After Matlock's Latest Episode Ended On Another Challenging Cliffhanger, I Need To Talk About Kathy Bates' Performance

Warning: spoilers for Matlock Season 1, Episode 5 - “Claws” - are in play. If you haven’t caught up with this latest case file, you’ve been warned.

There aren't many weeks left on the 2024 TV schedule, so your favorite TV shows are probably about to drop some huge revelations as we enter the holidays. While we’re still a little while out from the break between the old and new year, CBS’ Matlock has just dropped another challenging cliffhanger into the world of Kathy Bates’ legal eagle.

I don’t think I’m surprising anyone by saying it’s an absolute delight to have weekly doses of an Academy Award winner of Bates' stature on TV. However Matlock Episode 5, which is named “Claws,” actually gave us a moment that was so moving, it once again proved why CBS’ record breaking hit is one of the best shows on TV at this moment.

Matlock’s Latest Challenging Cliffhanger, And Why It Spells Trouble

In this week’s Matlock, things got pretty personal, which led to some lighter moments of plottery and darker moments of emotional trauma. We’ll begin by focusing on the former, as “Claws” saw a simple act of kindness turn into a potentially huge liability.

Matchmaking was the name of the game this week for Team You Three, as Matty (Kathy Bates) succeeded in setting Sarah (Leah Lewis) up with Jacobson & Moore’s dreamy and feisty IT tech Kira (Piper Curda). Did this action further feed Madeline Kingston’s efforts to penetrate the law firm’s security in hopes of unmasking Matlock’s big bad? You betcha.

However, this wasn't merely a set up in the name of Ms. Kingston learning how to access Jacobson & Moore's servers using a biometric key she obtained by playing the "helpless old lady" act. Sarah actually relaxed a bit, after a lovely lunch with Kira. However, this love connection inspired the very much taken Billy (David Del Rio) to put Matty Matlock on the dating site Senior Sweeties.

While Matty’s ne’er do well husband of fiction is dead, Madeline is very much married to the lovely Edwin (Sam Anderson). That’s not where the chaos truly reigns though, as the ending to “Claws” does see Matty get a ping on her profile; which Edwin finds hysterical. At least until Madeline reads out the message she was sent:

Uh, and I cannot stress this enough, oh. Just when you thought it was safe to let your work friend trick you into creating a dating profile, Matlock has left us with a fantastic new pitfall that could further complicate Madeline’s double life.

Could this mystery person be an old flame, or worse, someone who remembers her from her lawyering days? And if the latter is true, do they know any of Jacobson & Moore’s top brass, with a chance of disrupting the illusion that is Matty Matlock (like the TV show)?

These worries couldn’t come at a worse time for Madeline’s family, but at the same time, they’ve arrived at the right moment to balance out the heavier bits of this week’s Matlock. Which leads us to discuss Kathy Bates’ latest triumph in this CBS reboot.

Kathy Bates’ Performance In This Week’s Episode Reminds Me Of Why I Love Her Matlock

The boundary between Madeline Kingston’s personal and professional lives have been gradually blurring through the past couple of episodes. Matlock’s latest cliffhanger shows that plot driving tension at work once again as “Claws” is setting up a potential stumbling block for the future. However, our case of the week also allowed Matty, and by extension Kathy Bates, to really dig into the emotional meat of this human drama cleverly couched in a legal procedural.

With this week’s case involving malfeasance in the jail system, and a star witness forced to relapse in the name of violating her credibility, Ms. Kingston is reminded of her own daughter’s failed struggles. Placing this motivation on top of growing tensions with her husband Edwin, Matlock’s personal drama is hitting some emotionally rough notes.

Seeing Madeline crying while hugging Katya (Andra Nechita), the nail technician whose testimony is vital to the case at hand, was a moment where I felt like I was going to tear up myself. Just as we saw in Matlock’s pre-twist pilot, the experiences of her past lead to a moment of vulnerability where our new favorite lawyer identifies with the person she’s helping defend.

As Matlock was originally sold as a sassy legal drama throughout the year, CBS’ strategy in hiding the twist paid off with the hidden depths that have been blossoming on a weekly basis. Throughout that journey Kathy Bates’ performance has only grown richer, and so has the rest of the cast’s portrayals. With Matlock already renewed for Season 2, I really hope that this trend continues as it’ll just keep me even more invested in the show’s fate.

Although I'm fearing whenever Madeline Kingston does find the true culprit behind hiding the Welbrexa documents, as that week's episode is undoubtedly going to be intense. Doubly so if the Matlock's friendship arc involving Olympia (Skye P. Marshall) turns out to be a red herring. I don't care what the ladies are saying...they're friends!

Whatever happens, Kathy Bates is a performer who can go from sassy to heartbroken without missing a step, and whomever crosses her will surely raise the ire of myself and other Matlock fans. If you’re looking to keep up with Madeline Kingston’s double life, and maybe even learn who this mysterious suitor might be, make sure to tune into CBS every Thursday, at 9 P.M. ET.

Next week’s case is named “Sixteen Steps,” and who knows what sort of implications that vague moniker may have for the future. And don’t worry, if you miss the live broadcast, anyone with a Paramount+ subscription will be able to catch the previous night’s episode the day after. As always, this is the point where I declare that court is adjourned, with that OG theme music slide whistle sending us out on a high note!