Matlock often has light-hearted courtroom moments, but this case was too much.
Every time Olympia or the other lawyer opened their mouths, I was more shocked that the judge allowed whatever was going on.
Ultimately, though, it didn’t matter, because Matlock Season 2 Episode 7 wasn’t about the case at all — it was a rare look into Olympia’s past.
Olympia is Slightly Less of An Enigma After Matlock Season 2 Episode 7
She’s always been very guarded, but all we knew about her was her failed marriage to Julian and her trust issues.
Her mother’s existence came out of nowhere, but it wasn’t hard to follow.
Almost every show features a parent that an adult child doesn’t know how to handle, because many people’s lives do, too.
I didn’t expect the twist that Celeste was also a co-defendant in a fraud case, but it worked, and this setup gave Matlock Season 2 Episode 7 an excuse to feature lots of flashbacks of Olympia.
Yes, The Case Was Ridiculous, But That Was Beside The Point
It may have hurt her mother’s feelings, but Olympia wasn’t exaggerating when she said that Lionel was a walking red flag.
The guy had an answer for everything, but not one that made much sense.
I agreed with Senior when he laughed at how ridiculous it was for Lionel to use dinner theatre actors in a fake commercial, and I don’t like agreeing with Senior.
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Plus, it seemed like there was an awful lot of sniping and other unprofessional behavior in the courtroom, though the judge didn’t seem to think so.
She never told the lawyers to cut it out or came anywhere close to threatening to hold anyone in contempt.
That was unrealistic, but forgivable, because the story wasn’t really about Lionel’s case. It was about Olympia’s relationship with her mother.
Olympia was still holding onto resentment that her mother hadn’t listened to her about Lionel years ago, mixed with desperate hope that this case would open Celeste’s eyes and make her realize that marrying Lionel was a terrible idea.
I’m not surprised that cross-examining Lionel’s ex didn’t accomplish anything in that regard.
Even if Celeste had been open to reconsidering her relationship with Lionel, Brenda was far from rational herself, especially after Olympia asked her about her history of complaints against men she broke up with.
Just as many parents have to learn to accept their children’s marriages to partners they would not have chosen for them, Olympia had to accept Celeste’s choice in Lionel, as bizarre as it was, because Celeste had no interest in ending the relationship.
I liked the twist of Celeste being the one to catch Olympia in Senior’s office.
It totally threw off the plan to get the NDA, but it was different than the usual obstacles, and Celeste’s confronting Olympia was one of the most emotional scenes on Matlock Season 2 Episode 7.
Did you like Celeste’s visit?
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But what the heck was Julian’s attempt to comfort Olympia?
Did he really retell the plot of Home Alone as an example of his childhood trauma? Come on!
Matty’s Dilemma Mirrored Olympia’s Almost Perfectly
The tragedy of Ellie’s death always makes for raw, authentic, painful scenes, and Matty’s internal conflict over Joey was one of the best such stories.
Matty’s entire understanding of addiction comes from her experience with Ellie. Not everyone who has abused substances in the past is the same, but it was hard for her to separate her knowledge of how often Ellie had relapsed and disappointed her from her fear that Joey would do the same thing to Alfie.
Additionally, she was too eager to protect Alfie from the full truth of what his mother’s addiction had been like, which I think is a mistake.
I understand that Matty doesn’t want to traumatize Alfie further, but addiction is intertwined with his mother’s story and thus with his own, and sugarcoating that helps no one.
By 14, kids generally know a lot more about these types of issues than their parents give them credit for, so protecting Alfie from knowing that Joey used at his age is worse than useless and only stops him from asking questions.
That aside, Matty’s pain over what Joey reported Ellie had said about her was one of the episode’s most emotional moments.
Ellie is gone, and there’s no getting around that, but I don’t think Matty realized that Joey is more than just the fellow addict who fathered Alfie — he is also a connection to Ellie.
That was what was beautiful about Joey’s actual meeting with Alfie. He was able to make that connection with him, and maybe Matty will get there at some point.
Of Course Senior Had The Upper Hand… Yawn.
This Wellbrexa storyline has dragged on for far too long, making it hard to enjoy.
I like that Eva is unafraid to stand up to Senior, and if this storyline hadn’t worn out its welcome, I probably would enjoy her scenes with Senior more.
What about you?
Are you as tired of Wellbrexa as I am? Did you like the goofy case and Olympia’s conflict with her mother?
Let me know in the comments, and don’t forget to share this article with your friends so they can join the conversation.
Vote in our poll below to rank the episode.
If you enjoyed this article, check out what we have to say about other CBS mystery shows like Elsbeth and Watson.
Matlock airs on CBS on Thursdays at 9/8c and streams on Paramount+ on Fridays.
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