Matlock Season 1, Episode 4, “The Rabbit and the Hawk,” breaks some guidelines to seek out important breakthroughs for Matty, Sarah, and Olympia. This episode addresses many lingering tensions between the ensemble, creating new issues of their wake. Written by Jeffrey Lieber and directed by Kat Coiro, “The Rabbit and the Hawk” is a propulsive outing that strikes multiple emotional chord because it ups the ante of Matlock’s central thriller.
The Hawk within the Viper’s Nest
The episode pulls off these shifting components by bringing Beau Bridges’ Senior into Jacobson Moore’s motion. Senior primarily exists within the peripherals of Matlock, pulling strings on the sidelines. Matlock Season 1, Episode 4, “The Rabbit and the Hawk,” raises the stakes of his place on the agency and within the characters’ lives by straight involving him within the case of the week. Senior, representing the constructing with black mould, opposes Olympia’s battle for justice, a extra antagonistic aspect that Matlock has but to disclose – no less than in the direction of Olympia.
Matlock Season 1, Episode 1, “Pilot,” underlines Senior’s favor in the direction of Olympia regardless of her latest submitting for divorce from his son. Matlock Season 1, Episode 2, “Rome, in a Day,” begins to unpack Julian’s relationship together with his father. “The Rabbit and the Hawk” takes these (typically) fraught, intersecting relationships and dials them as much as 10 as Olympia tries to assist Robert Walton win the case within the wrongful dying of his spouse, Sandy. The strain escalates with each push of papers over Jacobson Moore’s firewall. It involves a harrowing crash — Senior’s thirst for successful supersedes his loyalty to household or want for justice.
Skye P. Marshall performs Olympia’s realization that Jacobson Moore is a “viper’s nest” so properly. All of the anger and heartbreak is seen in her efficiency, all the way down to the tears in her eyes. It’s a superb narrative flip that the fraction of her belief in Senior pushes Olympia to belief Matty. That dynamic will get even higher, and “The Rabbit and the Hawk” proves the identical about Olympia and Julian. Although their marriage is over, they discover widespread floor past co-parenting. That closing scene between Olympia and Julian is such light-hearted however weighted work from Marshall and Jason Ritter; it’s straightforward to need extra of them in Matlock.
Sarah, Billy, Friendship, and Stability
Alternatively, this episode (and those earlier than it) by no means actually provides Olympia and Elijah an opportunity. Like Matty and Olympia observe, “The Rabbit and the Hawk” channels Elijah’s damaged coronary heart into “hostile” skilled interactions. There’s a disconnect, although. Matlock spends so little time with Elijah. Their relationship by no means will get off the bottom within the present earlier than it ends in Matlock Season 1, Episode 3, “A Man Named Greg.” So, when Elijah proclaims he’s going to the Dallas workplace, it’s not disappointing for Olympia and Elijah’s romantic prospects. It’s extra of a letdown as a result of there may be nonetheless a lot to study Elijah. Nonetheless, Matlock’s season is much from over, and it’s returning for a 3rd season, so there’s hope that is the one starting of a for much longer chapter.
In any case, Matlock is greater than able to increasing its ensemble members. “A Man Named Greg” does a superb job with Billy, and “The Rabbit and the Hawk” continues that character-based progress. It provides hilarious but honest depth to Patricia Belcher’s Mrs. Belvin and peels a few of Sarah’s layers again. This episode defines her overachieving nature – she has no work/life stability. After all, this story intersects with Matty’s struggles with involving Alfie in her plan. These threads again to the serialized arc make each stronger in the long run.
Even so, they work for Sarah to interrupt her out of what could possibly be a stifling, one-note mould. Matlock avoids that with the right deep-cut after “A Man Named Greg” – Sarah doesn’t keep in mind that Billy has a girlfriend of eight years. That exposition alone emphasizes the extent of Sarah’s tunnel imaginative and prescient at work. Consequently, it should probably take extra time and remedy (I like that Matlock normalizes characters repeatedly going to remedy) for Sarah to interrupt this sample and discover stability. “The Rabbit and the Hawk” instills actual funding in that journey – and Claudia doubtlessly introducing Sarah to a pleasant woman.
Matty and Remembering the Rabbit
“The Rabbit and the Hawk” additionally does glorious work coping with the results of Alfie being so concerned in Matty’s plan to uncover the reality in regards to the hidden paperwork. “Rome, in a Day” propels this arc by mentioning Alfie’s homework slipping in high quality. Then, Matlock compares Alfie’s enthused actions to Edwin’s lack thereof. Each of those are direct responses to the lack of their daughter and mom, respectively. This present makes grief and justice driving forces underneath each motion, particularly for Matty and her household. These two forces continually trigger friction, making each emotion and step stay wires.
This episode showcases that from the start – when Matty and Edwin panic about being unable to seek out Alfie, remembering comparable conditions with Ellie – to the tip. Matty and Edwin’s argument on the finish of Act 2 is an enormous punctuation level as a result of Kathy Bates and Sam Anderson work so properly reverse each other. Edwin telling Matty that she’s “clearly” misplaced her “ethical middle” is a chopping remark that solely he can say – Edwin is without doubt one of the few folks in Matlock who is aware of the actual her and why she fights for justice.
That relationship, spanning 49 years, is an ethical middle for Matty, and it’s nice to see Matlock investing extra time in all that it encompasses. It’s additionally proof of Matlock changing into expert at weaving that serialized arc by the procedural one. Robert’s feedback about compromise and recognizing the opposite particular person’s ache circle again to Matty’s marriage. That case-of-the-week offers language to Matty’s alluring and harmful recreation with Jacobson Moore, presumably revealing Senior because the hawk amongst rabbits. Nonetheless, Matlock is not any stranger to twists. Senior’s signature looks like one thread of a a lot bigger internet – all Matty has to do is show it.
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New episodes of Matlock air on Wednesdays at 9/8c on CBS.