In Matlock episode 1, Madeline Matlock (Kathy Bates) starts her day as the recipient of a number of kind gestures. A busy businessman buys her a coffee when she takes too long to find her purse, a young woman helps buzz her into a secure building and a receptionist allows her into an office as her hands are full. Once she’s inside, though, Madeline throws the coffee away. She takes out a map of the office she’s drawn and goes to stand at the back of a meeting of lawyers.
In the meeting, Olympia (Skye P. Marshall) is told to close a case where she’s seeking $4 million in damages and Julian (Jason Ritter) boasts that he’s got $19 million out of Peabody. Madeline then interjects. She tells Julian he could get even more out of Peabody. No one there knows who she is. Madeline declares she wants the associate position that’s open. She hasn’t been able to get an interview and she assumes that’s because of her age, which she reminds them would be illegal.
When she’s offered an interview, she says she wants a job instead, reminding them that she knows what Peabody is willing to pay and Julian wouldn’t want to overdo his hand. Madeline says Peabody’s ceiling is $23 million, a figure the busy businessman who bought her coffee uttered. The firm’s owner Howard (Beau Bridges) gives Madeline a two-week trial and she’s hired to help Olympia.
After one of the smoothest job hirings in television, what else happens in Matlock’s pilot? Take a look below to find out.
Madeline gets up to speed on the case
Olympia isn’t best pleased that she has to work with Madeline, who admits that she hasn’t worked as a lawyer since 1991. Madeline wants to prove she can be useful. She meets her fellow associates Billy (David Del Rio) and Sarah (Leah Lewis). They’ve been working on the case for 6 months and have made little progress.
The case they’re working on is that of Raymond Harris (Rothaford Gray), who spent 26 years in jail after being convicted as a serial rapist/murderer. He was recently exonerated. The firm has been hired to get him compensation, but they need to find the dirty cop who put Raymond behind bars so he can get the payout he deserves.
The city is now only offering Raymond $241,280, having previously offered $2 million. The police suddenly don’t think Olympia can make her case because a senator has announced that police corruption in the late 1990s wasn’t as widespread as initially reported. Since Raymond admitted to the crime under duress, the police are under no obligation to pay.
After a quiet Madeline is asked for her opinion by Raymond’s protective daughter Jordan (Natasha Mumba), she says the police’s offer is insulting and they should go to trial. Olympia, Jordan, and Raymond agree. Jordan reminds Olympia that she said they’d come through and now is the time for her to do so.
Prior to the start of the trial, we learn that Madeline’s husband died with a huge gambling debt, which is why she’s had to return to working in law. At the same time, Olympia is divorcing Julian. The pair have twins together. Julian’s father is Howard, who owns the firm. Meanwhile, Madeline figures out that Olympia is dating another lawyer at the firm, Elijah (Eme Ikwuakor), and Julian doesn’t know.
The trial begins, and Madeline proves she's useful
Olympia doesn’t want Raymond to take the stand, as she doesn’t want his prior convictions to be brought up. She insists to a jury and a judge that he’s not being called because he’s been traumatized.
Police officer Lloyd Ferguson (Bill Lake) testifies that Raymond said he wasn’t guilty over 100 times before confessing, then 8 minutes later recanted that confession. The officer says he never investigated the offense after Raymond confessed.
Jordan is called to testify, admitting that her life was turned upside down by her father’s conviction. She goes into specifics, admitting that she has never had a relationship, has never been able to trust anyone and used to be extremely close to her father, but his jail time ruined their relationship.
Madeline makes inroads on a missing prostitute who survived a run-in with the murderer. They question Manny, a pimp in prison, who ultimately remembers Carlin (Nicole de Boer), a redheaded prostitute who upped and left. Now sober and married with kids, Carlin says she was beaten and nearly raped but she can’t testify because it will destroy her family.
Madeline decides against convincing Carlin to testify. This leaves Olympia furious. She brutally says that Madeline doesn’t have the makings of a lawyer and blames her for ruining Raymond and Jordan’s case. An upset Madeline feels terrible for letting them down. But Billy and Sarah give her a pep talk, telling her to help fix the case.
Madeline returns to Carlin alone. She admits that her daughter died of a drug overdose, which she blames herself for. Carlin begins to soften, then recalls how the owner of a restaurant saw the attempted rape and walked her to the police station. The restaurant owner had called 911, and his conversation was recorded by the police. This recording is submitted as evidence. Detective Ferguson tells the jury that the only reason the call wasn’t logged in his precinct is that someone must have buried the evidence so that Raymond could be convicted.
The jury declares that the State Of New York needs to compensate Raymond Harris $20 million. Raymond vows to build back his relationship with Jordan. Thankful for her help, Olympia gives Madeline a permanent job.
Madeline is hiding something
Madeline is invited out for drinks by Sarah and Billy. But she has to get her bus home to her grandson. She only takes it for one stop, though.
She gets off it and hops into a limo. The driver Marcus calls her Mrs Kingston. She puts on a ring and is driven to a mansion, where her husband (Sam Anderson), who is still alive, greets her, as does her grandson, Alfie (Aaron D. Harris).
It transpires that she wants to bring down the pharmaceutical companies that the firm Jacobson/Moore represented. Madeline says she needs to build up trust first.
Her husband tells Madeline that she looks tired. She then looks at a board, on which are the faces of Julian, Olympia, and Howard. Madeline says that one of them hid documents that could have taken opioids off the market ten years earlier. She blames them for the deaths of countless people, this includes the overdose and death of her daughter. A vengeful Madeline is going to figure out who knew what and when, and put them in jail.
Matlock settles into its routine timeslot on Thursday, October 17, at 10 pm ET/PT on CBS. Episodes become available to stream the day after they air on Paramount Plus.
