Matlock Episode 17 recap: And the slow unraveling of secrets within a friendship

Matlock continues to amaze fans with its second-to-last episode with pressure, twists and turns, and some reckoning that has been long waiting in the queue.

In Season 1, Episode 17, titled “I Was That, Too,” the heat deepens between Olympia and Matty as lies that have been around for quite a bit come into the open, along with some high-stakes drama unwrapping side by side.

The show creates a dramatic build-up before the finale episode, cleverly combining legal complexities with emotional tests — attesting that Matlock is only getting started.

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Confrontation, captivity, and cracks in the truth: Matlock, episode 17.

Episode 17 wastes absolutely no time pushing the audience into a world of chaos. Matlock sets the majority of the tone for this episode with Olympia seeing Matty in a new skeptical situation—standing outside a residence that doesn’t belong to her.

Instead of having a low and discreet investigation, Olympia takes control of the situation and takes Matty to the firm, where she’s kept restricted in an unoccupied office with no phone available in plain sight, along with no laptop and no possibility to avoid spilling the beans.

It’s a cold talk between the two of them, but it’s about time they did talk — Olympia has loads of questions, and Matty? Well, Matty has a mountain of lies to climb on.

But this is Matlock. And if there's one thing Madeline Kingston knows best, it’s how to fight from right from the corners.

As she scribbles down a statement onto a pad, Olympia goes deeper, discovering that Matty’s allegedly ‘dead husband’ is still very much alive, thriving— and perhaps a part of a higher unknown circling the lost Wellbrexa file.

This emotional push and pull between the two of them turns out to be the real driving force this episode.

Matty’s manipulations are coated not just in strategies, but in a frantic attempt to keep the one woman she admires from shutting her out completely.

The show then makes use of this suffocating scene to bring both women down to their rawest selves.

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Racing against time: A Case of love, control, and lies

While Matty is kept confined, Olympia is suddenly put into an emergency that involves Amy, a pregnant woman distressed to get away from her sadistic marriage before her husband legitimately gets legal rights on their child that is still unborn.

Matlock links this story along with the ongoing stresses with Olympia and Matty with remarkable firmness, as Amy’s slated C-section surgery is merely a few hours away, and the authorized team must find a way to hold up or nullify her husband’s influence over the situation.

Amy’s troubles strike a chord with the others — especially Olympia, who sees reflections of power and gaslighting in her own relationship with Julian.

With Matty’s hesitant help, the team comes up with some critical evidence: a few old text messages, discrepancies in the prenup terms/conditions, and a priest’s witness, all of which form the base of an emergency ‘annulment plea.’

The giveaway that Amy’s husband falsely accounted for his religious intents for their child comes as the final nail on the head. The judge rules in their favor of Olympia and the legal team representing Amy — and justice wins in a satisfactory manner.

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Loyalty, betrayal, and a sliver of forgiveness?

What makes episode 17 so amusing isn't just the courtroom commotion or hush-hush detective work — it’s the emotional combat zone-like environment created between Matty and Olympia.

When Sarah and Billy find out where Matty is being held, the show puts the scene forward, pretending as if Matty acts as if she’s just “testing out a new workspace.”

But Matlock doesn’t offer an easy finish. Even when Olympia gets Matty on board to help with Amy’s case, forgiveness isn’t easily given out.

The episode ends with Olympia ultimately asking the challenging questions about Julian’s funds and then — in a twist — going together with Matty to handle Edwin and Alfie herself. Is this a truce? A setup? Or one final act before the finale?

The lines between trust go hazy as Matlock sets the bar for a finale that vouches for some solid eye-openers that could, once and for all, change everything.

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Episode 17 of Matlock serves as a strong preface to the finale.

With Olympia and Matty locked in a battle of truth and gearing up to face a few consequences and Amy’s desperate cry for help, Matlock stabilizes itself as being more than just a legal drama.

It’s a show that deeply dives into exploring the relationships and dynamics between the characters, and with that, fans cannot wait for the finale!