If there is one thing fans of Matlock have come to understand, it’s that nothing is ever what it seems.
How many times has the series run through a whole episode only to show everything Matty was doing in the background at the last minute?
Since we’re well past the halfway point of Matlock Season 1, it’s time we dive into the suspects and see if we can’t shed a little light on the great mystery of “whodunnit” at Jacobson Moore.
As cunning as Mrs. Madeline Kingston is, she’s not the only legal eagle with a few tricks up her sleeve.
Unfortunately, she’s so into her mission that things are likely falling through the cracks.
She might have been too quick to take the first name off her revenge board.
You Don’t Get to Running an Elite Law Firm by Following the Rules
Can we really say Beau Bridges’ Senior isn’t responsible for the Welbrexa cover-up? The man didn’t get to be in his position by always playing by the rules, no matter how good he is at manipulating the law.
Matty was so convinced that the evidence was right there in Senior’s email, that her disappointment over the photo attachment might have clouded her judgment.
If you recall, the picture was of Senior on vacation outside the country when the Welbrexa coverup happened.
First of all, he could’ve easily faked the photo, and the email could have been a part of covering his tracks.
But, let’s say for argument’s sake that Senior (Beau Bridges) was telling the truth and he was out of the country when everything went down.
Do you think a powerful and experienced man like Senior would do his own dirty work? Why would he make all that money manipulating the law to have his hand caught in the cookie jar?
While he hasn’t consistently appeared in every installment, that doesn’t mean his other eyes and ears aren’t always watching and listening.
Senior’s assistant, Stuart, kept randomly popping up, specifically when Matty was still gunning for Senior like on Matlock Season 1 Episode 7.
Stuart seems like a company man and I wouldn’t put it past him to help Senior with the coverup if it means advancing his career.
However, considering Stuart is STILL Senior’s assistant, his reward might have been a double or even triple salary increase to do the same things he’s always done.
A truckload of money to keep doing the same job? Sign me up.
Compared to Senior, you’d think Matty would see Julian as practically a saint.
Guilt Is a Powerful Thing That Can Turn Even One of the Nicest Guys on Matlock into a Liar
Going into the season, you would be forgiven if you expected Julian, the ex of another senior lawyer and son of a partner at the same firm, to be the typical sleazy lawyer type.
However, it became very clear early on that he was the farthest thing from that. Despite him and Olympia being in a never-ending divorce, he has been nothing but supportive of her.
The only thing is, that’s the Julian that we know NOW. Remember that the Welbrexa coverup was a while ago. A single year can drastically change a person given the right, or wrong, circumstances.
Some say that individuals who virtue signal the loudest are the ones who have the most to atone for. Julian sure likes to point out his father’s rather flexible moral code.
He seems to be going out of his way to be seen as the good guy, whether he truly is or not, to a fault.
On Matlock Season 1 Episode 7, he came clean to Olympia about his affair before they separated.
Sure, he may have just wanted to restart things with Olympia on a clean slate, but it could go deeper than that.
If Julian was responsible for the Welbrexa coverup, he’s the kind of person who would carry around that guilt.
He may have tried to ease it by confessing to something that while terrible is in no way illegal or likely to ruin his career.
Julian (Jason Ritter) seems like a great guy which is saying a lot since he is a lawyer who rubs shoulders with pharma bros. It’s no wonder Olympia fell for him.
Speaking of Olympia, does anyone else think Matty was a little too quick to take her off the suspect board?
See How You Like Climbing the Corporate Ladder in Heels and Then Tell Us If You Wouldn’t Be Tempted by the Chance to Get Ahead
Listen, I love Miss Olympia Lawrence. She exudes boss energy in the fiercest way.
Still, she didn’t become the badass attorney she is today overnight. The only way to make a diamond is with pressure.
On Matlock Season 1 Episode 6, a few flashbacks showed where the spark that inspired Matty to get revenge started.
It also showed Olympia reaching her breaking point. She was tired of being the kind of lawyer who only cared about winning cases and making money.
Olympia decided to be an attorney who helped people by taking on cases that could make a difference in a sometimes cold and heartless world.
It was a monumental moment for the character that spoke volumes about her integrity.
Still, remember what I said about virtue signaling? It was clear that things had been weighing heavy on her heart until that point in the flashback.
She had to climb the corporate ladder in heels, which might have meant pushing her conscience down for the sake of her career.
It would certainly explain why Senior seems to like her more than his own son and why Olympia has no problem telling the older man exactly what she thinks of him.
At the end of the day, Olympia (Skye P. Marshall) cares about using truth and justice to help those with nowhere else to turn.
However, she’s not the only woman at Jacobson Moore with a stunning wardrobe who cares about the truth. However, Olympia is not nearly as nosey as this individual.
Matty’s Greatest Threat on Matlock Might Also Be the Culprit She’s Been Hunting All Along
She may not be an official suspect from Matty’s list, but Shae is at the top of mine, especially since Matlock Season 1 Episode 9 confirmed that she worked on the Welbrexa case.
Sure, Shae is a jury consultant and not a lawyer at Jacobson Moore, but we don’t know everything that went down during the case.
We also haven’t seen nearly enough of Shae to know where her moral compass lands. Just because she can sniff out a lie does not mean she is the embodiment of honesty.
For one, she had no problem sleeping with her co-worker’s husband. Does anyone else have trouble picturing Shae and Julian together? I guess it was a classic case of opposites attract.
Shae (Yael Grobglas) likes to move behind the scenes while still impacting those at the firm whether she is present or not.
Specifically, when she isn’t grilling Matty, she keeps popping up in the middle of the drama between Julian and Olympia.
First, she had that affair with Julian, then pointed out how Julian footed the bill for her to work on Olympia’s case in Matlock Season 1 Episode 3. Then Shae turned around and told Julian about Olympia and Elijah after Olympia found out Julian slept with her.
All this and her involvement with the Welbrexa case should have led to Matty putting her on the suspect board without hesitation.
Additionally, she blackmailed Sarah into singing with the firm’s acapella group at the Christmas party in “Belly of the Beast.” That woman is diabolical.
Matlock Isn’t Above Hitting Us with a Twist
We still have ways to go before Matlock reveals the truth — at this point, it’s anyone’s guess.
So, keep your legal pad handy because CBS‘s Matlock loves a good twist, and we seldom see them coming.
Do you know what would be nuts? If it turned out to be Mrs. Belvin aka Mrs. B. I’m just saying!
Do you think Senior should still be a suspect?
Is there anyone we haven’t considered that you think should be a suspect?
Drop a comment below to let me know what you think, and join me again when I bring you more fun questions and opinions about Matlock!
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