IR TV Review: MATLOCK - EPISODE 1 (“The Before Times”) [CBS-S2]
The context of "Matlock" leading into Season 2, is the cusp of Maddy (Kathy Bates) trying to work the angles on both sides without showing her hand. Bates' gift in this role is her subtlety. In the Season Two premiere: "The Before Times", the show slyly shows her trying to keep the pressure of both her boss (Beau Bridges) who is partially responsible for a tragedy in her life and Skye P. Marshall as Olympia, her would-be ally but also nemesis as they try to out par the other without the other actually knowing. This is helped by the respective others (namely Maddy's husband and Olympia's paramour -- played by Jason Ritter whose father is Beau Bridges heads the firm as Senior). Bates knows the game that the episode is moving towards but it plays just a little more soapy than it should. The series has to be palpable for sure (also because of its previous pedigree) and of course the concept of Matlock was always about eventual easy afternoon viewing with an episodic nature. Yet the aspect is that all TV today seemingly functions with an underlying mythology even if it doesn't need to.
The best episode of "Strange New Worlds" this season was a simple misdirect which was simply more of a character play. The secondary plot here in "The Before Times" also has to do with parentage of Matty's grandson. A wild card comes into play but Bates knows that the context of the character has to do with where she sees the priorities in different scenes. Two scenes specifically show the richness of her performance because that ice we know her for comes through. One involves when she has a moderate face off with Senior (Bridges). The other is the final shot after we see the classic Matlock breakdown of what goes on from different perspectives and then the clincher shot at the end. "Matlock" here isn't reinventing television. The episodic element of the story is the most engaging because it shows the problem solving aspect we have come to get into with shows specifically like "Castle". All that said, like the Robin William single camera a couple years ago, it shows the power of this specific actress who still craves a lead role and understands the balance. The question this season is how heavy she can turn up the heat while still catering to her audience. B
By Tim Wassberg
