Editor’s note: The below contains spoilers for Matlock Episode 16.

From the beginning of CBS’s Matlock, audiences have known the show’s central twist — that Matlock isn’t really Matlock. Madeline Kingston, aka Matty (Kathy Bates), has been working undercover at Jacobson Moore, determined to find out who buried information she believes could have saved her daughter’s life. It’s always been a personal mission, and with Bates in the role, it was easy to root for her as she pursued the truth.

But something interesting happens throughout the season: her targets become sympathetic, especially Olympia (Skye P. Marshall). What began as a tense, guarded dynamic between two formidable women quickly evolved into a genuine — and unexpectedly moving — friendship. That’s what made this week’s cliffhanger such a gut punch. We all saw it coming, but maybe we weren’t ready for what it would actually mean.

Matty and Olympia’s Friendship Is on the Line After ‘Matlock’s Episode 16 Cliffhanger

One of the best things about Matlock has been the unexpected emergence of Matty’s friendship with Olympia. Week after week, it’s been a joy watching them work together — two sharp, brilliant women forming a partnership built on mutual respect and the kind of subtle chemistry that doesn’t always come easily on screen. They shared genuine moments that suggested a real bond was forming, but there was always something simmering beneath the surface. In a conversation with Bitsy (Julie Hagerty), Matty even admits that Olympia is the first real friend she’s had in a long time — but that admission hits differently when you remember that Olympia doesn’t know who Matty really is. Every time the show reminded us of Matty’s deception, it raised the same painful question: how close could they truly be if the foundation of that friendship was a lie?

What made the relationship even more layered is how open Olympia has been — and how rare that openness is for her. Given everything we know about her, from Julian’s (Jason Ritter) betrayal to the hard-earned success she’s fought for in her career, trust doesn’t come easily, let alone vulnerability. And yet, with Matty, she let her guard down. They had a clear connection — the kind of unexpected bond that can form in the workplace when someone truly sees you, and Olympia clearly found that in Matty – at least at first.

Which is what makes this week’s twist so devastating. Just as Matty can finally breathe a sigh of relief — knowing Olympia isn’t the one who hid the Wellbrexa file — it’s Olympia who figures her out. The show builds to it beautifully: a few pointed questions, a quiet shift in tone. And then, in a clever reversal of the flashback structure usually used to reveal Matty’s secrets, we watch Olympia’s memories instead — and realize she’s been piecing it together all along. It’s still unclear how long she’s suspected something, but what’s obvious now is that it’s certainly been a while. That’s what makes the cliffhanger of Episode 16 hit so hard. It’s not just the twist — it’s the emotional toll that this will have on both of them.

RelatedEpisode 16 ended on an unexpected cliffhanger that entirely flipped the script.

Can Olympia and Matty’s Relationship Survive This?

Matty has always been a complicated protagonist. It’s easy to empathize with her pursuit of justice, but in almost every case, she’s crossed a line. Now that Olympia has caught her in a lie — and not just any lie, but one that undermines the foundation of their friendship — both the characters and the audience are forced to reckon with just how far Matty has gone. Even if she believes the ends justify the means, the collateral damage is starting to look a lot more human. And the fact that we feel that damage so deeply is a testament to Skye P. Marshall’s performance all season. In lesser hands, both on the page and on screen, Olympia could’ve easily come across as unlikable, a rigid foil constantly in the way of the lead. But Marshall has brought so much humanity to the role that it’s not only easy to understand Olympia — it’s just as easy to question Matty and her choices.

While the show may be called Matlock and Kathy Bates is undeniably captivating in the lead role, the series’ true moral compass has been Olympia. In an interview with People, Skye P. Marshall reflected on the emotional core of the story, saying, “The audience has completely forgotten that they’re supporting a con artist, that Madeline Matlock is a liar, and she is creating destruction in pursuit of this attempt to relieve her of her guilt and shame.” That perspective is right on point, and, as an audience, we need to reckon with that.

The big question heading into the final two episodes of Season 1 isn’t just whether Matty will finally come clean — it’s what the emotional fallout will be. We always knew Olympia would learn the truth eventually, but that didn’t make it hurt any less, especially seeing the betrayal on her face. It’ll be interesting to see how she reacts if she finds out why Matty is really there and whether she might even help her uncover the truth. But right now, their friendship is in the rockiest place it’s ever been — and Matty has no one to blame but herself.

All new episodes of Matlock air on Sunday nights on CBS and are available to stream the next day on Paramount+.