Warning! This article discusses drug use.
Spoiler Alert for Matlock season 1, episode 5, “Claws"Kathy Bates' Madeline “Matty” Matlock character is out for revenge, butMatlockepisode 5 puts introduces a new hurdle in her plans. Bates' new show is inspired by the original Andy GriffithMatlockseries, one of thebest procedural TV shows ever. While Griffith’s series is hard to top, Bates has rivaled its predecessor and made it look easy.Matlockis one the most popular series of the new TV cycle, garnering renewal forMatlockseason 2 after just a handful of episodes.
Since its opening episode drew an audience of 7.7 million viewers,Matlockseason 1 has maintained its 100% score onRotten Tomatoes. Part of thereason that Kathy Bates’Matlockis so successfulis the series' underlying twist: Bates' Madeline Matlock character is a disguise for Madeline Kingston, a wealthy septuagenarian and retired lawyer who is infiltrating a prestigious law firm, Jacobson Moore, to get justice for her daughter. In episode 5, Madeline gets closer to Olympia and her team, but a simple twist at the end could ruin her entire plan.
10Madeline’s Husband Edwin Gets Involved With Her Revenge Plan
Madeline Can’t Succeed Without Support
InMatlockepisode 5,Madeline Kingston’s husband Edwin (Sam Anderson) gets involved in her secret revenge plan. Edwin typically provides Madeline with emotional support, but he gets his hands dirty in episode 5. This development followsMatlockepisode 4 when Madeline laments to Edwin that she is in it alone and needs more help.
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Edwin’s assistance replaces Madeline’s previous help from Alfie (Aaron D. Harris), their grandson. Alfie assists Madeline in the first few episodes. However, Madeline and Edwin fought about Alfie’s involvement in episode 3. Alfie lies to his teacher and cuts class to help his grandmother, which makes the grandpa nervous, causing Edwin to pull him from the plan.
9Julian & Olympia Get An Offer To Sell Their Brownstone (Which Would Change Their Divorce Plans)
Olympia’s Ex Works At Jacobson Moore
In episode 5, Julian (Jason Ritter) reports to Olympia (Skye P. Marshall) that he has an offer from their neighbor to purchase their home. This development reveals insight into how Olympia and Julian navigate co-parenting after their divorce.Olympia and Julian have maintained their shared New York City brownstoneso that their kids didn’t have to move during the separation, with the parents coming and going instead, and the offer compromises their plan.
The development puts pressure on Olympia to resolve her family issues. The lawyer was previously dating her colleague Elijah, who leaves Jacobson Moore’s NYC location in episode 4 after they break up in episode 3. Olympia realizes she can’t compromise her family by dating someone from the office, showing how deeply she cares about keeping her family together despite the divorce.
8Olympia’s Star Witness Relapses On Drugs Forcing Her Team To Rebuild The Case
The Case Is Close To Home For Madeline
The case that Olympia’s team takes on in episode 5 goes awry, causing the lawyer to take a different path.Olympia’s team is navigating a class-action case against a prison systemafter its guards are caught abusing its inmates. The team has to pivot after the lead plaintiff in the case, who was jailed on drug charges but has since been released and has relapsed on drugs.
Madeline is infiltrating Jacobson Moore because one of their employees hid pharmaceutical documents that could have taken opioids off the market years earlier, possibly saving her daughter’s life.
The case hits close to home for Madeline, who lost her daughter after a long battle with opioids.Madeline is the one to notice that the plaintiff is high on drugswhen they go to visit her. She calls out the telling behavior to Olympia, who wonders why Madeline knows so much about addiction. The team has to rebuild their case after their plaintiff compromises their credibility, but they find that no one wants to take her place. The other women accusing the prison of abuse are all hesitant to end up in the same position.
7Madeline Reveals To Olympia Her Mother Was An Alcoholic
Madeline Covers Up The Truth With Another Truth
Madeline tells Olympia that her mother had a issues with alcohol in episode 5. While the tidbit initially could be part of Madeline Matlock’s persona, she later confirms that it is true when comforting Alfie. The grandson asks Madeline why his mother couldn’t just stop her drug use, suggesting that if his mother loved him sufficiently, she would have stopped.
Madeline explains to Alfie that his mother quit using drugs many times but that people with a substance disorder have to have perfect sobriety. The moment proves thatMadeline tells Olympia the truth when she presses her on why she knows so much about addiction. Madeline says her mom was an alcoholic, covering up the truth (that she knew so much about addiction because of her daughter’s battle with drug use) with another truth, a lesson learned fromMatlockepisode 3’s fascinating new character.
6Madeline Visits An Old Drug House That Reminds Her Of Her Daughter
Madeline Faces An Emotional Obstacle
To get more information to win the case, Madeline has to find their star witness. Madeline gets a tip about where she could be: a run-down building where people congregate to do drugs. The septuagenarian bravely goes to track down their witness. Still, it requires a little extra emotional support from her husband, Edwin, who understands the feelings she has about her daughter’s addiction and subsequent death better than anyone.
TheMatlockpremiere had the highest non-Superbowl premiere ratings on CBS in five years.
