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WARNING: This article contains spoilers from episode 16 of Matlock.
It may be difficult to believe but that Matlock cliffhanger was not the season finale. But it was, undoubtedly, a game-changer.
As Olympia (Skye P. Marshall) won her case and set an innocent man free, she received a mysterious file from the D.A.’s office she referred to as “the Johnson case.” Sarah (Leah Lewis), Billy (David Del Rio) and Matty Matlock (Kathy Bates) were a bit confused: As far as they knew, there was no such case on Olympia’s docket.
But in the final moments of the episode, “the Johnson case” cracked wide open — and was revealed to be the code name for Olympia’s investigation of Matty.
As Matty got off the bus ready to step into her town car and head back to West Chester where she secretly lives, Olympia was waiting — and she has some questions about who Matty Matlock really is.
PEOPLE, too, has some questions about what this means for Matty and Olympia’s friendship as well as the future of the series. Thankfully, Marshall, 43, was game to do the answering this time.
PEOPLE: I honestly can’t believe that cliffhanger wasn’t the season finale. What did you think when you first read that Olympia would confront Matty at this juncture?
SKYE P. MARSHALL: That’s how I felt too! I was like, “Guys, I think they accidentally sent us the finale script.” And they’re like, “No, that’s the beginning of a three-act rollercoaster ride that is about to flip the script on our audience.” And that is what 16, 17 and 18 feel like for me. I love how [showrunner] Jennie Snyder Urman and her writing team dropped such a dynamic bomb at the end of 16, because the audience has been so committed and loyal to Madeline Matlock discovering who hid the Wellbrexa docs and rooting for her to accomplish this massive goal, and often seeing the sacrifice that she and her husband, Edwin and her son Alfie, have given to get this justice.
The audience has completely forgotten that they’re supporting a con artist, that Madeline Matlock is a liar, and she is creating destruction in pursuit of this attempt to relieve her of her guilt and shame. And she’s been doing it with blinders, just laser-focused and not understanding that in order for her to obtain this goal, there’s going to be some collateral damage.
When did you know that Olympia was secretly investigating Matty?
I’m so grateful that the writing team did not tell me anything until days before we filmed episode 16. A lot of the flashbacks that you get to see at the end of 16, when I filmed those, I had no idea why I was filming them. I had no idea — from finding Alfie’s wallet, to seeing Bitsy leaving the courtroom, and me finishing off that conversation with Julian. Jason [Ritter] and I shot that full long scene when we got contained.
It was interesting when I saw the cut of it [in an earlier episode] and I remember thinking, “Wait, that conversation was longer than that.” And it’s just so brilliant that Jennie held off the back end of that conversation to tie in. When I first read the script of 116, oh my gosh, I just could not contain my excitement.
The evolution of Matty and Olympia’s relationship has been so fascinating. Just as Matty had a renewed confidence in her, Olympia dropped this truth bomb. And now even I’m questioning what’s real or not real in their friendship.
I think we’ve all felt it before — I definitely have — and I’ve definitely felt it back to back like Olympia, but that feeling of betrayal. As you got to witness throughout season 1, whether it was the betrayal of Julian, with his affair, or Senior doing the Texas two-step on my client, or Elijah punishing my client to get back at me because of our relationship ending, or the betrayal of Shae.
I know what it feels like to carry that weight of feeling, this discomfort of knowing you need someone, so you have to get on the other side of the betrayal, and in order to do that, you have two choices: you can either judge, or you can seek to understand.
And this massive betrayal that Olympia is now confronting Matlock with, that’s the question she’s going to have to ask herself. Does she judge her immediately? Con artist, call the cops, let’s get her out of here. Or does she seek to understand why Madeline Matlock has done what she has done, not just to her, but the entire firm?
Speaking of Shae…
I loved how eloquently Olympia was written to handle the Shae betrayal. Because her priority is always the client. I had some challenges with that because, me personally, I had so much rage around something like that ever happening, but I had to serve the character. It’s not Skye, it’s Olympia.
So what is next for Matty and Olympia?
Olympia’s very strategic, but very intentional. Needing someone is rare [for her], but needing Matlock, not just because of her experience and her expertise, Matlock’s also found the crack in the castle wall, and that was Olympia’s armor, and she was able to be vulnerable with her. And that’s not an easy feat for Olympia. As you see, she works in a glass box. She knows that she’s always being watched while in pursuit of breaking the glass ceiling. And Matlock comes in and she can empathize with her because of the time when Matlock was that age. And so, that kind of bond and that kind of safe space that you find at work, as you know, is extremely hard to come by.
And so you will get to see another side of Olympia. You’re going to see the side who was raised by a Marine, and who values principles, but also cannot really process the pain.
Do you think that Matty is responsible in any way for Olympia and Julian’s divorce going forward?
I don’t think that Matlock was responsible because as soon as Julian and Olympia started to reconnect emotionally and then physically, that’s where Julian’s father, Beau Bridges, had to remind him that he needed to get the skeletons out of his closet first before he tried to start anew. And with Julian then sharing the affair, that was a huge setback. And I don’t think that Olympia handles betrayal well. It stems back from something much deeper that will be revealed down the road.
Matlock airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on CBS.
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