A big class-action case against the prison system hits close to home for Matty when its lead plaintiff, jailed on drug charges, relapses. Matty plays matchmaker with Sarah and a girl from IT.
The lines were always going to get blurred with Matty's mission. She professes teamwork amongst her fellow associates. She isn't competing with Sarah and Billy. They are working together towards the same goal. They each have strengths and weaknesses. They should use them to provide the best results for their clients. Matty and Olympia have a bond. They have become allies. That allows them to be more relaxed around each other. Matty feels free to speak her mind. She pushes back. She wants Olympia to recognize the humanity of those around her. It's perfectly within Olympia's grasp to do so. She just needs the reminder. She is so incredibly driven. She doesn't want anything to distract from the work. The stories she hears are powerful. She has to convey that in the courtroom. She calls out a witness on the stand for treating people as if they aren't human. She takes the lessons from Matty and uses them as weapons. These characters are smart and strategic. They don't want pity. They want what they deserve. For Matty, that's justice for her daughter's death. Her undercover identity causes plenty of strain. Each episode adds more complications. She can handle this pressure. It's still a rather daunting prospect.
Edwin isn't as natural undercover. He panics too. Matty feared that instinct would trip her up at some point. She always has an answer that seems believable enough to the people she's getting close to. Edwin doesn't have convincing stories. He just has lies. He steps up because that's what Matty needs in this moment. He worries about Alfie's well-being given his obsession with the case. It's more important for Alfie to have a normal teenage life. He has the technical expertise. Matty and Edwin aren't bumbling fools. They know how to gather everything they need to conduct this investigation. They lament reaching a dead end. They arrive at a solution. They believe they have uncovered the email with the damning evidence. They just don't have access to it. Matty will have to infiltrate the server room at the firm to see the original attachment. She crosses these lines with abandon. She forges a connection with IT girl Kira to get basic facts after the security measures. She also slyly sets her up with Sarah. It's rather remarkable really. Matty has one scheme with Billy to pair the two up and another with Edwin to obtain a fingerprint. Matty is capable of juggling all of this.
Despite all of that though, it's absolutely devastating when Matty is confronted with addiction. She spots the signs easily now. Olympia has a righteous case alleged abuse in a prison by the guards. The star witness has an incredible story. And yet, she relapsed days before the start of the trial. She can't testify. Her credibility can reasonably be called into question. The other plaintiffs refuse to come forward out of fear of more retaliation. Olympia believes she has an ally in the new warden. New polices have been implemented to greatly improve the environment. Accountability must still occur for the horrors of the past to ensure they don't happen again. They can't be overlooked. That's exactly what the new warden wants to do. She can't focus on her agenda if all her resources will be going to settle this suit. That's the outcome achieved because of Olympia's questioning on the stand. It's another victory for the firm. Everyone celebrates. Matty still knows it's important to get their client into rehab. That provides her with the chance of getting clean. She needs help. Matty reaches out with so much empathy. This is all familiar to her. She beats herself up for not being more compassionate to her daughter when she was younger. She sees that as behavior that pushed her away. Matty needs to make sense of it. She has dealt with addiction. People are strong enough to stay sober. All it takes is one mistake. That temptation is too great sometimes. That's all that gets remembered too.
Matty tries to honor her daughter in death to forgive herself for her behavior in life. It's personal. It informs absolutely everything. She delves into personal details with her colleagues. She pivots whenever they want to get too close to her. She uses her expertise to create a convincing story. Matty couldn't risk calling Sarah and Billy into action because she needed help from Edwin. They can never meet. Matty also pushes Sarah to Kira and asks why Billy hasn't proposed to his longtime girlfriend. Building these connections is meaningful. Again, it creates the illusion of a trusting team. As a result, Billy believes he must extend the same kindness. He's an optimist. He believes things will work out. He wants to set up Matty on dating apps just like Sarah. She deserves happiness too. She shuts down the conversation because she remains happily in love with Edwin. She leans on him for so much support. And yet, Matty's story at work suggests she is single. Her making her presence known online allows someone to recognize her. That's the cliffhanger that threatens to derail the mission. At first, the app is silly. It quickly becomes serious. Matty had a life and career before making this move. She has to reckon with that. She can't be overlooked all the time. She has to be noticed and caught off guard. That provides actual risk and uncertainty. That's what drives the story forward in a way that champions her while keeping things realistic about the pain this all stems from.
