Matlock Boss Teases 2-Hour 'Pressure Cooker' Finale — Plus, Julian Gets Emotional In An Exclusive Sneak Peek

For the past two weeks, CBS' Matlock has left us with cliffhangers that any other show would have been glad to end a season with!

Episode 16 ended with Olympia surprising Matty a stone's throw from the town car that drives Madeline Kingston home each night, while this week's episode had Edwin finding his wife with Olympia on their Westchester home's doorstep.

Olympia confronting Matty at the bus stop would have been a perfectly fine end to the hit drama's freshman run, but showrunner Jennie Snyder Urman had much more that she wanted to bring to light.

"Once we had Olympia expose Matty, we needed an episode that slowed down a bit in terms of the plot, and showed all of the damage that Matty has caused" with her elaborate deception, Snyder Urman tells TVLine. "An episode that really privileged Olympia's experience over this year and showed us things that we haven't seen — like, how after after Matty said that [Julian] was spying on her, Olympia got really paranoid around her house."

Courtesy of Sonja Flemming/CBS

Up until the April 10 episode, "What we had with Matty is this character who is a con woman, and we've been rooting for her all along," Snyder Urman notes. "She's charming, what she wants feels noble and is rooted in deep emotion, and she's played by the incredible Kathy Bates who gives us layers upon layers to her humanity. So we wanted the audience suddenly to realize everything they missed in rooting for Matty, and how she's caused so much pain. We wanted an episode where you played out the collateral damage of what it cost her, because the friendship [with Olympia] is such the spine of the show."

Viewers thus spent much of an episode watching Olympia confront Matty, in an empty office that looked not unlike an interrogation room, about her "dead" husband, the mysterious woman (Bitsy) who showed up in court that one day, and what exactly she aims to accomplish by hunting down a missing Welbrexa document.

"Before we get into the events of the finale — which have a lot of plot, a lot of resolution, and a lot of big, 'Oh my gosh' moments that are going to take us emotionally to different places — we needed an episode to really understand emotionally what's at stake for these two women," says Snyder Urman. "That's why the finale is going to be so fraught, because now they both know the truth, don't trust each other, and have to work together — but can they? It puts everyone into this really cool pressure cooker."

"Tricks of the Trade – Part One" and "Tricks of the Trade – Part Two" – When Sarah's client is arrested after his business partner is found murdered, Billy attempts to help her handle the case while Matty and Olympia contend with a pressing confidential matter, on a special two-hour first season finale of the CBS Original Series MATLOCK, Thursday, April 17 (9:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network, and streaming on Paramount+ (live and on demand for Paramount+ with SHOWTIME subscribers, or on demand for Paramount+ Essential subscribers the day after the episode airs)*. Pictured (L-R): David Del Rio as "Billy Martinez" and Leah Lewis as "Sarah Franklin". Photo: Sonja Flemming/CBS ©2024 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

In Matlock's two-hour finale, airing this Thursday, April 17, starting at 9/8c, Olympia, Matty and Billy must swing into action when a case that Sarah takes on goes sideways, fast. (One Life to Live vet David Fumero guest-stars as a gym owner accused of, at the very least, manslaughter.) But first, we'll see what happens when Olympia sets foot in her associate's secret home.

"Olympia is going to be inside the Kingston house, and that should feel pretty shocking, that these two worlds we have kept very separate are suddenly colliding," Snyder Urman previews.

"Tricks of the Trade – Part One" and "Tricks of the Trade – Part Two" – When Sarah's client is arrested after his business partner is found murdered, Billy attempts to help her handle the case while Matty and Olympia contend with a pressing confidential matter, on a special two-hour first season finale of the CBS Original Series MATLOCK, Thursday, April 17 (9:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network, and streaming on Paramount+ (live and on demand for Paramount+ with SHOWTIME subscribers, or on demand for Paramount+ Essential subscribers the day after the episode airs)*. Pictured (L-R): Jason Ritter as "Julian Markston" and Skye P. Marshall as "Olympia Lawrence". Photo: Robert Voets/CBS ©2024 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

As Olympia lays eyes on Madeline's crime board — namely, how all signs point to ex-husband Julian stealing the study on behalf of Senior — in her mind at least, what is the best possible outcome here?

"She cannot have him be culpable. She can't open her mind to that right now, because she doesn't believe deep down he would have done that," says Snyder Urman. As such, Olympia will seek out any solution that keeps Julian out of prison, "for the sake of her family," says the EP. "Her kids are what she's thinking about."

In the exclusive Matlock finale sneak peek above, Olympia is begrudgingly using one of Matty's tricks — asking Julian about their finances when she knows he is distracted by an imminent meeting — when he ex suddenly gets emotional about being passed over for partner. Press play above and get in your final finale predications!

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