After achieving success in her younger years, brilliant septuagenerian Madeline Matlock uses her unassuming demeanor to make her way into a position at a prestigious law firm, Jacobson Moore.
The law firm of Jacobson Moore has enough security measures to ensure a total stranger doesn't just walk into a partners' meeting. And yet, Madeline Matlock does just that. She wants a job and has the precise leverage to make it happen. In her big opening monologue, she shares how society underestimates older women. People look past her. That's how she smoothly navigates through the system. That's how she gathers the damning information necessary to make her case. She's a sweet old lady. People don't see her as a threat. The structure of the premiere lures the audience into that safety as well. The drama presents as the latest gender-flipped reboot of a classic TV show. In this case, it's Matlock starring Andy Griffith. Madeline has gotten used to the comparisons after a lifetime in the profession. She returns to work now because she's raising her grandson and her husband died with a ton of gambling debts. Despite those initial character details though, it's all revealed in the end to be a clever ploy. Madeline Matlock is a carefully constructed character so she can infiltrate this firm and get justice for her family. It's a convenient story to help sell her charm. Her true mission is so much more complex than that.
Broadcast network shows typical close their premieres with some kind of big twist. It almost feels inevitable. It must be part of the formula or the executives won't pick up the series. At times, they are completely nonsensical. They are twists meant solely to have something shocking in the last minute. It doesn't inform anything about the characters. The best shows close with something that offers reassurances of depth and complexity. They also need to be genuinely shocking. Here, the show flips expectations on their head. At work, it's obvious Madeline keeps a close eye on the partners. She wants to make a good impression with them. She notices details others miss. However, she's doing so to advance her overall agenda. She believes someone in this firm purposefully covered up evidence that would have proven the pharmaceutical industry knew how addictive its products were. They were sold nevertheless and ruined countless lives. Madeline's daughter was one of those victims. She carries this personal vendetta. She has come out of retirement to take down those responsible. She has a plan of action. She plays a part. She aims to honor her daughter. And yet, she can't help but get personally involved in people's lives either.
Madeline has Senior, Julian and Olympia on her conspiracy board as the most prominent targets of her investigation. She interacts the most with Olympia. She is assigned to a case where Olympia is trying to prove to the firm that social justice issues can be profitable. She relates to the struggle of a man falsely imprisoned for decades and his daughter trying to hold the police accountable for their coverup. She calls Madeline out when she interferes in the firm's loyalty to their clients. She helps a potential witness get out of cooperating with the investigation. She does so because the witness was also a drug addict who fought to get sober. She doesn't want to ruin her new life. Madeline understands the impulse to do whatever it takes to protect those you love. She carries it every single day. She also forms a bond with two fellow associates. She is directed to a balcony designed for crying. She uses it for that purpose. She made a mistake. It's written off as her being out of practice. She hasn't been a lawyer in thirty years. She desperately needs money. This job has to work out for her. But it's also informed by all the emotions that come with this heavy burden. Her husband and grandson are the only people on her side. They ask about any progress. Madeline can't move that quickly. She has to build trust. Winning cases certainly does that for now.
Senior, Julian and Olympia are part of a complicated family dynamic as well. Julian and Olympia are finalizing their divorce. Senior still views her as his daughter-in-law. He respects her no matter what happens next. Meanwhile, Julian is the lawyer specializing in pharmaceutical cases. He wins more money based on the information Madeline gives him. She sees him as her way into this mystery. He's also not given a lot of depth in the early going. His presence isn't required on the main case. He causes Olympia a hard time. Olympia has ulterior motives for wanting her soon-to-be-ex away for Thanksgiving weekend. Madeline has her theories. They aren't confirmed just yet. She has to prove her worth by delivering the smoking gun evidence. She knows how to use people's own words against them. She gets her proud moment in the courtroom when she gets the 9-1-1 call admitted into evidence. She had all the information right away. The argument would have been the same. She chose to start elsewhere and make the other side look foolish. The police and their lawyers needed that embarrassment. That's what fulfills the satisfaction of the final victory. Again, the show knows how to weave a tale of emotional complexity. That's a powerful gift and one that hopefully sustains a season of engaging television.
