Kathy Bates explains the big twist at the premiere of “Matlock”

ATTENTION: This article contains spoilers for the Matlock Series premiere.

by CBS Matlock The premiere ended with an amazing twist.

After presenting herself in the first 40 minutes of the episode as a widowed, inexperienced ex-lawyer with a pile of debt and a drive to make big money in cases involving big pharmaceutical companies, Kathy Bates' Matty Matlock reveals a big secret: she is rich, cunning and in love with her husband, who is still very much alive (played by Lost graduate Sam Anderson).

Matty doesn't take the bus from her tiny apartment to the office—she has a personal driver who takes her to her huge mansion and back (she only uses the bus for one stop, to keep up appearances).

Bates' protagonist is on a quest to infiltrate the central law firm and expose one of its new bosses for his role in the opioid epidemic, as the firm frequently defends pharmaceutical companies. “One of those three hidden documents could have taken opioids off the market 10 years earlier,” she says, looking at a bulletin board with photos of characters played by Beau Bridges, Jason Ritter and Skye P. Marshall. “I'm going to find out who knew what and when, and then I'm going to put them in jail.”

Matty's mission is deeply personal: At the beginning of the episode, she told a key witness about the death of her daughter, who died after a long battle with addiction. “I carry the burden of this loss every day,” she says in the middle of the episode. “I thought about what I would do for my daughter. And the answer is: anything. Anything.”

Matty's secret adds a wonderfully suspenseful drama to each case, as she must constantly maintain her gentle facade to avoid the suspicions of those around her. In a conversation with Weekly entertainmentBates analyzes the premiere's big twist and explains what it means for the rest of the series.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: How is MatlockDid this topic appeal to you when you were considering taking on the project?

KATHY BATES: I thought it was important to see how these opioids affect the individual, no matter how poor or rich they are. It's a long-term battle, and people get into the battle through no fault of their own.

What is the challenge of playing a character who leads a double life?

The first challenge for me was, “Is this believable?” I remember having a conversation with a friend in the business world and asking him, “Do you think someone could do something like that?” He paused and then said, “Yes, I could.” He's someone I'm very close to.

Then you have to follow what's going on with her in terms of her mission. Why is she reacting to this person like that? How can she go to such lengths? All these different things. You have to really think things through. I think our showrunner said it's a Rubik's Cube, and figuring all that out is actually pretty fun.

What other challenges does Matty pose?

I don't have a child. That's a real challenge for me. Luckily, Aaron D. Harris, who plays my grandson, is very nice and we had a lot of fun working together. But I remember having a conversation with my niece, who has a child, and I said, “I don't know if I could do all those things, be so sneaky and lie.” And she said her love for her child was fierce and she said, “You don't know what that's like.” And I've talked to others since then who [say] They would do anything to protect their child.

What emotions drive Matty?

I think Matty has a certain amount of guilt that is deep inside her. She feels incredibly guilty for abandoning her child and not being able to win the battle between drugs and her child's future no matter what she did. It's like Jacob Marley from A Christmas story: We're dragging these boxes behind us. And that's certainly the worst thing for Matty, that level of guilt. And also that level of… she's been grieving for 10 years and I think she's spent the last couple of years hatching this plan with her grandson Alfie and using her mind. And I think all that excitement and joy of working with him and learning that he was very passionate about bringing the people who killed his mother to justice.

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Is there a passion in Matty’s work that goes beyond her personal mission?

Going back to work is an unexpected gift. I don't think she expected to be dealing with the people the firm represented on her cases. She'd forgotten what it was like. There's a scene in the pilot where she realizes, “I can't do this. These are real people. I'd forgotten what it was like.” But when she does go into it, she feels a tremendous reward. It's like the old cliche they tell grieving people: go do something for other people and get out of your own way. And that's exactly what happens with Matty. She gets very involved. And of course her relationship with Olympia starts to grow.

Matty loved being a lawyer before her daughter died. She loved her life and this makes her realize what she enjoyed about it. So it's going to be incredibly difficult for her to navigate these waters. Every day she goes to work to continue her mission without being discovered, but then she discovers all these things she didn't expect. Her relationships, the people she feels close to, and she sees her daughter in the young people.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Matlock continues with new episodes on Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CBS beginning October 17.