Spoiler alert for Matlock season 1, episode 4, ‘The Rabbit and the Hawk’
Kathy Bates’ Madeline Kingston has a secret plan in Matlock, and a tragedy in episode 4 brings the septuagenarian one step closer to completing it. The hit CBS series was sold as a legal procedural reboot of the Andy Griffith film Matlock showone of the best procedural TV shows of all time. However, Matlock it’s not exactly that. The skilled lawyer is on a secret mission to infiltrate the prestigious Jacobson Moore law firm and prosecute whoever hid legal documents that could have saved his daughter’s life.
The crux of Madeline’s plan is one of the reasons why Kathy Bates’ Matlock program is so successful. The first step in Madeline’s secret plan was to gain Olympia’s (Skye P. Marshall) trust because she needed her boss’s information to access confidential information. After beating Olympia in episode 2, Madeline’s secret affair took an unexpected turn when Olympia ended her relationship with Elijah (Eme Ikwuator) in episode 3. The development caused a rift between the Matlock characters in episode 4, when Elijah and Senior (Beau Bridges) showed their true colors. Their betrayal could be Madeline’s ticket to success.
Olympia and Elijah’s Matlock Relationship and Breakup Explained
Olympia and Elijah work together at Jacobson Moore
When Matlock the first season started, Olympia and Elijah were in a secret workplace romance. The couple discreetly talked about their relationship at the law firm, continually remembering November, the month in which Olympia’s divorce from Julian (Jason Ritter) would be finalized. The pair were waiting for Olympia’s divorce to go public with their romance. However, the case that Olympia and Matlock tried in episode 3 caused the qualified lawyer to question his involvement in another relationship that would affect his workplace. Olympia works with ex-husband Julian, whose father MatlockSenior Character, manages the company.
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The wrongful termination case in episode 3 was a wake-up call for Olympia. After the case’s conclusion, Shea Banfield (Yael Grobglas), MatlockIt’s fascinating news “lie detector” character, told Olympia to be careful about her romance with Elijah. Shea was a body language expert introduced in episode 2 and could read the romantic signals between Olympia and her colleague. The comment was the final push Olympia needed to realize she couldn’t compromise her career for romance. Olympia discovered she risked people talking about her love life instead of her work by continuing her affair with Elijah.
Elijah’s separation makes Olympia lean on Madeline for support
Elijah turns on Olympia when Madeline doesn’t
In episode 4, Olympia’s clean break gets complicated when she discovers that she and Elijah are on different sides of the same case. Olympia is fighting for justice for Sandy Walton, who died of respiratory failure caused by legionella and believed the building was to blame. Because Sandy died before her case was resolved, Olympia and Madeline work with her husband, Robert. After Olympia informs Madeline about the case, Elijah coldly tells Olympia that she needs to drop the case due to a conflict of interest. However, Senior, Elijah and Olympia negotiate a firewall, then Jacobson Moore can represent both sides.
In a last-ditch effort to find evidence, Madeline discovers black mold in Robert’s house, caused by leaky pipes that the building should have replaced years ago. The case becomes a clear victory for Olympia and Madeline when the hospital confirms mold in Sandy’s bloodstream. The real estate fund that Senior and Elijah represent offers Robert a healthy settlement but separates their assets from their liabilities overnight so they don’t have to pay, what Madeline calls “the two steps of Texas.” Elijah’s betrayal upsets Olympia, and Madeline appears to comfort her, telling her that they are “allies in a nest of vipers.”
Why Olympia is the key to Madeline’s revenge plan in Matlock
Olympia and Madeline fight with their hearts
Matlock Episode 4 is pivotal to Madeline’s plan, proving that she and Olympia have principles. A divide forms in episode 4 between those at Jacobson Moore trying to make money and those fighting for justiceand Olympia shows herself as the latter. Like Madeline, Olympia fights with her heart. The legal cases she chooses to take on Matlock are evidence of this. For example, she told Madeline that she fought for Alex Ramos (Danielle Larracuente) in Matlock episode 3, not because it was an easy case, but because she wanted what she imagined as a better world for her daughter.
Although it initially appears that Olympia is just practicing law for money, it becomes clear that this is not the case. Olympia and Madeline are furious with Senior and Elijah’s actions in Matlock episode 4, showing that they are on the same side. Additionally, Madeline obtains evidence that Senior hid pharmaceutical documents, proving that Olympia is not the villain. Now that Olympia knows what it’s like to be betrayed by Jacobson Moore, she and Madeline can take down the company, but only if Bates’ character decides to fully trust his new ally.