Matlock Recap: Pharma Woes

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As a seasoned legal drama enthusiast with a soft spot for characters with a bit of grit and a penchant for unconventional solutions, I must say that this week’s episode left me both intrigued and slightly frustrated.

Enjoy a joyful Christmas in the style of Matlock, everyone! It’s quite intriguing how the holiday episode of this seemingly cheerful and comfortable legal mystery series manages to be overwhelmingly somber. With the exception of a brief instance of tender romance, “Belly of the Beast” is indeed heart-wrenching.

I loved every excruciating minute of it.

Frankly, it’s not clear what Matty anticipated when she requested employment at Wellbrexa. The pharmaceuticals division at Jacobson-Moore isn’t engaged in the socially impactful work that Olympia is currently excelling in. Furthermore, working on a big pharma case with Wellbrexa doesn’t guarantee her unrestricted access to their files. On the contrary, she might need to collaborate with the very unscrupulous corporate entities she aims to expose. To uncover what she seeks, Matty will likely have to work closely with these questionable figures, and she must perform exceptionally well for them.

I’d like to express my appreciation towards the writers, particularly Hennah Sekander, director Tessa Blake, the actors, and the Matlock casting team for creating opponents in Matty’s case who are both relatable and easy to oppose. Jessie, played by Dominique Gayle, is a cellist who participated in a drug trial at 21, and by 23 was struggling with persistent health issues that included mental fog, shaky hands, an upset stomach, and a bad kidney. Her roommate, Paige (Zamani Wilder), represents her and encourages Jessie to share every step of her medical and legal struggle on social media to increase public pressure on Wellbrexa. This strategy often makes Paige frustrating during meetings and depositions, as she uses modern slang like “gaslit” and “my guy,” and adopts an aggressive stance that looks powerful on video and excites followers.

Ultimately, these children have a compelling argument, and Matty is aware of it. She’s optimistic that in her role as Jacobson-Moore’s “lenient officer,” she can convince Jesse and Paige to accept a generous settlement to help pay for their medical expenses and student loans – not so much that Wellbrexa considers the firm unsuccessful. Matty faces three extra hurdles: the Wellbrexa in-house attorneys are arrogant pharmaceutical executives; Senior hastily returned from his vacation to oversee this case along with Wellbrexa’s CEO Don Halverston (Harry Zinn); and Julian is uncertain about trusting Matty’s techniques or intuition.

Initially, it seems overwhelming… But with time and effort, they might find a way to cope. However, the plaintiffs show no interest in “Grandma Death’s” increasing compensation proposals (initially $50,000, then $150,000, later $250,000). In fact, Jessie criticizes Wellbrexa on TikTok for explaining the cost of her hardship as if he were a man. The duo declares their intention to persuade the judge to halt the drug trial and transform their lawsuit into a class action.

To clarify, this appears to be the Christmas special of Matlock, which makes it particularly tough to watch as Matty encounters some of her most severe setbacks while everyone in the office is donning silly sweaters. Following unsuccessful settlement discussions, she employs one of her signature Matlock tactics by persuading Alfie (who’s spending the holidays in Florida with Edwin) to scrutinize one of the ladies’ videos. Through this, she discovers they might be colluding with the ex-girlfriend of the trial’s doctor. However, she can’t convince Julian to grant her additional time for investigation, and when the damning texts from the doctor’s ex are revealed during a deposition, Senior removes both his son and Matty from Wellbrexa — just in time for the office Christmas party.

In this episode, Shae’s return as the human lie detector to J-M’s team serves as the undeniable triumph. Shae, known for her skill in detecting dishonesty, is now apparently employed full-time and confronts Sarah about hiding from The Acaquittals, the firm’s a cappella group, due to apprehension over appearing uncool in front of Kira, her potential new girlfriend. When Shae hints at exposing Sarah’s supposed identity struggles, Sarah agrees to participate in the group’s rendition of Fleet Foxes’ “White Winter Hymnal” (essentially Pentatonix’s version), impressing Kira so much that she requests a private performance in the stairwell, leading to a romantic moment straight out of a Hallmark movie.

