Matlock Season 1, Episode 6, “Sixteen Steps,” brings stressors to a fever pitch as the past collides with the present for Matty and Olympia. This episode, written by Sara Rose Feinberg and directed by Kat Coiro, examines the ripple effects of personal tragedies. In doing so, “Sixteen Steps” plays with significant flashbacks for the first time in the series, using the tool to elevate rather than undermine. While crafting a creative distinction from the previous episodes, Matlock also encourages some of its ensemble’s best and lived-in performances yet.
MORE: Before you go any further, check out our review of Matlock Season 1, Episode 5, “Claws.”
Billy and Sarah, Heart and Humor
Like previous episodes, “Sixteen Steps” is heavy. The case involving Anna and Vanessa Sampson losing their son Dante to contaminated baby formula is brutal at every turn. This show, which is clever and witty from Matlock Season 1, Episode 1, “Pilot,” doesn’t dampen its sense of humor to accommodate those heavier turns. “Sixteen Steps” doesn’t need to do that because Matlock’s run proves it can carefully hold multiple genres. It can showcase emotional range without a jarring effect on the audience or the characters.
Other TV shows don’t always clear that bar, but so far, Matlock does so with ease. Instead of feeling like the show uses humor to pop a balloon full of dramatic tension, “Sixteen Steps” uses levity to insulate the balloon.
Both tones work together to create a memorable viewing experience. For instance, Matty and Edwin’s flirty energy at the start of (and, let’s be honest, throughout) the episode makes their emotional conversation at the end land with greater significance. Like “Claws,” Matlock uses Billy and Sarah as a light-hearted thread throughout “Sixteen Steps.” Even so, their interactions have a genuine heart; these two characters care about each other.
MORE: Have you read our review of Matlock Season 1, Episode 4, “The Rabbit and the Hawk?” Here it is!
Olympia’s Journey to a New Career Path
Seeing who and what the characters stand up for says a lot about them, especially this early in a hopefully long-running procedural drama. Moreover, it matters contextually, given Matlock’s serialized arc about moral and professional corruption within Jacobson Moore. So, getting to know Olympia’s professional trajectory through specific flashbacks is worthwhile. The series begins with the distinction that Olympia recently pivoted to more social justice-driven work, and “Sixteen Steps” shows how that came to be.
It’s compelling that the case that helps Olympia know she wants to pivot to a different type of legal work comes back around to make her question her approach to that job. Consequently, it’s refreshing to see a lawyer confront the more unethical parts of their job, like bringing them back to a trauma on the stand to appeal to a jury. Perhaps it’s that TV often represents the profession in a calculating, sometimes cold field where sleekness triumphs over empathy. Matlock uses Olympia’s moral compass to argue for empathy in “Sixteen Steps.”
In turn, Matlock further complicates any part Olympia plays in the Wellbrexa cover-up. As far as “Sixteen Steps,” Olympia becomes a more well-rounded character. She gains definition in her regret following the initial loss, her pain in imagining the loss of her child as she hears Matty describe what losing Ellie feels like, and her hesitance before pushing Vanessa and Teddy while they’re on the stand. Skye P. Marshall’s performance – when Olympia sits back and puts her hand over her heart in response to Matty saying, “You learn to breathe again” – brings an undeniable authenticity to every single one of those scenes.
MORE: Do you want more? Revisit Matlock Season 1, Episode 3, “A Guy Named Greg,” with our review. Here it is!
Julian and Olympia Are in a Different Place
It’s no secret that Marshall and Kathy Bates are fantastic opposite one another. Matlock Season 1, Episode 6, “Sixteen Steps,” takes the lead from the last few episodes and reinforces Marshall and Jason Ritter as a powerhouse duo. Mostly, Olympia and Julian leave contention in the past. The separated couple opts for being agreeable professional partners and endearing co-parents, so it’s only a logical story turn for “Sixteen Steps” to rock them a bit.
The first flashback establishes that Olympia and Julian are on different pages, professionally and personally. Their communication has all but completely deteriorated. Olympia voices genuine concerns for their children (“You have no idea what it’s like to be a Black kind in a rich, white school”), but Julian feels he has too little say in the twins’ lives. Meanwhile, Olympia thinks Julian only prioritizes her experiences when they professionally benefit him. Matlock’s flashbacks make it almost impossible to see any reconciliation between the pair. Olympia and Julian are at odds, almost entirely emotionally divorced.
“Sixteen Steps” juxtaposes most of its flashbacks with a much more honest and receptive communication between Olympia and Julian. One of the most meaningful distinctions between their past and present is the subtle differences when the case’s verdicts are read. In the past, Julian doesn’t comfort Olympia but blames her for the trial going off the rails. In the present, he reaches for her hand but doesn’t take it. That small moment does wonders for their growth, making it so easy to root for them to find their way back to each other.
MORE: Did you know that Matlock will be Kathy Bates’s final acting role? Read more about it here!
Matty’s Next Steps
While Olympia and Julian reconnect, “Sixteen Steps” leaves Matty and Edwin on the verge of another, potentially fatal fracture. The pressure from the case, Matty’s investigation, and Stanley reappearing with a photo of Ellie and a heartbreaking truth (His son Tommy has relapsed and is missing) understandably get to Matty. It would be strange if they didn’t accumulate somehow. Matlock physically exemplifies that stress in a panic attack, realistically portrayed by Bates. Understandably, Edwin explains this as a warning sign to slow down and prioritize her health as best she can.
Though Matty agrees, it’s unsurprising that something, let alone a promotion to Big Pharma cases, prevents Matty from resigning. This show is only six episodes into its run; there is little reason to believe Matty will stop practicing law and seeking justice for Ellie. However, Matlock Season 1, Episode 6, “Sixteen Steps,” creates a genuine surprise with how quickly that promotion presents itself. Matlock has to have some exciting cards up its sleeve – this twist leaves everyone in such complex and sticky situations during Matlock’s hiatus.
MORE: Can’t get enough of Matlock? You’re in luck! Check out all the details about the show’s Season 2 renewal here.
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What did you think of Matlock Season 1, Episode 6, “Sixteen Steps?” Let us know in the comments below!
New episodes of Matlock return on Wednesday,
