Matlock Season 2 Episode 13 Review: The Future is Nigh

The future and the past come crashing together on Matlock Season 2 Episode 13, “The Future is Nigh.” Between their current case and Matty having to contend with Joey potentially wanting to use again, everyone’s morals are being challenged.

And while the emotions are definitely running high between Vicki’s grief, Matty’s undercurrent of grief about Ellie, and her struggles with Joey’s sobriety, the payoff doesn’t fully land. The storytelling drags at times, leaving viewers wanting more from the Matty elements and less from the case at hand.

Sure, this is a lawyer procedural, but the elements that make this show great aren’t the cases, but the human interactions behind them. Therefore, “The Future is Nigh,” spending more time on Matty and Julian’s woes would’ve been better for the flow of the episode overall.

Senior Continues to Decline

Since the case itself is the least interesting element of this episode, lets dive into the shift we didn’t necessarily see coming. It starts off with Julian feeling uncomfortable with Lester, aka The Wolf, being named his father’s power of attorney and just always being around. 

From the jump it becomes clear that the backbone of Olympia’s case was always going to bleed into Julian’s interactions with his father. After all, Senior’s health is still in a decline and Julian needs him vulnerable in order to follow through on Wellbrexa.

Therefore, Julian milking the situation and manipulating his father into thinking he’s worse off than he is can be perceived as somewhat predictable. That said, here’s hoping it doesn’t turn into another opportunity for Julian to side with his father over the Wellbrexa situation. He has been flakey in the past, its not a huge stretch.

I want to believe that Julian truly is on the same page as Olympia and Matty with this, but he’s a man who consistently proves that if it means getting his father’s love he’ll always do what works best for him. Julian is still considered their plan’s weakest link and this episode does little to change that.

However, if Senior does move forward with his retirement and truly does give Julian all the power to his health decisions, things could make a big leap for Team Wellbrexa exposé.

Matty’s Guilt Meets Joey’s Secret Truth

Ever since the beginning, Matlock has reminded us that Matty started this journey as a way to assuage her guilt over the death of her daughter. “The Future is Nigh,” does wonders to push that guilt back to the surface as a reminder. 

In all the hype about the major strides they’ve made finding answers for the Wellbrexa case, viewers need to be reminded of the Ellie of it all. This journey wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for Matty feeling like it was all her fault that Ellie overdosed. And in a way it was, but that’s not the focus here.

The element that she’s lately been extremely guilty about is the Joey of it all. With Joey bonding more and more with his son, Alfie, Matty and Edwin are forced to confront their role in Ellie never telling Joey about his son. 

Therefore, when Joey calls Matty because he’s thinking about using, she drops the work she is doing for their AI case and immediately rushes to his side. Sure, her intentions are only as true as her guilt, but still she shows up for him.

It’s a moment to remind us that underneath all her manipulating and lies, Matty truly is just a mom trying to make amends to her dead daughter. She’s just trying to make sure her grandson never knows the disappointment of drug addiction. 

The move is particularly noble, but it gets sidelined when Joey reveals that Matty’s guilt about him is misplaced. He knew all along and chose not to be involved with Alfie. Talk about a gut punch.

It’ll be interesting to see how this revelation alters his relationship with Matty, Edwin, and most of all, Alfie. Matty has every right to be frustrated with him, but she too wasn’t being completely honest so hopefully she’ll give him a chance again soon.

Hunter and Sarah – Is There Room for Both?

Outside of the case of the week, Matlock spends time during “The Future is Nigh,” to remind us that Sarah and Olympia have unresolved conflict between them. Even more complicated is that resolving that conflict could mean the end of Hunter as part of their team. 

With the merger on the horizon, finding ways to cut down on positions at Jacobson Moore is looming over everyone’s heads. None more so than Hunter. He’s new and hasn’t had a chance to really prove himself yet.

That said, there is a chance that Olympia will go to bat for him because he has such a strong bond with both her and Matty already. He might not be as resourceful as Sarah, but he has other strengths. 

Hunter’s dyslexia has allowed him to be really good at remembering things. Plus, his retriever energy is most helpful when talking to witnesses and clients. Despite his lack of amazing and quick research skills, Hunter is still an important asset to the team.

Not only that, he’s become a favorite for viewers because his energy is so different from everyone else. He keeps characters and viewers, alike, on their toes; always anticipating what comes next.

That said, Sarah and Olympia do seem to reach an impasse because of this particular case. Olympia apologizes and reminds Sarah that while they can’t go back, they can go forward. But only if that is truly what Sarah wants.

As much as it would be cool to see her back working for Olympia again, Sarah has since found her worth working for Julian. He’s never treated her as less than the legal asset she is. Whereas, Olympia always had issues with Sarah.

Wouldn’t it be nice if we could just keep everyone?

Stray Thoughts:

• Langston and Olympia have really good chemistry. Despite his cousin’s warning, I want to see where things go with him.
• Matty ending the episode using the AI Software to talk to Ellie is an interesting choice, not sure how I feel about it.
• You could never pay me enough to truly use an AI software that acts like a dead loved one. Nope never going to happen.

 

---

What did you think of this episode of Matlock? Share your thoughts in the comments below, and don’t forget to leave your own rating!

Critic Rating:

Audience Rating:

 

Matlock airs Thursdays at 9/8c on CBS.

Check out our latest TV recommendations, updated weekly!

Want more from Tell-Tale TV? Subscribe to our newsletter here!