Unfortunately, elsewhere at the party, people seem to be downcast. Billy, persuaded by Sarah and Matty, decides to take the plunge and propose to Claudia, finding it simpler due to the magical Christmas ambiance and Claudia’s elegant attire for the event. However, despite a sincere speech where Billy reminisces about discovering his one true love in third grade (peddling underground Missy Elliot CDs!), Claudia turns him down, stating they’ve merely remained a couple out of routine and should have parted ways much earlier.

In addition to feeling hurt by his father’s callous dismissal for the sake of the Wellbrexa account, Julian is also stinging from the criticism he received from Olympia and Matty for not asserting himself against Senior. (Olympia tells him, “Action speaks louder than words, darling.”) To make matters worse, Senior isn’t pleased by the news that Julian has made up with his wife. He cautions, “Be sure to remove all the corruption from the roots.” Following the gathering, Julian follows his father’s guidance and confesses to Olympia at their condo that he had an affair during their marital difficulties. However, this revelation doesn’t sit well with her.

As I sipped my drink, trying to soothe both my thirst and my wounded pride, an idea struck me like a bolt of lightning – a solution to the complex Jessie and Paige conundrum. Reflecting on the intricate tapestry of relationships at J-M, it sparked curiosity in me about the situation involving the Wellbrexa drug trial doctor and his ex. Upon some discreet probing, I discovered that their frequent texting qualified them as common law spouses, making their communication confidential. In a clandestine meeting with the judge during the small hours of the night, I managed to persuade him to exclude those texts, effectively putting an end to Jessie and Paige’s case and safeguarding not only my own, but also Matty’s career in the big pharma sector.

It seems like Matty isn’t exactly having a Happy Holidays, as he manages to trick Senior and his assistant into revealing their computer password. However, this action doesn’t seem to be beneficial for him in the long run. Unfortunately, any chance Jessie had for fair compensation is squashed due to Matty’s sudden claim of common law marriage. This turn of events certainly isn’t favorable.

Throughout the episode, Matty constantly plays with a bracelet that Ellie had crafted, which she named “MAMA.” When the Wellbrexa brothers dismiss the notion of providing Jessie a token settlement, she becomes so agitated that she breaks the bracelet from fidgeting excessively. This trinket has served as a source of comfort for her during the grittier aspects of her mission, but now it’s beginning to unravel.

Hot Doggin’

Initially, I was inclined to rate this episode with a perfect score for the season, but truth be told, it’s hard to ignore the fact that this series continues to underdeliver on the legal aspect of the legal drama genre. It seems oddly contrived that only Matty consistently comes up with innovative strategies, such as the common law marriage loophole in this week’s case. Given that there are entire teams of lawyers working for Wellbrexa and Jacobson-Moore, one might wonder why only she is burning the midnight oil, poring over legal texts?

This episode subtly connects Edwin and Alfie’s absence to the narrative, emphasizing Matty’s vulnerable emotional condition. At the same time, as a person who often ponders financial constraints in contemporary TV network production, I found myself questioning if Sam Anderson and Aaron D. Harris were absent this week due to budgetary reasons. Instead, their compensation might have been allocated towards less frequent characters like Yael Grobglas, Patricia Belcher, Francisco Chacin, Piper Curda, Bella Ortiz, Beau Bridges, and Eme Ikwuakor (who returned as Elijah from Dallas!).

In the heart-rending sequence of this episode, I found myself listening to a touching message left by Ellie, revealing her pregnancy with Alfie. She also assured me, “I’m clean, Mom, I promise.” (Drowning in a sea of emotional tears.)

In a narrative entitled “Anecdote No. 1” by Matty Matlock, formerly known as a Roughneck, she recounts an unusual proposal story. She describes her supposed late husband popping the question on a fishing boat in Lake Lanier while they were sharing a dozen Coors beers. The peculiar twist is that he revealed this romantic moment immediately after telling her about three corpses discovered in the lake.

In a different phrasing, the title for the anecdote could be: “Matty Matlock, Former Free Spirit, Story Number 2: When Julian and Olympia confess their reunion, Matty firmly declares she won’t join their trio because it was overwhelmingly complex with excessive multitasking, a lesson learned from a past experience thirty years ago.

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2024-12-06 06:54