Is Kathy Bates’s Matty the Real Villain of Matlock?

It’s been a bumpy and exciting premiere season of Matlock. However, the way the story has stacked one event on top of another has led some viewers to wonder if Matty is the series’ real villain.

Let’s be honest about Matty’s activities and the lengths she’s gone to seek “justice.”

There is a fine line between protecting the innocent and punishing the guilty, and last time I checked, Madeline Matlock is a lawyer and not a judge.

At the show’s start, viewers had no side to choose other than Madeline Kingston’s as she went undercover at Jacobson Moore. Since then, things have gone from bad to worse.

Matty’s Mission Should Be Bringing Her Family Peace and Not That Endless Stress and Mayhem That It Has Been

Listen, I am as much of a fan of this series as any other boob tube-watching Thespian, but even this TV Fanatic can’t turn a blind eye to what Miss Matty has wrought on the show.

It should go without saying at this point that Matty’s mission has had fundamental impacts on everyone around her. Namely her family, and not at all in a good way.

For the first half of Matlock Season 1, Edwin’s main concern was Alfie’s well-being, as it should have been.

While it’s sweet that Matty let her grandson help her back when she was a little less tech-savvy, it was getting to the point where Alfie was treating the mission like a full-time job.

What’s the good of getting justice for Alfie’s mom if it means sacrificing the kid’s childhood?

Thankfully, Matty saw reason after a while and came around to Edwin’s way of thinking, but it took a lot of effort on Mr. Kingston’s part.

Then there is the stress that Matty brings home every time she hits a snag in her revenge, whether it’s a clue that didn’t pan out or a lead that led nowhere.

Matty has already had at least one panic attack that was depicted on screen. Who’s to say Sam Anderson’s (A Million Little Things) Edwin won’t have one as well? Or, worse, a heart attack?

I get that sacrifices must be made for the greater good, but is Matty really doing all of this for Ellie’s sake or because of her guilt over being a tough mother?

Madeline Matlock May Be Out to Keep Drugs Off the Streets, but Madeline Kingston’s Motivations Might Be Purely Selfish

Madeline Kingston didn’t become the successful attorney she was and is again without being a ballbuster. Sadly, that kind of characteristic can’t be turned off with a quick flip of a switch.

From what we learned about Matty and Ellie on Matlock Season 1 Episode 12 during the flashbacks of Matty gaining custody of Alfie, their relationship wasn’t exactly soft and nurturing.

That was an incredibly difficult episode to watch because, on the one hand, you understood why Matty was dishing out such tough love.

She had to listen to her grandson go through withdrawals after birth, and there was nothing she could do but wait for the pain to pass. Her “Grand-Mama Bear” instincts were turned up to the max.

On the other hand, it was hard not to wonder if there was another way to save Alfie and Ellie.

Even Edwin had significant second thoughts about the custody battle, and when Ellie overdosed, none of it seemed worth it.

So, we know Matty (Kathy Bates) was not playing around when it came to making the tough calls. Since “This is That Moment,” Matty has been doing a lot of soul-searching.

She’s realizing that her mission is less about bringing forth the guilty party and more about parting with her own guilt.

While her mission is, more or less, noble, Matty has messed up more than a few lives at Jacobson Moore without knowing who the Welbrexa culprit is yet.

Matty Matlock Has Made More Strides in Creating Chaos Around the Office Than She Has at Figuring Out Who the Welbrexa Culprit Is

That’s the thing about Matty’s revenge scheme: She doesn’t know who she should be gunning for.

The Redditor who put Matty on the Welbrexa cover-up said that Olympia, Julian, and Senior were the three main suspects.

As seen on Matlock Season 1 Episode 15, that Redditor turned out to be none other than Mrs. B.

The question is, “Why did Mrs. B wait so long to come forward with the information?” But that’s a ponderance for another article.

My point is that Matty has never truly known who covered up the Welbrexa case but has made waves, nonetheless. The problem is that some of those waves may be affecting innocent people.

On “Game Face,” Matlock revealed that Olympia was more than likely the one who covered up the case because of one circumstantial clue.

First of all, I don’t buy for a second that it was Olympia (Skye P. Marshall). I don’t care how long ago the case was or what kind of person Olympia used to be. There is no way she is the culprit.

How can I be so sure, you ask? Because there are a handful of episodes left of Matlock Season 1, I don’t think the show is ready to give away the goods just yet.

So, with the mindset that Olympia is not the Welbrexa culprit at all, Matty has really been messing up Miss Lawrence’s life for no reason.

No One is Safe from How Far Madeline Matlock Will Go to Uncover the Truth — Even If It Means Ruining A Few Lives Along the Way

At the start of Matlock Season 1 Episode 1, it didn’t seem like Matty and Olympia would end up as best friends, but that’s where the two have ended up.

Through one case after another, Madeline and Miss Lawrence grew close in a way that feels like a genuine friendship.

However, Matty was scheming behind Olympia’s back the whole time that was happening. Tell me no one here forgot about the pen.

If you don’t recall, Matty used an audio surveillance pen to try to snoop on Julian, but it ended up in Olympia’s office.

Rather than get rid of the pen, Matty switched it with an untraceable one to make Olympia think Julian (Jason Ritter) was spying on her because of the partner race.

Matty didn’t even try to smooth things over or cover her tracks. She just let Olympia go on thinking the father of her children was devious enough to bug her office.

I’m sorry, but that was low down and dirty on Matty’s part. It would almost be fitting if Olympia was the one to discover Matty’s secret. That’s poetic justice right there.

So, while I love this series and Kathy Bates’s character, at this point in the show, it’s starting to make sense why Edwin called Matty a bull in a China shop on Matlock Season 1 Episode 13.

It’s getting easy for Matty to come up with excuses to justify what she has to do to see her revenge through. Is this really even about Ellie anymore?

As I said, this CBS series seems to be about Matty easing her guilt.

While it’s understandable why she would need that to go on with her life, it doesn’t give Madeline Kingston the right to ruin every other character’s life along the way.

Do you think Matty has gone a little too far with her mission?

Who do you genuinely think the Welbrexa culprit is?

Please drop a comment below to let me know what you think, and join me again when I bring you more fun questions and opinions about Matlock!

Watch Matlock Online

TV Fanatic is searching for passionate writers to share their voices across various article types. Think you have what it takes to be a TV Fanatic? Click here for more information and next steps.