As Olympia and the team take on a wrongful death case, Matty meets with a mysterious woman from Senior's past. Also, Matty reflects on her relationship with her daughter.
The legal cases Olympia and the team take on every weekly are largely inconsequential to the overall effectiveness of each episode. The show hasn't really established a roster of memorable judges or opposing counsel to spar with the main characters. Most of the legal stories only serve to highlight the themes of Matty's internal struggle. The entire wrongful death case here is designed around one final beat. The client has no regrets from the decades she spent with her husband. She always remained grounded in the present. She said yes to whatever came. That's the lesson Matty needs to learn. She has regrets. That's why she advocates so fiercely now. She needs to atone for those past mistakes. In pursuing this path, she is creating more destruction. She believes she is following a noble goal. She has recruited Olympia to her side. They don't trust one another. They put in place rules to monitor each other's activities. They have to verify every piece of information they obtain. It's far from the partnership they once had. That was built on a lie. The circle of influence is expanding. That usually makes narratives built around a secret more compelling. However, it must also coincide with every aspect of the show finding itself and operating at its best. The legal cases aren't doing that.
The audience never forgets that Matty infiltrated Jacobson Moore to expose the evidence that protected the pharmaceutical company fueling the opioid crisis. She has to honor her daughter. She can't bring her back to life. This is the way to make that loss mean something. She has placed all her hopes and dreams on this ambition. Olympia mentions that Matty may need therapy to cope with what has happened to her. Matty found inspiration working alongside Olympia. She's finally practicing the law she always wanted to pursue. Her career was stifled previously. She's unencumbered now. She still makes mistakes. They are obvious to anyone paying attention. The firm is presented as a formidable adversary. The leak investigation proves how seriously the leadership takes threats to their livelihoods. New protocols are established. Olympia hopes to use Julian's access to obtain information. That just directs the target back to Matty. He wants to know who is threatening his well-being. That's the only reason why he is following Olympia's orders and being demeaned by his father. This answer will allow him to be independent once more. His interests diverge from Matty and Olympia's. And so, he's the latest problem they must handle.
All of this makes it even more important for the audience to see Matty's relationship with her daughter. She invokes Ellie's name in everything she does. She doesn't want Alfie to get his hopes up about Joey staying sober. Matty and Edwin know all too well that having a reason to stay sober doesn't suddenly erase the disease. Ellie was sober during her pregnancy. Matty always sought out confirmation. She questioned everything. She couldn't relax and be happy for her daughter. That stress added to the addiction. Matty has that clarity now. She doesn't apply those lessons to her behavior though. She just believes she is more righteous in her actions. It's fine lying to makeup artist Debra Palmer because she holds secrets to Senior's actions in Australia fourteen years ago. The karaoke scenes hold more relevance in the past though. It's delightful to see Melanie Lynskey appear in the role. She doesn't share any scenes with her real-life husband, Jason Ritter. That may come later as Matty and Olympia deduce that Debra signed an NDA. That suggests she knows something that cannot be disclosed. That's a lead worth pursuing. Matty and Olympia simply have to deal with Julian first.
Being present is a struggle for Sarah as well. She knows Billy is expecting a baby with Claudia. It doesn't become real to her until she walks into the sonogram appointment. It's so weird that she's there. Billy introduces a coin of personal significance. Then he forgets it at work. Sarah is the only one who knows. And so, she rushes into action. It's ridiculous. It highlights how life can't neatly fit into a schedule. The pregnancy wasn't expected. Billy and Claudia are happy about it. Life will change for them shortly. The intense focus on how it impacts Sarah is a little strange. It doesn't have an impact on her life whatsoever. Yet it's the right move in hindsight because she is going to have the more engaging storyline throughout the season. This establishes that she doesn't handle change well. That was already know previously. It wouldn't be a bad thing for her to engage more frequently with the rest of the narrative. She can't always be isolated with Billy. That connects them to the episodic cases. They have more utility than simply narrative details to the more lackluster corner of the show. Change is needed. It's coming. It's just unclear how effective that transition will be.
