In Matlock Season 1 Episode 6, “Sixteen Steps” we learn more about Matty’s creepy search for redemption, which is sparked by her troubled memories of her daughter Ellie. Matty gets involved in a new case that brings up an old wound at the start of the episode. The tragic death of baby Dante has been blamed on First 12 Formula,a company that makes infant formula. Olympia (Skye P. Marshall) and Julian— two of her coworkers, have taken on a shocking lawsuit against the company. Olympia is very interested in the case, and Matty is too. Both of them are dealing with the hard decisions that parents have to make and the regrets that come after, when it’s too late to get another chance.
Matlock Season 1 Episode 6 Recap
In this episode, Matty (Kathy Bates) is motivated by her deep-seated guilt over how badly she treats Ellie. This guilt grows stronger as she works on this delicate case with Olympia and Julian. Two years ago, the lawsuit against First 12 Formula fell through because of problems in Olympia’s personal life, such as the death of her father and a bad breakup with Julian. Since their clients, Dante’s mothers, are still sad, the team’s goal is clear: to fix what went wrong and bring justice to the family who has been hurt.
The investigation starts with a clue that points to Harold P. Wong, the former factory foreman, who left in a strange way. Through hard work, Matty, Billy, and Sarah gather evidence that shows there was a lot of carelessness in the factory. Matty goes undercover at one point to get into Harold’s apartment, making it look like she needs to use his bathroom to get in. This smart move lets her and the team get a better look at his life, revealing problems that lead them to Teddy, a kind factory worker.
Teddy tells the truth about a string of broken machines and the factory’s strict leave policies, which forced him to work with dirty hands, which could have led to terrible results. The defense team for First 12 tries to put the blame on Dante’s mothers, saying that dirty practices outside the home could have been the real cause.
The most important decision in the case is whether or not Dante’s mothers, Vanessa and Anna, will testify. In the first trial, they didn’t have to go on the stand, but Olympia knows that their testimony is very important this time. Matty urges Vanessa and Anna to testify and tells them about her own painful feelings about Ellie. Olympia knows how important it is to stand up for justice because she is a Black woman working in a very competitive field. She tells the mothers Matty’s story to help them deal with their grief and inspire them to fight for—Dante’s well-being. Vanessa has been trying hard for years to keep her emotions in check. She stands tall in court and tells a moving story about how much Dante loved life and how she would count “sixteen steps” in his room every night to calm him down. The jury is moved by her story, which paints a vivid picture of a mother’s love and loss.
After a lot of hard work, the team wins the case, which brings Olympia and Julian closer together. At the end of the episode, they also make up on a personal level, but they agree to keep it a secret for now. On the other hand, Matty is still uneasy. She sees Vanessa and Anna walk away, sad and empty-handed because of the tragedy that not even justice can fix. Matty realizes that winning doesn’t take away the pain of losing. This causes her to have an existential crisis, which makes her question her job at Jacobson-Moore. Edwin tells her to let go, to pay attention to her young grandson Alfie and to stop trying so hard to change things for Ellie’s sake.
Just as she is thinking about giving up, Julian gives her a new case against big pharma, which makes her decide again. Matty makes up her mind to stay with a quiet smile. She is sure that her path, no matter how painful it is, is where she needs to be.
Matlock New episodes air on Thursdays at 9/8c on CBS.
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