the chance she’ll inadvertently reveal sensitive information about herself and her reasons for working at the firm.

In her own words, Matty isn’t concerned about facing serious consequences if her deception is exposed. She jokes that it would be too humiliating for J-M if she were arrested. After all, they believed an elderly woman was Matlock? The thought of the headlines alone is amusing!

However, Edwin isn’t far from the truth when he suggests that Matty is taking risks with her secret identity. In this episode, she nearly gets caught up in a situation she shouldn’t be involved in, such as interfering with her grandson Alfie’s school bullying problem. During a call at work, she even accidentally mentions Alfie’s grandfather, who she’s supposed to have no connection with. In a hurry to cover her tracks, Matty has to quickly clarify that she was referring to Alfie’s other grandfather, from… well, Maine.

It’s unfortunate that the individual listening in on this call is Shae, often referred to as a “human lie detector.” This is someone whom Matty has a strong reason to dislike due to a past indiscretion involving Julian and Shae, which Olympia accidentally revealed. Pretending to be supportive of her friend, Matty suggests that Olympia should try to get Shae dismissed from her position, a move that could potentially simplify both their lives.

In this episode’s case, the desire for certain truths among characters is crucial. For instance, Matty wishes Olympia would be portrayed as the hero in the Wellbrexa narrative, while overlooking someone like Julian. Similarly, both Olympia and Matty find it hard to accept that their client, Samantha Prince, might not be entirely truthful, despite her being a sympathetic pregnant woman and Elijah’s cousin. They also strongly believe she was unfairly dismissed from her job due to her union activism efforts.

When Sam’s former employers at SteadTrack retaliate by having her arrested, Jacobson-Moore is trying to expedite her trial, hoping that Sam will be acquitted before she gives birth. This approach leaves Olympia and Matty repeatedly taken aback by fresh information and unexpected witnesses that the defense team doesn’t have enough time to discuss thoroughly. SteadTrack claims that Sam was dismissed because her truck was stolen during work hours and a fragment of a Gucci handbag packing slip was found in her locker. They allege that Sam orchestrated the theft of the truck in return for a share of the stolen goods.

As a devoted moviegoer, I’d rephrase it this way: The truth, something I should’ve shared with my legal team, is that on that particular day, I wasn’t behind the wheel of the truck – instead, I had asked my colleague, Khadija (Ashli Auguillard), to take over. You see, I had a scheduled ultrasound appointment, but SteadTrack didn’t see it fit to approve. Despite Khadija struggling with significant gambling debts, I’m unwilling to let Olympia and Matty cast doubt by implicating her. Once more, friendship outweighs logic and practicality in my decisions.

Olympia and Matty attempt to distract themselves from their woes by spending the day socializing and discussing Julian and Shaun, while Edwin observes with a disapproving shake of his head. In the course of their conversation, Olympia reveals to Matty an instance where she challenged Julian to verify his fidelity by checking the location tags on his phone. However, it’s during this recollection that a thought strikes Olympia: Sam had forgotten her expensive earbuds in the truck when it was stolen, meaning they can trace the movements of that vehicle.

As a film enthusiast, the plot unfolds masterfully! Olympia’s crew stumbles upon an intriguing twist: it turns out that the truck was traced back to an apartment complex where Irv, an ex-colleague of Sam’s, resides. Upon further investigation, we find that this fellow runs a union-busting consulting firm, offering his services to companies aiming to sabotage labor movements by employing spying and underhanded tactics. Fortunately, with more evidence coming to light, it becomes clear that Sam is not guilty. In the end, justice prevails, and we cheer for the heroes’ triumph!

However, there seems to be no discrepancy. The resolution, where Sam admitted the truth, Khadija was cleared, and their employer’s unscrupulous activities were exposed, has made Matty more confident in his ability to instinctively identify trustworthy individuals. Earlier, while drinking with Olympia, Matty heard her recount her association with Julian during their work on Wellbrexa cases alongside Shae. This led Matty to suspect that Julian is the culprit and Shae might be an accomplice. Given how unpleasant Shae appears to be, this suspicion seems reasonable.

What’s striking about the discussion, however, is that Olympia cautioned Big Pharma’s influence could have nearly destroyed her spirit. It seems there’s a lot more to this tale, but Matty appears to be dismissing it too quickly, perhaps because she now has someone else to focus on – and coincidentally, someone she already harbors feelings of dislike towards. What other reasons might she need for further investigation?

Well, I know this: Edwin had better keep those head-shaking muscles loose.

Hot Doggin’

As for Billy and Sarah, you might wonder about their role in this story. Primarily, they’ve been kept on the sidelines, with occasional tasks such as dressing up for the club and interrogating Khadija’s former boyfriend, a bouncer. However, it seems that Billy is starting to emerge from his post-Claudia daze, noticing that Olympia consistently assigns major projects to Matty.

Concerning Sarah, she becomes somewhat unsettled when she discovers that her semi-girlfriend Kira occasionally dates other individuals – an issue partly due to Sarah not having established exclusivity. As a result, she expresses her true emotions towards Kira and receives acknowledgment for her honesty. Kira states that she’s not prepared to make such a commitment at this time, but encourages Sarah to reconnect in a month. In jest, Sarah suggests sending a calendar invitation for their future discussion.

Whenever Kira goes to handle her IT tasks, she refers to her role as “I need to correct others’ errors without making them feel inadequate.” Sarah’s response? “That’s precisely what makes it enjoyable!

At some point, Matty shares a detailed tale about her recurring canasta partner Cindy Shapiro. Within this story, she also brings up another acquaintance they share named Carol Burnett. She clarifies that it’s not the renowned figure, but her use of famous names for fabricated stories is growing increasingly peculiar and strange.

In an attempt to unsettle Irv, Matty feigns perplexity over the assortment of beer choices at contemporary watering holes and suggests, “Give the blonde one a try.” To which she retorts, “I once was a blonde,” she says with a wink, “…and I still am in certain places.

Matty suggests that an afternoon cocktail at his age should ideally be accompanied by a cozy blanket and a comfortable pillow.

Read More

2025-01-31 06:58