Matlock's Jason Ritter Reveals Julian's 'Biggest Struggle' Now That He Knows Matty's Secret

[Warning: The following contains spoilers from Matlock Season 2, Episode 9, "Collateral." Read at your own risk!]

It was only a matter of time before Julian (Jason Ritter) was brought into the Wellbrexa investigation after Olympia (Skye P. Marshall) found the missing study in his safe deposit box at the end of Matlock Season 1. The legal drama stretched that tension until the Season 2 fall finale, when Julian followed Olympia home and watched her hand over the aforementioned study to Matty (Kathy Bates). 

Now Matlock is back from winter hiatus, and Julian isn't going to be made a fool of any longer. The winter premiere sees him go toe-to-toe with both Matty and Olympia to demand answers after they gaslit him for the first part of the season. It's a terrible experiment in trust for all three parties as they try to outmaneuver and outmanipulate each other. Julian wants to know everything that he doesn't know so that he can feel sane again. Matty doesn't want Julian to have any chance of tanking her shot at justice, and Olympia is trying to be the bridge between the two. It's a high-pressure situation that isn't made any easier by Senior (Beau Bridges) being on the mend after his stroke and the firm undergoing consolidation measures before the big merger. 

The truth will set you free, as they say, though. Matty gives up the games at the end of the episode and decides to tell Julian exactly who she is and why this Wellbrexa case means so much to her. Julian thought he wanted to know who the real Matty Matlock is, but he is in no way prepared for Matty Kingston. TV Guide caught up with Jason Ritter to discuss Julian's recent revelations, how this new information will change core relationships on the show going forward, and the surprising person Julian has recruited to be in his corner.  

ALSO READ: Everything to Know About Matlock Season 2

I've been rooting for Julian to be in the fold all season. Now he's there, and it is glorious. What has been the most fun part of playing him at the top of his game and finally calling some shots?
Jason Ritter: We get to see the side of Julian that is a little bit panicked and up against the wall. He knows that he has to be on his A-game. The most fun, for me, is knowing who Matty Matlock really is. It's fun to get to see those sides of her instead of the smart, silly lady that Julian thought she was the whole first season. He kept thinking, "Oh, wow, she keeps getting lucky on these cases. Wow, she keeps figuring stuff out." I now realize how brilliant and how dangerous she is, and that's been really fun to get to have those scenes with Kathy where I've got her number, at least for a little bit.

What is it like doing scenes with Kathy when Julian and Matty are legitimate enemies now? You have to go to war with Kathy Bates!
Ritter: I know, especially in this first episode when I'm interrogating her and telling her to sit down and be quiet. It was so hard to wrap my mind around. But she's such a wonderful person to work with. It was very, very exciting for me to get to have these moments. Julian, in the first half of the season, is one of the people who underestimates Matty Matlock. He thinks she's great and smart, and he's had a great time working on cases with her, but he does kind of dismiss her and puts her in a little box. Now he knows the real deal, and it is pretty daunting.

Matty has been very clear that she wants Julian to be held accountable for the Wellbrexa case in some way, but just hasn't decided whether that should mean prison time. What does being accountable for his role in all of this look like in Julian's eyes?
Ritter: That is one of his biggest struggles this season. We've seen that one of the things that drives him the craziest about his father is that his dad seems to, like some people in this world, skate through life consequence-free. Anytime it looks like a consequence is potentially coming for Senior, he figures out a way around it or throws someone else under the bus. We saw in the first season how Julian doesn't want to be like his father so much that he comes clean to Olympia about his affair, which blows up their entire relationship. That's how much he doesn't want to be his father.

On the other hand, this is a much bigger thing to be accountable for. It's not just that feelings are hurt and trust is trying to be built. This is potential jail time. This is not being around for your children's lives, and falling from grace in your children's eyes. You're not the hero they believed you were this whole time. It's a really complicated thing where he understands the importance of accountability. But I think he's also doing that thing that a lot of people do, which is minimizing his responsibility. He's pushing the buck up the chain and going, "Well, I only did it because he told me to." Which we know historically is not a very good excuse. I think it's a real struggle for him. He wants to be like, "Can I just be held a little accountable?" But not all the way. He just wants to say sorry.

This episode is a lot about him reacting to things and trying to find the information he still doesn't have yet. He hasn't had time to actually process how much things have changed. What can you say about how this changes his relationship with Olympia?
Ritter: The wild thing is that when Olympia found out about the Wellbrexa study, she felt incredibly betrayed. In that [Season 1 finale] bank scene — they had been working on trusting each other and getting to a point where it feels like she and Julian were aligned and figuring it out together. Julian could never have imagined that she and Matty were in cahoots. It's even deeper and bigger than Julian could have ever imagined in his wildest nightmares.

This is by far the biggest betrayal Olympia has ever done. Olympia has been a pretty straight shooter with him through their entire relationship. When you realize that someone close to you has been lying to your face for who knows how long, building that trust back up is really a challenge. You get to see Julian try to put the pieces of his life back together and say, "Who is telling me what, and who can I trust? What's going on? What have you guys been doing behind the scenes? Was this divorce not as amicable as I thought? Is this a revenge thing? What's your plan for my life?"

What do you think he needs to rebuild that trust?
Ritter: Julian, in the first part of the second half of the season, has gone into Super Lawyer Defensive Mode. He's dealing with unreliable witnesses who have contradicted themselves on the stand. He can't trust their word anymore. He's going to need some kind of hard evidence or proof that they are telling him the truth. I think he's very skittish at the beginning of this part of the season with both of them. He doesn't know what to believe.

The one person he does seem to trust is Sarah, who also really betrayed him. What is it that he sees in her that makes him willing to give her a second chance?
Ritter: He sees his own weakness in Sarah, as it pertains to his dad. He knows what it's like for his dad to say, "I need you to do something. Don't tell anyone, wink wink, nudge nudge," and ignore the potential consequences, and do what you know is wrong. He recognizes that in her and he, in that moment, is also up against the wall. All he would want in that moment is for Matty and Olympia to say, "You know, let's forget about the Wellbrexa thing and give you a second chance." He knows that's not coming, so at least he can give someone else a second chance. He recognizes the shame of someone betraying their own moral code because they were afraid someone powerful or wanted something from them.

Now that Julian is in the fold, what are the chances that your wife, Melanie Lynskey, will return and Deborah Palmer will get a scene with Julian?
Ritter: Oh my gosh, I would love that so much. I hope it happens. I really hope it happens. I feel like we haven't seen the last of Deborah. I mean, who knows? But it feels like there's more to be explored. She kind of left in the middle of a conversation... We need some answers, so let's get her back. I would love that. I love working with her so much. She's so funny and brilliant.

Matlock continues Thursdays at 9/8c on CBS. Episodes are available to stream the next day on Paramount+.