Matlock Season 1, Episode 13, “Pregame,” is a series of tense family affairs set against nondenominational bunnies and eggs. This episode, written by Michelle Liebel & Sheridan Watson and directed by Jude Weng, is anything but a carefree celebration. The cases of the week are becoming more revealing. Not to mention, Matty’s professional and personal worlds continue to meld with surprising effects. One of the most exciting results is Alfie coming to Jacobson Moore for the first time. All the while, “Pregame” uses its forwardness to propel Matlock into the last leg of its incredible debut season.
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Family Day and Julian
This episode’s placement in Matlock’s season is perfect. “Pregame” is a success because of the show’s work with the characters before it. Whether it be with Olympia and Julian or Alfie’s involvement with Wellbrexa (The MWBSP mention!), this episode earns all the ways the stories knot up together under Jacobson Moore’s roof. The main drawback is Matlock’s recent lack of Julian.
Family Day is fundamental to Julian, so it’s unfortunate that “Pregame” reveals that depth through Matty and Olympia’s dialogue. Julian’s reaction to finding the bunny head in Olympia’s closet is fantastic. It would be even better if Matlock featured a few more scenes where others get to know Julian and his past from him. Julian feels isolated from the rest of the ensemble, which could be the point the show wants to make. Still, it can’t hurt to learn more about him from him in the future. Essentially, Jason Ritter is great – Matlock needs more of him.
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Matty and Senior’s Honest Conversation
Oddly, the show does a good job of this with Senior. However, Senior’s less frequent appearances on the show are likely why his scenes must do so much heavy lifting. For instance, “Pregame” believably tangles Senior and Matty (and Zoey from its case-of-the-week) in impactful conversations about guilt after a person’s death. The only element that undercuts those sequences is Matlock’s tendency to fall back on voiceovers from scenes mere minutes prior instead of trusting its all-star ensemble. Regardless, the episode threads the needle with a case about a harmful product and the vulnerable people it targets.
On the one hand, this case supports Matty’s theory that Olympia isn’t involved with Wellbrexa because Olympia supports removing the deadly drink from the market. On the other hand, Matlock compounds its complexity with Senior’s knowledge that he represents pharmaceutical companies that distribute dangerous drugs. From there, it’s easy for the show to go all-out and make Senior its mustache-twirling villain. However, that’s far less interesting – good TV comes from good characters. It’s better and more inventive for Matlock to draw similarities between its antagonist and lead. “Pregame” is smart for letting that complicated – even troublesome – correlation register on Matty’s face.
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Matty and a Familial Surprise
It’s also wise that Matlock starts by describing Matty and Senior’s mutual bullheadedness and compounds it with Senior’s story about his brother’s tragic passing. Suddenly, their stubborn natures seem inconsequential; their similarities run much deeper. “Pregame” avoids making Senior a cartoon villain with a sympathetic revelation about his past. The common threads of family and revenge run through Senior and Matty, who do what they can to seek accountability for their lost loved ones. Instantly, with a new perspective, Senior becomes a more three-dimensional antagonist.
That shift makes Matlock better as this season progresses into its final episodes. It also feels earned after peaks into Senior’s professional life in Matlock Season 1, Episode 4, “The Rabbit and the Hawk,” and personal life in Matlock Season 1, Episode 7, “Belly of the Beast.” Therefore, that’s a fine enough forward-moving point to end on, but “Pregame” takes it a step further with the arrival of Matty’s sister, Bitsy. Given how this episode’s case hinges on the differences between actual and performative sisterhood, Matlock finds a fantastic twist in Bitsy surprising Matty in New York. As it turns out, Family Day extends beyond Jacobson Moore to Westchester.
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What did you think of Matlock Season 1, Episode 13, “Pregame?” Let us know in the comments below!
New episodes of Matlock air on Thursdays at 9/8c on CBS.
