Editor’s note: This recap contains significant spoilers for Matlock Episode 16.As we approach the thrilling conclusion of Matlock Season 1, Matty (Kathy Bates) is racing against time to finalize her findings on Wellbrexa before submitting them to the New York Times. However, she faces a significant roadblock in the form of Mrs. Belvin (Patricia Belcher), the office manager at Jacobson Moore, who holds crucial information but demands Matty disclose her identity before cooperating.

In a strategic move, Matty takes the initiative to pressure Belvin into clarifying the timeline regarding the stolen documents, which is imperative for both her and Edwin (Sam Anderson) to close the case effectively. Yet, Matty’s preoccupation with Belvin blinds her to the fact that she is also under scrutiny from another investigation. While they make substantial headway in the Wellbrexa case, Olympia uncovers unexpected details about her close colleague, putting Matty’s entire operation at risk.

The Team Displays Exceptional Skill in ‘Matlock’ Episode 16

Before the tension escalates further, Olympia’s law school friend and public defender, Amina (Azie Tesfai), approaches the team with a compelling case of wrongful conviction. Isabelle Sanchez (Blanca Arceli), who served on a jury 21 years ago, is convinced that they wrongfully convicted an innocent man of murder. In a bid to investigate, Olympia and Matty visit Gene (Del Zamora), a doorman wrongfully accused of killing a tenant who had complained about his performance regarding her dry cleaning. Gene’s alibi and the critical nine-minute window during which the murder occurred lead Olympia and Matty to believe in his innocence, prompting them to agree to take on the challenging case, even though it could adversely affect Olympia’s chances of making partner.

The first major hurdle they face is the fact that Gene has already exhausted all possible appeals, compelling Olympia and her team to think outside the box to reopen the case. They devise a plan for Isabelle to sue the jury foreman who coerced her into agreeing with the conviction. This legal maneuver will allow them to access the evidence from Gene’s original trial, which is essential in establishing Isabelle’s reasonable doubt. With only 48 hours to develop a new strategy, the pressure is on. Their pursuit of justice leads them to Cheryl Clawson (Kara Gibson), the neighbor of the murder victim, who was never called to testify. Cheryl recalls overhearing a heated argument between the victim and her grandson about money just a day before the murder, which raises significant questions about the validity of Gene’s conviction. The original police investigation failed to secure the grandson’s alibi, even though he better fits the eyewitness description of the actual killer.

The team, now known as YouThree, heads to the grandson’s expansive property to collect a DNA sample for comparison with the antique spoon found at the crime scene. Meanwhile, Olympia seeks assistance from ADA Park (Andrew Ghai), who initially declines to help. However, Olympia successfully appeals to his sense of justice, leading him to authorize the necessary DNA testing. The results ultimately reveal that the caterer for the murder victim’s 70th birthday party was the actual perpetrator, who intended to rob the victim. Following these revelations, Park’s office begins the process of securing Gene’s release from prison.

Olympia Takes a Bold Step in ‘Matlock’ Episode 16

While the YouThree team diligently works to resolve Gene’s case, Olympia experiences a sudden influx of intrigue when she receives a confidential file regarding the “Johnson Case” from Amina. This unexpected development raises immediate alarm bells for Sarah, Olympia’s mentee who meticulously tracks all of her boss’s cases. The unexpected arrival of this file sends Sarah into a tailspin, leading her to suspect that Olympia is preparing to transition to public defense should her race for partnership not pan out—an unsettling thought for Sarah, who can’t help but involve Billy in her concerns.

Utilizing her connections within the IT department, Sarah scrutinizes Olympia’s billable hours over the past 15 hours, ultimately confirming her fears: there is no Johnson case on record. Faced with uncertainty about her future in law, she turns to Matty for guidance, expressing her reluctance to follow Olympia into the public defender role. To her credit, Olympia is frank about her contemplation of this path when Matty confronts her about it. She shares a heartfelt reflection on how their bond has deepened over the past months. However, Olympia is not one to be underestimated. She utilizes a press conference following Gene’s trial to bolster Park’s public profile, cleverly positioning herself back into the partner race by becoming the lead story on New York 1.

‘Matlock’ Episode 16 Unveils a Game-Changing Twist in Matty’s Strategy

When I say Matty took a bold approach this week, I mean it. She directly confronts Mrs. Belvin, going so far as to threaten harm to her dog, Barry Manilow, if she doesn’t answer Matty’s calls. Unfortunately for Matty, the threat falls flat; Mrs. Belvin simply brings her dog to the office to keep a watchful eye on him, which sends Matty into a fit of rage. In a strategic pivot, Matty adopts her sweet old lady persona and persuades Mrs. Belvin to allow her to babysit Barry Manilow. The unsuspecting office manager would never suspect that Matty is the mystery caller, leading her to entrust her dog to Matty. Throughout her investigation into the Wellbrexa case, Matty has employed numerous sneaky tactics, but threatening Barry Manilow stands out as one of her lowest moves, second only to erasing Olympia’s last voicemail from her deceased father.

After Mrs. Belvin feels confident in Barry’s safety, she insists on a meeting, and Matty leaves the dog with Edwin while she returns to work. Despite Edwin’s warnings that he’s not great with dogs, Matty brushes it off. Although Matty never meets Belvin as planned, she cleverly informs her that “Adam” has come to take Barry Manilow, prompting Belvin to call the burner phone that Edwin is monitoring. He successfully convinces Belvin to help solidify the timeline of the missing Wellbrexa document, confirming that it was taken during a fire drill at 11:30 AM. Since the fire alarm caused all doors to be unlocked, no key cards were needed to access the documents.

This new information puts Olympia and Julian (Jason Ritter) back under suspicion, as either could have taken the documents during the fire drill. Senior (Beau Bridges) is ruled out as a suspect given that he was in Australia when the documents were taken. Matty cleverly utilizes Olympia’s laptop to examine her billable hours for that day—thanks to Sarah—discovering that Olympia claimed she was in court. Given that billable hours can easily be fabricated, Matty realizes she needs further evidence to validate that claim, which Edwin manages to obtain.

Matty is ecstatic upon receiving confirmation of her findings, but she is caught completely off guard when Olympia appears at her bus stop after work. The “Johnson Case” turns out not to be a public defender file at all; rather, it is Olympia’s investigation into Matty, triggered by the discovery that Julian had never removed the recording device from her office. Olympia had Amina check the license plates of Matty’s car, which she identified on courthouse CCTV after Bitsy (Julie Hagerty) showed up during the Slam’d case, leading her to realize that something was amiss. The data gathered compelled her to confront Matty—leaving viewers anxious to see how Matty will navigate this predicament.

Matlock airs Thursdays at 9 PM on CBS, with episodes available for streaming the following day on Paramount+.