Matlock star Skye P. Marshall teases the show's most pivotal episode, offering a season 2 hint. Known for her past roles in Chilling Adventures of Sabrina and the CW superhero series Black Lightning, Marshall plays Olympia Lawrence in the Matlock reboot cast. So far in the CBS legal dramedy, Olympia has gradually gotten closer to Matty Matlock (Kathy Bates). But she doesn't know the big secret that Matty is hiding.

In recent comments to TVLine, Marshall teases that the “craziest” episode of the season will be episode 17, which is the penultimate episode. In the quote below, the actor talks about how the episode sets up season 2 and will leave the viewers questioning how the show will follow-up such a major development. Marshall's quote is below:

“When you see the last two episodes, you’re going to wonder, ‘What are they going to do with Season 2 now?’ And I’m really excited about that.”

What Marshall's Comments Could Mean For Matlock

It's Following A Classic TV Example

It is sometimes argued that the penultimate episode of a series can often be the real finale in of taking the story to its natural end while the last episode serves as a tease of what comes next. It was done for the closing season of Breaking Bad, with the penultimate episode representing darkness and the actual finale standing in for some kind of hope. It was done, too, for Buffy the Vampire Slayer season 4 where the season's villain was disposed of in the penultimate episode.

Applying that approach to the CBS reboot of Matlock could mean that Matty's secret and the potential fallout will be the main focus of episode 17. That would give the characters the reboot the chance to address Matty's lie and leave some room for how Olympia would react, and whether she'd ultimately side with Matty due to the pain of the older woman losing her daughter partly because of what the law firm did.

Matlock season 1 will return with new episodes on Thursday, January 30 at 9 PM ET on CBS.

The first installment of the CBS drama has only aired eight episodes so far. There is plenty of room to go before Matty's real identity and plan to get revenge for her daughter's death is exposed. But when that happens, and when the attention turns to the already-renewed Matlock season 2, the Jennie Snyder Urman-created series will have to build on a new overall arc.

Our Take On What's Next In Matlock

The Show Is Poised To Evolve

One of the reasons that Matlock has emerged as one of the best new shows of 2024 is that there's a strong mix of the ongoing personal drama and the procedural elements. It's only a matter of time before Olympia and everyone else finds out Matty's true intentions. The biggest source of intrigue is what happens to the show after that point and how it maintains the balance without leaning too much into being a formulaic procedural.

Source: TVLine