Matlock Season 1 Episode 3 Review: A Guy Named Greg

Matty really goes for our heartstrings on Matlock Season 1 Episode 3, “A Guy Named Greg,” and we are all the more grateful for it. This show is quickly becoming our new favorite law procedural because we don’t know exactly what to expect from moment to moment.

Every episode has left us with answers and then more questions, which could easily be frustrating and yet the show has somehow managed to find a perfect balance. Thanks to Kathy Bates’ impeccable performance, we don’t trust ourselves to truly know, in the moment, what is real and what is just an act.

That is just how good Bates is at getting us to trust her performance regardless.

Are We Learning More About Matty, Or Is it All An Illusion?

Every time we feel we might be learning something new about Matty, something else later on negates it ever so slightly. It is like two steps forward and one step back. 

Again, this could be frustrating beyond words, but somehow, the show has us taking it all in stride. For example, we see Matty being overly kind and sympathetic to Alex as the case first takes off. 

Later, she comments out of turn about how she didn’t even want to take the case. It makes us wonder if this is the real Matty coming through, or is it an act to avoid having to work the case?

The honest answer is we still don’t know for sure. That is just how good this character is at living the double life. We know she’s lying to her colleagues, but we can’t ascertain just yet how much is fake.

This alone is what makes this show continue to stand out. It makes us analyze each moment and record it to refer back to later on—because even three episodes in, we already know details are important.

Is Olympia Sympathetic or Irritating?

One reason we can’t fully trust ourselves regarding Matty is that Olympia herself is hot and cold all over the place. How are viewers expected to figure out where we stand with Matty if Olympia can’t be easily read, either?

Matlock is proving early on that it’s hard to take anyone at face value, regardless of their title or role. Maybe that is just Matty’s already well-established distrust of every partner at that firm, or maybe it’s a commentary on workplace relationships.

After all, this episode leaned very heavily into the assertion that Olympia isn’t friends with the people she works with. She tells Matty they aren’t friends, and she lets Sarah flounder in her insecurities to prove a point.

One thing is for sure: Olympia has layers of complexity that we can easily overlook in favor of dismissing her as a villain. However, “A Man Named Greg” does a great job of establishing that people can be one thing at work and something entirely different at home.

Olympia shows that she is devoted and dedicated to being the best at her job, not because she wants to but because she feels she has to. After all, she’s one female partner amongst a slew of males, which the topic of her current case really brings into glaring focus.

Where Does Matty Go From Here?

By the end, we learn that Matty made all her big mistakes on purpose to gain access to Olympia’s phone and laptop. However, there are still so many things left up in the air, which we’ve already mentioned above.

That being said, Matlock is a law procedural that gives nuggets of focus to the characters themselves. This leads us to believe that this is truly just the start of seeing how far Matty is willing to go.

We already know that she is sweet, demure, and innocent in front of her colleagues to catch them off guard. However, during Matlock Season 1 Episode 3, “A Guy Named Greg,” we see moments where Matty isn’t so sweet and innocent. 

Part of that is due to the presence of Shae, a human lie detector, but is some of it so Matty can show she has enough gumption to be assigned bigger cases? Either way, Shae is going to spell big trouble for Matty’s continued deceit if she sticks around more permanently.

She’ll have to be even more careful about her lies moving forward because Olympia is now on Team Trusting Shae’s observations. The anticipation of whatever drama that could incur is what has us on the edge of our seats moving into the next episode. 

Matty has her work cut out for her, and based on how cold and unemotional she is when she tells her grandson she and Olympia aren’t friends is proof positive she’ll be just fine. 

Stray Thoughts

• I really hope Matty’s attitude toward Billy is genuine because it really is sweet. Plus, Billy doesn’t deserve to be twisted around like that if it’s not.
• Olympia really is just a girl looking to make her dad proud, huh?
• Matty in the courtroom stumbling her way through cross only to come back and crush closing arguments is why I love the flip switches of this show. So good.

 

What did you think of this episode of Matlock? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Matlock airs Thursdays at 10/9c on CBS.

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