Matlock’s winter finale gave us a happy ending for once… and then pulled the rug out from under us.
It was Christmastime, too!
Midseason finales almost always have strong cliffhangers to get people eager to tune back in after a long hiatus, but I’m not convinced that Matlock Season 2 Episode 8 needed that Julian cliffhanger.
Olympia’s Decision Was a Classic Christmas Story Ending… And Also A Cliffhanger.
Olympia was still conflicted throughout most of Matlock Season 2 Episode 8, especially when it came to Julian’s involvement.
She wanted to help get justice for opioid addicts, but she didn’t want to rush to implicate Senior while he was seriously ill, and she still felt loyal to her not-worth-it ex-husband.
That’s why her decision to let Matty and Edwin hold onto the Wellbrexa file was so powerful… and so in line with the Christmas season.
Matlock Season 2 Episode 8 played these beats perfectly, especially Olympia looking guilty after she saw Ellie’s stocking hanging with the living Kingstons’ on the tree.
Olympia’s reversal not only showed character growth but also gave the finale a decent cliffhanger, even if it wasn’t as flashy as Julian spying on her.
Matty’s goal for the past season and a half has been to get that file, but that doesn’t mean the story is over once she gets her hands on it.
Matlock Season 2 Episode 8 COULD have used this as an actual turning point.
It would have allowed the story to shift toward exploring how Matty and Olympia can use the information given that they are going up against a powerful industry that has paid a lot of money to lawyers — including at Jacobson Moore — to ensure that nobody can hold it accountable.
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Instead, it seems like we are getting more of the same.
If Julian Ever Had a Chance at Redemption, It’s Gone Now
The reveal that Julian had put a bug on Olympia’s phone and was stalking her turned him into an almost cartoonishly evil antagonist.
He wasn’t a great guy to begin with, and I’ve wanted Olympia to wash her hands of him for a long time.
Still, this ending felt exaggerated to me. I know Matlock loves to end its episodes with twists that reveal what we saw wasn’t what actually happened, but something about this one bothered me.
It wasn’t exactly gratuitous. It DID offer an exciting cliffhanger.
However, it didn’t leave me excited. It left me annoyed.
Matlock Season 2 Episode 8 Has Taken Too Long To Get To This Point As It Is
I get the intention behind this cliffhanger. Now that Matty thinks she’s in the homestretch, Julian will be a more active obstacle to securing justice for Ellie and other victims of this cover-up.
I’m just so tired of this storyline.
Should Matlock move on from the Wellbrexa story or would that end the series?
Weigh in by leaving a comment, and don’t forget to share this article with your friends so they can join in the conversation.
It’s taken too long to get to the point that Matty has that document in her hands, and now that she does, I’m not in the mood for this new problem.
It’ll probably force Olympia to choose a side, and I hope she doesn’t choose Julian’s, but we could have dealt with that in the second half of the season without this overly dramatic cliffhanger.
Now it’s your turn. Was the Julian cliffhanger a brilliant surprise, or did it give you a “Bah! Humbug.” feeling?
Let me know in the comments, and feel free to share this article with anyone else who’d be a fun addition to the conversation.
If you enjoyed this article, check out our coverage of other CBS mystery/dramas like Elsbeth and Watson.
Matlock’s winter finale aired on December 11, 2025 and is available to stream on Paramount+. Matlock will return with new episodes on February 26, 2026.
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