Matlock Season 1 Episode 6 Review: Sixteen Steps

Just when it seems Madeline “Matty” Matlock has reached a point she can’t walk herself out of, the universe throws her a bone. That is exactly the case with Matlock Season 1 Episode 6, “Sixteen Steps.”

While this episode lacks any real twists like previous episodes, we still get the thrill of the unexpected. Once again, Kathy Bates stuns with her ability to really tap into the role of a grieving mother with a fire for justice.

None of the cases to date have had such an impact on Matty’s world as this one. It really reveals her remaining guilt and grief about Ellie’s addiction and death.

If Anything, Matty Is a Mom First

One of the most relatable things about Matty that keeps us rooting for her despite her deceptions is that she’s a mom in pain. Here is a woman who has spent most of her adult life being a mother and then a grandmother, watching her daughter fall into addiction, and then having to say goodbye to her. 

It’s only natural that Matty’s movement through the world centers on her identity as a mom, more specifically, as a grieving mom. Therefore, when a case comes up that centers on 2 grieving moms getting justice for the death of their baby, it’s natural that Olympia would lean heavily on Matty.

This case might touch Matty’s sensitive side even more than the one presented on Matlock Season 1 Episode 5, “Claws.” So, when she holds herself together more for this one, we, as an audience, are very proud of her.

It shows just how much working at Jacobson Moore has helped Matty find solid ground in her ever-present grief. Because she is faced with court cases that can trigger her emotions one way or another almost daily, it’s forced her to buckle down and present a strong front.

That’s not to say she can’t also show her mom side to help center Olympia’s experience with the case.

Olympia and Matty Becoming Friends?

One of the more surprising parts of Matlock Season 1 Episode 6, “Sixteen Steps,” comes when Matty and Olympia seem to bond over retrying a case that altered Olympia’s view on her career. For weeks now, viewers have suspected that Olympia isn’t as much of a hardass as she was initially portrayed as. 

“Sixteen Steps” does a phenomenal job of further establishing that Olympia is a multi-layered person who can seem cold at times but still has a heart that bleeds. We see this multiple times throughout the episode, whether she is speaking to the witness, Teddy, or strategizing with Matty.

The best part of the episode is when Olympia pulls Matty into her office and asks Matty whether or not they are doing the right thing, forcing these moms to relive the trauma of their son dying. It’s a moment that really humanizes Olympia and gives us a bit more insight into who Matty is, even beneath the layers of deception.

Even now, hours after watching the episode, I am still thinking about the soft expression Olympia gives Matty as she asks the woman to tell her about Ellie. It’s a moment that many grieving parents will recognize and appreciate — after all, most parents want people to ask about their children who have passed.

It allows the grieving person to reminisce on the times they cling to inside their own minds. Sharing that part of themselves and their child allows them to find common ground with others.

In the case of Matty and Olympia, this moment allows Olympia to see what she could lose at any moment. Olympia is a mom who has yet to face the reality that she might someday lose one of her children.

Seeing how Matty handles the moment gives Olympia the strength to properly show the jury the grief these moms faced after the contaminated formula killed their child. It also brings the two women closer to one another than they’ve ever been before, opening the door for a more personal relationship in the days to come.

The Julian Situation

As commented in our review of Matlock Season 1 Episode 5, “Claws,” Olympia and Julian don’t act like two people who want to get a divorce. Well, “Sixteen Steps” is here to prove exactly why that is. 

This episode makes fantastic use of flashbacks to establish that when this case previously went to trial, Julian and Olympia were distracted by their personal squabbles. When the case goes sour, so does Olympia’s view on their marriage, prompting her to ask for a divorce.

Coming back to the present day, audiences see Olympia and Julian sorting through their shared belongings as they pack up their brownstone. This task seems straightforward enough, but it soon devolves into the two of them sleeping together.

It’s clear that their estrangement has been cooling ever so slowly the longer Matty works for Jacobson Moore. However, this is a major step forward because it proves that these two people deeply love each other. They just allowed their ambitions to cloud that.

The more time we spend with Julian, the more we believe he’s a good person who’s just been caught between a rock and a hard place. Now that he is back in Olympia’s good graces and has extended Matty a place on his team, should we take that at face value or continue to question his motives?

The jury is still out on whether this nice facade is just that—a facade or genuine. My money is on the former, but I wouldn’t be angry if it’s the latter, either. 

Stray Thoughts

• It seems as though the show is back to being unsure what to do with Edwin
• For the first time ever, we barely got any face time with Sarah or Billy, and I missed them.
• My heart ached not only for the two moms who lost their son but also for Teddy when he realized that he caused the contamination. 

 

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

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Matlock airs Thursdays at 9/8c on CBS.

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