Matty and Olympia’s families bring the past to their present, once again, in Matlock Season 2, Episode 7, “Prior Bad Acts.” This episode, written by Sheridan Watson & Katie Wech and directed by Tessa Blake, is more character-centric than plot-heavy. That approach is beneficial for highlighting unexplored dynamics, such as those between Olympia and her mother or Matty and Joey.
Matlock bringing in Vernee Johnson as Celeste is incredible casting on its own. Watching Johnson and Skye P. Marshall work together is even better than one can imagine. They make it so easy to want to see every bit of their characters’ mother/daughter dynamic. Impressively, Matlock makes these fairly new, as far as they’re represented on-screen, relationships feel so real in one episode with a few flashbacks. Those strengths make the far fewer weaker points stand out, but the adjusted pacing to some storylines inspires hope that they will even out.
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Failing to Oust Senior
For example, the plan to oust Senior is inconsistently represented on Matlock until the previous episode expedites it at the expense of the Debra Palmer NDA storyline. It’s as though the show sometimes struggles to juggle all of those serialized elements. So, it’s a relief that Senior knows about the vote because “Prior Bad Acts” can slow the pacing down. On the other hand, Matlock undercuts Senior’s show of power because it depends on the drinks Julian supposedly got with Eva. Initially, it’s a letdown that said interaction doesn’t play out on-screen because of what it can mean for the establishment of Julian and Eva’s dynamic. Now, it’s even more disappointing because of the significance that the meeting has to Matlock’s biggest serialized story.
Relying on something that is spoken but not shown is unfortunate for all of the characters involved. It’s also a strange choice considering Matlock’s reveals, like involving Julian to get the NDA, usually arise from actual details shown in the episode. To that point, “Prior Bad Acts” does a lot for and with Julian. His paranoia this season is valid and incredibly deep-rooted when it comes to Senior. That relationship has a lasting impact on Julian, and it’s always better when Matlock can sincerely dive into that. Mostly, Matlock can only benefit from more of Justina Machado as Eva. Her mic drop (“If I want a house in the Alps, I’ll buy it.”) is one of the best line reads of the episode.
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Family Is Complicated, and People Change
Matlock mostly dives into Olympia’s relationship with her father until now. It’s exciting to learn more about that with her mother. Lionel’s, Celeste’s husband, case isn’t all that interesting on its surface, but its implications are so for the characters. It pushes Olympia to realize she must break the pattern of how she even subconsciously treats her mother. That theme of control finds its parallel in Matty’s arc. There’s some interpersonal irony in Matty and Olympia finally hearing each other out but struggling to do so in their other dynamics.
Therefore, it’s rewarding to see Matty and Olympia make mistakes and misspeak and then take accountability. With Matty in particular, it’s such a moment for her to realize that she treats Joey as a problem and not a person. The performances across both of these stories are honest and suck you into the characters’ reality. They all have these wounds from their past that they carry around in their present. Matty names the ones she has from Ellie, which makes that scene where she finally hears Joey out all the more meaningful. Joey telling Matty, “But she also said you made her the maddest because you loved her the most,” is such a beautiful gift.
Having “Fix You” as the coda is a reminder of the importance music plays in Ellie’s relationships with her loved ones. Sam Anderson’s performance in that doorway is enough to knock the wind out of anyone. Ultimately, “Prior Bad Acts” shows Matty and Olympia trying to break patterns and change behaviors, making it all the more obvious that Senior has no interest in that. So, it’ll be curious to see where the dynamic duo goes now that they have the jackpot.
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What did you think of Matlock Season 2, Episode 7, “Prior Bad Acts?” Let us know in the comments below!
New episodes of Matlock air on Thursdays at 9/8c on CBS.
