Matty understands making oneself smaller in the face of opposition from a powerful white man with authority. Her original legal career shifted because she wasn't accepted. She had to make peace with that. She returned to the workplace with a personal mission. At the firm, she has also practiced the law that once invigorated her. She was finally doing what she always wanted. She was celebrated too. That allowed lines to blur between personal and professional. Matty was willing to dismiss Olympia as a suspect in the Wellbrexa case because of their close relationship. It wasn't based on any evidence. It was just an instinct. She was distraught with the reveal that Olympia was likely responsible. She could no longer trust her. She got distracted. As such, she's pointed with all of her remarks. She's relieved by the latest suggestion of Olympia's innocence. Yet Matty must still be held accountable for her actions. She lashes out against women who chose to stay silent for years instead of fighting against injustices. Matty is inspired by Olympia and the work she does. She has disdain for a juror who refused to voice her objections to a conviction for twenty years. She also has contempt for Belvin only writing about the Wellbrexa case anonymously on a Reddit forum after fourteen years.
Belvin views Matty as one of her only true friends at work. She has placed her trust in the wrong person. Matty doesn't view the manager as a significant ally in her mission to expose the wrongdoings of the firm. Instead, she believes she must strong-arm information out of her. Belvin knows Matty's timeline of the case is wrong. Belvin wants someone to reach out to her so she is no longer alone. She doesn't want to carry this guilt by herself any longer. That's the position she has always been in. She may have authority within her domain at the firm. It's still impossible for her to go against the partnership. She can't speak up against them. Matty now wields power over her as well. She knows precisely what Belvin cares about the most: her dog Barry Manilow. The dog is never in any actual danger. Belvin still endures the stress and fear of believing something might happen. Matty inflicts that trauma onto her. It's all in pursuit of greater clarity over the case. In doing so, Edwin quickly deduces Olympia couldn't have stolen the missing documents. She was in court during the fire drill. Matty is relieved. She hugs Olympia hard because it has deeper meaning. It's more than just excitement over Olympia choosing to stay and support her team. It's acknowledgement over how deep this friendship has been to her over the year.
Despite winning a massive settlement in the Slamm'd case, the partnership board isn't impressed with Olympia. They are concerned she doesn't support the company culture. She fights against the corporate entities this firm relies on for business. Nothing Olympia does will ever be good enough. She's feeling herself at the top of the episode. She is on top of the world. The second she steps off the elevator, everything comes crashing down. She's thrilled when her law school friend who works in the public defender's office stops by with a case. It provides meaningful work for her to pursue. Olympia also needs a favor. Sarah fears her mentor is leaving the firm. That will eventually happen should Julian be named partner. That's the deal the exes struck. They could no longer work in the same environment. They needed space in order to grow. Of course, they still lean on each other for support. They will drop everything in the moment to help each other. That's reassuring. Matty failed to drive a wedge between Olympia and Julian. It wasn't for a lack of trying. And now, Matty carries the burden of the destructive nature of this office. She told a falsely imprisoned man not to get his hopes up about being released. It was futile to do so. Matty failed to follow the same advice. She got invested. She wanted a certain outcome to occur. Her world also implodes with the reveal that Olympia has been investigating her.
It all started when Olympia and Julian agreed to be civil to each other once more. At the time, it was strange Olympia would agree to that while believing he was spying on her. That aspect was dropped completely. But now, more is shared of that prior conversation. Julian denied his role. Olympia grew suspicious of Matty once Alfie left his wallet in her office. At the time, that panic was a jarring development meant to derive tension for a brief moment. It came out of no where. It revealed just how tenuous Matty's position has always been at the firm. Anything could go wrong for her at any moment. It's impressive she has gotten this far. She is on the verge of discovering who allowed Wellbrexa to continue marketing opioids for years. Olympia came to distrust her closest friend at the office. Matty has manipulated her. She thought their connection was genuine. Olympia can't believe anything. She has no idea who Matty is. She forces a confrontation. She has all the evidence to prove it. Everything culminated when Bitsy walked into the courtroom. Matty was thrown and Olympia saw. She used her resources to track down what Matty was hiding. It's unlikely she has connected all the pieces. However, this serves as a nice inverse of the structure the show always provides. The narrative loves to point out how Matty outwits everyone. This time Matty is the one surprised because Olympia was working another mission in secret. That creates plenty of uncertainty as the season builds to its close.