Edwin’s involvement is a surprise. Olympia knows that Madeline will track down their plaintiff, and she tells her to call Billy (David Del Rio) and Sarah (Leah Lewis) to help. However, when Madeline makes a call outside the drug house, it’s to Edwin. Her loving husband arrives in a car and brings her tacos, so she has something to offer when she walks in the door. Still, the husband is more there for emotional support, and they embrace one another before Madeline enters.
5Billy & Sarah Get Upset With Madeline Because She Operated Alone
Billy And Sarah Are Madeline’s Counterparts
Billy and Sarah are Madeline’s counterparts at Jacobson Moore. They work with Madeline under Olympia as associates. Still, Olympia collectively refers to Billy and Sarah as"you two,“which they resent, since their boss doesn’t acknowledge them as individuals. When Madeline joins their team, Sarah sees her as a competition for Olympia’s attention. While Sarah has gotten past the initial conflict, her jealousy of Madeline’s proximity to Olympia remains.
Beau Bridges
Senior
WhenMadeline leaves Billy and Sarah in the darkafter Olympia tells them to await her call, they’re both upset. Sarah doesn’t feel bad for Madeline since her actions set the case back. Billy is hurt because Madeline didn’t treat them as a team, but he understands when she explains that she simply forgot because of her grandson.
4The Prison’s New Warden Discredited The Trial’s Witness To Get More Money For The Prison
Matlock Episode 5 Has A Villain Twist
InMatlockepisode 5,someone who appears to be helping Olympia and her team is the villain. The villain twist is just one of many surprises in the episode. One of the things that Bates' show does exceptionally well is its twists, and there are typically multiple surprises per episode. In that way, the series has built on what the original series established and expanded on it to make it even more shocking.
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After talking to their star witness in the drug house, Madeline realizes that the customer who caused her to relapse may not have been a coincidence. When she sees the security camera footage, Olympia recognizes the prison’s new warden as the customer that their witness claimed was awful to her.While Olympia knows who it is, she doesn’t reveal that until the new warden is on the stand, which is a nod to the originalMatlockand Griffith’s classic courtroom moves.
3Billy & Madeline Help Each Other With Their Love Lives
But Madeline Doesn’t Need The Help
InMatlockepisode 5, Billy and Madeline help each other with their love lives. After hearing Madeline’s story about why she forgot to call him and Sarah,Billy feels that Madeline needs a partnerto help her raise her troublesome grandson. He sets her up on a dating site for older adults, asks her questions about her preferences for her romantic partner, and tells her that he won’t post anything yet.
In an effort to distract Billy, Madeline asks why he hasn’t proposed to his girlfriend, whom he has been dating for eight years. Billy tells Madeline that he grew up surrounded by women and never had an example of how to take the next step and propose. Madeline encourages Billy by reminding him that he forged his path to Jacobson Moore, and he can do the same with marriage. Touched by her care,Billy makes Madeline’s dating profile live, telling her that she, too, needs the push to take the next step in terms of dating.
2Olympia & Julian Begin To Rekindle Their Romance
The Co-Parents Reconnect At Home
In episode 5, we get an inside look at Olympia and Julian’s home life.Matlockintroduces Julian and Olympia’s twins, Kathryn (Jordyn Weitz) and Courtney (Henry Allen), who eat dinner with their parents at their home. After the kids run off, Julian and Olympia revisit the discussion about selling their home. The scene clarifies thatJulian and Olympia are reconnecting, and they have an opportunity to rekindle their romance. Earlier in the episode, Olympia is concerned with the logistics of moving, which Julian helps with.
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Later, Julian tells Olympia that he knows of other homes close to their children’s school and interviews a moving service so she doesn’t need to worry about logistics. Julian is taking steps to ease the burden on Olympia, which could have been a pain point in their marriage. At the end of the episode, Olympia tells Julian that she feels scared because she doesn’t want to lose their family. The discussion of moving has opened up a broader discussion about Julian and Olympia’s future, and there’s an open door to rekindling their romance.
1Madeline Matlock’s Dating Profile Compromises Her Secret Identity
Madeline’s Dating Profile Is A Landmine
At the end of the episode, everything seems to be going well for Madeline Kingston. She helps Olympia win her case, which was a huge success, and she’s even able to lift a fingerprint from the firm’s IT person that could allow her to access the Jacobson Moore email server. Still,Matlockleaves a devastating loose endthat could unravel Madeline Matlock’s persona. While it is sweet of Billy to think of Madeline beyond the workplace, trying to give her what he thinks she needs most, it is a devastating prospect for the septuagenarian.
Madeline Matlock has a reputation as Madeline Kingston.
Of course, Madeline is not single and has a loving husband at home. But what’s more devastating is that Madeline Matlock has a reputation as Madeline Kingston, and someone recognizes her on the app and sends her a message questioning her identity. The move has foiled Madeline’s secret, allowing others to identify her. Billy likely has access to Madeline’s messages since he created the profile, meaning that someone at Jacobson Moore may know Madeline’s true identity. If so, Madeline will learn whether she can trust Billy with her secret inMatlockepisode 6.
Matlock
Cast
Matlock (2024) follows the return of Madeline Matlock, a brilliant septuagenarian, to a prestigious law firm. Utilizing her unassuming demeanor and astute strategies, she navigates the legal world to win cases and uncover corruption. The series draws inspiration from the classic television series of the same name.
