Matlock Recap: Relevance, Your Honor?

As a seasoned legal drama enthusiast with a soft spot for the quirky and charming, I must say that the new Matlock has won me over with its clever writing and engaging characters. The show manages to pay homage to the original while infusing it with fresh stingers that keep viewers on their toes.

So far, the revamped version of Matlock doesn’t seem to capture the essence of the original character for long stretches. There has been only one murder case, and instead of playing the role of Matlock, who is known for outsmarting criminals in court, the character has been more like one of Ben Matlock’s investigators, gathering incriminating evidence.

This week’s episode features two instances reminiscent of classic “Matlock” scenes. One scenario involves Matty’s spouse, Edwin, stepping in as her assistant during the Jacobson-Moore pharmaceutical investigation. In their study within their mansion, Edwin meticulously arranges the evidence they’ve amassed so far, much like Andy Griffith used to present evidence to juries. The detail and persuasiveness of this presentation are such that Matty herself comments, “Suddenly, it seems you’ve become Matlock.

In another instance, Olympia takes part in an age-old tradition reminiscent of Matlock’s courtroom style: she testifies while simultaneously interrogating a witness. Instead of directly challenging objections from the prosecution like Matlock used to do on his show, Olympia subtly presents her argument as a series of questions to the person she suspects is guilty, ending each statement with something like “isn’t that correct?” to make it seem more like a question. In this episode’s case-of-the-week, while not quite as assertive as Matlock, Olympia skillfully extracts damaging information from a seemingly cooperative witness by confronting her with a series of incriminating revelations until she confesses.

Without a doubt, that moment is quite dramatic. However, it seems to suggest a weakness in this week’s case as a whole. To be honest, it primarily serves to spark conversations and disclosures beyond the courtroom, rather than contributing significantly to the actual proceedings within the court.

The case is a class action suit, brought by several current and former inmates at a women’s prison, against the private contractor that ran the place and allowed abuse to run rampant. The key witness is Katya Novik (Andra Nechita), an Eastern European immigrant who has struggled to get her life together since her release, due to ongoing trauma over the way she was treated inside. The problem? Katya’s biggest issue is drug addiction, which makes it very risky to put her on the stand.

The mentioned character is Warden Nicola Caruso (played by Kerry Cahill), who has made improvements at the prison following Olympia’s lawsuit. However, in an expected turn of events, it’s revealed that Warden Caruso secretly sabotages the case – even pushing Katya towards relapse – as she believes the money the plaintiffs are demanding could be utilized more effectively. This information is extracted from Warden Caruso by Olympia, thanks to a security video Matty acquired from Katya’s place of work at the nail salon. The video shows a woman with the same birthmark as Caruso’s speaking to a visibly upset Katya.

…and so, it seems…Jacobson-Moore’s social justice team has secured another substantial financial settlement. Not that it’s particularly impressive or worthy of praise, if you catch my drift.

Indeed, it’s the scenes outside the courtroom that make this episode particularly engaging. Matty’s deep understanding of addicts’ behavior, including their tendency to deceive and the reasons behind it, turns out to be quite valuable. This understanding, however, also puts a strain on her budding partnership with Olympia, as she becomes confrontational when Matty is reprimanded for focusing on Katya’s sobriety instead of the case. In a heated moment, Matty retorts, “What if she was one of your children?

Their bond is restored by the end of the episode when Olympia incorporates much of Matty’s righteous rant into her closing argument. But for the first time really, Sarah’s furious jealousy over Matty’s rapid rise within J-M becomes plot-relevant, as Olympia’s casual elevation of Matty to strategy-plotter and decision-maker — and Ms. Matlock’s inadvertent insensitivity to her coworkers’ feelings about this — ends up enraging Billy as well, forcing a reckoning and a reconciliation that culminates in what could be a fateful decision. It’s a crafty piece of writing, having a few seemingly random bits of side business lead somewhere productive.

The main bone of contention for Billy is that while he and Sarah were meant to be providing support for Matty — as she tried to find and help a wayward Katya — she ghosted them and secretly called on Edwin instead, because he also knows a lot about dealing with an addict. (It’s genuinely heartbreaking to see Edwin be the one to break down crying at home at the end of the day, after they trail Katya to an all-too-familiar drug den.) She then has to scramble to make up a lie for why she didn’t call her colleagues, deciding to pen her absent-mindedness on Alfie’s school troubles.

Apart from attempting to help Sarah, Matty also devises a plan to gain access to the server room with old emails by arranging for Sarah to go out with one of Jacobson-Moore’s IT experts, Kira (Piper Curda). However, Matty has a hidden agenda – she needs one of Kira’s fingerprints. To achieve this, Matty plays coy and tries to coax information about the server room from Kira, first by pretending she accidentally deleted a Costco coupon, and then by carelessly spilling her pills in the lunchroom so that Sarah and Kira will bond over her clumsiness. But it’s important to note that Matty is genuinely worried about Sarah’s excessive work hours as well.

Despite the constant arguments and camaraderie with his colleagues, Billy ultimately believes all of Matty’s fabrications. As a result, he decides to use these events to create a dating profile for “Madeline Matlock.” To his surprise, she finds a match within a day… with a man who identifies her as Madeline Kingston.

Isn’t it the Matlock we adore, isn’t it? The original Andy Griffith series had its appeal. However, the latest one packs a punch.

Hot Doggin’

As a devoted cinephile, I’ve always found that the recurring “flashback” segment at the beginning of every episode of Matlock can feel somewhat repetitive. It seldom seems to offer anything significantly new or engaging.

Prior to Edwin’s tenure as Matty’s assistant taking on a more somber tone, due to the emotional burden he felt, he provided comic relief in the role. This was evident in his portrayal of Archie to Nero Wolfe, where he clumsily handled investigative tasks while she offered guidance from afar. In the episode’s opening scene at a computer store, Edwin became hilarious as he spun tall tales about Olympia’s laptop, making it sound more elaborate than necessary (the laptop belonged to his grandson, but he claimed it was owned by his grandson’s friend who had passed away due to not eating his vegetables).

• This week, Olympia and Julian are discussing their ongoing unification as they explore the possibility of selling their brownstone and consider its impact on their children. While Julian hasn’t played a significant role in the primary storylines of Matlock so far, it seems likely that this situation will change soon – maybe when Matty unearths evidence suggesting Julian is deeply entangled in the pharmaceutical cover-up.

Despite the occasional questionable legal aspects in the show Matlock, I must admit that I’m consistently impressed by its well-crafted narrative. For instance, at the nail salon, Matty exchanges banter with the owner about maintaining an elegant manicure, and later confides in Alfie that she once teased his mother for her nice prom nails (referring to them as “claws”). This seemingly trivial moment leads to a heartfelt and poignant conversation about addiction. While this conversation could have occurred independently, the organic way it arises makes it all the more impactful. Kudos to the writers for their fine work.

2024-11-08 07:54

Matlock Recap: Relevance, Your Honor?

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