What the heck was that Julian plot?

Matlock Season 2 Episode 5 lost me at first with Olympia and Matty’s latest mental chess match with Julian.

It was way too convoluted, but the silver lining is that it highlighted exactly how far off track the series has strayed lately.

Matlock Has Always Included Underhanded Plots, But This One Went Too Far

I felt like I’d missed something even though I’ve watched all season long.

This Julian plot was a continuation of Olympia’s news that Julian knew Matty had spoken to Belvin and might be in league with her, but it didn’t make any sense.

Matty’s part in it was clear. She wanted to cover her tracks so that Julian didn’t realize what she’d done.

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Olympia’s, however, gave me a headache.

I couldn’t tell whose side she was on or exactly what she was trying to accomplish, beyond making sure Julian didn’t know she was also working with Matty.

Look, I watched this episode with people who had never seen Matlock before, and I couldn’t explain what Olympia was trying to accomplish here. Either I didn’t grasp something I should have, or the plot was way too convoluted.

Yes, Julian Was Right, But He Sounded Paranoid And Ridiculous

Julian’s obsession with proving Matty and Belvin were working together made him sound completely paranoid.

I guess that was the point. He put himself in a worse trap than Matty ever could have by spiraling into paranoid thinking that coincidentally was not actually off-base.

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It left me wondering why Julian didn’t have anything better to do (like, maybe, helping to prep for the case he was working on with Olympia and Matty?).

Of course, Olympia could have put a stop to it any time. All she had to do was tell Julian that he was acting crazy and that she was going to talk to Senior about reversing his rehire.

Olympia Didn’t Do That Because Her Loyalties Are Divided, Which I Guess Is The Real Point

Olympia has never known which side to be on, and it’s always annoyed me.

Julian was often an asshole to her during Matlock Season 1, and I spent the whole season wishing she’d permanently kick him to the curb, so I have little sympathy now for her desire to protect the father of her children from going to prison.

I understand that she feels betrayed by Matty, part of which is likely projection, given that Julian has also betrayed her repeatedly.

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But it’s beyond time for her to pick a side. She likes fighting for justice and feeling like a superhero lawyer, so, as a matter of integrity, she needs to let go of her attachment to Julian.

Yes, her kids’ well-being is important too, but we never see them with either of their parents, so it’s hard to buy that they’re better off with a mother who is half on their dad’s side and half not.

Honestly, though, this whole mess underscores that having Olympia hide the documents from Matty was the wrong direction for her character.

Even Though Olympia Hated Matty’s Lies, She Should Have Hated What Julian Did More

I keep going back to this same pipe dream that will never happen now. Still, Olympia should have gotten over Matty’s betrayal once she realized that Julian contributed not only to Ellie’s death but to ruining countless others’ lives who had become addicted to opioids.

Olympia stands up for people who have been ruined by big corporations, or at least she did before that horrible decision at the end of Matlock Season 1.

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The mystery should have wrapped up with Olympia turning Julian in and quitting Jacobson Moore so that she and Matty could start their own, competing firm and stand up for the people that Jacobson Moore kept stepping all over when they represented corporate clients.

There is really little point to this semi-war between Olympia and Matty or to trying to use Julian to get Senior.

The mystery of who hid the documents is solved, so we don’t have to worry that Matty’s friendship with Olympia is leading her to feel sorry for the person who contributed directly to Ellie’s death.

We need a new season-long arc, and unfortunately, one of the ones we got is this nonsense about playing cat-and-mouse games with Julian and Senior.

The Case of The Week Needs To Be A Bigger Priority

Even though Matty was secretly trying to bring down Jacobson Moore last season, she also worked regularly on cases, and the strength of the procedural elements made it harder to root for her to ruin the law firm.

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On Matlock Season 2 Episode 5, however, the case was almost an afterthought while most of the airtime was dedicated to this convoluted Julian mess.

Not only is that not ideal for introducing new viewers to the show, but it also sidelines the episode’s strongest subplot.

This case was exactly what makes Matlock great. Matty and Olympia were standing up for a kid whose lawyer didn’t bother arguing that his abuse at his stepfather’s hands was a mitigating factor.

This was a strong case that could have been used to explore the inequity of the legal system and the way that the public defender system sometimes leads to poor people not getting as robust a defense as they’re entitled to.

Instead, Billy and Sarah barely did anything to help with the research or prep for this case.

I don’t care about Billy because the reason David Del Rio is no longer on Matlock makes me uncomfortable, but ambitious, driven Sarah deserved better than being the comic relief because of her goofy mom and stepdad.

Nor was there much courtroom drama, not counting a few objections from the DA that went nowhere fast.

That should not have been.

The reveal that Daniel was actually innocent was super rushed and had little impact, which was a shame.

This should have been a story that made people question the justice system. Instead, it was a footnote to the Julian stuff.

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Also, I remember when Matlock had a feminist subtext, exploring how Matty’s initial career forced her to choose between work and family, and how her inability to be there for Ellie growing up was wrapped up with her guilt and grief now that her daughter was dead.

Where did that go? We don’t need intrigue for the sake of intrigue.

Let’s get back to stories that make strong points.

Am I being too hard on Matlock Season 2 Episode 5, or did this convoluted Julian plot severely annoy you, too?

Hit the comments with your thoughts, whatever they are, and let’s talk. I’d love it if you also share this article with your friends so they can join in the conversation.

Vote in our poll below to rank the episode.

If you enjoyed this article, check out my thoughts on Elsbeth and Only Murders In The Building, two other mystery shows that often address social issues. You might also like my coverage of Boston Blue.

Matlock airs on CBS on Thursdays at 9/8c and streams on Paramount+ on Fridays.

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