Byron Lafayette
The following recap and review contains spoilers for Matlock S1E1, “Pilot” (written by Jennie Snyder Urman and directed by Kat Coiro)
“There’s this funny thing that happens when women age. We become damn near invisible. It’s useful, because nobody sees us coming.”
That’s how Kathy Bates’s character introduces herself on the new CBS procedural series Matlock. It’s at once a legacy reboot, but also not. There are many references to the 1980s show of the same name that ran for over 180 episodes. That show starred Andy Griffith in a role that revived his career, as a folksy lawyer helping those less fortunate. However, the original program is a TV show in this new reboot’s universe, and Maddie just happens to share that same name. Still, the original show plays a much more important role in the overarching story, as we see later in the premiere episode.
Matlock is very much a show with a message, as Maddie explains. Bates herself is 76 years old, and the show delves into ageism, and how society does not value people as they age, especially women. Maddie is subjected to a lot of negativity for her age and lack of relevant experience; she is always underestimated and undervalued until she proves herself. It’s a gentle prod and reminder that our society does not value the elderly or the insight they provide, instead preferring the young.
Matlock is smartly written. Many TV programs that have a message get bogged down in that message and end up making the viewer feel guilty. Matlock does not do this. Using an expert blend of humor and wit, it does not make the viewer feel like part of the problem; instead, it recruits you to go along with Maddie to cheer her crusade against injustice.
The pilot’s story is nothing spectacular, but it is intriguing enough to keep your attention, following the law firm’s efforts to get a settlement for a man who was wrongfully imprisoned. After the Police Union rejects a settlement offer, it’s up to Maddie and her fellow attorneys to find a witness who can prove a coverup occurred.
The storyline centering on injustice gives us a window into Maddie herself, we learn she lost her daughter, she had a bad marriage, and her husband lost all their savings. She is, in many ways, a broken woman, working to help other broken people get back on their feet.
Then something interesting happens: we get the classic happy ending, as Maddie finds a crucial bit of evidence that allows the wrongfully accused man to get a judgment of $20m. Maddie is invited out to celebrate and declines, saying she needs to take the bus home to her grandson.
Only she gets off the bus after one stop and goes down an alley where a limousine is waiting for her, the driver addresses her as Mrs. Kingston, and she places a large diamond ring on her finger. Come to find out, Maddie Matlock is actually Maddie Kingston. She has a loving husband and is very wealthy. It is then revealed that her getting a job at the firm was all so that she and her husband could get revenge on one of the three senior partners who illegally helped a pharmaceutical company remove a drug that could have saved their daughter.
Her grandson is even part of it, setting up her internet presence as “Maddie Matlock.” We then find out that her daughter had wanted to be a lawyer like her mother and had loved the old show Matlock, which led Maddie to take the name in her honor. It was a great twist I never saw coming and reframed the whole episode in retrospect, as we see the truth of Maddie’s statement about being invisible. Her true self was hidden even from the audience, and now we get to watch as she plays a dangerous game of wits with the very firm that killed her daughter.
Overall this was a very strong episode and was anchored by a fantastic performance by Kathy Bates (also revealed to be her last, as she said she is retiring after this show ends), the stakes set up by the pilot promise lots of excitement and twists. With a strong social messege and lots of good humor, Matlock showed up and proved it’s the show to watch this season.
Matlock airs on CBS and streams on Paramount+
