Warning: spoilers for Matlock episode 1x10, “Crash Helmets On,” are in play. If you’re not current, you’ve been warned.
My friends, Matlock might be one of the most dramatic entries to the 2025 TV schedule. At least, that is if you’re not adding reality TV or awards show fiascos into the equation. Kathy Bates’ midseason return answered a cliffhanger, while proposing a new theory for who the “big bad” might be at Jacobson Moore at the same time.
With this week's episode, Leah Lewis’ poor Sarah went through an emotional roller-coaster, which resulted in one hell of a twist. So if you're not caught up on Matlock just yet, a Paramount+ subscription could solve that quickly enough. As for the rest of you, let's dive into this week's case file.
Sarah May Have Become Matty Matlock’s New Sworn Enemy
If you know what it’s like to get so close to a professional goal, only to see it snatched away at the last second, you know what Sarah felt like at the end of Episode 1x10, “Crash Helmets On.” After initially being promised by Matty that she’d be given her first case to argue, the honors were quickly reassigned to Billy (David Del Rio).
To be fair, it was in the name of a ruse that allowed our crafty protagonist to switch recording pens, thanks to the unit used to uncover Matlock’s Fall finale bombshell falling into the wrong hands. However, that meant taking Sarah’s huge opportunity to stand out on Team You Three, and earn herself a well deserved win. And while Ms. Matlock did give her colleague an appropriate “I’m sorry,” it was met with this response:
You will be. Because you will regret making an enemy out of me.
In light of others claiming Matlock’s potential tonal problems as just that, I think the opposite has just been proven. For the most part, we’ve seen Leah Lewis either laser-focused on work or fawning over her dreamy IT department crush Kira. But when it came to two moments in “Crash Helmets On,” I was blindsided by emotion. This ice cold threat was the second instance that occurred, but it’s the first one that truly broke my heart this week.
The Timing For Matlock’s Twist Couldn’t Have Been Worse
One of the two “cases of the week” for Matlock was a suit involving a nursing home resident dying because of a suspicious looking stroke. That meant two things: first, the CBS series’ formula is shifting after what felt like a predictable Matlock-ian rhythm for the first couple episodes.
But second, and more importantly, that meant that Matty was naturally used as an undercover decoy to snoop around the social scene of Tranquil Pines Nursing Home. Which is what led to the moment where Leah Lewis’ character sang Patsy Cline’s “Walkin’ After Midnight” to a resident with dementia.
As it turns out Sarah had a grandmother who suffered from that cognitive disorder, and as Madeline astutely picks up on, singing was part of how she’d calm her. The story gets sadder though, as the young member of Team You Three also shared that by the time she’d finished college, her grandmother couldn’t recognize her.
Once again Matlock has excelled at taking a legal procedural and turning it into something much, much more. Most of the time, it’s a conspiracy driven/espionage adjacent series that’s lighthearted, with some scrapes here and there. The latest delivered a wound that will not heal easily, as poor Sarah Yang has been wronged by her grandmother's memory for the last time.
In the world of reality, that's another sign that Ms. Lewis and the rest of the ensemble are on the same level as Kathy Bates’ award-nominated performance. But in the halls of Jacobson Moore, that probably means that she’ll side with Julian (Jason Ritter) in the brewing battle between him and re-estranged ex-wife Olympia (Skye P. Marshall).
As one spouse will become a partner, prompting the other to clear out of town, a lot is on the line in Matlock’s drama-filled world. No matter what side anyone’s on, I think we can all agree that Billy really does need to ditch that horrendous post-dumping belt buckle. Court’s adjourned until next Thursday, as Matlock will return with “A Traitor in Thine Own House,” which doesn’t sound like a foreboding title in the slightest.
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