Matlock Season 2, Episode 11, “Tail Lights,” unpacks guilt’s impact on a person’s inclination to change as Senior returns and Matty reflects. All the while, the show addresses whether it’s too late to grow. Senior becomes an interesting case study as he falls back on neuroplasticity after his stroke. However, that medical emergency doesn’t make him a more sympathetic character. If anything, it’s more about those around him, like the scene between Olympia and Senior in “Tail Lights.” Any emotional resonance comes from and is for Olympia, not Senior. Matty even says, “He had a stroke, not a lobotomy.”
Expecting an overnight change from Senior is a high expectation to set. It’s unrealistic, which is why it’s good that this season takes its time for Julian to accept accountability for his actions. Progress takes time, and “Tail Lights” reiterates that Matlock is still in the thick of it with Julian. Alternatively, there is no visible progress with Senior. He only verbalizes that his neurons are moving differently now, but Matlock has not followed suit in showing as much. Therefore, Senior’s lack of growth will always pale in comparison to the other characters’. New and returning characters in “Tail Lights,” written by Bethany Huang & Nicki Renna and directed by Tessa Blake, emphasize this.
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Sarah, Shae, and Searching for Answers
Shae is back with a purpose in “Tail Lights” – win the case to save her job amid this merger. She’s such a perceptive character with a tough exterior, which is already superficially dynamic. That description also creates a natural opposites-attract intrigue with Gwen. This episode sees through some cracks when Shae realizes she’ll always be on the outs with Matty and Olympia. Therefore, her desperate move to bribe the audience, which undermines her confidence in her job, is all the more believable. In just nine episodes, to Senior’s 17, Matlock makes Shae’s choices understandable, even when they’re disagreeable.
Similarly, this season is on a run with Sarah Franklin. Leah Lewis’s performance in “Tail Lights” is a standout. That scene on the roof with Matty is refreshing in so many senses of the word. Not only has it been since Season 1 that this location has been on the show, but it’s also another real breakthrough for Matty and Sarah’s dynamic. Matlock is at its best in these moments where the characters communicate with each other. It’s also broadly powerful for them to encourage each other to be braver, so as not to live with regrets. The honesty unlocks something in their respective arcs while bolstering their dynamic. Previously, this scene would have been isolated to Sarah and Billy’s dynamic. The ensemble has opened up in exciting ways since that character’s exit.
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Matty, Moving Forward, and Hindsight
Matlock’s procedural element has ebbed and flowed this season. It’s natural for this genre of TV to not hit the mark with every case of the week. “Tail Lights” does, though, and that mostly comes down to Blanca’s story and Cher Alvarez’s performance. The case of the week also creates some professional challenges that aren’t neatly resolved for Olympia by the episode’s end. Hopefully, the show doesn’t wait so long – episodes and hiatuses together – to bring Remy Hodges back into the action. After all, he and Olympia have set a date!
Regardless, Blanca’s story organically pulls up Matty’s feelings about her mother and sister. The episode supports that by having Matty play up her Cindy Shapiro impression – something that struck a chord when her sister Bitsy appeared on the show last season. Matty and Edwin’s short but sweet scenes are excellent explorations of all of that. It’s fantastic that “Tail Lights” (and Matlock) is interested in nuance. It can show that Matty acted out of self-preservation by leaving her mother (and sister), while giving her space to unpack any feelings of guilt that arise from that. It’s moving that Edwin vocalizes that by telling her that it’s inspiring that Matty continues to want to grow. She’s making the effort. Even when it takes her to uncomfortable places, like realizing her resentment doesn’t serve her anymore or laughing with Julian, Matty tries. That’s progress.
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