Matlock Recap: Satan, Your Kingdom Must Come Down

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TV casting directors are truly skilled at building great ensembles. They have an eye for how actors will blend together – sometimes creating perfect harmony, other times a compelling contrast. Justina Machado previously collaborated with Jennie Snyder Urman on Jane the Virgin, but it still takes real insight to see how an actor with such a commanding presence as Machado’s could bring something special to this show – and maybe even challenge the existing cast.

Machado’s character, Eva Muñoz, is a powerful force in the show. As the ex-wife of the villain, Senior, and a partner at Jacobson-Moore, she brings a dynamic energy to every scene. While Eva is working with Olympia and Matty to take down Senior, they quickly realize she’s unpredictable and may have her own agenda, making it hard to know if she’s truly on their side.

We first encountered Eva in the third episode of this season, after Senior learned about the Wellbrexa story in the New York Times and called an urgent meeting with the partners. By the end of that episode, Eva had signaled to a cautious Olympia that she was willing to orchestrate a takeover. This week, in the episode “Harm Reduction,” she confirms she’s prepared to move forward. Eva has secured support from the Jacobson-Moore offices in Miami and Washington, D.C., and considers the Chicago and Dallas offices as key allies. Now, they need to convince the New York partners to completely remove the problem, as Eva describes it.

This isn’t a simple or guaranteed success. They have a limited time to act – the vote is in six weeks, and Eva needs support from 21 out of 40 partners to win. The risks are high. If they succeed in changing leadership, Olympia and Matty will gain easier access to important files. But if they fail, this mission will likely be over for them, for good.

Matty and Olympia have a tough challenge ahead of them with Senior, who begins secretly plotting against them in this episode. He enlists Sarah to keep tabs on Julian. Meanwhile, it’s uncertain where Eva stands. Despite never meeting Matty, she seems unusually knowledgeable about Olympia’s close colleague, even commenting on his background. Eva makes Matty and Olympia uneasy; she just doesn’t connect with them the way they connect with each other.

Eva used a new case as an excuse to be in New York, meeting with Olympia. A convent is facing trouble in a changing neighborhood. Wealthier residents and even the church itself are upset because the nuns are helping people who use drugs by providing clean needles and the overdose-reversing drug Narcan. The nuns explain they are acting out of religious compassion and following current medical advice to minimize harm.

This Matlock case is particularly compelling, and it’s more than just a plot point in the larger story. Throughout the history of American legal TV shows – from The Defenders to The Good Wife – these dramas have consistently reflected and debated important social issues, acknowledging that solutions are rarely simple. In this case, the nuns are admirable for their compassion and for helping those in need. However, their efforts also unintentionally create challenges for the local community, as attracting people struggling with addiction can disrupt the neighborhood.

The judge appears to be leaning towards supporting the wealthier residents and trendy businesses in the area, particularly after seeing a disturbing video of a woman overdosing and yelling in public near the church. However, Matty comes up with a plan to locate Alyssa Lombardi, who was in the video, and have her share her story. Alyssa can testify about her childhood in the neighborhood, how the nuns helped her, and her journey through rehab. Matty tells Olympia, “This woman is someone’s daughter, and the judge needs to understand that.”

This case is particularly difficult for Matty, as it constantly brings her daughter, Ellie, to mind – something that’s been happening a lot recently. During Alyssa’s testimony, she even pictured Ellie in the same situation, describing a low point and a path to recovery. As the hearing starts, Matty is frustrated, because she’s skeptical that harm-reduction policies truly help people overcome addiction. Despite her doubts, she continues to represent her clients, and slowly begins to see the issue in a more complex light.

Okay, so this episode really digs into the Matty and Olympia dynamic. We see Matty practically bending over backwards to fix things with her boss, and it gets to the point where she realizes she needs some space – honestly, it feels like she’s addicted to trying to please everyone. But the real growth comes with Olympia. She has a breakthrough and understands her anger isn’t just about Matty’s deception, but also about the incredibly strict way she was raised. It’s a nice moment where she starts to consider being a little more forgiving, and it feels earned. It’s a solid episode focused on character development.

As I mentioned, this situation is far from simple. In another key part of this episode, Matty attempts to gain support from the New York partners for Eva’s plan. Her down-to-earth approach and sneaky tactics bother Olympia, bringing back painful memories of a past betrayal. Achieving a positive outcome often involves difficult and unpleasant actions.

The nuns had some wins and losses in court. The judge let them continue providing food to those in need, but stopped them from distributing clean needles and Narcan. Determined to keep helping, the nuns decided to take their services directly to the streets. Seeking any support they could find, Olympia reached out to Pat Cassidy, a retired partner from Jacobson-Moore who had become a priest, joking that he’d spent thirty years working for the wrong side. Though Father Pat couldn’t convince the church to support the nuns, his visit to Jacobson-Moore sparked an idea for Matty. Because he’s still technically a partner, he has a vote in Eva’s attempt to take over the firm, and could deliver a decisive blow against her.

Eva might become a problem for our heroes down the line, and honestly, that would be great – Machado is fantastic at playing mischievous characters with a lot of energy. But with Father Pat now involved, what challenges could possibly arise for Matty and Olympia when they seemingly have divine support?

The Fine Print

As a big Matlock fan, I found this episode’s structure really interesting. Usually, everything wraps up in a day or two, but this time the story jumps ahead a couple of times. It showed the time Matty spent getting votes together and allowed Olympia to reconsider things, which felt much more believable. Honestly, I appreciated that – it really sped up the overall plot about the partner vote, and now it feels like it’s just weeks away! It made the story feel more grounded and kept me hooked.

Honestly, the Billy storyline this week felt pretty forgettable. But Sarah? Now that was compelling. We finally got to see a really interesting side of her as she was tasked with keeping an eye on Julian. Turns out, they actually have a lot in common, and more importantly, Julian isn’t trying to steal any clients from Jacobson-Moore. You’d think Senior would be pleased to hear his son is on the up-and-up, but instead, he doubles down and insists Sarah secretly photograph Julian’s schedule. She does it, and you can really feel her internal conflict – it’s a genuinely uncomfortable moment, and a strong performance.

There’s a small side story involving Alfie where Edward and Matty find out he’s been pretending to receive letters from his father, to make it seem like Joey is doing well in rehab. This connects to the main plot when Matty, remembering the nun’s trial, understands she shouldn’t push Joey and Alfie so hard.

At the beginning of the episode, Matty attempted to strike up a friendly conversation with Olympia by asking if she regularly attends church. Olympia cleverly replied that she’s the type of Christian who keeps religious discussions separate from the workplace.

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2025-11-14 20:55