Matlock Recap: Family Matters

"What have we learned about Olympia Lawrence after 25 episodes of Matlock? We know a lot about Madeline Kingston: her early legal career, her wealthy college-professor husband, her drug-addict daughter, her bumpkin sister, etc. But Olympia? We know about her strict but loving military father, who died a few years ago. We know she had to fight hard for respect as a lawyer."

"Until this week! In "Prior Bad Acts," we finally meet Olympia's mother Celeste (Vernée Watson), with whom Olympia has never been close. We even get a flashback to four years ago, when Celeste visited her daughter (and Julian and the grandkids) in New York to introduce them all to her boyfriend, Lionel Carlisle (Scott Lawrence). During that trip, Olympia discovered that Lionel and her mom were maxing out credit cards and living beyond their means."

"The reason for this flashback is that Lionel and Celeste are back in Olympia's life, wholly unintentionally. While looking through a courthouse docket, Julian notices that his former in-laws are co-defendants in a fraud case. It seems Lionel was seeking investors for a line of medical copper braces and that he promised he could source his copper for $3 a pound. Then the price suddenly spiked, the business fell apart,"

Olympia Lawrence's mother, Celeste, appears as emotionally distant and financially imprudent, often living beyond her means with romantic partners. A flashback shows Celeste introducing Lionel Carlisle, who later partnered with her in ventures that drained credit and risked family stability. Lionel and Celeste become co-defendants in a fraud suit over investors in medical copper braces after promised copper sourcing failed and prices spiked, causing the business to collapse. The lawsuit endangers Celeste's home because she and Lionel are married, a fact previously unknown to Olympia. The revelations illuminate Olympia's attachment to her disciplined father and her professional and personal motivations.

Read at Vulture